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Explore How To Apply Decision Tree Algorithm With A Hands-On in R | Decision Tree Algorithm - Edureka
With the increase in the implementation of Machine Learning algorithms for solving industry-level problems, the demand for more complex and iterative algorithms has become a need. The Decision Tree Algorithm is one such algorithm that is used to solve both Regression and Classification problems.
In this article on the Decision Tree Algorithm, you will learn the working of Decision Tree and how it can be implemented to solve real-world problems. The following topics will be covered in this article:
Why Decision Tree? What Is A Decision Tree? How Does The Decision Tree Algorithm Work? Building A Decision Tree Practical Implementation Of Decision Tree Algorithm Using R
We’re all aware that there are n number of Machine Learning algorithms that can be used for analysis, so why should you choose Decision Tree? In the below section I’ve listed a few reasons.
Why Decision Tree Algorithm?
Decision Tree is considered to be one of the most useful Machine Learning algorithms since it can be used to solve a variety of problems. Here are a few reasons why you should use Decision Tree:
It is considered to be the most understandable Machine Learning algorithm and it can be easily interpreted. It can be used for classification and regression problems. Unlike most Machine Learning algorithms, it works effectively with non-linear data. Constructing a Decision Tree is a very quick process since it uses only one feature per node to split the data.
What Is A Decision Tree Algorithm?
A Decision Tree is a Supervised Machine Learning algorithm which looks like an inverted tree, wherein each node represents a predictor variable (feature), the link between the nodes represents a Decision and each leaf node represents an outcome (response variable).
To get a better understanding of a Decision Tree, let’s look at an example:
Let’s say that you hosted a huge party and you want to know how many of your guests were non-vegetarians. To solve this problem, let’s create a simple Decision Tree.
In the above illustration, I’ve created a Decision tree that classifies a guest as either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Each node represents a predictor variable that will help to conclude whether or not a guest is a non-vegetarian. As you traverse down the tree, you must make decisions at each node, until you reach a dead end.
Now that you know the logic of a Decision Tree, let’s define a set of terms related to a Decision Tree.
Structure Of A Decision Tree
A Decision Tree has the following structure:
Root Node: The root node is the starting point of a tree. At this point, the first split is performed.
The root node is the starting point of a tree. At this point, the first split is performed. Internal Nodes: Each internal node represents a decision point (predictor variable) that eventually leads to the prediction of the outcome.
Each internal node represents a decision point (predictor variable) that eventually leads to the prediction of the outcome. Leaf/ Terminal Nodes: Leaf nodes represent the final class of the outcome and therefore they’re also called terminating nodes.
Leaf nodes represent the final class of the outcome and therefore they’re also called terminating nodes. Branches: Branches are connections between nodes, they’re represented as arrows. Each branch represents a response such as yes or no.
So that is the basic structure of a Decision Tree. Now let’s try to understand the workflow of a Decision Tree.
How Does The Decision Tree Algorithm Work?
The Decision Tree Algorithm follows the below steps:
Step 1: Select the feature (predictor variable) that best classifies the data set into the desired classes and assign that feature to the root node.
Step 2: Traverse down from the root node, whilst making relevant decisions at each internal node such that each internal node best classifies the data.
Step 3: Route back to step 1 and repeat until you assign a class to the input data.
The above-mentioned steps represent the general workflow of a Decision Tree used for classification purposes.
Now let’s try to understand how a Decision Tree is created.
Build A Decision Tree Using ID3 Algorithm
There are many ways to build a Decision Tree, in this article we’ll be focusing on how the ID3 algorithm is used to create a Decision Tree.
What Is The ID3 Algorithm?
ID3 or the Iterative Dichotomiser 3 algorithm is one of the most effective algorithms used to build a Decision Tree. It uses the concept of Entropy and Information Gain to generate a Decision Tree for a given set of data.
ID3 Algorithm:
The ID3 algorithm follows the below workflow in order to build a Decision Tree:
Select Best Attribute (A) Assign A as a decision variable for the root node. For each value of A, build a descendant of the node. Assign classification labels to the leaf node. If data is correctly classified: Stop. Else: Iterate over the tree.
The first step in this algorithm states that we must select the best attribute. What does that mean?
The best attribute (predictor variable) is the one that, separates the data set into different classes, most effectively or it is the feature that best splits the data set.
Now the next question in your head must be, “How do I decide which variable/ feature best splits the data?”
Two measures are used to decide the best attribute:
Information Gain Entropy
What Is Entropy?
Entropy measures the impurity or uncertainty present in the data. It is used to decide how a Decision Tree can split the data.
Equation For Entropy:
What Is Information Gain?
Information Gain (IG) is the most significant measure used to build a Decision Tree. It indicates how much “information” a particular feature/ variable gives us about the final outcome.
Information Gain is important because it used to choose the variable that best splits the data at each node of a Decision Tree. The variable with the highest IG is used to split the data at the root node.
Equation For Information Gain (IG):
To better understand how Information Gain and Entropy are used to create a Decision Tree, let’s look at an example. The below data set represents the speed of a car based on certain parameters.
Your problem statement is to study this data set and create a Decision Tree that classifies the speed of a car (response variable) as either slow or fast, depending on the following predictor variables:
Road type
Obstruction
Speed limit
We’ll be building a Decision Tree using these variables in order to predict the speed of a car. Like I mentioned earlier we must first begin by deciding a variable that best splits the data set and assign that particular variable to the root node and repeat the same thing for the other nodes as well.
At this point, you might be wondering how do you know which variable best separates the data? The answer is, the variable with the highest Information Gain best divides the data into the desired output classes.
So, let’s begin by calculating the Entropy and Information Gain (IG) for each of the predictor variables, starting with ‘Road type’.
In our data set, there are four observations in the ‘Road type’ column that correspond to four labels in the ‘Speed of car’ column. We shall begin by calculating the entropy of the parent node (Speed of car).
Step one is to find out the fraction of the two classes present in the parent node. We know that there are a total of four values present in the parent node, out of which two samples belong to the ‘slow’ class and the other 2 belong to the ‘fast’ class, therefore:
P(slow) -> fraction of ‘slow’ outcomes in the parent node
P(fast) -> fraction of ‘fast’ outcomes in the parent node
The formula to calculate P(slow) is:
p(slow) = no. of ‘slow’ outcomes in the parent node / total number of outcomes
Similarly, the formula to calculate P(fast) is:
p(fast) = no. of ‘fast’ outcomes in the parent node / total number of outcomes
Therefore, the entropy of the parent node is:
Entropy(parent) = — {0.5 log2(0.5) + 0.5 log2(0.5)} = — {-0.5 + (-0.5)} = 1
Now that we know that the entropy of the parent node is 1, let’s see how to calculate the Information Gain for the ‘Road type’ variable. Remember that, if the Information gain of the ‘Road type’ variable is greater than the Information Gain of all the other predictor variables, only then the root node can be split by using the ‘Road type’ variable.
In order to calculate the Information Gain of ‘Road type’ variable, we first need to split the root node by the ‘Road type’ variable.
In the above illustration, we’ve split the parent node by using the ‘Road type’ variable, the child nodes denote the corresponding responses as shown in the data set. Now, we need to measure the entropy of the child nodes.
The entropy of the right-hand side child node (fast) is 0 because all of the outcomes in this node belongs to one class (fast). In a similar manner, we must find the Entropy of the left-hand side node (slow, slow, fast).
In this node there are two types of outcomes (fast and slow), therefore, we first need to calculate the fraction of slow and fast outcomes for this particular node.
P(slow) = 2/3 = 0.667
P(fast) = 1/3 = 0.334
Therefore, entropy is:
Entropy(left child node) = — {0.667 log2(0.667) + 0.334 log2(0.334)} = — {-0.38 + (-0.52)}
= 0.9
Our next step is to calculate the Entropy(children) with weighted average:
Total number of outcomes in parent node: 4
Total number of outcomes in left child node: 3
Total number of outcomes in right child node: 1
Formula for Entropy(children) with weighted avg. :
[Weighted avg]Entropy(children) = (no. of outcomes in left child node) / (total no. of outcomes in parent node) * (entropy of left node) + (no. of outcomes in right child node)/ (total no. of outcomes in parent node) * (entropy of right node)
By using the above formula you’ll find that the, Entropy(children) with weighted avg. is = 0.675
Our final step is to substitute the above weighted average in the IG formula in order to calculate the final IG of the ‘Road type’ variable:
Therefore,
Information gain(Road type) = 1–0.675 = 0.325
Information gain of Road type feature is 0.325.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Decision Tree Algorithm selects the variable with the highest Information Gain to split the Decision Tree. Therefore, by using the above method you need to calculate the Information Gain for all the predictor variables to check which variable has the highest IG.
So by using the above methodology, you must get the following values for each predictor variable:
Information gain(Road type) = 1–0.675 = 0.325 Information gain(Obstruction) = 1–1 = 0 Information gain(Speed limit) = 1–0 = 1
So, here we can see that the ‘Speed limit’ variable has the highest Information Gain. Therefore, the final Decision Tree for this dataset is built using the ‘Speed limit’ variable.
Now that you know how a Decision Tree is created, let’s run a short demo that solves a real-world problem by implementing Decision Trees.
Implementation Of Decision Tree In R — Decision Tree Algorithm Example
Problem Statement:
To study a Mushroom data set in order to predict whether a given mushroom is edible or poisonous to human beings.
Data Set Description:
The given data set contains a total of 8124 observations of different kind of mushrooms and their properties such as odor, habitat, population, etc. A more in-depth structure of the data set is shown in the demo below.
Logic:
To build a Decision Tree model in order to classify mushroom samples as either poisonous or edible by studying their properties such as odor, root, habitat, etc.
Now that you know the objective of this demo, let’s get our brains working and start coding. For this demo, I’ll be using the R language in order to build the model.
Step 1: Install and load libraries
#Installing libraries
install.packages('rpart')
install.packages('caret')
install.packages('rpart.plot')
install.packages('rattle')
#Loading libraries
library(rpart,quietly = TRUE)
library(caret,quietly = TRUE)
library(rpart.plot,quietly = TRUE)
library(rattle)
Step 2: Import the data set
#Reading the data set as a dataframe
mushrooms <- read.csv ("/Users/zulaikha/Desktop/decision_tree/mushrooms.csv")
Now, to display the structure of the data set, you can make use of the R function called str():
# structure of the data
> str(mushrooms)
'data.frame': 8124 obs. of 22 variables:
$ class : Factor w/ 2 levels "e","p": 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 ...
$ cap.shape : Factor w/ 6 levels "b","c","f","k",..: 6 6 1 6 6 6 1 1 6 1 ...
$ cap.surface : Factor w/ 4 levels "f","g","s","y": 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 ...
$ cap.color : Factor w/ 10 levels "b","c","e","g",..: 5 10 9 9 4 10 9 9 9 10 ...
$ bruises : Factor w/ 2 levels "f","t": 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 ...
$ odor : Factor w/ 9 levels "a","c","f","l",..: 7 1 4 7 6 1 1 4 7 1 ...
$ gill.attachment : Factor w/ 2 levels "a","f": 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 ...
$ gill.spacing : Factor w/ 2 levels "c","w": 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 ...
$ gill.size : Factor w/ 2 levels "b","n": 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 ...
$ gill.color : Factor w/ 12 levels "b","e","g","h",..: 5 5 6 6 5 6 3 6 8 3 ...
$ stalk.shape : Factor w/ 2 levels "e","t": 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 ...
$ stalk.root : Factor w/ 5 levels "?","b","c","e",..: 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 3 ...
$ stalk.surface.above.ring: Factor w/ 4 levels "f","k","s","y": 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 ...
$ stalk.surface.below.ring: Factor w/ 4 levels "f","k","s","y": 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 ...
$ stalk.color.above.ring : Factor w/ 9 levels "b","c","e","g",..: 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 ...
$ stalk.color.below.ring : Factor w/ 9 levels "b","c","e","g",..: 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 ...
$ veil.color : Factor w/ 4 levels "n","o","w","y": 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 ...
$ ring.number : Factor w/ 3 levels "n","o","t": 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 ...
$ ring.type : Factor w/ 5 levels "e","f","l","n",..: 5 5 5 5 1 5 5 5 5 5 ...
$ spore.print.color : Factor w/ 9 levels "b","h","k","n",..: 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 3 ...
$ population : Factor w/ 6 levels "a","c","n","s",..: 4 3 3 4 1 3 3 4 5 4 ...
$ habitat : Factor w/ 7 levels "d","g","l","m",..: 6 2 4 6 2 2 4 4 2 4 ...
The output shows a number of predictor variables that are used to predict the output class of a mushroom (poisonous or edible).
Step 3: Data Cleaning
At this stage, we must look for any null or missing values and unnecessary variables so that our prediction is as accurate as possible. In the below code snippet I have deleted the ‘veil.type’ variable since it has no effect on the outcome. Such inconsistencies and redundant data must be fixed in this step.
# number of rows with missing values
nrow(mushrooms) - sum(complete.cases(mushrooms))
# deleting redundant variable `veil.type`
mushrooms$veil.type <- NULL
Step 4: Data Exploration and Analysis
To get a good understanding of the 21 predictor variables, I’ve created a table for each predictor variable vs class type (response/ outcome variable) in order to understand whether that particular predictor variable is significant for detecting the output or not.
I’ve shown the table only for the ‘odor’ variable, you can go ahead and create a table for each of the variables by following the below code snippet:
# analyzing the odor variable
> table(mushrooms$class,mushrooms$odor)
a c f l m n p s y
e 400 0 0 400 0 3408 0 0 0
p 0 192 2160 0 36 120 256 576 576
In the above snippet, ‘e’ stands for edible class and ‘p’ stands for the poisonous class of mushrooms.
The above output shows that the mushrooms with odor values ‘c’, ‘f’, ‘m’, ‘p’, ‘s’ and ‘y’ are clearly poisonous. And the mushrooms having almond (a) odor (400) are edible. Such observations will help us to predict the output class more accurately.
Our next step in the data exploration stage is to predict which variable would be the best one for splitting the Decision Tree. For this reason, I’ve plotted a graph that represents the split for each of the 21 variables, the output is shown below:
number.perfect.splits <- apply(X=mushrooms[-1], MARGIN = 2, FUN = function(col){
t <- table(mushrooms$class,col)
sum(t == 0)
})
# Descending order of perfect splits
order <- order(number.perfect.splits,decreasing = TRUE)
number.perfect.splits <- number.perfect.splits[order]
# Plot graph
par(mar=c(10,2,2,2))
barplot(number.perfect.splits,
main="Number of perfect splits vs feature",
xlab="",ylab="Feature",las=2,col="wheat")
The output shows that the ‘odor’ variable plays a significant role in predicting the output class of the mushroom.
Step 5: Data Splicing
Data Splicing is the process of splitting the data into a training set and a testing set. The training set is used to build the Decision Tree model and the testing set is used to validate the efficiency of the model. The splitting is performed in the below code snippet:
#data splicing
set.seed(12345)
train <- sample(1:nrow(mushrooms),size = ceiling(0.80*nrow(mushrooms)),replace = FALSE)
# training set
mushrooms_train <- mushrooms[train,]
# test set
mushrooms_test <- mushrooms[-train,]
To make this demo more interesting and to minimize the number of poisonous mushrooms misclassified as edible we will assign a penalty 10x bigger, than the penalty for classifying an edible mushroom as poisonous because of obvious reasons.
# penalty matrix
penalty.matrix <- matrix(c(0,1,10,0), byrow=TRUE, nrow=2)
Step 6: Building a model
In this stage, we’re going to build a Decision Tree by using the rpart (Recursive Partitioning And Regression Trees) algorithm:
# building the classification tree with rpart
tree <- rpart(class~.,
data=mushrooms_train,
parms = list(loss = penalty.matrix),
method = "class")
Step 7: Visualising the tree
In this step, we’ll be using the rpart.plot library to plot our final Decision Tree:
# Visualize the decision tree with rpart.plot
rpart.plot(tree, nn=TRUE)
Step 8: Testing the model
Now in order to test our Decision Tree model, we’ll be applying the testing data set on our model like so:
#Testing the model
pred <- predict(object=tree,mushrooms_test[-1],type="class")
Step 9: Calculating accuracy
We’ll be using a confusion matrix to calculate the accuracy of the model. Here’s the code:
#Calculating accuracy
t <- table(mushrooms_test$class,pred) > confusionMatrix(t)
Confusion Matrix and Statistics
pred
e p
e 839 0
p 0 785
Accuracy : 1
95% CI : (0.9977, 1)
No Information Rate : 0.5166
P-Value [Acc > NIR] : < 2.2e-16
Kappa : 1
Mcnemar's Test P-Value : NA
Sensitivity : 1.0000
Specificity : 1.0000
Pos Pred Value : 1.0000
Neg Pred Value : 1.0000
Prevalence : 0.5166
Detection Rate : 0.5166
Detection Prevalence : 0.5166
Balanced Accuracy : 1.0000
'Positive' Class : e
The output shows that all the samples in the test dataset have been correctly classified and we’ve attained an accuracy of 100% on the test data set with a 95% confidence interval (0.9977, 1). Thus we can correctly classify a mushroom as either poisonous or edible using this Decision Tree model.
So, with this, we come to the end of this article. I hope you all found this article informative.
If you wish to check out more articles on the market’s most trending technologies like Python, DevOps, Ethical Hacking, then you can refer to Edureka’s official site.
Do look out for other articles in this series which will explain the various other aspects of Data Science. | https://medium.com/edureka/a-complete-guide-on-decision-tree-algorithm-3245e269ece | ['Sahiti Kappagantula'] | 2020-09-10 13:15:33.439000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Supervised Learning', 'Ml Algorithm', 'Decision Tree', 'Unsupervised Learning'] |
The SaaS Learning Curve | The SaaS Learning Curve
(or, why SaaS = Service as a Software)
Originally published by Sean Sheppard on the GrowthX Blog.
The SaaS Learning Curve for most founders is longer than it needs to be. So long that it outpaces most early funding, leaving founders short of the traction milestones required for their next funding round.
Founders can avoid this outcome with one simple but powerful realization: It’s not your technology that wins, but the insights you generate by seeking fit within a market.
That’s worth Tweeting, don’t you think?
It’s not your technology that wins, but the insights you generate by seeking fit within a market. CLICK TO TWEET
That means you need to resist the temptation to focus on building a product and spend your time (and early funding) on working closely with early customers in solving a specific problem. A problem large enough to sustain you through the learning curve.
Here’s a trick to make this easy (please share):
Start thinking of SaaS as Service as a Software, not Software as a Service. CLICK TO TWEET
Service First Makes for Better Software
People don’t care about your products. They care about their problems. If you can solve their problems partially today via Service as a Software and more fully over time via Software as a Service then you will increase your chance of winning. This requires you to be high touch and low tech until you no longer have to be.
Servicing your customer accelerates your learning. Your best opportunity to learn and build what you want is by manually servicing your customer. It can take years to build a self-service product. So build a service-first culture and leverage that approach to build what your customers want.
There’s No Shame in Leading with Service
The now-common refrain from the investment community about predictable, recurring licensing revenue puts pressure on founders which is not always correct. As such, it has convinced a generation of SaaS founders that they’re failing if they have to lean in with services while they are building a more whole and complete software.
This can create a whole host of unhealthy and misaligned behaviors that can result in a longer learning curve which in turn creates the potential need for more time and runway to learn and ultimately reduces win rates.
It’s true that humans don’t scale, but neither do startups that build interesting features without solving a market need. In the early days, you’re not ready for scale. A services mindset helps you find fit with a market need (and, ultimately, something worth scaling).
Adopt a Service-First Mindset
A Service as a Software approach helps you develop deeper insights into the problems you’re solving and build a more robust and stickier software solution for your market. Far from worrying, SaaS founders should rejoice when their early customers are asking for service! Where they should worry is if the market doesn’t respond. Silence speaks louder than words!!
Service as a Software is more than an important mindset to help founders focus on problems over features. In some circumstances, services-first can help a SaaS startup beat the competition. Tom Tunguz penned a great blog on this topic. Finish reading this article and then head over to his site to learn why in early markets, services can be a competitive advantage.
Selling Vision vs Reality
Service as a Software does not mean stop selling your vision. It means stop selling your product to customers (as if it’s complete). Instead, recruit early partners who share your vision and are willing to implement your reality. And your reality as an early-stage startup is that most of what you’ve built is riddled with “happy accidents.”
A startup is a series of experiments. You need to constantly ask yourself WWBRD (What Would Bob Ross Do). He would celebrate being less wrong tomorrow than he is today! Be like Bob; be a learn-it-all (not a know-it-all).
So how do you identify and recruit early partners? I’m glad you asked
Recruiting Early Partners
I’m often asked, “which customers do I go after first”? The framework for answering that question starts with asking the same question differently: “Which customers are open to sharing my vision while accepting my reality?”
The answer is in Geoffrey Moore’s must-read book, “Crossing the Chasm”. The cohorts most likely to share your vision with an appetite for accepting your reality are referred to as Innovators and Early Adopters. These groups of people are willing to take the risk associated with working with incomplete products to realize a shared vision.
Innovators represent about 10% of the market and will provide you with great product feedback but rarely have a budget. As such, they are quite useful in the pre-revenue stage of a Service as a Software company.
Early Adopters represent another 10–15% of the market and they have a budget. They often buy because they seek a competitive advantage. They see that being achieved by working with you to realize what should become a shared vision for your product.
The Early Customer Mindset in the SaaS Learning Curve.
Regardless of your customer, all commerce is human to human (until the bots take over). It is vital to recognize that humans rely on the humans building the product to solve their problems; they don’t rely on the product.
After all, when was the last time anyone sought recourse from a product when something goes wrong? Never! They seek recourse from those who convinced them to join them on a wayward journey. They expect service from you, not your product!
The Early-Stage SaaS Metric that Matters the Most: Learning
The next question I get is “how do I know where I am in the learning curve, or if I’m making progress?” To effectively commercial innovation you need to accept that learning precedes revenue. If you start the journey with a Service as a Software mindset and build a functional learning organization, you will accelerate your path through the SaaS Learning Curve.
This requires you to create an environment that supports rapid on-the-job learning by adopting a growth mindset, developing your business acumen, facilitating cross-functional communication, and embracing ambiguity.
Reserve the right to be better tomorrow than you are today based on what you’ve learned. CLICK TO TWEET
Learning powers your early journey as a Service as a Software founder. It helps you efficiently transition from a non-scalable (but critical) Service as a Software approach to a profitable, predictable and scalable Software as a Service business. | https://medium.com/the-mission/the-saas-learning-curve-a699afe19ac0 | [] | 2018-10-08 15:01:02.662000+00:00 | ['Software', 'Business', 'Startup', 'Learning', 'Technology'] |
Oasis Second State Hackathon | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/oasis-protocol-project/oasis-second-state-hackathon-plus-de-3k-nouveau-smart-contract-d%C3%A9ploy%C3%A9s-a6d87de15d8f | [] | 2020-11-16 19:41:20.089000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Hackathons', 'Dapps', 'Oasis Labs', 'Blockchain'] |
To the lady who flipped off my kid… | It was a typical chilled Saturday, me and the kid were eating lunch outside a burger place enjoying the sun and post-lockdown hustle and bustle. But then her face fell and she said “Mummy that lady just made an angry face and did the rude finger at me.” I looked around to see a 20ish woman in the passenger seat of a car talking to the male driver. “Was that her?” I asked, mama bear ramping up for action. AJ nodded affirmative. I stood up but the lights changed and they drove off.
As you can imagine, I was super mad, but unable to resolve it through confrontation….so here’s my message to that woman.
First of all, I’m curious why you did it. Did you think my kid was staring at you and it pissed you off? Or do you just loathe kids and took the opportunity to let one know that? Or did you think it was funny and wanted to impress your boyfriend or mate? Were you just in a bad mood and reacted from that? Or….unlikely but possible….are you a racist who didn’t like seeing an Asian kid in a white neighbourhood?
As someone who has done a lot of dumb stuff in my life I can understand how you might have acted foolishly in the moment and while I don’t necessarily condemn you for that I do want to share with you the impact of your actions.
You scared my kid. She’s only 8 and at that age they still believe in magic and that all people are fundamentally good. Most people smile at her because she is pretty cute and sweet, I mean she skips everywhere, it’s adorable.
Obviously the world isn’t all sunshine and roses and she will have to learn that one day, so maybe I should thank you stranger for giving her an early lesson in that. But it really fucking sucked. She said “Mummy I want to go home now and never come back here.” and she meant it. We left and she was edgy and anxious the whole way home, like a cat that’s been released into an unfamiliar environment. She talked about it all evening and even wrote a letter to you which I told her Santa will deliver. (Yes, it has a very well-drawn picture of a middle finger on it to return the sentiment).
In scientific terms, stranger lady, you triggered her amygdala and told it that being out in public is not safe because large strangers may be aggressive to you. You put her brain on guard mode which shuts down the other higher order parts of her brain where joy, freedom and pleasure reside. Carlton shops will now be a trigger for her until she has enough positive experiences there to wipe out this negative one, and just getting her there again will be a battle. I can already hear the “No Mummy, please can we go somewhere else.”
A throw away action by you (from the safety of your car) really messed up the day and possibly some future days of an innocent kid. She is already bouncing back with the help of me and her Dad, but she will never forget what you did and how it made her feel.
I want you to know that as a woman I’m really disappointed in you, because by now all adult women in Australia should realise that we need to have each other’s backs and lift each other up in this country, rather than punching sideways or down on each other.
It was a small act of aggression on the scale of what happens to so many poor children in the world, but it was unnecessary, and I encourage you to reflect and be better in the future. Kindness lady, above all kindness. | https://medium.com/@catherineshep/to-the-lady-who-flipped-off-my-kid-b891b7d7ffa3 | ['Catherine Shep'] | 2020-12-19 23:27:44.277000+00:00 | ['Children', 'Respect', 'Kindness', 'Fear', 'Feminism'] |
Serverless Monitoring Is No Longer “Finding a Needle in a Haystack” | At Human AI Labs (hu.man.ai), formerly Luther.ai, we use AWS Serverless Stack and Kubernetes for all the core real-time pipelines, and it is data-driven execution across all the AWS Services — ECS, Lambda, SQS, Fargate, etc.
With hundreds of services with thousands of invocations, every day comes the complexity to configure, execution monitoring, logs review, latency measurements, etc. For configuration and CI/CD, we use serverless for the packaging and deploying Lambda functions.
However, we tried multiple monitoring solutions, including just leveraging AWS native options; however, the scale brings various issues like -
Multiple programming languages are used for AWS Lambda development. Containers / Tasks used in ECS with EC2 and ECS with Fargate. External service access ( outbound API calls ) review, including unauthorized calls. Persistent Storage access review and latency measurements. Unified access to execution logs with options of searchable across with full text and time-based. Contextualization of the service-based view. Proactive notification to places where we work — slack, pagerduty, etc. History of the events, searchable, etc.
Along with the specifics above, the development team wants to focus on the serverless function rather than increase its monitoring footprint, causing lots of worries to on-call DevOps engineers.
After lots of review of various services to solve the issues listed above, Epsagon is the solution we implemented. Here is the journey of how it saved hours and hours for our serverless implementation. Let us break the journey into the installation, monitoring, latency measurements, and notifications.
Installation / Onboarding: If you as a reader and does AWS serverless development and not using lambda layers, you miss a core feature that will help a lot. Auto-tracing for your AWS region lambda functions is enabled with a simple workflow leveraging the lambda layers, thus solving multiple programming languages development dependencies to enable monitoring, including custom logic per serverless function.
Monitoring: Once you have the auto-tracing enabled, proactive monitoring will help you with alerts and notifications. We use native slack and email integration to receive notifications. Each of the notification has the contextual link to the alert where AWS CloudWatch log, the start time of the lambda execution along with the service map of all the services used ( external API calls, AWS Services inbound and outbound) is available as a quick action — handy link to AWS.
If you are like me who are interested in patterns, you can use the historical ( available for the last 7 days) view for all the issues to understand scenarios like if any of the last deployment, any specific user action, and or its scalability caused — I have an interesting issue which we uncovered using historical patterns but for a future blog not now.
Epsagon — Tabular view of all the lambda functions
Latency measurement: With 100’s of services and multi-thousands of executions every day, even a couple of milliseconds, etc., execution time added to one service in the real-time pipeline can result in a bad user experience. With Epsagon, it is efficient to isolate latency issues in multiple facets.
As in the picture above, a unified view across all the functions is available with the Average Execution duration — which is a great start. For each lambda execution, a contextual service map is available with the service calls' time duration. With the Service Map view, we can review all the lambda dependent services as a single landscape with the capability to go back in time and understand the subtleties.
Epsagon — Service Map View example
Notifications: With all the integrated features, we configured extensible alerts — of which we use PagerDuty integration for core functions both for high latency, errors. Also, native integration with Jira helps to document a bug from the tool itself for each of the issues. The contextualization of information captured in the bug is a key feature — no more to worry about, did you took the log capture, what time was the issue, etc.
Did I say that we self-configured from start to finish in a weekend? Yes, we did both for our dev, prod environments. Here are the resources that have proven handy
AWS Workshop — https://epsagon.awsworkshop.io/
Epsagon Docs — https://docs.epsagon.com/
and AWS Activate program — https://aws.amazom.com/activate/
To conclude, serverless deployments, monitoring of workloads with hundreds of services and millions of invocations is no longer a “needle in a haystack.” | https://medium.com/humanailabs/serverless-monitoring-is-no-longer-finding-a-needle-in-a-haystack-402a1b51a78b | [] | 2021-02-24 03:58:08.212000+00:00 | ['AWS', 'Monitoring', 'Technology', 'Serverless', 'AI'] |
Five Tips for Improving Your Copywriting | by: Maria Wojciechowski
As a copywriter, your strength lies in your creativity, your voice, and your unique perspective. But no matter your writing style, there are a few overarching guidelines that can help you go from a good writer to a great copywriter.
1. Favor the Active Voice.
̶O̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶p̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶v̶o̶i̶c̶e̶.̶
Make your copy stand out by using the active voice.
Active voice means that the subject of the sentence performs the action. Whereas in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.
Favoring the active voice in your copywriting results in more direct and concise messaging.
2. Learn to self-edit.
As a copywriter, the backspace and delete buttons should be your best friends.
̶U̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶s̶p̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶e̶l̶e̶t̶e̶ ̶u̶n̶n̶e̶c̶e̶s̶s̶a̶r̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶p̶y̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶ ̶a̶c̶r̶o̶s̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶e̶f̶f̶i̶c̶i̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶.̶
Deleting unnecessary copy gets your point across more efficiently.
Cut any words or phrases that don’t add to your copy.
3. Ask not what the product can do. Ask what the product can do for them!
The average customer doesn’t care that their smartphone battery holds a charge of 1,440 mAh. They care that their battery lasts all day so that they can call, text, browse the internet, take pictures for hours without needing a charger! Instead of listing features and services, explain why and how those features will improve the customer’s experience.
4. Have a conversation with the customer.
Take off that white tie. Copywriting is not a formal affair! The best copy speaks directly to the consumers in a language they understand. Unless otherwise noted by the client, use common words and simple sentences. You don’t want your restaurant client to potentially lose customers because they didn’t know the meaning of the word “comestible.”
Or unless your character is a sesquipedalian!
5. Go with the flow.
Avoid stagnant copy by structuring sentences logically and varying your word choice. Each line of copy should glide into the next line. Choppiness, wordiness, and/or unintentional repetition can interrupt the flow of your writing.
We hope these tips help take your copywriting to the next level!
If you think you’ve got what it takes to write professionally, apply to be a copywriter for Write Label! Write Label is the world’s leading writing platform, offering clients fast, efficient, crowdsourced creative writing solutions | https://medium.com/@writelabel/five-tips-for-improving-your-copywriting-cdd5c3ff09ea | ['Write Label'] | 2020-10-23 17:47:41.779000+00:00 | ['Advertising And Marketing', 'Creative Content', 'Advertising Agency', 'Copywriting', 'Copywriting Tips'] |
Swift 3D Model Animations in ARKit Demystified | Getting the 3D Model ready
Let us download a nice low poly 3D model with baked in animations from online:
This one is excellent for our recipe!
Download the above model in .zip file and save it locally.
Unzip the downloaded file and you should see inside something like this:
Contents of .zip file
Now in blender we open a new General File
Blender New File
And delete the cube by right-clicking on the Cube node on the right panel
Now that we have a clean workspace we can import our model. Click File > Import > .FBX and search for the file Lowpoly_Helicopter1.fbx from the unzipped folder.
You should now have this:
Helicopter 3D Model low poly
But that doesn’t look so nice, so let us add some texture to it.
There are a couple of ways to add texture to the 3D Model, I’m going to show you the easiest one, but its worth noting that learning your way around Blender is a very useful skill.
Texture time! Expand the Helicopter node from the right panel and select the Copter node.
Adding texture to the helicopter
Now select the Texture Tab and then the Base Color option and select Image Texture.
Then browse and find the texture text/Palette.png from the unziped folder and select it. At first you might not see any effect, but switch to Texture Paint tab from top and you should see this:
The end result of a helicopter with texture
Viewing Animations
In order to view the animation of the helicopter simply press the Space key on your keyboard and the rotor of the helicopter will start spinning.
However before we move on to code we should take a note of the total frames of the animation, this will come in handy later on, so to view this switch to Animation tab from the top and select the Helicopter>Propeller node from the right panel, then the following will appear on the bottom animation timeline:
Animation timeline
So we see here that the total frames of the animation is 360 , keep a note of this as we will need it later on.
Export to .dae
In order for us to make use of this model we need to export it in a format that XCode can understand, this is the Collada format or .dae . From the top menu select File > Export > Collada (.dae), that should export two files the helicopter.dae and the Palette.png on your selected destination.
Import to XCode
Now we need to import these files to XCode to make use of them.
Create a new ARKit project
Then proceed and delete the ship.scn and texture.png from the art.scnassets folder.
we don’t need these, we have our own!
Then drag and drop the exported files from blender into that folder.
Now if you select the helicopter.dae file from the left menu you should see something like this:
kinda meh… lets fix it!
Now we need to convert that to .scn file and also do some minor fixes to make it look even better. Select the Editor XCode menu and select the option to conver to convert to scene kit format (.scn)
You should now see a new file (name it helicopter.scn). But it seems kinda dark, lets fix that, select the helicopter.scn file and then the Light node, switch to Attribute inspector on the right-side panel and select as a type: probe
a more nicely lit 3D model
Looks good. If you want to preview the animation hit the Play button on the model preview area.
Export animations from Model
In our root folder we add a helper class called Animations.swift, it looks like this:
The above code will help us create animations with a specific range of AnimationFrames (our example here only uses 1–360, but there are other models with more than one animation baked in and stored in subsequent frames).
In our ViewController.swift we add a single function called loadAnimations and it looks like this:
Now let us break it down and see what this does. First of all lets list of all the things we need it to do:
Find the animation and initially stop it
Create a new animation based on specific animation frames (because some 3D models contain more than one animation in continuous frames)
After 2 seconds start the animation
Play the animation on a loop
Listen for an event when the animation has finished one loop
So first of all we load the model scene and loop through its children nodes recursively.
If one of them contains a non 0 count/length in animationKeys property we move on and fetch the SCNAnimationPlayer associated with the first animation id (returned by item.animationKeys.first )
we create a new animation from frame 1 to 360
If the SCNAnimationPlayer that contains all of the animations exist, we move on and create one of our own with only a select set of AnimationFrames (1 to 360 which is the value we noted from Blender before).
Now that we have created our own SCNAnimationPlayer and we have stopped the baked in one, we have more control over the animation. So let us set it to start after two seconds.
As you might notice we also set some extra properties like repeatCount, blendInDuration, blendOutDuration and animationEvents we do this to add more control to our animation by setting it to infinitely repeat, to more smoothly switch between animations (if we had more than one) and finally we set some listener when the animation completes (keyTime: 1 is 100% of animation played)
The end result!
It was worth the effort!
Useful links:
Enjoy! | https://medium.com/swlh/swift-3d-model-animations-in-arkit-demystified-6a191ce76409 | ['Michalis Dobekidis'] | 2020-08-17 12:49:23.278000+00:00 | ['Animation', 'Swift', 'Blender', 'iOS', '3d Models'] |
Information - womenlotusstyle - Medium | About
The busty 24-year-old found fame after posting a string of saucy selfies to social media, where she was quick to rack up an impressive online following.
https://womenlotusstyle.blogspot.com/2020/12/demi-rose-episode-5-information.html
Internet star Demi has also managed to sign a modelling contract, after attracting the attention of US publicity group Taz’s Angels. On June 12 she took to Instagram Stories to reveal the sad news that her mum, Christine, had died aged just 63. Her death comes just eight months after Demi’s father Barrie Mawby died in October 2018, aged 80.
Born:
27 March 1995
Age
25 years
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Height:
1.57 m
Nationality:
English
Full name:
Demi Rose Mawby
Parents:
Christine Mawby, Barrie Mawby
Education:
Walsall College, John Willmott School, New Oscott Primary School | https://medium.com/@womenlotusstyle/demi-rose-episode-5-information-ca9b61adb996 | [] | 2020-12-15 05:50:18.774000+00:00 | ['Fashion', 'Womens Health', 'Women In Business', 'Women Fashion', 'Women'] |
When Is It the Right Time to Sell Bitcoin? NEVER, says Mark Yusko | You may have found yourself contemplating, having some doubts every now and then about Bitcoin and / or even gotten fed up with the whole cryptocurrency market ups and downs.
Don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. Even the most experienced traders may have, at one point, asked themselves, “when is it the right time to sell bitcoin?” According to the serial investment manager, Mark Yusko, that time is never. Yep, you read it right, NEVER!
Speaking to mainstream media viewers during an interview at CNBC on September 27, 2019, the Morgan Creek Capital Management founder, CEO and chief investment officer said Bitcoin is like Amazon during its 10th year anniversary.
Yusko was addressing concerns expressed by CNBC’s regular cryptocurrency host, Melissa Lee about the most recent bitcoin price crash. BTC price fell to a 3-month low; losing 25% of value in less than 2 days.
Yusko expressed the same sentiment I have been expressing for years that the instability of Bitcoin’s price, which retreated below $8,000 on Thursday is an opportunity to buy more, not sell.
Betting on a bitcoin bullish come back.
Yusko said that: “All the indicators of the network and the network value are rising; the price of any asset fluctuates.”
Those indicators he’s talking about include the bitcoin network hash rate, number of Bitcoin wallets created, and transaction volume. Statistically, all have continuing upward trajectory in 2019 and they’re only going to get better in 2020 and beyond.
Yusko’s direct conclusion is that is it would be foolish to sell Bitcoin. He compares selling BTC at this stage to selling shares in Amazon 10 years ago or even right now.
“In every year, including this year, it’s had a double-digit drawdown. The average peak-to-trough: 31%, twice 90%. When was the right time to sell? Never”
Co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, Tom Lee predicted earlier this month that Bitcoin will get back on track and start rallying once the S&P 500 start putting in new highs, which should be before the end of this year.
Again, when is the right time to sell Bitcoin? The answer is always going to be… NEVER!
Originally published at https://www.cryptozink.io on September 28, 2019.
DISCLAIMER
These are the views of Crpytozink and Mark Yusko and not financial advice, we do not condone whether you should buy or sell but wanted to raise awareness because this question is often asked about Bitcoin. It certainly drives a strong conversation on either side of this argument and we want to highlight both sides with separate articles due to the strong advocates for each. This is the first of those articles for holding BTC. | https://medium.com/what-is-bitcoin/when-is-it-the-right-time-to-sell-bitcoin-never-says-mark-yusko-4780f8e73d5a | [] | 2019-09-30 16:29:30.712000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency News', 'Bitcoin News', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Btc'] |
Introducing the DoorDash Community Credits Program | Introducing the DoorDash Community Credits Program DoorDash Follow Jan 18 · 3 min read
Over the past year and throughout the pandemic, our society has been forced to reimagine our approach to how we work, interact and connect with one another. Organizations that used to run in-person programming are now considering last mile delivery as an essential way to empower their work to support those in need. Additionally, organizations have increasingly turned to virtual programming and other innovative means to continue supporting the community.
As a part of this evolution, we are excited to announce the DoorDash Community Credits program. Through this effort, we are providing DoorDash gift cards* to nonprofits that are carrying out our shared goals. We know that having access to meals, essentials, and other items can make a difference for these groups as they work to create greater access and equity for their communities. Organizations in the U.S., Canada and Australia who would like to participate can start by completing this form to be considered for a donation.**
In commemoration of the 26th Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, we are partnering with the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade, CaribBEING, One Hundred Black Men and Girls for Gender Equity in New York, Hosea Helps in Atlanta, and other community organizations. These groups are using the Community Credits program to empower volunteerism, reflection, and discussion around the life and legacy of Dr. King.
“The Greater Englewood Chamber is very excited to be partnering with DoorDash and have the opportunity to support local small businesses in the Englewood community. This strategic partnership helps to keep businesses open and operating, employees working and supports the hyper local economy. The impact this partnership with DoorDash strives to achieve is our ability to be helpful to the whole community, with our warm meal giveaway and to remember, ‘… that the first function of community, is support.’ — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” — Felicia Slaton-Young, Executive Director | Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce “As an extension of our work at the intersection of culture, community and commerce, we are honored to provide DoorDash gift cards to frontline workers and the community most in need, remembering the life and legacy of service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” — Shelley Worrell, CEO & Founder of CaribBEING
We are honored to join forces with organizations working to serve their communities today and every day. By empowering non-profit partners with access to food, essentials, and more, they can devote time to doing more of what really matters: supporting their communities.
_____
*Gift cards can be used as a sole payment method on our platform; a credit card is not required as long as the gift cards covers the order total. Gift cards are redeemable towards eligible orders placed on www.doordash.com or in the DoorDash app. Gift Cards are made available and provided by DoorDash, Inc. Gift Cards are not redeemable for cash except when required by applicable law. For more information on the Gift Card Terms and Conditions, please see the full terms and conditions for your region: US Gift Cards Terms and Conditions, the Canada Gift Cards Terms and Conditions, and the Australia Gift Cards Terms and Conditions.
**Decisions are based on the completeness and quality of the information submitted, and as otherwise determined in DoorDash’s sole discretion. | https://medium.com/doordash/introducing-the-doordash-community-credits-program-866fe7f8e149 | [] | 2021-01-18 15:03:53.286000+00:00 | ['DoorDash', 'Project Dash', 'Social Impact'] |
How to Deal With Modal Views in SwiftUI | Multiple Sheets on One SwiftUI View
Now we know how to present a modal view, but how can we show multiple modal views?
Imagine we would like to present information about the app and the settings view from the primary app view.
We can do this using these two approaches:
Using multiple sheets presenting functions.
Using the Identifiable enum to keep the state of the currently shown sheet.
Multiple sheet functions in one SwiftUI view
We can attach the sheet function to any SwiftUI view or control (e.g. to the Button ):
It can be fine to have two buttons, but let’s say we have more than that. It can get quite messy, so we should deal with many @State variables.
Using enumeration of all modal views
If we look at Apple’s official documentation, there is another function to show a sheet. Let’s try to use it.
At first, we will define an enum with all modal view options:
enum Sheet: Identifiable {
case info
case settings
}
Now we can use this in the SwiftUI view. We need a new @State variable with the optional type Sheet and to use this to determine which modal view we would like to present:
We don’t need to stop here. We can declutter this code by adding a computed property to the Sheet enum:
Then we can use it when opening the sheet:
.sheet(item: $activeSheet) { $0.modalView }
Using the fancy new keypaths functionality in closures, we can simplify this even more:
.sheet(item: $activeSheet, content: \.modalView)
One caveat to this approach is that we need to change part of our process to hide the view from the code. To do this, we set it to nil instead of false .
This approach is much safer because we use the enumeration type to keep everything well organized.
Let’s see it in action. | https://betterprogramming.pub/how-to-deal-with-modal-views-a-k-a-sheets-with-swiftui-5c4cca7862d6 | ['Kristaps Grinbergs'] | 2020-12-08 16:43:36.222000+00:00 | ['Swift', 'Mobile', 'Swiftui', 'Ios Development', 'Programming'] |
SwiftUI 教程 1.6 自定义 Modifier | Eul
本文为 Eul 样章，如果您喜欢，请移步 AppStore/Eul 查看更多内容。 Eul 是一款 SwiftUI 教程类 App（iOS、macOS），以文章（文字、图片、代码）配合真机示例（Xcode 12+、iOS 14+，macOS 11+）的形式呈现给读者。笔者意在尽可能使用简洁明了的语言阐述 SwiftUI 相关的知识，使读者能快速掌握并在 iOS 开发中实践。
自定义 Modifier
SwiftUI 提供了许多内建的 Modifier（修饰器），我们可以方便地调用。但是系统提供的有一定的局限性，如果我们需要自定义 Modifier，该如何实现呢？
设想有如下需求场景：在某个用户的名字右边，如果他是 Vip，显示 Vip 标识，如果不是，显示开通会员的按钮。如果我们能自定义一个 isVip 这样的 Modifier 可以方便的调用和展示差异化视图，那该是极好的。
首先，我们要实现自定义的 Modifier，需要实现 ViewModifier 协议：
struct Vip: ViewModifier {
let isVip: Bool
func body(content: Content) -> some View {
HStack {
content
if isVip {
Text("Vip")
.font(.caption).bold()
.foregroundColor(.white)
.padding(3)
.background(Color.orange)
.cornerRadius(3)
} else {
Button {
// action
} label: {
Text("开通会员")
.font(.caption)
.foregroundColor(.white)
.padding(5)
.background(Color.blue)
.clipShape(Capsule())
}
.buttonStyle(BorderlessButtonStyle())
}
}
}
}
.buttonStyle(BorderlessButtonStyle()) 的作用是为了让按钮在列表中，只有按钮可以响应点击事件。
然后我们给 View 添加扩展：
extension View {
func isVip(_ isVip: Bool) -> some View {
self.modifier(Vip(isVip: isVip))
}
}
接下来我们就可以方便的使用了：
Text("Bruce").isVip(false)
// 或
Text("Bruce").isVip(true) | https://medium.com/@bruce2077/swiftui-%E6%95%99%E7%A8%8B-1-6-%E8%87%AA%E5%AE%9A%E4%B9%89-modifier-77a7bd9ca458 | [] | 2020-12-22 13:06:41.753000+00:00 | ['Swift', 'Tutorial', 'Swiftui', 'Apps', 'iOS'] |
Core Banking Software Market Size Worth $16.38 Billion By 2027 | Core Banking Software Market Size Worth $16.38 Billion By 2027
The global core banking software market size is expected to reach USD 16.38 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 7.5% from 2020 to 2027 according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Core banking software and services are seeing an increased rise in demand as they enable customers to access their bank accounts and undertake basic transactions from any branch office of their bank, among other benefits. Core banking is often associated with retail banking, with many banks treating their retail customers as core banking customers and managing businesses via their corporate divisions.
The advent of telecommunication and computer technology is allowing businesses to share banking information with bank branches efficiently and quickly. Moreover, banks are focusing on moving to core banking applications to support their banking operations via a Centralized Online Real-time Exchange (CORE) of transaction data. Financial institutions and banks are adopting core banking software as it enables them to facilitate decision making through real-time reporting and analytics.
Large financial institutions are focusing on implementing their custom care core banking systems. Additionally, credit unions and numerous community banks are outsourcing their core banking systems, thereby driving the market growth. Large financial institutions and banks are increasingly realizing the need to focus on ways of achieving customer delight, thereby creating growth opportunities for the market.
While the market is expected to witness steady growth in the near future, the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to adversely impact the market to a certain extent. However, the increasing demand for managing customer accounts from a single or centralized server is expected to fuel market growth. Increasing investments in core banking system updates to handle a growing volume of product-channel banking transactions is anticipated to propel the market growth over the forecast period.
Click the link below:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/core-banking-software-market
Further key findings from the report suggest: | https://medium.com/@marketnewsreports/core-banking-software-market-65a3091ee610 | ['Gaurav Shah'] | 2020-12-30 11:07:36.630000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Big Data', 'CRM', 'Banking'] |
Podcast — A 2020 Retrospective | Podcast — A 2020 Retrospective
In the last proper episode of the year (bonus episode coming next week!) the guys take a look back on the year, the podcast, and all things 2020. | https://medium.com/@martinomich/podcast-a-2020-retrospective-c7c631e6c95a | ['Michael Martino'] | 2020-12-23 14:29:14.785000+00:00 | ['Digital Transformation', 'Organizational Culture', 'Business Transformation'] |
Shipping Management Courses After 12th Commerce & Sci. | Jobopening | Shipping Management Courses after 12th Commerce & Other Streams.
If you have an interest in the travel world through the ship and foreign port. Or if you are looking at the career after 12th, which gives you the adventure life.
Then you can pursue your career as a Shipping Management or Merchant Navy job.
Youngest generation always think which course after 12th commerce is right or what are the best courses after 12th is available.
Therefore I am introducing you to one of the interesting and demanding career opportunity which is shipping management.
India has so many shipping management courses available for you. Shipping management is also coming under the highest paid job in India.
After graduation, too many students are always applying for shipping management jobs. Because shipping management always role out many vacancies for students.
Basically, shipping management is dealing with transportation or logistic work. Logistics career is one of the best course after 12th we have in India.
Shipping management has two-term of the work. Which is actually interconnected with each other?
First is the Shipping.
Second is Maritime.
Why Shipping Management Courses after 12th Commerce.
Almost 80% to 90% of goods produced for consumers come and gone by the shipping transportation only.
Because of the international trade role demand for transportation is always high.
Shipping management helps our country in economic growth. Deal of lots of Indian goods has been sanded to other countries by the shipping only.
Other countries also used shipping transportation only for people traveling and goods delivery.
So you can understand the importance of shipping management is very high. Plus scope and career options of this field are continuously growing.
In shipping management courses after 12th if you want a lucrative job.
Then you can choose the course which will make you eligible for the managerial job, goods planning, or administration of shipment.
Scope in Shipping Management.
No matter which course you have chosen for your shipping management or logistic course. Job opportunities and career growth are very high in this field.
As I have mentioned above too if you have an interest in different country languages.
And you like to travel all around the world through the ship/ then surly you can start your career in this field after shipping courses.
After completing your management course you can select the job opportunity between private to government jobs.
The shipping industry is very large. Not only the government but many private companies also running own business through shipping management.
If you will complete the marine engineering course then you can also apply for the Merchant navy job.
Shipping Management Courses after 12th Commerce & Other Stream.
Shipping and logistics courses have a lot of course verities. However, most of the courses cover the same syllabus and topics about shipping management.
This course does have a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, PGDM, and diploma courses available for you.
Hence, it’s totally up to you which shipping and logistics course you will select.
Shipping & logistics Diploma Courses.
Diploma in logistics and Shipping.
Diploma in shipping management.
Diploma in Marine Engineering.
Diploma in Nautical Science.
Diploma in Naval Architecture & offshore engineering.
Shipping & Logistics Bachelor Degree courses.
BSc in Ship Building and repair.
BBA in Shipping & logistics.
BSc in Maritime Science.
BTech in Marine Engineering.
B.E in Marine engineering.
BBA in supply chain management.
Shipping & Logistics Master Degree Courses.
MSc International Shipping & logistics.
M.Tech in Marine Engineering.
MBA in Shipping Management.
MSc in Shipping Trade & Finance.
MBA (Master of Business Administration) in Port & Shipping management.
MBA in shipping & logistics.
MBA in logistics & supply chain management.
MBA in International Transportation and Logistics Management.
PG Diploma in port & shipping management.
PG Diploma in shipping management.
Jobs & Career Prospects in Shipping and logistics.
If you complete the basic shipping and logistics course or you have completed the degree. In both situations, you can start your career in the shipping industry.
To reach for the more developing area and salary packages. You can pursue the master’s degree kind of course later too.
However, remember as much as you will increase the skill level of your knowledge in the shipping industry.
That many chances of the higher post you could get in the future. So ideally, always learn the new skills through your seniors.
There are many deck officer opportunity is also coming for the eligible students you can apply for that as well if you pass the eligibility criteria.
I have listed down some of the recruiter companies and shipping industries areas in which you can plan for apply after completing your course.
Shipping and Logistics Recruiters:
ITI Shipping LTD.
GMMCO Limited.
American Cruise Lines.
TMS shipping Pvt LTD.
Bridgeview Martine PVT. LMT.
Carnival Cruise Line.
Northern Marine Management PVT. LMT.
The Great Eastern Shipping Company LTD.
Logistics and Shipping Area:
Cruise Ship.
Freight organizations.
Administration & IT.
Merchant Navy.
Bulk Carrier Organizations.
Trade Compliance.
Customs Compliance.
Road transport & Haulage.
Job Profile in Shipping Management after 12th Commerce or Other Streams.
Numbers of job profiles are available under the shipping industry. I have mentioned below some job profiles name list.
In which you can apply after completing your shipping and logistics course.
Most of the shipping industry required your disciplined behavior and motivated mindset.
Job Profiles:
General Crew. Expeditor. Consultant. Deck Officer. Customer service. Port captain. Production Planner. Associate Director. Deck Cadet. Master Scheduler. Port Captain. Manager Port Logistics. Supply Chain Analyst. Chief Engineering. Logistics Engineering. Steward. Sales Order Planner. Purchasing Manager. Supply chain Manager. International Logistics Manager. Marine Co-ordinate.
Salary in Shipping and Logistics.
This industry not only pays high but also provides other facilities and benefits as reward pay. As much as a good course you have chosen you will get the job profile according to that.
And according to your job profile in the shipping industry, you will get your payout. However, normally a deck officer and production planner gets a good salary package.
Your payout also depends on your ship. In other words, if your work for Indian ships then salary be a little low as compare to foreign ships.
So the salary of an employee is also varied according to the ship in which his/she aboard. Normally as fresh, you could get the salary around 85,000 to 1 lakh per annual.
But if you will join the ship as a deck officer then salary could be between 1, 30,000 to 1,60,000. Remember this salary figure is approx. The estimated salary of any individual will be final consider by the shipment recruitment only.
Important Skills Required For Shipping and Logistics Business.
To become a valuable asset to your department and company. It’s always good to learn certain skills.
The skills which I am mentioning below its not only help you in your after 12th course.
But these skills will also be going to help you up. When you will plan to join the master’s degree for the shipping management and marine engineering courses.
Learn these skills and get yourself in higher ranking among other candidates.
Project Management.
Cost Accounting Skills.
Business Ethics.
Problem Solving Skills.
Work under Pressure.
Technical Knowledge.
Developing Skills.
Business Communication Skills.
Understand the E-business
Understand the Financial Statement.
Subjects and Topics of Shipping Management.
Normally, all shipping and logistics courses have their syllabus and topic of the subject.
However, many topics of the shipping course are quite similar to the other shipping courses.
Therefore, I have mentioned some common topics which normally cover by all the institutes and colleges.
Trends in logistics.
Logistics and Multimodal
Transport.
Logistics Management.
Strategic Management.
Risk and Insurance management.
International transport conventions.
Supplier relationship management.
Business Process Re-Engineering.
Global Supply Chain management.
Commercial Geography.
Business communication.
Techniques of Operations efficiency.
Industrial Relation & labor laws.
Warehousing & supply.
Shipping Options & management.
Documentation & Clearance Processes.
Colleges in India for Shipping Management Courses after 12th.
There is a huge number of colleges and institutes are available in India and abroad. Which provides the shipping and logistics courses.
Hence, I have mentioned a few college’s names down below for you. | https://medium.com/@preetywow899/shipping-management-courses-after-12th-commerce-sci-jobopening-edd9d8f7500b | ['Priti Kumari'] | 2020-04-23 10:59:15.259000+00:00 | ['Students', 'Careers', 'Career Advice', 'Education', 'Course'] |
Arrgh Permissions! Is There No Easy Way to Set Them? | This article walks you through how to install the resetperms plug-in for OpenMediaVault (OMV). This is a very handy plug-in especially if you copy large quantities of files into or out of a remote location and need to adjust permissions. As I read this back that is an awful lot of ‘in’s.
I will take resetperms any day of the week, as opposed to the awful kicking and screaming that inevitably occurs after I have copied tera-bytes of information only to find out that I do not have the necessary permissions to work with the files and folders on a different machine. Nasty business, that.
In order to install resetperms , the docs for OMV recommed using wget athough I did not use this preferred method as I was not able to install the plug-in.
Using the preferred method resulted in the following errrors:
Well well then.
Seeing a permission denied message when trying to work with my files is not what I want! What I want instead is more along the lines of:
GIF courtesy of Beeld en Geluid Labs on Giphy.
Setup
Thinking it had something to do with SSH, I attempted to install directly on the host machine but did not fare much better. It might have had something to do with me not enabling the root user during installation; call me crazy but I would rather leave this account disabled and only allow a very very select few of my users to upgrade to the Super User as required. I also tried to modify my DNS settings in resolv.conf as suggested by this post; unfortunately this did not work and I ended up having to re-boot the host! Post-host. That rhymes. There’s a poem about computers in here somewhere.
After several unsuccessful attempts I proceeded with OMV’s alternate method for installing plug-ins. I downloaded the relevant package from this link to a client computer and then uploaded it to OMV in the Plugins tab:
Once uploaded, I clicked Install then clicked yes when prompted.
If all went well the OMV-Extras plug-in should now be installed, horray!
Next I went to the OMV-Extras page and enabled the Extras repo , making sure to click save in the process.
I then attempted to install the resetperms plug-in. Back in the Plugins page, I typed ‘reset’ in the search bar then selected the check-box to install resetperms :
I clicked Install then clicked yes to complete the installation.
If all went well we should all have resetperms installed in OMV, congratulations!
Postscript
I wrote this article in the midst of setting up a new network-attached storage. At the beginning of this little journey I used OpenMediaVault but eventrully moved away from it in favour of good ole’ Bash scripting mixed with a dash of Python. More on this in other posts!
Do you have any experiences with OpenMediaVault? Good, bad or otherwise? | https://medium.com/swlh/install-and-configure-resetperms-in-open-media-vault-de70eb6e6345 | ['Eric North'] | 2021-01-01 16:52:53.083000+00:00 | ['Installation', 'Linux', 'Open Source', 'Plugins', 'Openmediavault'] |
Launch of Aragon Nest | After publishing the Introducing Aragon Nest post we got a lot of attention from the community. We want to say thank you to everyone who joined us at the Aragon Chat #nest channel, asking questions and giving us feedback about the program. Many expressed interest in finding out more details about the program. Now with the imminent launch of the program, we’re ready to start providing further information and details about participating in the program.
To those working or who want to work on something that may be of interest for providing a grant
How do I find out if my project could be eligible for a grant?
Check out the Proposals for grants for existing proposals
for existing proposals If you don’t find anything close to what you’re working on, submit a new proposal and discuss if we should consider it for a grant
Proposals should abstractly describe problems or products, not their implementations
I’m working on something that already has an existing proposal
If there’s a proposal that fits into what you’re building
Fork the Aragon Nest GitHub repository
Create a new directory with your project’s name inside the grants folder.
inside the folder. Inside that, create two files, team.md and roadmap.md , where you present your team and suggested roadmap
and , where you present and Create a Pull Request to merge your submission into the Nest repository. In that Pull Request, be sure to fill in all the relevant info described in the Pull Request Template
For people who have an idea that could benefit the ecosystem
Make sure the Proposals for grants doesn’t have an existing proposals for something similar to your proposal. If there is an existing one that is close to your idea, join in the discussion of that Proposal to see if yours could be integrated into the existing one, or if you should create a new proposal
If nothing similar exists, create a new Proposal for grants at the Nest Repository and fill it out in detail following the Issue Template
Who will be deciding on how the grants are distributed?
The funding will be described in the Proposal of the grant. The total amount, how many portions will it be divided into, timetable and milestones will be up for discussion.
Placeholder and Aragon are the ones making the initial decisions. But as soon as the Aragon Voting app and it’s accompanying signaling mechanism is ready, the community will have the final decision on which proposals are granted funding.
How will the funds be released to the grantees?
All payments will be made in cryptocurrencies. The grants will be paid in ETH and released in portions according to the agreed roadmap which the team has submitted in their proposal. A possible reward depending on milestone completion will be given in ANT to reward value created for the Aragon Network.
What will the Nest program provide to grantees besides financial backing?
Aragon is a very reputable name in the community. We have always stood by our values and the interests of the community. We have developed a lot of best practices of how crypto projects should be ran, and we want to help expand those as much as possible.
Placeholder has years of experience in evaluating crypto projects and teams. They’ve seen many different instances of what works, and what doesn’t. They will help the projects on avoiding common mistakes and on building an open source project on a sustainable premise.
We’re in a privileged position to push forward and raise awareness about great, undervalued projects in the space, such as the ones we want to fund with the Nest program.
Who will be participating on deciding the grantees?
Placeholder
Partner at Placeholder, a venture capital partnership based in New York City that invests in decentralized information networks. Prior to Placeholder, Joel led Union Square Ventures’ crypto practice and investment efforts. Before joining USV, Joel started and managed the Digital Economy Department within the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Dominican Republic, a government office focused on Latin American tech policy and payment system reform.
Chris Burniske is a partner at Placeholder, a venture capital firm based in New York City that invests in decentralized information networks. Prior to Placeholder, he pioneered ARK Invest’s crypto efforts, leading the firm to become the first public fund manager to invest in bitcoin in 2015, and co-authored the best selling book, Cryptoassets. His commentary has been featured on national media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune, and Forbes. Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BS from Stanford.
Aragon
Luis Cuende — Co-Founder & Project Lead
Luis has been awarded as the best underage European programmer in 2011, is a Forbes 30 Under 30, a MIT TR35 and was an Advisor to the VP of the European Commission. He cofounded the blockchain startup Stampery. Prior to founding startups, he created the world’s first Linux distribution with facelogin. He also has gained a substantial amount of experience from serving as an advisor to multiple crypto projects
Jorge Izquierdo — Co-Founder & Tech Lead
Curious hacker, creator of multiple apps for iOS and macOS. Reached App Store’s #2. Always tinkering with new tech. Member of the 2017 class of Thiel Fellows. Already convinced about the decentralized future of the Internet, he has been building toy projects such as a mesh network or a small blockchain implementation since 2014.
Community
Once we have the Aragon Voting App and a feedback mechanism from the community, all of ANT holders will get to participate in the decision making!
What do Placeholder and Aragon get for supporting projects via the Nest program? Do they get tokens/equity from the grantees?
No! We ask for nothing in return from the grantees outside of delivering the promised solution!
Placeholder and Aragon are both invested into the Aragon ecosystem via ANT and the help from Placeholder is an indication of their involvement as well as a signal of the value they’ll add to the ecosystem.
How do I find more information about Nest? Is there a website?
Right now the GitHub repository serves as the main knowledge base about the Nest program.
Applications are now open at https://github.com/aragon/nest
Other resources: | https://medium.com/aragondec/launch-of-aragon-nest-8d42d1a37595 | ['Tatu Kärki'] | 2018-01-24 17:33:30.081000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Blockchain', 'Open Source', 'Smart Contracts', 'Ethereum'] |
Design. Knowledge. Experience. | Design. Knowledge. Experience.
by Darren Raybourn, SVP of Sales at Exceleron Software
There are exactly ZERO companies that aspire to provide their customers with terrible service. And yet that is exactly what happens all too frequently when companies do not make support a priority. However, the road between saying that you want to prioritize customer service and making it a company differentiator is littered with good intentions and poor strategy. Over the last 17 years of providing payment and prepayment services to more than 100 utilities, Exceleron has developed a reputation for support through a combination of strategies, none of which can be ignored.
Keep reading to learn why we have become North America’s leading utility prepay and payment service company.
Support must be designed into the product from the start.
The best customer support you can possibly provide is often the customer support you never have to provide. In his seminal work Marketing High Technology, Silicon Valley icon William Davidow asserts that “if you eliminate the need for service, you are giving good service.”
So how can one accomplish this?
Quality. Ensuring that your product is defect-free with a robust testing process and both automated and non-automated initial and regression testing is a must; however, in practice, the highest levels of quality are attained by in-field use and not in the lab. Exceleron’s MyUsage was first released in 2004 and has been through numerous improvement cycles as it was deployed to 100+ utilities. The boundary use cases have been discovered in the field and the proven quality of this mature solution has significantly reduced the need for service.
Flexibility. However, quality is NOT the only thing that is required. Product flexibility found in the form of convenient system configuration is equally important. By allowing utilities a measure of self-service in how they configure the system to support their business rules, workflows, user needs, and customers’ notification and alert preferences, we have reduced their need for our service. Again, this sounds easier than it is — we have worked with 100+ utilities and everyone has been unique. Early on in the product maturity lifecycle, we discovered the need to allow our utility customers to configure the system versus having to custom code it.
“MyUsage is great because of the people that I have worked with and how open they are to changes and customizations in our product and what we needed to accomplish. They saw us as special in our own way and they addressed us that way. We were not just another cookie-cutter company.” — Michael Faulk of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water
Product knowledge is derived from having customers (lots of them).
Exceleron has an incredibly robust training program that teaches our utilities how to use the system and with continuous training programs providing refreshers on base and new functionality. Yet the truth is that our support team’s product knowledge is derived not from what our product does, but rather from what problems our customers have and how our features solve those challenges.
For example, our team knows that there are many built-in configuration options to support weather moratoriums both at the system level and at the individual account level. However, the real product knowledge comes from understanding exactly why, how, and when our utilities need to support their entire customers during extreme weather events or even individual customers as part of government-sponsored welfare programs applied at the account level.
In order to capture the utilities’ perspective in aligning features with needs, Exceleron created our MyUsage Utility Advisory Board (UAB) in 2010 as the first user‐driven guidance committee for prepay solutions in North America. The UAB consists of at least 10 leaders from different Exceleron utility customers that have reviewed and provided input on the product roadmap.
Furthermore as detailed in our recent article Increasing Customer Satisfaction with a Great Mobile App Experience, we take great pains to review, assess and incorporate the feedback we get directly from consumers using our mobile app. There is no better and more direct feedback mechanism.
Our experience is measured in decades, not months.
Our support team has well over 100 years of combined experience serving utilities with an average tenure of 16 years with Exceleron. We understand the struggles utilities face in the constantly evolving landscape of technology, regulations, cyclical economies, and now, pandemics, because our team has been through those battles with our utilities over the years. From lofty consumer expectations to the rapid pace of technology, we work with utilities to foresee technology trends that will help them improve their customer relationships and we have built products that help utilities transform their most difficult consumers into their biggest fans. We give customers more options and control, which enhances customer satisfaction while minimizing financial risk for utilities.
Exceleron supports you every step of the way.
No company wants to provide bad customer support, but it takes a combination of strategies to actually provide and be known for great support. Exceleron has a market-leading, end-to-end prepay and payments application, but we go beyond providing the software — we ensure that utilities and their customers are successful using it by leveraging a flexible design and supporting our customers with world-class knowledge and experience. | https://medium.com/@exceleron/design-knowledge-experience-9d87e61dde16 | ['Exceleron Software'] | 2021-09-14 22:39:42.274000+00:00 | ['Local Government', 'SaaS', 'Customer Service', 'Govtech', 'Utilities'] |
Turn Your Expertise Into a Side Hustle | Rozenberg | “Knowledge is power,” as the old phrase goes, and the rise of the internet has created numerous opportunities to turn your knowledge into cold hard cash.
Maybe you’re looking for a new job, or you just want to start a side business to supplement your income. In any case, selling what you know online could turn out to be a great side hustle for you.
Depending on what you’re selling and the format you use, there are several ways to sell your knowledge on the internet.
A few years ago, getting your idea off the ground might have required an advanced understanding of technology or a large sum of money.
These days, there are plenty of ways to get started with little to no upfront investment, making it simple for anyone with a computer and an internet connection to start a side hustle.
Whether you eventually want to be your own boss or you just want to make some extra money to supplement your monthly savings, starting a side business is the best way to test your way into finding the right opportunities for making money by putting your skills to use.
Freelancing Your Services
According to a recent report from the Freelancers Union and Upwork, there are over 54 million freelancers in the United States. And for good reason.
Taking the skills you’re already being paid to develop at your day job and putting them to use as a freelance designer, writer, marketer, developer, or other in your spare time can be extremely profitable.
With the average freelancer charging around $21 per hour, that can easily add up to an extra $1,000 per month in discretionary income to fuel your next big trip abroad.
By taking on a few freelance projects per month, you’ll be laying the groundwork for what could turn into significant new job opportunities and partnerships in the future.
Begin by compiling a portfolio of your best work to highlight your skills, and then begin listing your services on reputable freelance marketplaces such as, , and LinkedIn ProFinder.
Write an Ebook
If you couldn’t find a traditional publishing house that would accept your manuscript, you had no choice but to pay to have it printed yourself.
Fortunately, ebooks have shattered the publishing industry, allowing almost anyone to create and sell a story directly to readers for very little money.
It also means that books can be produced in a very short period of time. You can have your ebook ready to go as soon as you finish writing it.
To go through Amazon, write the ebook in your regular word processing software, then format it with Kindle Create and design a cover in a free design program like Canva.
However, for broader distribution, consider NookPress and Kobo Writing Life, both of which are self-publishing platforms. It’s best to publish with all of the major players rather than just one for the broadest possible reach.
Blogging
The days of writing a blog post every day and collecting a check from online advertising platforms are long gone.
However, if you can carve out a loyal readership and establish yourself as an authoritative industry resource, your chances of securing high-value sponsorships and partnerships with other brands and businesses are very good.
You can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars per week with sponsored content on your blog by doing sponsored product reviews, placing private ads around your site, sending promotional emails to your subscriber list, and hosting contests or giveaways.
Host Webinars
Hosting live webinar sessions allows you to share your knowledge with an audience without them having to physically be present. It’s similar to a conference or seminar, but it’s done remotely, saving students money on travel and lodging.
The real advantage of webinars is that you can interact with your audience as you go, either by allowing real-time questions or by holding a Q&A session at the end. This ensures that everyone gets everything they want out of the session.
Webinars can be simple presentations delivered via Skype or Facebook Live, but more advanced tools will allow you to create more engaging seminars.
Google Hangouts is completely free to use and has a plethora of collaborative features that are ideal for hosting web sessions.
Alternatively, there are a variety of paid software tools available, such as GoToMeeting or Cisco Webex, that are specifically designed and used for designing and conducting webinars.
You need a large enough audience to make it worthwhile, so it helps if you already have a following on social media or a website where you can publicize the event.
Online Coaching
Choosing to offer your hourly services as an online coach, similar to teaching courses, will connect you with other professionals who are looking to tap into your expertise and skills in order to improve their own lives.
Meet with clients in person or via video calls on a regular basis to outline a curriculum plan, check in on important milestones, and provide the feedback they’ll need to make meaningful improvements from your wealth of expertise.
You can get started easily by setting up a coaching account on various online coaching platforms, likeand that already have a built-in audience of active users who are looking to level up their skills in career, fitness, music and much more.
Become an Online Consultant
Online consulting works extremely well for people who have a sought-after skill set that businesses want to access. There are numerous reasons why businesses prefer to work with online consultants rather than those who visit the workplace.
These range from not wanting to upset the workforce with an outsider’s presence while still benefiting from a pair of fresh eyes to the simple fact that hiring an online consultant is often less expensive while still receiving expert level service.
It is advantageous to have a niche skill in which you have demonstrated expertise, as this will provide you with much needed credibility.
Starting out in online consulting can be difficult, so use any and all contacts you already have to get your first break.
Once you’ve secured your first few contracts, you should begin to receive referrals or recommendations, resulting in a snowball effect.
Provide Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is a great way to share your knowledge with people who want to learn one-on-one with a subject expert.
You do not need a degree in education, but you must have skills or knowledge in an area that people are willing to pay to learn. Subjects such as English, math, and science are in high demand.
However, tutoring on other topics, such as foreign languages (or English as a foreign language), or even learning an instrument, is possible online.
There are numerous online agencies that connect people with tutors in their field, so you won’t have to actively seek or advertise for clients.
In general, you fill out an application, and they decide whether or not to accept you. They will send you jobs as they become available once you have been accepted and registered.
Create an Online Course
If you have knowledge that you want to spread far and wide, and you know there is an audience waiting to absorb it, then an online course may be the way to go.
Online courses allow you to reach more people than one-on-one tutoring, both in terms of time and because you can sell a course for much less than individual tutoring.
It takes a significant amount of time and effort to design and build your course, but once completed, the course should provide passive income with little to no additional effort.
Depending on what you want to achieve, you’ll have to choose from a variety of delivery methods.
Courses that email your lessons to students are simple to set up with providers like MailChimp, or you can distribute your materials in module format through the Udemy marketplace. | https://medium.com/@tomer-rozenberg/turn-your-expertise-into-a-side-hustle-rozenberg-e8d6d45bcc06 | ['Tomer Rozenberg'] | 2021-08-31 07:00:53.244000+00:00 | ['Side Hustle Tips', 'Expertise', 'Tomer Rozenberg', 'Side Hustle', 'Make Money'] |
The United Kingdom: the fever dream continues … | I would like to say that this week can be neatly encapsulated in a pithy, yet elegant essay — but it really isn’t.
In a period of a few days The Spectator published an article by Lionel Shriver that was basically an argument in support of Replacement Theory and then, in it’s latest edition, a cartoon depicting the PM in a dinner suit getting a hand-out from a homeless man.
The Telegraph, an ardent supporter of the PM, and former employer, has attacked him for breaking his promises on tax, following a vote that will allow him to raise National Insurance 1.25 per cent.
Right-wing, moral free, thinktank the Institute of Economic Affairs has also attacked this hike in NI contributions as — wait for it — “a moral outrage”.
What a dramatic turn of events. Why has this happened?
Have all these formerly awful, amoral, uber-capitalists been visited by three ghosts; awaking from their slumber clutching their fine Egyptian cotton sheets and screaming that they will change their ways, if only given a second chance?
Who knows? Well, we do know, and the answer is a resounding “Hell, no!”
What has happened is that their rich dreams of a European Singapore is fast disappearing, and this new, fantastical idea of putting up taxes to pay for stuff is the last straw. A labour shortage, combined with wage rises for HGV and LGV drivers, will push up inflation and it is likely that this will also see an overall rise in wages. HERESY!
What these people really wanted was a low-tax, low wages authoritarian country where the big boss with waxed moustaches can fire people with a flick of his Mont-Blanc whilst planning on how they can dispatch their niece to get at her massive inheritance.
They were mostly cheerleaders for the type of Brexit where they could do away with human and employment rights, Climate action, welfare and namby-pamby ethical and moral integrity. They were the kind of people for whom “Brexit Unchained: 100 reasons why the Tories are shit*” is masturbatory material.
This is what happens when you combine an unfit potato as PM, and allow him to select the results of a hazardous experiment to see what people would look like with their brains and hearts removed, to take cabinet positions. They fuck up so badly they have to find a way to recoup the losses made by helping their mates and not actually doing any work.
And so, the liberal/progressives amongst us find ourselves, once again, with very odd bedfellows. Even the excitable Brexit supporting child, Darren Grimes, has realised that the Government is, and I quote “a shower”. He missed the words “of shit”, but the point is clear.
The right-wing, who have known for as long as the rest of us that the PM was a feckless waste of space, are now finding that they too will be affected by his feckless waste-of-space-ness.
What happens next is anyone’s guess, but it is very likely that the squelching noise you can hear is the sound of Michael ‘Disco’ Gove stretching into his human suit and preparing for another run at replacing the PM.
Gove will be hoping that his latest foray into human behaviour — dancing awkwardly — will endear him to a broad coalition of the Tories.
Good luck with that.
Anyway, another week has come to an end, and we wait agog to see what next week will bring: Jim Davidson writing an article attacking the Texan Abortion laws? Mel Gibson giving a rousing speech on racial inequality? Nigel Farage interviewing panto legend Christopher Biggins on Brexit (hang on, that last one already happened, didn’t it? Fuck!).
Until next time, dear reader, until next time.
*Not its real title … or is it? | https://medium.com/@jim_king/the-united-kingdom-the-fever-dream-continues-e06b93afece | ['James King'] | 2021-09-10 19:34:52.470000+00:00 | ['United Kingdom', 'National Insurance', 'Michael Gove', 'Brexit', 'Boris Johnson'] |
Lack of Open Data in Kosovo’s Government Public Domains | Author: Xhorxhina Bami
1. Introduction
The main institutions of providing open data in Kosovo are the Agency of Statistics and the Central Bank, however, they often lack data of particular fields. The data are either outdated or non-existent. In addition the Kosovo government has established a project to create a central governmental open data portal. The information in this portal, however, is very limited and outdated as well. Therefore, the government of Kosovo is not complying with open data principles, therefore violating its laws and its citizens’ right to be informed.
The analysis will provide understandable definitions of open data, its importance and principles, by also taking into account Kosovo’s legal framework including: LAW NO. 2003 / 12 Law on Access to Official Documents. By elaborating the principles of Open Data, an evaluation of the lack of appropriate legal framework regarding open data in Kosovo will be considered.
Moreover, the analysis will elaborate on the limitation of open data in Kosovo’s governmental portals by giving examples on the last data updated on particular fields. Another issue emerges here, the data discrepancy. Considering that Kosovo’s government open data is highly decentralized, often discrepancies can be seen in particular fields in different institutions’ public databases. It is important for open data on each field important to citizens but also other stakeholders who do not have internal access to these databases, to be updated and not have major differences from one institution to the other.
Kosovo data is also not integrated in many international databases, such as COMTRADE of the UN, for example, and even the data in EUROSTAT, which is EU international database and includes Kosovo, usually is updated very late and often does not have data before 2017. Therefore, many international studies omit Kosovo. A data analysis on the limitations of open data in Kosovo will provide explanation on the damage done on Kosovo’s development and also reputation due to lack of public information.
2. Analytical Framework
2.1. Open Data Definition and Principles
Open Data is a new term developing and becoming even more important recently as part of the freedom of information principles. According to a 2005 definition from Open Knowledge Foundation[1], Open in the concept Open data refers to “anyone can freely access, use, modify, and share for any purpose (subject, at most, to requirements that preserve provenance and openness)”. According to this definition, differently considered as the Open Definition, Open Data have two main characteristics- open work and open licenses, each having several features/ requirements of its own.
[1] For more information go to http://opendefinition.org/
First, the open work refers to “an item or piece of knowledge being transferred” following the Open Definition, by fulfilling several requirements such as: open license or status- with license being “the legal conditions under which the work is provided” and status referring to a public domain, meaning “the absence of copyright and similar restrictions, whether by default or waiver of all such conditions”; access- the user must be able to obtain and download all the information necessary in a particular field “at no more than a reasonable one-time reproduction cost”; machine readability- possible to be read in any type of electronic software such as PC, laptop, phone, tablet and so on, despite of their upgrades; and open format- provided in software with no monetary or other restrictions of any sorts.
Second, the open license refers to legal conditions “compatible with other open licenses” and in compatibility with the following requirements: a) required permissions and b) acceptable conditions. The a) required permissions of an open license, according to the Open Knowledge Foundation, include free use; possibility to redistribute- “including sale, whether on its own or as part of a collection made from works from different sources”; right to modify; right to separate the data based on the user’s/ stakeholder’s need; right to compile; non-discrimination; propagation- no pre-conditioned need to agree on legal terms on redistribution rights, to those who decide to use the open data; application to any purpose; no charge.
The b) acceptable conditions refer to certain exceptions made to following the a) required permissions requirements: right to give attribution; integrity- “require that modified versions of a licensed work carry a different name or version number from the original work or otherwise indicate what changes have been made”; share-alike; notice- maintenance of copyright notices; source- citation, providing access to the original source or the version having been modified; prohibition to give technical restriction when using, sharing, or modifying; and non-aggression or further permissions for the public.
The main source of open data is usually the government of a country considering that the government has the availability, access, means, and the resources or at least access to resources and aid to gather relevant data. In order for governments to provide open data and follow their requirements, often a set of policies is established that according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, promote “transparency, accountability and value creation by making government data available for all”. Open Government Data, OGD[1], is basically the public institutions providing “use, reuse, and free distribution of datasets” to their citizens and also foreign stakeholders to the datasets they produce regularly by, hence, increasing their transparency and accountability. Along with the governmental open data portals, international ones exist as well such as European Union, EU, Open Data Portal, EUROSTAT, or COMTRADE or the United Nations Organization, UN.
[1] To learn more about OECD Open Government Data project and compare different member states go here https://www.oecd.org/gov/digital-government/open-government-data.htm
The lack of open data but even outdated open data can cause limitations to policy makers, researchers, analysts, businessmen, and even citizens in having a better understanding of particular fields to only be informed of the affairs of the country they live in, for further investment of to reach conclusion and establish recommendations that could lead to proper policies. If datasets of particular periods are missing, it might be almost impossible to establish patterns and trends in a sector. In addition, open data often assist in fighting corruption and crime. One example is the e-prokurimi platform of Open Data Kosovo, which was established in 2015 and provided data on public procurement in different municipalities across the country, which was previously not accessible. Kosovo scored 36 out of 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International[1], in 2019, scoring one point lower than the same time period of the previous year, showing that it is highly corrupted. Open data on public procurement provide transparency on whether particular companies have obtained a contract in a suspicion manner. Despite of several success private stories regarding open data in Kosovo, the OGD needs much improvement although the legal framework can be considered strong.
[1] According to Transparency International “the Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean)”.
2.2 Kosovo Legal and Practical Background
According to Field Missing: Discrepancies and Gaps Plague Kosovo’s Public Data, an analysis by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, regional media platform Balkan Insight,[1] around a decade ago, Kosovo’s institutions, mainly the ones responsible for statistics, mentioned above, managed to create a national committee and agree on standardized data gathering and processing. The purpose was the decrease of major differences on the statistics of the same field published by more than one institution, based on the institutions’ competencies.
[1] This is an article I wrote, as Balkan Insight’s correspondent for Kosovo, regarding the damage done by limited Open Government Data in Kosovo. The article can be read here. https://balkaninsight.com/2020/03/04/field-missing-discrepancies-and-gaps-plague-kosovos-public-data/
However, the OGD in Kosovo do not follow the principles of open data, because they often are outdated, have discrepancies, and are not user friendly mainly due to the decentralization of data. Kosovo does not have a main government portal, which obtains all the open data from each institution. The main institutions responsible for the gathering and processing of datasets in Kosovo are Central Bank of Kosovo, CBK, the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, KAS, and the Customs. In addition to these three, where CBK and KAS process data using different methodology based on the purpose and the field of the data and the Customs publish raw data, every other government institution has its own open data published, causing confusion for the citizens, researchers, and other stakeholders. Kosovo currently has 20 ministries, 9 governmental agencies, and 26 other government institutions,[1] which all have their own specific data, as well as shared ones, causing often difficulty and confusion on where particular data can be found.
[1] These institutions can be found listed here https://www.rks-gov.net/AL/f321/linqet/institucionet-qendrore.
Kosovo does not have a specific regulation on Open Data, however, Kosovo LAW NO. 06/L-081 ON ACCESS TO PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, [1] tackles the field, by indirectly imposing to the Kosovo public institutions the adaptation of open data principles and requirements, leading to the establishment of Open Government Data. According to the Kosovo Law on Access to Public Documents, obliges Kosovo public institutions to publish every public document and data. Kosovo public institutions must so make all the public documents and data available for everyone who requests them, based on this law.
[1] The law was published on 4.7. 2019 and then on the 13th of the same month, 2019, in Kosovo Official Gazzette, abolishing the LAW NO.03/L –215 ON ACCESS TO PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, which had been published on 25.11.2010. The law can be read here https://gzk.rks-gov.net/SearchIn.aspx?Index=2&s=Access+to+Public+Documents+&so=1.
2.3 Previous Assessments
According to several assessments of OGD in Kosovo, the country has plenty of work to do. This report will consider three main estimations which have evaluated open data in Kosovo based on the main principles of open data, by evaluating the quantity of statistics in each field, the availability, and the level of user-friendliness, and also in comparison with other countries in the region: the Open Data Baromete, ODB;[1] the Global Open Data Index;[2] and Open Data Inventory, ODIN.[3]
[1] You can find the conclusions of Open Data Barometer here: https://opendatabarometer.org/4thedition/regional-snapshot/east-europe-central-asia/#wrapper-region-map.
[2] You can find the results of Global Open Data Index here: https://index.okfn.org/place/ko/ .
[3] You can find the results of Open Data Watch here: https://odin.opendatawatch.com/Report/countryProfile/XKX?appConfigId=5
The ODB is produced by the World Wide Web Foundation, and aims to uncover the “prevalence and impact of open data initiatives around the world”, evaluating three elements: “readiness for open data initiatives”; “implementation for open data programs”; and the “impact that open data is having on business, politics and civil society”. According to the ODB, Kosovo is listed the 63rd in the world on open data implementation, leaving behind Serbia (68), Montenegro (83), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (100), in the region. Kosovo has scored 47 points in readiness, 21 points in implementation, and only 7 in social impact.
Table 1 Kosovo scores on Open Data Barotemer 2016 evaluations
Kosovo was ranked 35th in the Global Open Data Index of 2015, down from 31st place of the previous year’s measurement and marked as only 43% open. In this calculation, Kosovo left behind Albania (37th) and North Macedonia (69th), considering that other countries in the region, such as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, were not evaluated because they had not submitted all of their datasets. According to the Global Open Data Index of 2015, Kosovo had dropped because: the government had not made any advancements during 2015; different content on public websites were marked as protected and had copyright notices; Kosovo was missing location datasets and weather forecast, because the Hydro-meteorology Institute published data only for a few days. This Institute continues to do the same thing by publishing data only for five days in a row and then deleting them.
In the 2018, ODIN evaluation Kosovo scored 50 out of 100, being the 7th in Southern Europe, and 70th in the world. According to ODIN Kosovo country report, “the overall score is a combination of a data coverage subscore of 52% and a data openness subscore of 48%”.
According to ODIN, Kosovo scores higher than the region in terms of environmental statistics, which also score the highest levels of coverage and openness. The lowest level of coverage and openness is on social statistics.
Table 2 Kosovo scores in the ODIN 2018 evaluation (out of 100 points)
3. Open Data Kosovo: Obstacles and Limitations
The main limitations of OGD in Kosovo are the data being out of date; no correlation and consistency in different data of the same field between institutions hence there are discrepancies, and the need for capacity building within the institutions. This section of the report will elaborate on each of these limitations.
3.1 Outdated
Access to open data for media and research institutes is considered vital for addressing topics and analysis. Municipal and central government budget transparency increases accountability for the spending of public money. Similarly, updated datasets make it easier for conclusions to be drawn on patterns and create policies for further development and growth.
Table 3 Some of the main categories from the Kosovo Statistical Agency (KAS) in order of when the data was last published
Luis Abugattas, international trade expert operating in Kosovo, had told BIRN’s regional media platform Balkan Insight, that Kosovo domestic businesses are being harmed due to the lack of disaggregated trade data, for example if they consider the need for safeguards. According to World Trade Organization (WTO), a “safeguard” is a limitation of imports by a state in order to protect domestic production. Safeguards are often taken when there is a surge of imports that threatens to cause or causes severe injury to domestic production by displacing it.
“If the business want to request an investigation for safeguards, the law requires the private businesses to support their claim, but they cannot do this without current and disaggregated data at the specific product level. Such data is not public, but need to be requested to Customs and other agencies and in their absence the domestic producers will lose the case” Abugattas had said.
3.2 No correlation and consistency
According to statements given by the GAP Institute for Advanced Studies, to the media, the access to open data is essential for analyzing certain policies, but although the law guarantees such a right, there are still difficulties in collecting data that in the first place should have been published by public institutions themselves. One example of datasets that often is missing in Kosovo, is related to state budget expenditures, that cannot be found online but are very difficult to obtain via Requests for Access to Public Documents.
Often Public Officials, offer to media, research institutes or Civil Society Organizations to show them the documents but not actually provide them with a copy despite of the legal obligations.
Another problem is that often experts need to process the data themselves because they either fail to provide adequate explanation, or they differ from other institutions, which then is time consuming and create flawed analyses. For example, BIRN reported that, in 2017, KAS, reported Prizren to have been visited by around 18,000 visitors (locals and foreigners) whereas 16,000 movie tickets were sold in less than 10 days during Doku Fest, which claim that during the festival Prizren is visited by around “60,000 visitors (including locals)”.
Discrepancies are often seen between KAS and CBK, however, the institutions claim that this happens due to different methodologies based on the purposes of each institution. Nevertheless, the citizens are not fully aware on the differences between the datasets and it is often difficult to choose which one to use.
Moreover, often officials do not provide the media, citizens, civil society, or research institutes with the requested information. Researcher at the Institute for Development Policy, Dardan Abazi, had told Kosovo local media Telegrafi, the right to access official documents is only being respected in principle in Kosovo, because often access is being given in a different document from the one requested.
3.3 Need for capacity building
Public officials in Kosovo are not rightfully trained in terms of open data principles and requirements. Often, public officials do not know to use upgraded technology to store the data, such as Excel. In addition, the liaisons for open data have often other obligations as well, therefore, do not prioritize the updating of the websites with public documents.
As mentioned above, Kosovo public officials often do not provide the data in user-friendly format. Moreover, the person responsible for provided public documents, is the official for communication, who often do not know to which document to provide access to because other people are responsible. Inter-communication within different department of the same ministry is lacking.
4 E-government in Kosovo
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo in May 2016, approved the Charter for Data Opening in the Republic of Kosovo,[1] and, among other things, with this decision has obliged the Agency of Information Society, AIS, of the Ministry of Public Administration to develop and manage the Kosovo State Portal for Open Data.[2] The establishment of this Portal started in 2016 and was launched at the end of 2018, hosted by the State Data Center and is managed by AIS.
[1] You can read more here https://mpb.rks-gov.net/ap/page.aspx?id=1,33
[2] The link to Kosovo State Portal for Open Data: https://opendata.rks-gov.net/
AIS has developed the State Portal for Open Data, based on the 2018, Data Opening Readiness Assessment Report, ODRA, with the Ministry of Public Administration, in accordance with the recommendations of the Charter for Open Data[1]. AIS claims the State Portal is continuously populated with data, however, it is still limited and outdated. According to AIS, in late January 2020, the State Portal had published 195 datasets from 13 public organizations / institutions, in computer readable format (Excel, CSV), from the fields of civil service, finance, health, environment, social schemes, public procurement, etc.
[1] “The Open Data Charter is a collaboration between over 100 governments and organizations working to open up data based on a shared set of principles”, promoting policies and practices that “enable governments and CSOs to collect, share, and use well-governed data, to respond effectively and accountably to the following focus areas: anti-corruption, climate action and pay equity”. You can check the Open Data Chrter here: https://opendatacharter.net/who-we-are/ .
Each ministry and agency of the Government of Kosovo is obliged to appoint liaison officers for open data. According to AIS, the main difficulties faced are data identification, inventory or cataloging of data, and among the most important, “cleaning” of data.
Much of the data held by institutions is in inappropriate formats, meaning not very user-friendly and not complying with the open data standards. Institutions mainly have the data in scanned formats, PDF or physical copies. As mentioned above, the data published in the Open Data Portal is required to be in readable formats and the conversion is not a simple process but a long and often complicated one.
Despite that AIS is the manager of the Kosovo State Portal for Open Data, it cannot oblige the institutions to submit their data because the law does so. In addition, AIS does not have a mechanism or any method for verifying the data that could help in avoiding discrepancies and avoid publishing the same datasets more than once. Nevertheless, AIS has developed Electronic Platforms for the interaction of electronic systems, through which the electronic systems of institutions interact and communicate. AIS aims to coordinate and interact with each institution, to automate the process of publishing their data on the portal, in order to eliminate any errors or inaccuracies of the published data.
Although the Kosovo State Portal for Open Data has a well-established website and seems very good in paper, it still need much work to improve, especially considering that each institution publish their own public documents and many fields are empty at the state portal.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations:
Kosovo can be ranked in the middle of the region in terms of following open data principles based on several international assessments. Nevertheless, Kosovo scores very low in regards to the world and needs much improvement in Open Government Data which can be done only by prioritizing the issue.
First, the State Portal for Open Data, should become a priority of each institution to be constantly updated in order to display public documents from each institution where citizens and other stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, investors, journalists, and students) can go to. Agency for Information Society, must have the right to oblige and keep the institutions accountable when they fail to update the respective datasets in the State Portal for Open Data.
Second, Kosovo should create capacity building via training. The institutional officials, responsible for the public’s access to information and public documents should have long term trainings on open data principles and importance. Meaning that, the person responsible to update the State Portal for Open Data as well as providing with public documents upon direct requests, should have at least one year training on open data. The training should be ongoing based on new developments. Moreover, the official should not have other responsibilities.
Finally, a hierarchy should be established. The officials, within institution departments, responsible to update a particular database of a certain institution, should then report to the institution’s official responsible to update the State Portal for Open Data as well as provide access to other public documents upon request. The higher official for State Portal for Open Data update, should then report to a higher official responsible for that particular field within the central government open data portal, in AIS. | https://medium.com/@opendatakosovo/lack-of-open-data-in-kosovos-government-public-domains-9176d9637bb2 | ['Open Data Kosovo'] | 2020-11-11 08:59:20.460000+00:00 | ['Journalism', 'Open Data', 'Report'] |
Why Philanthropy is Good For Business | Corporate philanthropy and social responsibility is win-win for companies on many levels as well as for the community at large. Of course, it improves your brand and it’s the right thing to do, which is why more companies today are ramping up their programs and making it a more thoughtful process and a priority. There’s also a more practical side to giving that can actually enhance a company’s growth strategy. The information below sheds light on why philanthropy is good for business.
Loyal Customers
There’s a reason why companies make their philanthropic endeavors public. Consumers like to support companies that give back. In fact, consumers — especially those in the younger generations — are more likely to support companies that have hearts and give to worthy organizations. Studies show that approximately 87% of consumers will purchase from a company that supports a cause they feel passionate about. And those consumers will often stick with brands that are doing good, even if a service or product costs more.
Better Recruiting
In addition to consumers wanting to support companies that are philanthropic, job candidates prefer to work for organizations that care, providing a larger and better pool of applicants. Many professionals would choose a company that gives back over one that doesn’t. Why? A company that cares by giving back is often a good indication of how it cares about its employees.
A Better Company Culture
One of the most common ways in which companies give is by promoting or sponsoring volunteer activities. Involving employees in the community not only ensures philanthropic actions will have local impact and meaning, it will lead to happier and more productive employees. Studies have shown that employees who work for companies that have a clear mission and engage with their communities feel better about their workplace and are more engaged.
Expanding Opportunities
Corporate philanthropy is most effective when it is tied to well thought-out social and business objectives and when it leverages a company’s strengths, namely, its resources, services and business acumen, to support charitable causes. It is also a powerful way to reach out and connect with like-minded business leaders in a wide range of industries. Making the right connections that cultivate mutual interests and respect can be an invaluable networking resource that leads to new opportunities, business prospects and lasting relationships.
Making charitable giving a standard practice is not only a genuine way to make the world a better place; it’s good for business too. As with other areas of business, it’s best to develop a solid strategy that aligns with your current initiatives and long-term goals.
Originally published on Tim Noonan Lockton’s website. | https://medium.com/@timnoonanlockton/why-philanthropy-is-good-for-business-d9a0b2efa574 | ['Tim Noonan'] | 2020-12-17 20:32:24.525000+00:00 | ['Philanthropy', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Tim Noonan Lockton', 'Business', 'Tim Noonan'] |
Cost savings for new construction | New-build homes have risen sharply in recent years due to scarcity in personnel and the price of materials. However, salaries have not grown as fast and there is now a housing shortage. That is why it is important to build affordable housing construction. Costs can already be saved when building a new-build or custom home. Often you already know in advance what your home should look like, so you can determine the layout of your new-build home yourself. Most people, therefore, work with a contractor and architect to realize their dream home. However, the realization of such a house may cost a little, but by taking Austin custom home builder processes into account at an early stage, you can save a lot of costs. How do you do that? Here some tips.
Smart renovation
The construction sector is constantly evolving and so architects, custom home builders Austin companies, project developers and contractors are constantly optimizing construction processes in order to reduce costs and prevent errors. When building a new-build house, you will have already done some research yourself and thus have already acquired some knowledge. However, it is useful and sensible to hire an architect and contractor at an early stage. They have the experience, knowledge, and expertise to build your dream house as efficiently as possible according to your wishes and needs. The more efficient and smarter the building, the cheaper it will ultimately be.
Read More: 4 tips for finding the right custom home builder
Standard sizes
An important aspect of the smart renovation is the use of standard sizes in your home. Standardized sizes of frames and walls will save a lot of time and money. Why? Because you don’t have to have doors, windows and walls made to measure. With standard sizes, a fixed price is used, while the price for a tailor-made product is often higher. When arranging your new-build home, you will have to take into account window frames and partitions in relation to different rooms in your home. By notifying your architect and contractor early on, you will ultimately save on costs.
Steel interior doors
With every Austin custom home builder plan, it is necessary to take into account the placement of doors and walls. Steel interior doors and partitions are currently very popular and that is not surprising. After all, the open character of a steel door with glass creates a more spacious effect within a home. In addition, the black steel frames also give an industrial, chic and exclusive look to your home. Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes is one such company that uses standardized black steel doors and glass fronts. The various options can be viewed on their website www.zhcustomhomes.com and you can already find some inspiration.
The collection consists of steel pivot doors, steel sliding doors and steel doors, but also unique doors painted in a high-quality coating in bronze or gold (brass). Despite the fact that these glass steel doors come in standard sizes, no concessions are made when you consider the quality of the product. Another advantage is that the website offers the possibility to download drawings of the relevant doors and doors in steel. With the help of these drawings, you and your architect and contractor can take account of the standard dimensions of the steel interior doors and fronts at an early stage. Would you rather see the black glass doors for real? Then you can feel free to visit our website and check our latest work in Texas, United State. | https://medium.com/@zhhome/cost-savings-for-new-construction-b3ea13936629 | ['Zbranek', 'Holt Custom Homes'] | 2020-03-11 09:39:14.806000+00:00 | ['Renovations', 'Custom Home Builder', 'Construction Company', 'Dream Home', 'Interior Design'] |
We’re Waves in the Ocean | Each one of us is like a wave in an ocean that joins all living beings everywhere throughout the Universe.
We’re not actually separate from each other, we just appear to be.
However, the reality of living in a separate human body is usually so at the center of our mind that it persuades us that our conscious awareness is also separate.
This sense of separation can be dissolved though when we pay attention to the conscious space inside us. | https://medium.com/assemblage/were-waves-in-the-ocean-79e408033778 | ['Paul Mulliner'] | 2020-12-29 04:22:20.517000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Life', 'Mindfulness', 'Personal Development', 'Philosophy'] |
Best Training & Resources for Product Marketers that Are Worth the Time | Best Training & Resources for Product Marketers that Are Worth the Time
A roundup of valuable resources to deepen product marketing skills (as of December 2020)
Unlike when I entered product marketing, this field is in a renaissance right now. The mysterious practice largely learned on-the-job is now getting documented and de-mystified at an increasing rate. It’s an amazing time to be in the field!
Podcasts. Rockstar interviews. Live events. Training classes in how it’s done. (And for right now at least, a lot of it available free).
Only trouble is it’s hard to keep up. And since I’ve had a lot of people reaching out about my article on training (Best Training for Product Marketers), here’s a roundup of those + other resources I’m finding the most useful today. I’ll revisit this periodically and post updates.
Podcasts:
I love these for the guest interviews and hosts that relate discussion points back to wider trends in the field. PS: listen to the ads too to get a closer look at the vendor landscape!
Women in Product Marketing — new as of November 2020 hosted by Mary Sheehan of Adobe with phenomenal launch episode so I can’t wait for more.
Product Marketing Alliance — two podcasts looking at PMM life and insiders from perhaps the most active community in this space.
Pragmatic Live — great perspectives on different aspects of the field from longstanding training company 100% focused on product.
Training Courses:
It’s amazing what has been codified into curriculums today that was never fully understood or teachable before.
Product Marketing Core — join the growing crowd getting this certification from a curriculum crowdsourced from their 1000's+ community of actual PMM’s. (Disclaimer: this contains my referral link and I will get a small compensation if sign up using it 😊)
Real World Product Marketing — learn firsthand from Shyna Zhang AKA the best mentor you’ll never meet.
Pragmatic Institute — the old standby that’s been teaching this craft for years with newer courses on Data and Design. If you can get your company to pay for these, go for it.
More on each of these training courses in the full article here.
Surveys & Reports:
Get a feel for the industry data on what’s happening in key corners of this field (and be sure to take them yourself to add to that data!).
Pragmatic Institute “Annual Product Management and Product Marketing Survey” — open now, covering all aspects of the field you can take back to your team.
Product Marketing Alliance “Product Marketing Salary Survey” — know your value before you head into your next comp negotiation armed with the facts. 2020 edition just dropped.
Product Marketing Alliance “State of Product Marketing Report” — here’s the report, and here’s my reaction piece.
Product School “Future of Product Management”—launching this week! I’m collaborating with Product School on this so stay tuned for more.
Books:
Disclaimer: this section contains affiliate links for which I may receive a small compensation if you purchase through my link 😊.
Crossing the Chasm:
Obviously Awesome
The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone
Tuned In, David Meerman Scott (founder of Pragmatic Institute refererenced above in training section)
Get a feel for the industry data on what’s happening in key corners of this
Other Inspiration:
Copy Hackers Tutorial Tuesdays — to improve copywriting/content creation
Duarte “Comm Together” Youtube videos —comms experts under the leadership of principal Nancy Duarte with ideas for improving slide design, virtual presentations, etc.
Got others you’re finding valuable? Connect with me on LinkedIn and let’s talk shop!
Follow Product Marketing Field Notes for weekly posts like this to help you navigate this field! | https://medium.com/product-marketing-field-notes/best-training-courses-podcasts-resources-for-product-marketers-e8965c18527a | ['Rebecca Geraghty'] | 2020-12-20 23:20:19.720000+00:00 | ['Product Marketing', 'Product Management'] |
Attention! Climate VC investing in Cool Hominids | Hello friend!
May I ask you a question? What stage of evolution are you in?
Oh, and another question: what does venture capital have to do with saving the Planet?
Let’s start from the beginning, in a galaxy not too far away, our very own Milky Way, Google Maps direction: Earth coordinates. Homo Sapiens has thrown our Earth a bit of a twisted survival curveball — our earlier evolutionary brethren evolved by working in unison with the land, accepting its gracious gifts and being in balance with mother nature. With time, we have developed into power hungry apes, who ignore nature, and who exert our temporary dominance over everything we deem below us (which in the opinion of some particularly bad apes is EVERYTHING).
Fast forward a few millennia, (or a tiny fraction of a second on the cosmic calendar — don’t worry, we are pretty irrelevant!) and things are out of whack. 51 billion (with a B) tonnes of excess CO2e is pumped into the atmosphere every year — can you imagine what HMRC would do if you had £51 billion in unpaid taxes? That’s how we should think about the Planet.
As a species of not particularly well evolved apes, this is where necessity to avoid impending calamity is forcing us to pivot and undo the mess we’ve created, by radically changing the way we get around, grow and make things, and where we get energy from (which we will need an ever growing amount of!).
Source: brakken.tumblr.com
Enter the next stage of evolution: Homo Sapiens to Cool Hominid. *epic Pokemon evolution noise in the background*
Source: en.wikiversity.org
Let’s consider our geological history for a moment. If we look at any cross section, you will unmistakably see a variety of different strata. If each horizontal section of the strata represents a certain age on this earth, then consider this: how do we want the human legacy to be carved into history?
Cool Hominid, I choose you! Just like Pikachu, Cool Hominids are already here and growing in numbers. They are the ones who are spearheading change with an adapted mindset through evolution that things CAN be better, and that we MUST do something about this. Yes, yes, you frowning person staring at your computer screen with a bored look on your face and thinking ‘Whatever, I have heard this all before. Thank u, next.’ Not quite!
This is the part where venture comes in. We, at Climate.VC, spring to life, because if you look closely enough at the metaphorical and literal barren wasteland that we have reduced our Planet to, it still has the ability to sprout glimmers of hope everywhere.
Our adventure starts here. Ready Player Three? (Didn’t quite want to go for One and Two for plagiarism reasons).
We’ve seen hundreds of Cool Hominids in our very early life already, setting sights on a utopian future that allows us to make sustainable concrete, farm anything anywhere, create proteins for food by extracting carbon out of the air (I mean, Supersayan or what??).
We will be there on the lookout, to support and fund them at the earliest stages possible. We will start by taking 120 companies on this journey with us, investing £50k-£150k in each company over the next 3 years, but interact and create a platform of collective action for many, many more.
One more thing — in true Cool Hominid fashion, we will be brave, we will be vulnerable with you, we will share our thinking, our hopes and our dreams. So keep your ears to the ground and your eyes peeled, this is the task of our lifetime and all of us Cool Hominids need to forge the path together.
So let me ask you again: which stage of evolution are you in?
Written by Andrea Emanuelli @ Potential Climate Ventures | https://medium.com/@climate-vc/attention-climate-vc-investing-in-cool-hominids-c8dabe2a2674 | ['Climate Vc'] | 2021-07-06 08:39:35.310000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Founders', 'Venture Capital', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Climate Change'] |
How International Aid Can Do More Harm Than Good: The Case of Lebanon | How International Aid Can Do More Harm Than Good: The Case of Lebanon
When, if not now, should the international community step in to lessen Lebanon’s suffering?
Prior to the countrywide protests which hit Lebanon in late 2019, the country had long sat on the periphery of the world’s attention. The political uprising and the detonation of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port on 4 August, however, have brought eyes back onto a nation that has long been in a process of decay. The devastating explosion which killed more than 200 people, injured 7000, and left 300,000 homeless struck at a time when Lebanon was already experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis that has left more than half the country living below the poverty line. To add to the misery, the country declared bankruptcy in March and its soaring debt-to-GDP ratio, which reached 194% in 2020, makes it among making it the most indebted country in the world in relation to its produce.
When, if not now, should the international community step in to lessen Lebanon’s suffering? The shocking images of the explosion evoked a swift international response: Emmanuel Macron hosted a foreign aid conference just four days after, vowing to unlock $350 million if strict reforms were enacted. In statesmanlike posturing that stood in crass contrast to the paralysis of Lebanon’s leaders, the French President brought forward an ambitious reform plan. Its deadlines were remarkably unrealistic, however, in the eyes of those familiar with the numerous political bottlenecks of Lebanon. Repeating what previous reform plans suggested already, the tight time frame seemed to disregard any experiences with previous aid packages for the country.
It is a familiar pirouette for any spectator of Lebanon’s political dance: the country is in crisis, as a result the international donor community meets and promises money in return for reforms that often lack proper oversight and implementation. Indeed, Lebanon is no stranger to big aid packages. Next to substantial reconstruction inflows, the international community met in several major aid conferences for Lebanon — among them the Paris I, II and III conferences. The fourth one in this row, in an attempt to avoid the same name, was named CEDRE (Conference for Economic Development and Reform through Enterprises). Hosted in 2018, the funds remain locked to date due to the evident lack of reforms.
The Lebanese government’s answer to the destruction of 4 August was one which had been rehearsed for decades — the very first speech of prior Prime Minister Hassan Diab being, first and foremost, a call for international help.
After the Civil War (1975–1990), Lebanon received a high volume of financial assistance, sometimes from its allies in the Gulf, at other times from the West or Iran. It is estimated that in the post-war period between 1993–2012, Lebanon absorbed up to $170 billion of capital inflows. To draw a comparison, this is a greater figure than the entire Marshall Plan — the historic reconstruction package Europe received after World War II.[1] The data on foreign aid is hard to track, as it was (and is) not unusual for global players to channel money directly to their local allies, rather than going through official state bodies (where it is already difficult to trail all financial movements).
These sobering numbers stand in stark contrast to the country’s poor infrastructure and withering economy. The Lebanese state is infamous for not being able to deliver the most basic services to their population. The capital provides no more than six hours of electricity daily. The train service has stood still since the Civil War, and apart from a small fleet of mini-buses, there is no public transport for the 6.5 million citizens to get around the country. Lebanon possesses more water than any other Middle Eastern country, yet suffers from constant water shortages and high pollution levels. Lebanon has a young, highly educated population, but fails to increase domestic productivity. It also has access to the sea, is strategically located and sustains good international relations with most global players.
This calls into question the assumption that Lebanon is unable to function simply because it lacks the resources. It is a common narrative which is frequently applied by political players seeking international assistance who claim that the Lebanese state is ill-equipped to bear the weight of both the refugee and local population without it. This, however, is an overwhelmingly reductive argument.
It is a familiar pirouette for any spectator of Lebanon’s political dance: the country is in crisis, as a result the international donor community meets and promises money in return for reforms that often lack proper oversight and implementation.
1. Questioning the effectiveness of international aid
The above casts considerable doubt on the efficacy of all these aid inflows.[2] It touches on the popular dispute that has been going on between practitioners and academics alike for decades — Is development aid actually helping? Critics insist on foreign aid producing mostly reverse effects for developing countries — despite intending to help, the rich world may actually hurt the countries’ economies and contribute to state corruption. This camp includes prominent voices like Economic Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton, a fierce opponent of most forms of development aid.
The latest empirical findings conclude that long-term foreign aid correlates with a surge in development.[3] But such findings can be misleading, as working with cross-country aggregate data leads to a fallible overgeneralization. The immense gap in outcomes of similar development projects implemented in different country contexts is telling proof for this. Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, the Nobel Prize winners for economics in 2019 and two dominating figures in development economics, make the case that this debate cannot be solved in theoretical models, but must be assessed case by case.[4] They are being joined by a growing group of researchers. As for the case of Lebanon, Deaton’s assessment unfortunately appears to be more accurate than the argument of continuous progress through international help.
2. Sustaining the unsustainable
The past year has revealed, more than ever before, that the Lebanese political and economic systems are unsustainable. There are several indicators that suggest that foreign aid has postponed necessary reforms. Knocking on their international friends’ doors to ask for money was the go-to-move every time the country was heading towards a new crisis. It became the main policy whenever financial instability was looming.
2.1 The delay of the economic crisis
The first big aid flows were funnelled to Lebanon in the aftermath of the 15-year Civil War ending in 1990. Reconstruction and aid projects were not a mere act of compassion: Donors could pursue their own strategic goals through carefully prioritizing regions, sectors and methods of aid disbursement. Funding development was one foreign policy instrument for external actors to strengthen and protect their allies on the ground.[5]
In the first years between 1992–1997, the priorities were set on reconstruction projects largely in Beirut. From 1997 onwards, however, Lebanon entered into a second phase where funds were redirected from reconstruction needs to fiscal stabilization. In other words, the money was mainly used to finance the government’s negative balance of payments, to intervene in the foreign exchange market in order to stabilize the currency, and to reduce interest rates on public debt instruments. The constant foreign financial inflows allowed the government to lend credence to its economy. It increased international and domestic trust in the country’s banks, thus allowing the continuation of carefree borrowing. This created a critical effect: a dependency on foreign aid for the stabilization of the Lebanese economy.[6] In order to stock up its foreign reserves and continue with its unsustainable policies, international aid became a necessity.
In November 2002, the international donor conference Paris II unlocked billions of aid just before Lebanon was entering a financial and currency crisis, delaying the need for genuine structural reforms. In April 2018, CEDRE promised as much as $11 billion only a few weeks before Lebanon’s first elections in 9 years, as a result implicitly throwing their weight behind the incoming government and political class despite all signs of economic unsustainability. When the protests broke out in October 2019 and the extent of the broken economy became evident, resurfaced Prime Minister Saad Hariri made a Gulf tour to ensure — unsuccessfully — foreign aid.
Foreign aid has also played a role in keeping this entrenched Lebanese political structure alive.
2.2 Prolonging the game of corruption
Foreign aid has also played a role in keeping this entrenched Lebanese political structure alive. Ministries often function as ways to redistribute the budgets to the voting base of the different confessional-political groups in Lebanon’s power sharing system. The various parties fill the gaps where the state does not provide social services, infrastructure, or education. As a result, they manage to sustain support and ensure re-election. Yet by filling them, they maintain structural deficiencies in Lebanese governance, creating a vicious cycle of disrepair and decay. By redirecting funds from the public budget towards their voters, they effectively hollow out the state, which in turn cannot provide any services to the citizens, therefore increasing the political capital of the confessional parties in power. Through political appointments in the public sector, civil service bodies turn into patronage departments. This dynamic creates a strong incentive to keep the state small in order to make a voter base dependent.
The donors found themselves in a difficult situation. As big aid projects can hardly circumvent the government and the ministries in charge, foreign money often has to be funnelled through state institutions. In the game of soaking up resources, aid has been served to nurture the political system ever since the Civil War. Some donors are now vowing to bypass the state, which is often not possible, and rather increases challenges in coordination and effectiveness.
The tendering system in Lebanon leaves multiple opportunities for corruption as it lacks transparency and independent audits. Contractors inflate costs and bills for works that were performed at a substandard level — or never at all. Contracts are being amended or extended, while money drains away into pockets of political networks without being traceable. The banking secrecy law and the inaccessibility of data have compounded the problem. The Public Accounting Law (PAL) officially prohibits the creation of private accounts for any ministries or public administrations. This has not prevented several institutions from creating their own sub-accounts with which they are able to receive aid from donors. These practices complicate transparent reporting of international aid projects further.
It is hard to measure and identify corruption in aid given its covert and collusive nature. Nonetheless many indicators hint towards large scale corruption — not least the vast gap between aid influx on one hand, and the state of infrastructure and economic development on the other. Both the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform in Lebanon (OMSAR) and Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), key government bodies in administering international aid and public funds, raise doubt on the competitiveness of their tendering over the last 10-year period, as the same names reappear on their lists. CDR’s records, for example, show that they allocated the biggest share of projects to the same 10 companies in Lebanon.[7] This practice indicates that bids are not fully open and exclude competitors.
The embezzlement of around $30 million funded by the EU for recycling and compost factories is a good example to give an idea of this kind of aid corruption. An 18-month long investigation contends that this recycling management project was not only poorly implemented, but also produced considerable negative environmental effects.[8] It claims that the invested money has not produced a single compost plant able to produce compost good enough to use for farmland. By commissioning companies to produce inoperable machinery at a fraction of the officially stated costs, parts of the funds are likely to have been diverted to political networks.
It is not uncommon for donors to lack interest in overseeing the reform progress after handing out money. The last big package of grants and soft loans made available, Paris III, proves this point: Although the Lebanese government enacted merely 22% of all promised reforms, the donor community unlocked more than half of all promised funds.[9]
3. Creating the wrong incentives?
The readiness of donors to help out so easily and swiftly whenever the Lebanese government asked for it sent a clear signal. It fed into the Lebanese self-perception of exceptionalism — that the international community will never leave behind the bastion of free speech, diversity and democracy in the Middle East. The easy availability of money created a negative incentive for the government not to enact real reforms. In this way, international commitment to Lebanon increased confidence that the state would not fail, which in turn attracted further investors and lenders.
International donors and organizations in Lebanon provide basic services to the public such as building infrastructure and implementing waste and water management, often doing the job required (but ignored) by ministries or municipalities. This raises the question of how far development projects can also create a negative incentive for the government to step up to its state responsibilities and thus reduce state accountability.
The case can be made that donor countries have exacerbated Lebanon’s governance gaps and indeed bear responsibility for keeping a government afloat by providing resources for its clientelist system. While intentions might have been well-meant, and undoubtedly many development projects served parts of the population, the long-term effects tend to look questionable. Development aid seems to have, at least to some degree, lessened the incentives for reforms, encouraged poor governance, and kept unsustainable institutions alive. This applies particularly to foreign funds coming from countries with very few accountability requirements, but also from donors with presumably high compliance standards such as the European Union.
The political structure in Lebanon is one of the major obstacles for effective development aid — and it is deeply entrenched. If there is one key takeaway, it is that Lebanon’s ruling class has learned how to make superficial, small concessions to maintain their grip on power. One year after the protests, the same political elite remains — Hariri is reinstalled as Prime Minister, while the former Foreign Minister and other known faces gamble for ministerial posts, delaying the cabinet formation that is of utmost importance. In November, the independent auditing firm Alvarez & Marsal withdrew as the Central Bank was not allowing a transparent, forensic audit. Lebanon finds itself in a deadlock, unable to reform, while heading towards state failure. The international community is not completely free of responsibility in this downward spiral. If they wish to help, as indeed they do, they must reflect on the lessons learned: abstain from funding development unless real reforms are implemented.
4. Next steps
The easy availability of money created a negative incentive for the government not to enact real reforms.
The road to Lebanon’s recovery — from the tragic explosion on 4 August and from the government’s perennial mismanagement — will be long, and it is important for the international community to conceive of a strategic direction before rushing to embrace particular initiatives. This strategic direction must revolve around leveraging foreign support for domestic reform, and withholding it until these reforms are being implemented. Without tough but necessary conditionalities on aid, there can be little hope for lasting progress.
First, in order to see to proper domestic reforms and governance improvements, donors must permanently recalibrate their relationship with the Lebanese state. Many donor countries and institutions have toughened their stance and are refusing to unlock any aid — a lesson learned that hopefully will not be forgotten anytime soon. Sovereign donors, and particularly international organisations, have the responsibility to play a much more diligent role in the funding and assessment processes of their projects. This includes insisting on transparent and coherent reporting, independent audits, and reforming broken bidding systems.
Given that the international community must first press for reforms which are not likely to be implemented any time soon, the second priority of the new strategic direction should prioritise direct humanitarian aid and abstain from convoluted development projects. Furthermore, it will be important for donors to find ways to bypass political elites by working with and through NGOs. Supporting NGOs and fostering greater communication, coordination, and data sharing between them will be necessary to get aid directly to Lebanese citizens and to circumvent the corruption and state capture that has absorbed so great a percentage of foreign aid.
The third priority ought to be improving coordination and knowledge sharing between donors themselves. Given the large number of sovereign, multilateral, and non-state aid actors in Lebanon, there is always a risk of redundant and overlapping projects. Creating platforms to promote greater collaboration between donors themselves will help to both set and pursue consistent development goals. Furthermore, donors should encourage the government to create a unified agency in charge of coordinating all aid efforts and integrating them into the government’s own policy agenda.
The fourth and final priority, though perhaps the most important, is to increase consultations with civil society. The tragedy of Lebanese governance is, above all, the harm that has been done to the people. Lebanon’s young, educated, and politically active civil society is the country’s greatest resource. In order for any foreign donors to have any hope of success, they must do more to engage with and learn from the Lebanese people themselves.
About the author
Valentina Finckenstein is a Programme Manager and Research Associate at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Beirut, Lebanon. Her work focuses mainly on MENA security and geopolitics, resources and EU-MENA relations. Previously, she was a research associate for LSE IDEAS and worked for the Vice-President of the European Parliament Alexander Lambsdorff. She holds an MSc in International Relations from LSE.
LSE IDEAS is the LSE’s foreign policy think tank. We connect academic knowledge of diplomacy and strategy with the people who use it.
Correction: An editorial error in a prior version incorrectly claimed that Lebanon received $170 billion in aid inflows. They were capital inflows.
Notes
[1] The Marshall Plan consisted of over 15 billion US-Dollars, approximately 142 billion US-Dollars at 2012 prices.
[2] In the following, the term aid will refer to financial and material assistance in forms of gifts, soft grants and loans.
[3] Radelet, Steven, The Great Surge: The Ascent of the Developing World (2015).
[4] Banerjee, Abhijit, and Duflo, Esther, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of The Way to Fight Global Poverty (2011).
[5] While generally Western states and institutions would make financial assistance available for governance projects, Arab and Gulf State donors would prefer physical reconstruction projects, Hamieh, Christine and Ginty, Roger, A very political reconstruction: Governance and reconstruction in Lebanon after the 2006 war (2009), pp.103–23.
[6] Ghassan Dibeh, Foreign Aid and Economic Development in Postwar Lebanon (2007), in: UNU-WIDER Research Paper 2007/37.
[7] “In five governorates, two firms secured at least 45% of the total project value, and in three of those, the share of the top two firms exceeded 55% of total project value“, Attalah, Sami et al., Public Resource Allocation in Lebanon: How Uncompetitive is CDR’s Procurement Process? (July 2020), in: LCPS.
[8] Jay, Martin, Growing Link between Lebanon’s Cancer Surge and EU Abetted Corruption (May 2019), in: International Policy Digest.
[9] Attalah, Sami, et al., CEDRE Reform Program: Learning from Paris III (November 2018), in: LCPS. | https://medium.com/@lseideas/how-international-aid-can-do-more-harm-than-good-the-case-of-lebanon-6134c274a232 | ['Lse Ideas'] | 2021-02-26 11:37:41.535000+00:00 | ['International Aid', 'International Relations', 'Lebanon'] |
移民[Ep.7]加拿大有幾多☛#移民 ，歡唔歡迎新移民，有幾多元文化?? | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/%E7%B4%AB%E7%A5%BF-%E7%A7%BB%E6%B0%91%E5%8A%A0%E6%8B%BF%E5%A4%A7%E6%AD%B7%E9%9A%AA%E8%A8%98/%E7%A7%BB%E6%B0%91-ep-7-%E5%8A%A0%E6%8B%BF%E5%A4%A7%E6%9C%89%E5%B9%BE%E5%A4%9A-%E7%A7%BB%E6%B0%91-%E6%AD%A1%E5%94%94%E6%AD%A1%E8%BF%8E%E6%96%B0%E7%A7%BB%E6%B0%91-%E6%9C%89%E5%B9%BE%E5%A4%9A%E5%85%83%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96-9b29c3f2f050 | [] | 2020-12-14 21:14:04.590000+00:00 | ['Immigration', 'Hong Kong', 'Canada'] |
Americanism is a Pandemic’s BFF | The virus would be bad enough on its own. The pandemic now gripping much of the world is capable, based merely on science, of wreaking sufficient havoc on public health and the global economy to last several lifetimes.
But add to that some of the most deeply-seated components of American ideology, and you can see why the United States is positioned to feel the pain even more acutely than most other nations.
While much of Europe and Asia have implemented drastic measures to flatten the curve of infection and transmission, America has done what we always do. First, deny that what others around the world experience could happen here — something we believed for a long time before 9/11 too — and then bask in our bravado, satisfied that even if awfulness visits our shores, it will be no match for the red, white and blue.
Thus, the reassurance early on from national security advisor Robert O’Brien, to the effect that America has “the greatest medical system in the world,” and thus we had little to fear — a pronouncement that was untrue in both the first and second parts of the claim. Nevertheless it sure sounded confident, badass even, which is no doubt why O’Brien said it.
We have long believed we could defeat any enemy: Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, or a deadly illness that apparently failed to take Toby Keith seriously when he made clear where America would put its boot.
Silly virus.
To which self-assurance the virus has replied, in effect, hold my beer, cowboy.
While it is tempting to blame Donald Trump’s venal incompetence for the current tragedy — and he certainly deserves plenty of criticism — it would be a mistake to do so and then believe culpability had been sufficiently assigned. The reasons for our current predicament are more systemic than that.
Don’t misunderstand: this president did several things tragically wrong, first and foremost, continuing to downplay the seriousness of the virus even after experts in the intelligence community briefed him in January that a pandemic was likely. By soft-pedaling the emergency at hand — a move thoroughly in keeping with Trump’s concerns for public image over public health — he indisputably made things worse than they needed to be.
His nonchalance delayed testing, social distancing, and the ramping up of equipment and protective gear purchases for health care providers. It also pushed back the timeline on the economic countermeasures that have now been taken to help stave off the financial apocalypse into whose face we are currently staring.
And as he petulantly delays assistance to states whose Governors have criticized him, or demands that such leaders “be appreciative” for aid before receiving it, there is little doubt that his temperament and ego needs have put millions at risk.
And yes, the right-wing echo chamber deserves its share of the blame too. For years they have stoked a pathological mistrust of mainstream media as operating from such liberal bias as to render them unworthy of being heeded on any matter. Most recently, with his “enemy of the people” shtick, Trump has escalated this mindless conspiracism to new levels. As such, if doctors on CNN say something, or an epidemiologist is quoted in the Washington Post, that’s enough for the MAGA cult to ignore it, or presume it the devious manipulation of some deep state operative looking for any way to bring down their Emperor God. For weeks, Limbaugh, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and other ghoulish denizens of the Trumpian propaganda machine insisted the novel coronavirus was a hoax, just the flu, or hardly different from the common cold.
Still, beyond all this, there are things about American culture itself that deserve critical examination at this moment. Because unless we attend to these things, we will never be able to get ahead of such viruses in the future.
There are at least three essential Americanisms that enhance the risks to which we are exposed in times of crisis like this, and put us at higher risk than persons in other nations with which we like to compare ourselves. | https://timjwise.medium.com/americanism-is-a-pandemics-bff-59e1f31e1365 | ['Tim Wise'] | 2020-03-29 21:05:11.355000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Politics', 'Religion', 'Health', 'Economics'] |
AfCFTA and Trade Benefits to Nigeria | *Aderonke Alex-Adedipe and Olawale Atanda
The Federal Executive Council ratified Nigeria’s membership of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on the 11th of November 2020. This occurs more than a year after Nigeria signed the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (the “Agreement”) in July 2019. The Agreement establishes a single market for goods and services across 54 countries, allows for the free movement of business travelers and investments, and creates a unified customs union to streamline trade on the continent.
The AfCFTA Agreement comes into effect on the 1st of January 2021. Although, full implementation of the Agreement may take some time as countries would have to negotiate aspects of the Agreement such as trade, dispute settlement processes, tariffs and intellectual property rights.
Nigeria is however poised to gain from the investment and trade opportunities that the AfCFTA will inevitably bring. In this article, we highlight some of these benefits.
Size of the Nigerian Market
Nigeria has the largest economy and population in Africa with more than $500 billion in GDP and a population of 200 million. This market size allows manufacturers to increase capacity and expand into other African countries. This enables investors benefit not only from the Nigerian market but from other countries on the continent as well.
To put this in context, Nigeria contributes an estimated 76% of total trading volume in the ECOWAS region. This is made possible because of the ECOWAS treaty which provides for the free movement of people and goods throughout 15 West African countries. The AfCFTA grants access to 54 countries with a population of 1.2 billion and a market worth a combined $2.6 trillion in GDP.
Supply Chain Infrastructure
Producers and retailers expanding their operations to other markets would depend on a distribution network that can efficiently deliver goods to their intended markets. This would give rise to increased investments in the distribution and logistics supply chain to ensure the infrastructure needed for transportation of goods is available. The winners would be investors who invest in the logistics and transportation space to cater for the large volume of goods which would be involved in cross-border trade.
Increased Jobs
The AfCFTA also seeks to create a single liberalized market for trade in services for the continent. Countries such as Nigeria which have an abundant supply of professionals in various services industries such as construction, engineering, technology, and financial services would see increased movement of such professionals to countries with a demand for their services. In addition, labour-intensive trade across borders would require the services of low skilled workers and the free movement of persons guaranteed by the AfCFTA will bring with it the free movement of services these persons will render.
Conclusion
Although, there have been valid concerns about the effect the AfCFTA would have on the Nigerian economy, these concerns can be addressed by the government putting in place safeguards to ensure vulnerable industries are protected. Safeguards include improving transport infrastructure and enforcing policies which would see a reduction in the cost of production. This would in turn make goods export friendly.
*Aderonke Alex-Adedipe is a Founding Partner at Pavestones Legal and Olawale Atanda is an Associate at the firm. | https://medium.com/@pavestoneslegal/afcfta-and-trade-benefits-to-nigeria-51261d4f85dc | ['Pavestones Legal'] | 2020-12-17 10:37:39.206000+00:00 | ['Nigerian Economy', 'Nigeria', 'Ecowas', 'Afcfta', 'African Trade'] |
Mirror Talk | Photo by Amir Geshani @mr_geshani
4th November 2019, Guna Yala, Panama
The dawning of a new day commenced as the nearest and most intimate star broke the dark of the night, creating a serenely moving gradient of black into blue on the horizon. Daniel had awakened early, as the lights went out at 10 pm sharp every night on the tiny island of Niadub in the indigenous province of Guna Yala. As he lifted the latch of his shared cabin with sand floors, bamboo walls, thatched roofs of palm tree leaves and indigo coloured mosquito net curtains, the silence was almost deafening. Looking out along the wooden dock that faced East, a single Guna fisherman stood at it’s end loosening the rope on his hallowed tree-trunk dugout canoe, behind him a host of tiddly islands densely populated by palm trees. Daniel approached the end of the dock with his brand new DSLR camera, wide-angle lens cocked and ready to shoot the developing scene.
“Hola buddy, buenos días,” Daniel said in his raspy morning voice.
“Buenos días amigo,” the Guna replied with one foot on the dock and the other balancing on the tip of the wooden canoe.
“Beautiful morning isn’t it? Last few days have been awfully wet on the island.”
“Si amigo, me parece un buen día” the Guna replied.
“Cómo te llamas? ” Daniel asked with what little Spanish he knew.
“Me llamo Roblé, pero my friends call me el Capitan here on the island,’’ he said, realizing from Daniel’s pronunciation that Spanish would not suffice to hold a conversation.
“Mucho gusto”
“Igualmente”
“This is one stunning island you have here and the food is so incredibly fresh, thanks to your efforts.” Daniel complemented.
“Gracias amigo, I do what I can to feed the mouths of my family and those of the tourists like you that come to visit us.”
“The fish is truly excellent, you must be proud. How do you say excellent in your native Duleigaiya language?” Daniel asked.
“Aha! You say ‘mas tokus’” Roblé said, delighted to share his culture.
“More tacos?” Daniel said in a playfully teasing manner.
“No, no, no,” Roblé said with a soft chortle, “mas to-kus.”
“Mas tokus!” Daniel said in elation, feeling like he had achieved something so early in the day.
As the sun began to creep up steadily behind the adjacent island of Perro Chico, creating perfectly cut-out black silhouettes of the slightly slanted palm trees, they both stood still and absorbed the love that it shone on their faces. Only the slow and gentle rhythmic sound of the water’s frequency on the underside of the canoe could be heard, followed by miniature splashes as the short capillary waves rocked it up and down.
Sunrise on Niadub island of Guna Yala
“Do you like your stay here so far?” Roblé asked in a genuine tone.
“Wonderful, this place is a paradise on Earth. My only word of advice would be to put a few more mirrors in your bathrooms. There’s about a hundred people on the island and just one mirror to share!” Daniel exclaimed.
“Mi amigo, gracias por tu recomendación. Pero, if there are one hundred people on this island, then there are one hundred mirrors for you to look into.” He said with a smile and pushed off the dock joining the rest of the silhouettes.
Daniel shook his head with a frown in confusion, then immediately turned around, lifted his camera and cracked a smile before taking a selfie. He looked happy. | https://medium.com/journal-of-journeys/mirror-talk-ede5a4006916 | ['Milto Savvidis'] | 2019-12-10 00:34:38.729000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Fiction', 'Journal', 'Mirror Talk', 'Awakening'] |
Winter Traditions in Latin America | Family, friends, gifts, food, music, and more! This is a rundown of some of the celebrations that occur throughout Spain and Latin America, written by Cisneros Scholars Brenda Santiago (’24) and Miguel Cardona (‘23).
It’s the winter holiday season, a time for celebration throughout Spain and Latin America! While these countries share the importance of spending the holidays with family and friends — and making sure food and music are never scarce! — they also have unique cultural traditions. Take a holiday tour below to learn more about:
The ways Cisneros Scholars from different backgrounds celebrate the season! The ways the season is celebrated throughout Hispanic/Latinx communities!
Dia de Las Velitas (Colombia)
In Colombia, Dia de las Velitas is celebrated on December 7th and officially marks the beginning of the holiday season. Family, friends, and people from all over the neighborhood light candles to honor the Virgin Mary, or as she’s called in Colombia, Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, and her immaculate Conception, which is also celebrated the following day. Later, from December 16th until Christmas Eve, many Colombians take part in novenas. During this time, people get together with their families, friends, and neighbors to pray in the days leading up to Christmas. Every day, a different house hosts the prayer and they also sing carols and eat their favorite foods. The tradition is known as the Novena de Aguinaldos.
Christmas Posadas (Mexico, Guatemala, and Southwest United States)
Celebrated mostly in Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of the southwest U.S., Christmas Posadas are a tradition during the holiday season. People dress up as Mary and Joseph in small processions held nine days before Christmas Eve, reenacting their search for lodging on their way to Bethlehem. People also visit houses in the neighborhood to sing and ask for shelter. They are then welcomed by the hosts and have a small party with buñuelos, tamales, and other usual holiday foods. This celebration usually ends by breaking open a Christmas star-shaped piñata.
Charamicos and Angelitos (Dominican Republic)
In the Dominican Republic, the holiday season is one of the most awaited celebrations of the year. Around December, Dominican Christmas trees, charamicos, appear everywhere, from porches to city streets to town squares. Due to the lack of fresh-cut fir trees, people sometimes make wooden handcraft Christmas trees and decorate them with vibrant colors and beautiful ornaments. Many Dominican artisans handcraft white wooden Christmas trees to symbolize snow-covered trees, as it never snows in the D.R. In addition, giving presents during Christmas is also a tradition in the Dominican Republic. Traditional gift-giving is known as Un Angelito, similar to the secret Santa celebration in the U.S. Participants’ names are placed in a sack, then everyone picks one out. Whoever the person chooses is their Angelito, and every week they are responsible for giving their Angelito a gift. On the last day of the exchange, they reveal themselves!
Nochebuena (Latin America)
Nochebuena is widely celebrated across Latin American countries on the night before Christmas. These celebrations vary from household to household, but almost always include a gathering with family and friends, complete with an enormous feast, holiday music, dancing, and gifts. Depending on the family’s religious beliefs, this celebration also includes a late mass known as Misa del Gallo. Nochebuena is a well-known annual celebration and often goes well into the morning of Christmas.
Hanukkah Celebration (Argentina and Latin America)
Due to the strong Catholic tradition in Latin American countries, most holiday celebrations center around Christmas. However, several communities observe Hanukkah instead. For example, the largest Jewish population in Latin American is concentrated in Argentina and Buenos Aires in particular, where the Jewish community totals nearly 200,000. Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration lasting eight days in December that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, beginning with the first candle’s lighting on the menorah (a candlestand with eight candles), the second candle on the second night, and so on. Many families celebrate the holiday with their favorite dishes, such as duck breast with pomegranate-chili sauce. In Buenos Aires, many people take the time to visit neighborhoods like Once and Abasto, where many Jewish grocers, restaurants, and stores come alive with festivity during the Hanukkah season.
Galet Soup and Tió de Nadal (Spain)
In Spain, several families get together on Christmas Eve and celebrate with their favorite music and foods. Some of the dishes include polvorones, a crumbly shortbread, and mazapanes, sugar or honey and almond pastry. Another popular dish is the Catalan Galet Soup. Galets are large shell-shaped pasta stuffed with meatballs and served in a big bowl of soup. Another widespread tradition centers around a log with a drawn-on face, a big smile, and a bold red hat in Spain. Its name is Tió de Nadal or Caga Tió and its purpose is to bring small presents on Christmas. Several people “feed” the log and cover it with a blanket in the days leading up to Christmas, and finally, on Christmas Eve, people hit the log, demanding it to defecate presents! On Christmas, the tio’s blanket is uncovered, and presents appear!
Parrandas and Pasteles (Puerto Rico)
During the holidays, Puerto Rico erupts in many big celebrations. Starting in late November, Christmas trees appear throughout the island. People participate in carol singing, called Parrandas (also called Asaltos), and visit their friend’s houses around 10 pm. They hope to surprise their friends with loud music and singing, mostly composed of bachata and salsa music. Eventually, the people woken up by the parranderos will join the group, and the objective is to end up with a large party. On Nochebuena, most Puerto Ricans celebrate with large gatherings composed of friends and family. Some of their favorite goods include lechón, arroz con gandules, and pasteles de yuca. Lechón is a type of pork that takes a long time to make, requiring people to begin cooking early in the day. Arroz con gandules is rice cooked with green pigeon peas, and usually has an orange-hue. Pasteles de yuca are similar to tamales but contain different ingredients. Traditional pasteles are made with a mixture of yautia (taro root), plantain, green banana, and sometimes kabocha pumpkin.
Regardless of the exact tradition, the holiday season is one of the most awaited times of the year because it brings families, friends, and loved ones together. From everyone at the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute, we wish everyone a safe winter and holiday season!’
Brenda Santiago is a first-year Cisneros Scholar, and Miguel Cardona is a second-year Cisneros Scholar. Brenda and Miguel’s views are their own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.
Photo Credits: | https://medium.com/gw-cisneros-institute/winter-traditions-in-latin-america-4e1483c8160a | ['Cisneros Institute'] | 2020-12-23 19:47:58.406000+00:00 | ['Latin America', 'Latinos', 'Higher Education', 'South America', 'Holidays'] |
What Ballot Measures Taught Me About My Town | What Ballot Measures Taught Me About My Town
I moved to a “nice” town, that also happens to be a racist one
Like many millennials, my partner and I entered adulthood with crippling student debt and the inability to find jobs despite our college degrees. Instead, we both worked multiple low-wage jobs merely to be living paycheck-to-paycheck. At 26, he finally landed a job in his field as an engineer. I had moved to Florida after college, but this job happened to be in my home state of Massachusetts, so my now-husband and I made the decision to move in with my parents in attempts to get a grip on our student loans and be able to afford to purchase a home.
It was a long three years at my parent’s house, years which I’m sure my parents would be equally unwilling to re-live, but eventually, I also found an okay-paying job, and we had saved our downpayment. Last year we bought a house in a town that is consistently rated as one of the safest towns in the entire county. While we didn’t (and still don’t) have kids, it also had great schools and over a dozen parks. We felt lucky to be able to afford such a great area.
Photo by Rakib Reza on Unsplash
And all-in-all, it is an enjoyable area. I go out for a run almost daily and never feel at-risk, I live right next to a major city with incredible vegan food, and most of the elected representatives are Democrats. We could live with this!
2020 is the first election year that we are residents here. Hillary Clinton won here in 2016, albeit by a smaller margin than the overall state, and I have no reason to doubt Joe Biden’s margin of victory will be even larger. This was important as neither of us wants to live in a pro-Trump area.
However, we have two ballot questions on the town-level that are extremely concerning, causing me to question the progressiveness of where we chose to settle.
The first of the ballot measures is to raise property taxes to build a new police station. I couldn’t believe it when the town meeting approved this measure for the ballot last month. It is 2020, and we are in the middle of dealing with a racial reckoning on police brutality. Was this majority-white town just ignorant, or is it filled with racists?
I believe that we need to completely re-invent policing, starting with greatly reducing their funding, not increasing it! If the measure was to build a new Fire Station — sure, let’s do it! A community center? Yes! Mental Health services? Take my increased property taxes! But police? Now?
I was perplexed. I still don’t know much about this town; half of the time I have been living here has been spent in a pandemic lockdown, which not exactly the time to get-to-know the community. But I didn’t want to believe that we were now stuck in a pool of white supremacy until we could afford to move elsewhere.
Once this measure was approved to be put on the ballot, I started noticing lawn signs for candidates and ballot measures going up across town. The pro-Democrat ones started with our congressional representative, then Biden, and then “Support Our Police.” This had to the minority, right?
To the internet! I started looking at what the people I do know in this town were saying. I also started checking social media groups more often than I typically do. I couldn’t believe what I saw. People I know vote blue were attacking others who said they did not support increased police funding. The comments sections basically said, “OUR POLICE ARE GREAT” over and over. I even saw one fight over the lack of diversity in the police department, where the argument was that we need more diversity, and the counterargument was that there have been three woman officers on the force…in the last fifty years. That’s what these people celebrated as diversity! Three females in fifty years! I have also never seen an officer that isn’t white, and I live within walking distance of the station, so I see a lot of cops. You know that reputation Massachusetts has for being fairly progressive but also very racist? I now believe it.
Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash
But all was not lost! There was another ballot question. This one is to increase taxes for the town to buy more public and historic lands to convert to protected areas and build more low-income housing. Good! I’m happy to pay a bit more in property taxes to allow others to enjoy the good schools, plenty of parks, and a sense of safety.
To be fair, the question itself encompasses various project funding; however, the overwhelming majority of complaints I see are coming from the low-income housing part. What does the internet have to say about this one? ‘We can’t afford more property taxes for dog parks!’ ‘Absolutely not!’ ‘There’s no more open space to build housing!’ ‘Yes for the police station, no for this!’
I am white. I haven’t experienced police suspicion by merely existing. I wasn’t questioned about my ability to contribute to the mortgage payment because I only make a fraction of what my husband does. When we were house shopping, neither my husband nor myself bothered to check what percentage of the town was white (it’s over 70%). But 2019 was an eternity away from today. I might very well have voted for a new police station last year. I may have been able to be convinced that we don’t need more housing. But 2020 is a different year. I am awake to the fact that I have expressed unintentionally racist behaviors my entire life, and I am working hard to grow from that. I wish my town were also awake to the realities we need to grapple with.
I’ll admit, without in-person tabling or canvassing, it’s hard to know where the majority of town voters stand on these issues. Maybe the outspoken ones on social media are the same ones with the yard signs? Perhaps that is a small percentage of people who just happen to be most visible? Is it possible that I am entirely wrong, and most of the people I now call neighbors are socially aware and anti-racist? Of course. Do I think that is the case? No. Am I hoping that I am wrong? Absolutely. | https://alisarmarvel.medium.com/what-ballot-measures-taught-me-about-my-town-399a04abd24b | ['Alisa Marvel'] | 2020-10-12 18:39:04.642000+00:00 | ['White Privilege', 'Election 2020', 'Ballot Measures', 'Police', 'Racism'] |
Bringing Blockchain Back to the Bare Basics | Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
Buzzwords are, by far, one of the most damaging trends in this space and there are a lot more than just “blockchain.” Offhand, we can think of “Decentralized,” “ASIC Resistance,” “Community Governance,” “Masternodes,” “Ethereum Killer,” “Next Generation of Blockchain,” “Next Evolution of Blockchain,” “(I Read The) Whitepaper,” “(Color)paper,” “Market Cap,” “The Real Bitcoin,” “New Paradigm,” “Roadmap,” “FUD,” etc.
Words, in general, are tools to express ideas that have underlying concepts. All these buzzwords have meaning, but the way they become “buzz” words is when they are used without having consideration or understanding of that meaning.
Let’s take “roadmap” as an example, because everybody has one and it’s easy to assume that whoever made it knows what they’re talking about. (They probably don’t.)
How do roadmaps actually get made? Simply — some people make some lofty assumptions on top of other lofty assumptions and “if absolutely everything goes right in the next 2 years, we will be here.” That’s it.
There is a joke in the software engineering space that if you are asked to put a deadline on something, use the first date that pops up in your head and add eight months to it. Usually, you’re working with proven technologies in general software engineering. But even those roadmaps fall short. They cannot account for changes in technology, market conditions, people’s preferences, new innovations, budget changes, etc. That’s why roadmaps should be viewed as living documents — they get updated as conditions change.
We are just at the cusp of blockchain technology. Teams are making roadmaps that have no precedent, on unproven technologies, and assuming they will invent things when they said they will (but that, of course, is not how inventions work). If this doesn’t terrify you, it should.
Don’t fall for the hype; don’t get caught up in the “buzz” while the waters are muddy. Remember that many people will become millionaires off the backs of those who fall for buzzwords. It is the duty of investors (and all of us) to identify buzzwords being thrown at us and evaluate their claims. In the case of a roadmap, we need to ask ourselves, based on proper research, “Is this just a marketing ploy?”
Do You Really Need a Blockchain For That?
“X, but on the blockchain” (Sounds oddly familiar to “The Uber for X,” doesn’t it?) has turned into a common marketing pitch as there’s now seemingly endless coins for every use case imaginable where “traditional” solutions would more than suffice. You have to ask yourself: do they really need the blockchain? How does it improve upon the current infrastructure?
To oversimplify, the blockchain is a distributed database, which means it goes to great, inefficient, expensive pains to make sure everyone in the network agrees on one version of the truth. It’s not easy, but it has certain values that make it worth the hassle, like censorship resistance and trustless protocols. However, very few things actually need these properties. The vast majority of use cases out there will be just fine using a traditional database that’s cheaper, faster, and easier to use. The blockchain is not a one size fits all solution, as you can see by the scalability challenges we’re currently facing, and much of the mania can be addressed if, before investing, everyone asked themselves “Do you really need a blockchain for that or is it some buzzword being thrown around for a cash grab?”
Broken Marketing to Market Nothing
Because the waters are so muddy with buzzwords and terrible use cases, the crypto market has degenerated into one marketing behemoth. How many of the coins in the top 20, let alone top 100, actually have products that work or products at all? Some of these coins are worth billions of dollars for products that don’t even exist yet. It really makes us miss teams that developed Minimum Viable Products (which is, ironically, another phrase that was buzzed and abused for years) that at least tried to create something of value before becoming billionaires. Right now, we are dealing with unprecedentedly low standards; the Minimum Viable Product is a template-marketplace-purchased website bought for $20, a bot-filled subreddit and Twitter account, and flashy words with a downloadable “whitepaper” that probably took less effort to create than a paper for a throwaway class in high school.
Many people in this space like to say, “It’s a new paradigm and the old rules don’t apply anymore.” Wrong. The old rules are the ones that apply most because they have withstood the test of time.
Let’s take supply and demand, a rule which often gets lost in the crypto mania. This rule will always apply unless there’s an unlimited amount of money (meaning you’re the Fed or started an Infinite Coin ICO that prints coins as you use them), so just because some coin is speculated to be listed on Coinbase doesn’t mean it will rocket to Bitcoin-like prices. When Ripple was rumored to be next, Twitter was full of folks thinking it’ll go up to Bitcoin all time high prices, despite Ripple’s huge circulating supply (and even larger non-circulating supply). That’s just not how it works. When calculating market cap (current circulating supply x current (or projected) price), ask yourself if your hypothetical target price has any basis in reality. Does the current price even have any basis in reality?
Another simple rule we’re ignoring is that price is ultimately determined by value and the market constantly looks for the best way to accurately judge that value and assign a commensurate price. We are in that special phase where the value determination methodology has not yet been identified and therefore no one actually knows how to measure it. Everyone’s just making it up as they go along. And while it’s your job to discover the right valuation methodology for yourself, marketers have made it their job to twist your methods to serve their needs. Believe the marketing and drink the kool aid, and every coin sounds like the best coin the world when you first start reading about it. If you dig a little deeper, and move beyond the buzz, you might just find hot air. Unless you’re a (very) brave venture capitalist, those are “projects” you should probably avoid.
Technology Last Or Not At All
Collapsing the previous points, the technology has seemingly taken a backseat. The technology is the what makes this market exist in the first place. But with Bitcoin’s meteoric rise, everyone is more worried about finding their own Bitcoin in some overly marketed coin rather than the technology behind what drives this space, which is arguably the most important thing. Do we know about the consequences of widespread adoption? Do we know how are we going to get there? Do we know the work that went into the creation of the blockchain? What obstacles stand in our way? What is feasible and what is not? These are some of the questions people should care about, but don’t.
People have attached themselves to the idea of “the next Bitcoin” or “the next Ethereum” so that each subreddit has seemingly become its own cult, ignoring any kind of technological feasibility. Please remember, these technologies are extremely new and mostly unproven. Bitcoin is considered “old” especially with how long it has been around. Look at some of the turmoil it is going through right now. The technology works, but is currently unscalable and can’t handle widespread adoption yet. All these new coins are promising you the world, with free, instant, secure transactions that can do everything everyone else can do, but better. Can they? I’ll let you in on a little computer science secret; there’s no such thing as a “free” transaction, there are only trade offs: speed, security, decentralization, censorship resistance, privacy, cost, and others. You cannot have it all.
This market is not just a “market” — it exists because of the technology and in the end, the ones with the real working products will be left standing. Avoid the mania; put technology first.
Bringing Blockchain Back to Basics
Why Does This Even Exist?
The answer to this question is at the heart of the market, of the technology, and of all the people working to turn it into reality. It’s cool to think about all the possible use cases (see: Do you really need a blockchain for that?), but we think it’s time we take a step back and re-establish the bare basics.
From the first sentence of the abstract of the original Bitcoin whitepaper: “A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.”
From the introduction of the original Bitcoin whitepaper: “What is needed is an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party.”
Why would we not want to rely on third parties to settle our transactions? Hasn’t it been this way forever?
Our entire world is based on trust. We have to trust the government to use government-backed FIAT currencies. We have to trust various third party intermediaries to act in our best interests. We have to trust to live, but to steal a cliche, trust is a hard thing to build and something that is very easy to break. It wasn’t an accident or coincidence that Bitcoin came out in the middle of the Great Recession and World Financial Crisis, a time in which governments and third party intermediaries proved that they could not be trusted.
Satoshi Nakamoto’s big idea was simply to take the words “have to trust” out of the equation by building trust into the system’s foundation using cryptographic proof, thereby making it “trustless.” The study of cryptography is the ability to send messages privately without third parties (or the public) being able to read or intercept these messages, guaranteeing privacy and preserving data integrity. Fewer instances of companies selling our personal and transaction data to the highest bidder or forcing targeted advertisements upon us. Fewer cases like in 2012 when Target was allegedly able to correctly identify a teenage girl’s pregnancy from buying habits. Fewer breaches of trust.
At its core, the blockchain allows people and machines to work together without having to trust each other. This is what it’s all about. As you look at today’s manic market, keep that constantly in mind. Avoid the buzz words and marketing, question the need for blockchains, focus on the underlying technology, and always come back to its roots. | https://medium.com/pareagroup/bringing-back-blockchain-to-the-bare-basics-c8901824967c | ['Ben Rodri'] | 2018-01-23 21:58:07.106000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Blockchain'] |
How Do I Get In The Habit Of Writing Every Day? | “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ―John C. Maxwell
If you fight to get in enough time for writing, or keep putting it off, or may not seem to write if you planned to write… you want to work on producing the habit of writing.
Think about it for a moment — if you could write consistently for an hour (or two) a day:
Set a small daily goal
Creating a new writing habit? Start with a small goal, perhaps just one sentence a day.
Set a timer:
I use timeTracko as a timer where I can track time and productivity while writing on the laptop.
It can be 5am or 11:30pm. Whatever it is, just try to make it consistent. You need to show up every day at this time and put your butt in the chair. It doesn’t matter if you have any idea what you’re going to write; until you commit to a time, you will never get into a daily rhythm of writing.
Set a word count goal:
Maybe you decide to write 500 words a day. Or 50. 1000. When you’re actively working on something like a novel, don’t worry if your word count isn’t what it needs to be. Just try to get the words on the page.
If you don’t have any sort of deadline or target, it’s easy to put off writing until another day. Try posting your targets near your desk, so that you’ll see them while you’re working, or keep track of your progress using a blog, Facebook or Twitter.
Don’t let yourself forget:
What would you do if you absolutely couldn’t forget an appointment? You might write it on your calendar, set an alarm, even put up a note where you couldn’t miss it. You might ask someone else to remind you. Do all those things.
Get off social media:
“Being a good writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the Internet.” ~ Anon
All you need is 10 minutes a day. But you have to block off those 10 minutes, and treat them as an unmissable appointment. You wouldn’t tell your doctor that you’ll get to your appointment with her “after checking your email and Facebook just one more time” would you? Then don’t do that to your writing appointment. This is undistracted time, so shut everything down, and treat this space as sacred. Have a place you write, treat it like your daily prayers, and be ready before the appointment starts.
Don’t be 97%.
Don’t let your mind run (for a little while):
Your mind will want to run from the writing. This is normal. The mind doesn’t like uncertainty and discomfort. You’ll want to go check email, check blogs, check social media, check news, go clean your kitchen. Notice this urge, and then sit with it. Don’t run.
Put complete focus on it for one month
Set rewards:
Rewards are great motivators. Do them more often in the beginning: give yourself a small reward after the first day, and the second, and the third, then after one week, then two weeks, then three, and finally after one month. Make a list of these rewards before you start, so you can look forward to getting them.
Find inspiration”
The best motivation is inspiration, in my own book. When I’m forming a new habit, I love to read about others who’ve been successful. I will read books and magazines and websites and blogs on the topic. Do the same with writing — find inspiration, but simply don’t allow the reading to get in the way of writing.
Make it fun:
Above all, if the habit isn’t fun in some way, you’ll lose motivation over time. It’s one thing to try to be “disciplined” but in the end, it’s motivation that matters. You can’t force motivation. So find a way to make it fun, either by playing some great music while you write, or having a cup of tea or coffee while you do it, or writing with tools you love.
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ~ Stephen King | https://medium.com/@bhuwan0/how-do-i-get-in-the-habit-of-writing-every-day-60874c064c49 | ['Bhuwan Dahal'] | 2020-12-20 02:33:27.781000+00:00 | ['Writing Habit', 'Writing Life', 'Writing Tips', 'Writing Hack', 'Writing Prompts'] |
-> Japanese From Zero! 1: Proven Methods to Learn Japanese with integrated Workbook and Online Support by George Trombley -> Available in Hardcover \ Kindle \ Paperback \ AudioBook | -> Japanese From Zero! 1: Proven Methods to Learn Japanese with integrated Workbook and Online Support by George Trombley -> Available in Hardcover \ Kindle \ Paperback \ AudioBook Uchangook Par Aug 27, 2019·1 min read
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Japanese From Zero is an innovative and integrated approach to learning Japanese developed by professional Japanese interpreter George Trombley and co-writer Yukari Takenaka. The lessons and techniques used in this series have been taught successfully for over ten years in classrooms throughout the world.Using up-to-date and easy-to-grasp grammar, Japanese From Zero is the perfect course for current students of Japanese as well as absolute beginners.In Book 1 of the Japanese From Zero series, readers are taught new grammar concepts, over 800 new words and expressions, and also learn the hiragana writing system.Features of Book 1: * Integrated Workbook with Answer Key* Over 800 New Words and Expressions* Learn to Read and Write Hiragana* Easy-to-Understand Example Dialogues* Culture Points about Japan* Bilingual Glossaries with Kana and Romaji…and much more … (More info! -> https://ebookfirstbestpopular.blogspot.com/?book=0976998122) | https://medium.com/@uchangook.par/japanese-from-zero-a43c53e085a9 | ['Uchangook Par'] | 2019-08-27 04:52:05.032000+00:00 | ['Japanese'] |
Walk This Way | If you’re reading this in the hope that the sole purpose of the information below is to help you slip back into your pre-baby jeans, you won’t find what you’re looking for. This is a gentler approach to getting back on the go after childbirth, but the focus is very firmly on how you’ll feel, rather than how you’ll look.
However, there’s every chance that this will help you graduate from your maternity trousers back into buttons and belts as well….
It goes without saying that every new mother comes to the First Time Mama blog with a different set of circumstances. While one mama may be blooming with a full head of shiny hair, another might be coming to terms with a really traumatic birth. It’s important that you listen to your doctor and your body before undertaking any form of exercise after childbirth, so if there’s any doubt about what you should be doing, check it out with your GP first.
HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER?
That depends on your pregnancy. While some mums were able to keep running 5K deep into their pregnancy, others have had trouble getting about. There is a long string of conditions that can be summed up in a few letters (SPD, PGP, DSP) that basically make it unbearable to take a few steps during pregnancy. Although you may have had your baby, the memory of every painful step will linger with you for a while, so go easy on yourself. You will get back to your best self, it may take a little time…
“I’VE LOST MY GET UP AND GO…”
Even the most bubbly and vivacious woman can feel flat and deflated post-pregnancy. Looking after a new born means that you might not even manage to take care of the most basic of tasks and it can take all day to get ready to leave the house. Don’t sweat it — this doesn’t last forever, but you can re-prioritise things so you can get a bit of breathing space back.
ROUND THE BLOCK, NOT ROUND THE BEND
It can be really tough to get out of the house in between feeds, but a 10-minute spin around the block can make all the difference to your day. Your baby is safe and sound in the pram and the house can wait for a while, so take yourself out for a breath of air.
There is a very long list of studies that prove the link between walking and improved mental health, but we’re not going to blind you with science. Here’s the jist of what you need to know:
Your foot’s impact during walking sends pressure waves through your arteries that significantly modify and can increase the supply of blood to your brain. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170424141340.htm
When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs — including the brain. Many experiments have shown that after or during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on tests of memory and attention.
(https://www.improvisedlife.com/)
(https://www.improvisedlife.com/) Exercise helps trigger endorphins, which improve the prioritizing functions of the brain. After exercise, your ability to sort out priorities improves, allowing you to block out distractions and better concentrate on the task at hand. Your brain remembers more when your body is active.
(https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennifercohen/2012/05/08/6-ways-exercise-makes-you-smarter/)
“WHAT’S MY TARGET TIME?”
Woah, Nelly! This is not about performance, so don’t try and work on a PB. This is about the quality of experience, so take care to set realistic goals. You might like to map your route out before you go, so you don’t have to decide whether to turn left or right when you’re walking. If you’re nervous about being away from the house too long, set yourself a time limit. Walk in one direction for 10 minutes, and then walk back home. 20 minutes will pass very quickly and the chances are that you could survive without bottles and a change bag for such a short timeframe. That will make it so much easier to get out of the house in the first place!
If you have been finding it really hard to leave the house, you will be bowled over by the sense of achievement after your first walk. Hold on to that feeling — remember back to how good you felt when you’re trying to get out the next day or when you’re working up a long list of why you shouldn’t/can’t/don’t want to go. You will feel better afterwards. Promise!
ME TIME
It feels like we’re straying into dangerous territory here, but we’re just going to come right out and say it — sleeping cannot be considered as ‘Me Time’, regardless of who around you might like to make you think it is. Hold on to that thought while you work out just what else you do for yourself on a daily basis? Looking after your body, mind and soul is critical for your baby’s wellbeing. It would also mean that talking your daily walk can’t be considered as Me Time, because it is so vital to your wellbeing. However, it is the opportunity to do something nice for yourself as you walk. Your phone can be your portal to the world. Apps can help you access the wider world, even if you’re simply taking a spin around the corner. You can lose yourself in a good audio book or listen to music. You can also try meditation, using one of the best-selling apps such as Calm or Headspace. Meditation may be new to you or you may simply think that it is not your thing, but it is worth giving your mind an extra little bit of love while you’re out and about. With your headphones plugged in, you are still present with your baby but also doing something for yourself at the same time.
IT WON’T ALWAYS FEEL THIS WAY
For women who used to dash out of the door, with a spritz of perfume and a designer handbag, the paraphernalia that comes with motherhood can feel utterly draining — but you will get back to carrying your world around in a small bag. If you’re dazzled by the fact that getting out of the house is so difficult, it’s good to remember these early days will pass and you’ll be back to normal soon enough. It’s a new normal, but you will get used to it. Taking the first step may be the hardest one that you take, but it is worth it. Don’t overthink it, just grab your keys, your baby and go.
read more articles on the first time mama blog | https://medium.com/@info_73965/walk-this-way-d81206bc25c0 | ['First Time Mama'] | 2020-01-19 07:56:01.166000+00:00 | ['Moms', 'Time', 'Motherhood', 'Baby', 'Birth'] |
How to find your balance: creation vs promotion | See original post: roveenaink.com
I learned a hard lesson this year.
Creation is far more important and sustainable than promotion, especially when you’re running low on content.
I really got caught up in promotion with figuring out what to post for my book, Instagram feed curation, trying to gain followers, and all that marketing stuff that probably matters, but not as much as I thought it did.
When I had creative energy and momentum, I denied myself. I forced myself to focus my attention on posting about my latest works and connecting with people I barely knew.
Of course, some of these marketing efforts were effective.
My balance was way out of whack, though. It got to the point where it had been MONTHS since I had last written a page of my book that I was so called “promoting,” and I longed to simply free write any stories or articles.
I’ve learned a lot in being obsessed with promoting myself, I’ve gained valuable connections, I’ve experimented with email marketing, and I honestly wouldn’t have been able to fundraise the $4,000 needed to publish 120 copies of my book without these so called promotion skills.
However, I’m getting tired. I could feel myself reaching this point, but I just thought I had to do more promoting.
Naturally, I was wrong.
I had the grand idea to just do what I truly wanted to do; to actually do what I was promoting.
I started creating again. I started writing, building words, character profiles, and blog posts. I started dancing, making piano videos, and drawing new designs. I felt this much needed balance of being a creative entrepreneur flow back into my life.
That’s when I realized that I can reap the benefits and positive aspects of both creation and promotion. They compliment one another, and you can’t survive without the other. If you don’t create, you have nothing to promote. If you don’t promote, nobody will know what or why you’re creating.
That doesn’t mean I just promote every single thing I create. The primary reason why I love to create is because it’s for me; it’s my escape, my way to heal, my version of ultimate, pure expression.
Creation is my main priority because it’s always there for me. Promotion gets me out there and allows me to engage with new audiences, but creation is where my fulfillment comes from.
It was difficult to realize that this year because I was so focused on the outwardly results of my book selling well and people actually liking it. I thought promoting, receiving likes and praise in the form of mechanical comments would be more fulfilling than seeing my words splatter on the page.
But, that’s what we call learning the balance of creation and promotion. If I’m being honest, I’m still learning and I know I will be for a long time. The main difference is that I’m just better prepared and more excited than fearful. | https://medium.com/@roveenaink/the-balance-of-creation-and-promotion-e704d37895b8 | ['Roveena Chand Jassal'] | 2021-02-09 16:08:02.365000+00:00 | ['Instagram', 'Publishing', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Authors', 'Social Media Marketing'] |
Stuck in the Middle with You | Julie loved the outdoors.
She relished the fact that she got to spend every day soaking up the sun and she loved nothing more than a refreshing spring rainfall to cleanse her spirit and inflate her sense of purpose.
She was very aware of the cyclical nature of the world and her place in it. All of the best parts of herself worked in unison without much effort on her part. It felt as natural as anything to be completely in tune with one’s desires and abilities. Doubt and disconnect had never entered her mind. She couldn’t conceive of a life so dark, nor would she desire to.
Sweet as candied smiles, she offered a handful of help to anyone who needed it. Ne’er was a one to turn down her naturally gifted expression when looking directly into such invitingly bright eyes.
One would be forgiven if, for a moment, one’s hands seemed to have a mind of their own when catching sight of her. She had nothing if not a vibrant magnetism coursing through the fiber of her figure. An attribute she couldn’t help, but of which she was fully aware and she leaned into it with confidence.
At the peak of her enriching potential, she could sense a shift in her life’s direction. The time was coming for her to move on towards a distant calling. She felt deep within her a destiny she was meant to fulfill, and she had always been keen on the suggested complexities of the world around her.
She lovingly invited the struggle and personal triumph of combining the best parts of herself into a unified sense of being. She was already so beloved by so many, that for her to evolve in such a way as to help the lives of countless others even more easily could have been seen as an otherworldly miracle. An absolute saint, she was. The comfort and relief she provided to innumerable people was not only appreciated, but revered the world over.
Soft in her presence, delicate in her handling, Julie spread herself as far and wide as her abilities would allow her. Although, through it all, there was the faintest sense that something wasn’t quite right. She had never felt this sort of instability before the fuss of her leaving home.
Before, she had always felt in her place; established and settled. Now, although she felt she had succeeded in reaching her potential, she was beginning to feel as if this was only a potential. One of many possible others. She felt something in her was being held back. Suffocated, even.
This feeling wouldn’t leave her, she just couldn’t shake it. It haunted her daily until it eventually consumed her thoughts entirely. She could think of nothing else.
Fraught with anxiety and an ever-growing sense of distress, she became withdrawn. She no longer felt the self-assurance she once did. She felt as if the world had dissected her and placed her in a glass cabinet like a dead butterfly — identified, categorized, and put on exhibit for a proper gawking.
Julie’s entire outlook on the world had become one-dimensional, a belief that no matter how hard you try, you will be used and forgotten. Over and over, more and more will be taken from you, and taken for granted at that.
It felt as if it would never end. Julie’s bubbly nature, normally bursting with positive sentiment and sweetness, was starting to deflate. It felt out of her control and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Then she saw him. | https://medium.com/literally-literary/stuck-in-the-middle-with-you-1caded4210ac | ['Scott Leonardi'] | 2020-12-18 16:58:07.689000+00:00 | ['Humor', 'Creative Writing', 'Creativity', 'Short Story', 'Fiction'] |
How Will Sports Be in 50 Years? | For many people across the world sports are involved in our lives everyday whether it’s your favorite soccer team or NFL play offs, we see and watch sports year round. As a sports fan myself, I often wonder how the future will affect my sports experience.
Will virtual reality (VR) be the future of watching sports? Will sports such as baseball still be popular? Will chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) still be a problem in football?
How Do You Want the Future to Be?
It’s important you, a sports fan, has to be involved in this conversation. Do you really want to have to wear a headset to watch March Madness? These are questions we have to ask ourselves, and decide whether or not it’s the future that we want.
Over the next several weeks we will be discussing several subtopics, going into depth on how each specific sport could change from rules to safety. We already see small changes happening in several sports to speed up game play. For example, baseball recently put in a rule that limited the number of mound visits and the time duration of each visit. The new rule was all in an effort to keep games moving and trying to baseball, “more action-packed.”
Our first topic of discussion this week will kick off with baseball since spring training just began last weekend. I encourage anyone with a question to share it with all of us. Going over now only game play but how equipment will change and how the actual field should change to suit the needs of baseball 50 years from now. | https://medium.com/what-will-sports-look-like-in-50-years/how-will-sports-be-in-50-years-68778f7d9a41 | ['Andrew Dibiase-Cole'] | 2019-02-25 18:52:13.728000+00:00 | ['Football', 'Basketball', 'Athletes', 'Sports', 'Baseball'] |
Pros and Cons of Working From Home | One of the recent changes in how people work is the focus on flexibility as well as comfort and working from home seems to tick these two boxes.
There aren’t many more comfortable places than our own homes and having an office next to your bedroom (or in your bedroom) offers a lot of flexibility with your day.
In the past, working from home meant running a business and being self-employed; however, this is also changing. More and more companies, especially ones that operate on the internet, allow their employees to do some work from home. It may be an occasional day here and there or a flexible schedule, but, I can see these options available more easily now.
Working from home still seems like a dream come through for many people, and they envy those who have that opportunity. It means having no boss, no schedule and of course no dress code as you can do your task in PJs and no one will mind a thing.
From my personal experience, after 3.5 years of working from the comfort of my home, I can say that I have a good comparison to the standard office environment.
I have had many jobs before, and in different places and even though working from home does have a lot of upside and positives, like, with everything else, it has its downsides too.
Here is a list of good and less ideal things that I found after a few years of having the office less than three steps away from my bed.
PROS
No schedule
Matthew Walker is a scientist and professor who researches sleep, and in his book Why We Sleep, he demonstrates that we are not all wired in the same way. Naturally, some people prefer to work in the mornings, but there are also those who need a later start. Unfortunately, most companies (and services) favour a morning 9–5 routine, which for many people means a grumpy way to start a day. The obvious positive of working from home is that you can set a schedule that works for you. You can set the hours that you prefer and take as many breaks as you want.
No dress code
Not everyone likes to dress up every day, put on makeup and iron a fresh shirt. No dress code is even better than a casual one, because you can work in your PJs or your robe or wear nothing at all! No one will look at you or comment behind your back.
Services and appointment
Most people work 9–5, which means that necessary services like health appointments are either busy, closed or available for you on weekends. Same goes for gyms, restaurants and cinemas. Having your schedule means that you can book these appointments during day hours when there is little queuing. Gyms and cinemas are empty, and restaurants offer more deals as they want customers during quiet periods. It is honestly one of the best things that you gain when working from home.
No unnecessary meetings
Anyone who ever worked in the office understands the pain of pointless meetings, and the time wasted on gossiping near the coffee machine and just general unproductive activities that happen during office hours.
When working from home, there is none of that. When you had enough, you can stop and do what you want to do — go shopping, read a book or watch a movie. There is no need to sit idly in front of the screen staring at the clock.
No pressure
Of course, there is always a bit of pressure when working with clients however when a deadline approaches and you work alongside other people the stress feeds on itself and it is very easy to be consumed by the bubble of pressure, stress and anxiety. I find working from home much more relaxed than the office or any other work environment.
When I’m stressed, I know, it is me who spreads the pressure around, and I can’t blame anyone else.
It would be to easy to list all the good things when you can sit at home and do your work. Like most things in life, working from home isn’t for everyone, and it has some consequences. Here are five things that I noted about having an office at your home that you may not enjoy.
No schedule
I am a believer that routines help to guide our days and to improve skills, develop projects and make us healthier in the long run. However, with no schedule set by managers, this goes out of the window, and it can have a negative effect on your life.
When you have flexibility with your time, there is always an opportunity to move things to another hour, another day. You can sleep how much you want, take naps, favour pleasure over work and get little done.
To combat that I have my schedule that I stick to every day and in some ways, it is more rigid that schedules I had when I worked somewhere else.
No dress code
Sitting in your robe or PJs all day may seem like a good idea; however, it can also lead to stopping in taking care of yourself. Most of us like to look good in the mirror, but when day after day, there is no reason for it, it can develop in a bad habit. It’s all about balance, I tend to work in regular clothes rather than sweatpants, but my partner likes to work in her PJs in the morning. However, we still dress up when we leave the house.
No reason to leave the house
When working from home, and especially when you are busy with work, there may be days that you spend between your four walls. Even if you live in your perfect place, be it a centre of a bustling city or a quiet residential part, you are still confined to your home office.
Add to that no need to dress up every day, leaving the house may become problematic. It’s great that you can be more productive at home, but it is so easy to sit in front of the screen all day and then watch some TV show in the evening when suddenly realising that last time you opened your front door was two days ago.
It gets lonely
The unnecessary meetings are annoying, and you may not like the gossiping near the coffee machine, but with time, you start to miss it. You begin to miss the chitchat with your workmates, meeting new people in person and everyday banter. Working at home gets lonely. I am lucky that my partner also works at home, but it means that we get lonely together.
The crucial bit is to go out of your comfort zone, join some activities and clubs in your area and meet people there. It is much more challenging to do when you do your work from home, and it’s harder to make new friends.
Feedback and ideas
It is much easier to offer feedback when the person is sitting next to you.
Emails get lost, multiple time zones play their role too and, with time, you forget what you wanted to say in the first place.
Another thing is that creativity can also suffer, having multiple people in the office means bouncing ideas off each other, trying new things, listening to different opinions. When you work from home, even with a team of people over the internet, it is much harder to create that environment.
After a few years of working from home, I can now see that it is not for everyone. It requires discipline as well as a proper willingness to leave the house. To meet new people, you have to get out of your comfort zone, join local clubs and pick up new activities.
It is something that I didn’t think of at the beginning of my journey, and it is still something that I am working to fix in my own life. Looking at my sister and friends who lead busy lives in the centre of London, they love their office environment — the hustle and bustle of it.
My current work requires a quiet studio, so I’m glad I can do it from home and even that I’m on a different time zone than my teammates because I can do my job without too many disruptions.
However, it does get lonely, and sometimes I wish that I could attend a meeting or two, even if it were just a waste of time. | https://medium.com/@paulinexsz/pros-and-cons-of-working-from-home-5d7053051659 | ['Mike Migas'] | 2019-06-16 15:27:56.107000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Remote Working', 'Work Life Balance', 'Working From Home', 'Business'] |
5 Valuable Questions to Ask Yourself to Gain More Clarity | Creating clarity is not a case of ‘haves and have nots’. It’s more about the approach you take to creating clarity that moves the needle.
Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash
We live in a society that touts the abundance of opportunity and ‘If you want something bad enough you’ll find a way’. All well and good, but what happens when you don’t have a clue which opportunity is the right one for you. When you don’t have the self trust and inner strength to be confident in your choices.
Often I see people creating a ideal scenarios or outcomes based on the ‘grass is greener on the other side’ and focusing on the overarching feeling rather than breaking it down, doing the preliminary groundwork and bringing things down to a manageable level.
Here are 5 valuable questions you can ask yourself to gain more clarity on your next best steps forward.
Am I giving myself the space to think clearly?
Do you have your best ideas when you’re just starting to drift off or when you’re in the shower? This isn’t a co-incidence. What these have in common is they are likely the times of your day when you stop, when you relax a little and when the conscious thinking parts of your brain take a back seat.
I know from personal experience that if I don’t put the effort into creating space, both in regards to time and headspace, to think clearly I can’t even begin to articulate my next steps or the bigger picture I’m heading towards.
So I invite you to create time in your day that is earmarked for quiet and for you to be with yourself and not ticking boxes, wearing one of your many hats or creating mental to do lists longer than the Great Wall of China.
I would suggest giving yourself 20–30 minutes. Use this time to journal, listen to music with a cuppa, meditate, do some yoga (or another gentle activity). Anything that slows your mental chatter and physical rushing down a little and gives you the opportunity to create some mental space. You might be surprised with what comes to light when you give yourself some mental space.
What do I want more of in my life?
This on the surface seems like a cop out of a question BUT… Have you ever actually asked yourself this question and answered honestly? You may respond flippantly with more money, holidays abroad, a bigger house, a great place to start. I would challenge you to turn this question on its head and instead of looking at material things to look at feelings, emotions, or actions. For example ‘I want more adventure in my life’ or ‘I want more financial freedom in my life’ or ‘I want more joy in my life’.
The next step to this is to look at what small steps you could take in the next week or two to bring you closer to that statement being true for you.
As Vincent Van Gogh said “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together’.
Which leads on to the next question.
What one small step would take me closer to where I want to be?
People tend to approach bigger goals in one of two ways. They are either a top down thinker or a bottom up thinker. In NLP we call this chunking down or chunking up. Essentially a top down thinker prefers to look at the bigger picture and break it down in to smaller steps i.e. chunk down. A bottom up thinker will lean towards fulfilling a series of smaller steps before they are able to see or feel the bigger picture i.e. chunking up. Christina Ward has written an excellent article on the difference between these thinking types which you can read here.
There is no right or wrong way to think or process information but knowing which way works for you can help. What both of them have in common though is the smaller steps. So, what one small step would take you closer to where you want to be?
What am I not giving myself permission to do?
Through fear of failure or even sometimes fear of success we can hold ourselves back from what we want. We can create pseudo excuses as to why we can’t do something AKA self sabotage. So this has many levels and it’s important to recognise that there are going to be times your plan or your big dreams aren’t possible right now. It doesn’t mean they are never going to be and it doesn’t mean you can’t take a smaller step towards it.
So what are you not giving yourself permission to do? Where are you getting in your own way? Where could you maybe step aside and let yourself boldly take a leap forward?
If nothing changes am I happy with the status quo?
Nothing helps you get clear about what it is you really want than asking a blunt question. Go with your gut. Regardless of whether your answer is yes or no ask yourself why. Why are you happy with the status quo? This will show you what you might want to focus on more in your life to amplify the parts you love. If your answer is no then ask yourself Why aren’t you happy with the status quo? This will show you what parts aren’t supporting you and where you might want to take some steps to changing it. | https://medium.com/@colleenemilycoaching/5-valuable-questions-to-ask-yourself-to-gain-more-clarity-8c4c6c195ea8 | ['Colleen Emily Moore'] | 2020-11-18 12:42:28.075000+00:00 | ['Personal Development', 'Life Coaching', 'Goal Setting', 'Clarity', 'NLP'] |
Celebrating MLK for the First Time in my Career (2021) | Sitting for a portrait at Atlanta University, circa 1963: Source: Howard Sochurek / Getty Images
Last year, amidst protests against police brutality and the murders of unarmed Black Americans, Pariveda embarked on a journey to take a stand against systemic racism. In December, the Anti-Racism Task Force announced a set of recommendations to address and reverse systemic racism within our walls. Today, I would like to highlight a decision made last summer to officially recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as a company holiday. It is with great pleasure that I now have the opportunity to celebrate, with all of my fellow Fins, Dr. King’s extraordinary place in American history for the first time in my career.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15, 1929 — April 4, 1968
(39 years old)
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. King was a child prodigy, skipping the 9th and 11th grades of high school and entering Morehouse College in 1944 at the age of 15. At 19, he received a bachelor’s degree in sociology. At the age of 25 in 1954, King heeded the call to religion and became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. King received his doctorate in theology from Boston University in the summer of 1955. In December of that year, the Montgomery Improvement Association’s older ministers elected Dr. King to be the Southern Christian Leadership Conference president and the boycott’s public face. This initiative was one of the sparks that ignited the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Dr. King was arrested over 30 times in 13 years for his efforts to achieve social and economic equality and break the stranglehold of Jim Crow laws and the country’s deep-rooted racism. Today, many present-day Americans undeniably view Dr. King with respect and admiration. However, after his assassination on April 4, 1968, a shocking 75% of Americans believed Dr. King brought his death upon himself. Today, many people share the same sentiment regarding police killings, civil rights, and calls for economic injustice.
The images of Dr. King that we see every year are predominantly associated with his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. However, lesser-known yet more impactful was his economic vision to address the legacy of slavery, the end of Reconstruction, and the savagery of Jim Crow laws. The part of his speech that people often forget was his statement that “African Americans had been given a blank check with Emancipation, but the check had come back marked “insufficient funds.” He went on to say, “When we come to Washington, we are coming to get our check.” Most people link his March on Washington to social justice, but the campaign sought equality before the law AND an economic bill of rights for impoverished black, brown, and white workers. During another speech in 1957, he condemned “the tragic inequalities of an economic system which takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes.” According to a recent study, this promise, if executed, would have infused over $3 trillion of wealth into the U.S. economy and reduced or eliminated the wealth gap.
Since this is Pariveda and we love frameworks and models, I’ll share with you a simple but most acutely accurate definition of systemic racism I have ever seen: | https://medium.com/@dewilliams/last-year-amidst-protests-against-police-brutality-and-the-murders-of-unarmed-black-americans-d999eb53c3f0 | ['Daniel E. Williams'] | 2021-02-22 23:40:57.100000+00:00 | ['Framework', 'Martin Luther King', 'Bhm', 'MLK', 'Black History Month'] |
Treatment of generic responses in the Web API using C# | In software development when we talk about productivity, there’s no way we can’t talk about generics. In this article I present one of the ways to handle responses of a web api in a generic way using .Net.
1 — Creating the generic structure
First starts by creating a enum called EResponse, within it we define all kinds of responses that our web api will have.
Next we create a class called ResponseData, within it we have.
Code: it’s kind of response;
Status: it represents the state of the request, success or UnSuccess;
Message: it’s a simple informative text;
Data: it’s return data.
Exceptoins
Now we are going to create the Exceptoins, for each type of response we have an exception except OK.
As an example we have the exception NoDataException
Controller
Afeter we define the struct we’re going to create the first controller called ResponseController, this controller is responsible for handling the responses.
Now we’re going to create another controller called BaseController, it’s the heart of our solution.
In it we have two delegates
These delegates are invoked when making a request, below we will present them with greater clarity.
Still within the BaseController, we have a method called Execute, it’s responsible to execute all resquests. Here we’re using the exceptions defined above, whenever the web API has an exception, it analyzes the type of exception and handles the response according to the type of exception. Here we can also write logs…
In the BaseController we have other auxiliary methods
2 — Using the generic structure
Now that we have finished defining our generic structure, now we are going to use.
We’re going to create a model class called car, within this class we are using DataAnnotations to validate some properties.
We’re going to create a controller called CarController, it extends the BaseController. Within each action of controller we call the execute method, in the first parameter we inform the type of return, in the second is all the business logic.
3 — Result
To test our API we used the swager.
Now, we are going to test the route create:
Case 1
The case 1, it presents a validation error scenario from DataAnnotations, it does the validation on line 10.
Parameters
Parameters
Response Body
Response Body
Case 2
The case 2, it presents a validation error scenario , it does the validation on line 12.
Parameters
Parameters
Response Body
Response Body
Case 3
The case 3, it presents a success scenario.
Parameters
Parameters
Response Body
Response Body
Case 1
The case 1, it returns NoData, it does validation on line 31.
Case 2
The case 2, it presents a success scenario.
The project is available on github for contributions and improvements. | https://medium.com/nerd-for-tech/treatment-of-generic-responses-in-the-web-api-using-net-9436481c82a2 | ['Alegria Kilanda'] | 2020-11-17 03:13:17.234000+00:00 | ['Responses', 'Generics', 'Web Api Development', 'C Sharp Programming'] |
‘Untamed’ Made Me Cry and Cringe | I had never heard of Glennon Doyle or Abby Wambach until one day my ex-girlfriend told me a gay soccer player (Wambach) announced she was dating a Christian mom blogger (Doyle) who’d left her husband. Suddenly I cared very much who these people were. I might not have been Doyle’s demo before, but now that she was eating pussy and marrying butch soccer players, that all changed. I read every interview with them I could get my hands on. In one of those interviews, Doyle recounted how she met and locked eyes with Wambach, and how they both knew, in that moment, that they’d found their soulmate. It was all so fucking romantic!
So when I found out she’d written an entire book about their love story, Untamed, I was very excited to read it. At first, I loved the book. I thought Doyle was insightful and wise. I was l i v i n g for the love story element — although there could’ve been much more of it imo. But then I read a section of the book out loud to my girlfriend, it was about the moment Doyle knew she wanted to leave her husband for Abby. When I got done reading, my girlfriend shrugged.
“Sounds like a narcissist,” she said, and walked out of the room. Suddenly, I saw the book in a whole new light.
While I was initially hypnotized by Doyle’s charms, the rose colored glasses had been ripped from my face and I recognized Untamed for what it was, a series of inspirational wall hangings from HomeGoods (Live, Laugh, Love) sewn together into a memoir. It was more of a disjointed guide to How to Be Woke Over 40 than it was an emotional memoir or love story.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly inspirational and tear-jerking moments in the book, like when she talks about coming out to her family and setting emotional boundaries with her parents (something I know a lot of queer women suck at). She offers advice on burning your life to the ground simply because you know, deep down, you want something more.
Doyle also has some valuable information for white women who need to better understand things like unconscious bias and internalized racism. And she lays out sexuality and gender in a way that even your most bigoted aunt could wrap her head around. (Although there was a part where she writes “maybe I DID choose my sexuality,” and I think she’s trying to make a point, but I don’t think she should be muddying the waters on the whole nature vs. nurture thing — it’s nature! I promise.)
Then there were parts that were so rife with metaphors — about buckets and sea water and cheetahs — it was difficult to understand what was actually happening in the story. These were the chapters where Doyle got a little carried away with her preachiness, glossing over the most fleshy, and imo, interesting parts of her personal story. And while there were some great nuggets of wisdom in the book for young people, that didn’t appear to be Doyle’s demo.
Her views on millennials and Gen Z (who she says “suck”) are offensive and coming from a place of privilege that she never acknowledges. She complains about “college prep and PTA meetings” and “agonizing” over snacks, and it’s like stfu lady most of our parents didn’t do any of that. She paints young people like coddled, lazy idiots doing the bare minimum for participation trophies, vs. what we actually are, literally the hardest working generation yet (not to mention living in the shittiest economy of all time).
A lot of her book is very “ok, boomer.” Like when she talks about how her son “lost the light from his eyes” when he got a cell phone. She goes on and on about how phones keep us from “itchy boredom” that often leads to inspiration and self discovery. Yes, because nobody has ever found inspiration or discovered themselves on the internet. She wonders whether we’re raising a generation of “writers who won’t write,” “painters who won’t paint” blah blah blah. It’s a real 2007 hot take.
It’s also wild to me because, what world does she live in?? Millennials and Gen Z are not only the most ambitious and driven generation, but we’re constantly using the internet and social media and the communities we create through them to help push ourselves and exercise our creativity. Being on our phones actually helps us connect and discover and reinvent ourselves. This is especially true for people who might be limited in how much they can explore themselves in their local community — i.e. queer people, people of color, disabled people, etc.
A huge theme of Untamed is the importance of blazing your own path and being your own person, and the internet has afforded so many people the ability to do that. Doyle claims phones prevent us from becoming who we’re meant to be, but I know so many people who are living examples of the exact opposite. It was odd to see Doyle paint such a one-dimensional view of phones and social media. It seemed extremely “get off my porch you heathens” in a book that is trying to promote self acceptance and exploration and going against the grain. (IMO, the grain is people over 40 constantly telling me my phone is “stealing the light from my eyes.”)
There are other cringey moments, like when she talks about bragging to people about being homecoming queen in high school. As a grown woman, she finds this impressive and makes her “golden,” and she believes other grown people are genuinely impressed by this fact, too. (Who?!) She can also, as my girlfriend pointed out, come across as out-of-touch and narcissistic. She believes in the “men behave this obnoxiously so women deserve to be obnoxious too” brand of feminism. The same group of people who if ever critiqued will say “would you say this to me if I were a man?” and the answer is almost always a confident “yes.”
There are definitely some genuine moments in Untamed, but instead of fleshed out stories that feel real, we get a lot of quick vignettes that all seem tied a little too neatly in a bow — each one ending with a perfect metaphor to demonstrate what Doyle’s going through, one that she’s determined to ring every last drop out of. Too often she seems like she’s trying to give you advice on how to Solve Life, while at the same time telling you it’s this unsolvable mystery that has no blueprint so make your own blah blah blah. But just make sure your blueprint doesn’t involve being on your phone too much or out of shape!
This is something Doyle addresses in a particularly uncomfortable moment of the book. She observes that her ten year old daughter — ten — is “turning to food for comfort” after her parents, Doyle and her ex-husband, get divorced. She wants to encourage her to “move more.” Like, fuck off I’m ten and my parents just got divorced! Then she talks about her daughter joining a traveling soccer team and how she’s “strong and solid now” — mentioning her “chiseled” legs and face — as opposed to the squishy slob she was before??? She was ten!! Doyle adds her daughter is fit now “not because she wants to be a model but she wants to be the best athlete and teammate.” Like, okay. So, strong and solid is what’s attractive, even in this “untamed” world of Doyle’s imagination.
While Doyle writes about being bulimic and how important it is for people to recognize their role in contributing to eating disorder culture, she doesn’t acknowledge she might have some influence on her daughter’s self image, and she comes across slightly fat-phobic. It’s this uneasy juxtaposition that carries through the entire memoir. Doyle claims to be comfortable being imperfect, or rather argues there’s no such thing as perfect to begin with, but it sure seems like she wants to be perfect, and wants her children to be as close to perfect as possible, too. She’s like the attractive, successful career woman in a rom com who thinks occasionally tripping over her Jimmy Choos makes her relatable.
Anyway, I basically oscillated between crying and cringing the entire time I was reading. Doyle would distill a life experience into words so succinctly, beautifully, and effectively sometimes I’d find myself speechless. And then a few paragraphs later, she’d use a made-up word like “brutiful” (brutal and beautiful combined) and I’d remember that maybe I really am not her demo — no matter how many butches she marries. | https://medium.com/mad-dyke/untamed-made-me-cry-and-cringe-848f40c98d43 | ['Mad Dyke'] | 2020-04-01 16:46:26.296000+00:00 | ['Comedy', 'Pop Culture', 'Books', 'Entertainment', 'LGBTQ'] |
Love | I tried to sing about your love forever
It sounded good at the time
When things were good
Humming, growing, flourishing
But now it’s all on pause
There’s a limit to love
It doesn’t last forever
It begins bright before fading out
Replaced by nothing
But longstanding indifference
There is a promise
That love would last
Its brilliance held up
For all the world to see
Through God’s chosen
A walking, living, breathing
Heart beating full of love
With no limit
I find the promise hard to believe
Because this apathy is my own
Ignite this indifferent heart,
O God who is Love | https://medium.com/koinonia/love-da749d914521 | ['Riley Taylor'] | 2020-12-23 23:47:55.266000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Christmas', 'Advent', 'Christianity', 'Creativity'] |
Boston Major Visa Issues | Boston Major Visa Issues
The Boston Major 2016 is only a few days away but Visa issues are requiring last minute changes for some teams. Anthony Follow Nov 29, 2016 · 2 min read
Courtesy of Valve Corporation
LGD.Forever Young and iG Vitality unfortunately had issues securing Visas for a couple of their players. For LGD.FY, Du ‘Monet’ Peng and Luo ‘lpc’ Puchao failed to get a Visa in time. As a result, LGD.FY will have Yang ‘END’ Pu and Leong ‘DDC’ Fat-meng playing as stand-ins. DDC and END are normally officially on the Vici Gaming roster.
iG Vitality had similar issues, with Su ‘super’ Peng and Gao ‘dogf1ghts’ Tianpeng not getting their Visa’s on time as well. For iG.V, they will end up having Xu ‘BurNIng’ Zhilei and Fu ‘Q’ Bin as substitutes from the main Invictus Gaming team.
Since Vici Gaming and Invictus Gaming are not competing in The Boston Major 2016, Valve has granted permission for these players to compete in the tournament.
LGD.Forever Young’s roster for The Boston Major is as follows:
Yang ‘END’ Pu 🇨🇳 Xie ‘Super’ Junhao 🇨🇳 Yao ‘Yao’ Zhengzheng 🇨🇳 Zhang ‘xiao8’ Ning 🇨🇳 Leong ‘DDC’ Fat-meng 🇲🇴
iG Vitality’s roster for the major is: | https://esports.hollywood.com/boston-major-visa-issues-7a0bdb8d697a | [] | 2018-01-05 22:41:40.143000+00:00 | ['Esports', 'Gaming', 'Dota 2'] |
My personal problem with anti-vaxxers | As an autistic woman, I absolutely and utterly despise anti-vaxxers with a burning passion. Aside from their excuses of the whole “vaccines cause autism", I am also going to vent about two other excuses anti-vaxxers use (or at least that I’m aware of) such as “only natural and holistic medicine will prevent my child from being sick" and “vaccines are sinful". Without further adieu, I am going to do my absolute damndest to use very *little* swearing while I rant on here about why I hate anti-vaxxers and their baloney excuses.
The first and most important but absolutely worst excuse that I am going to address is “vaccines cause autism". Although speaking from personal experiences, this actually may be true or so I’m told. At 18 months old, I did get the vaccine that in fact DID cause me to have autism. However, the reason I am calling bullcrap on “vaccines cause autism" is because which is worse? Autism? Polio? Typhoid? Diptheria? Balto did not almost risk his life going to Alaska to retrieve medicines in order to cure diphtheria only to hear this bullcrap. Autism is no excuse to refuse to vaccinate your kids and the fact that anti-vaxxers USE AUTISM as an excuse is absolutely insulting to me and I’m sure I’m not the only autistic individual who is insulted by this excuse. With that, I would like to move on to the second excuse that I find absolute garbage.
Secondly, I also want to talk about the whole “only natural and holistic medicine will keep my kid from.being sick". Now, I am not saying that you can’t use honey lemon tea to soothe your sore throat or aloe to heal those burns. While natural and holistic ingredients can be very beneficial to our health such as ginger which can help nausea and tumeric which can help heartburn as long as you don’t overdo it. However none of those things can cure measles, whooping cough or infections, vaccines and antibiotics are pretty much the only things that can. Moving on, there is another common excuse that I honestly lose brain cells over.
Third and finally the most laughable excuse is “vaccines are sinful". I honestly don’t even know how the fuck I can elaborate on this one (yes readers, I swore even though I mentioned that I was going to try to avoid swearing). I am a complete atheist but I am sure that if God didn’t want vaccines, they wouldn’t exist. You can’t fucking pray away the flu, typhoid, rubella, measles or whooping cough…prayer can help but it doesn’t work without the vaccine that works to cure those diseases. God wants you to vaccinate your kids, by refusing to vaccinate them, you are defying his will. I apologize for leaving out other religions but I am trying to stay focused on my topic and just want to get to the goddamn conclusion if that’s alright with you.
Now, we get to the part where I wrap up my rant about anti-vaxxers and where I can hope that I don’t get death threats over it. After all this coronavirus craziness is over, I seriously hope that anti-vaxxers give their goddamn heads a shake. I am sick to death of hearing all these laughable excuses of “vaccines are sinful", “only natural and holistic medicine will keep my kid from being sick” and especially the biggest and most certainly unjustifiable excuse of “vaccines cause autism”. On that note, I am not a certified medical professional nor do I claim to even have gone to medical school. If your kid happens to be allergic to vaccines, then I understand and you can then work it out with your doctor or other medical professionals. I am just your average, run of the mill, autistic Canadian aspiring blogger who happens to be a Sagittarius and wants to share her thoughts on things that are on her mind. Today, I decided to talk about how
In case you were wondering, the image you see on my article, I made it myself on my phone using Ibis Paint. I hope you enjoyed reading and I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Sip that coffee and stay fabulous, this is your average run of the mill, fabulous autistic Sagittarius Canadian signing off. | https://medium.com/@taziafornaxradford/my-personal-problem-with-anti-vaxxers-8fcb7bbc7ac9 | ['Tazia Radford'] | 2020-12-11 07:50:18.082000+00:00 | ['Antivaxx', 'Rant', 'Autism'] |
29 of My Favorite Design Tools & Websites You’ve Never Heard of | The design space is awash with countless design tools, plugins, websites, resources, and more promising to improve your workflow and make you a savvier designer. I’ve tried my hand at a lot of them over the years, but there are only a few that really stand out.
This list is the cream of the crop — the most obscure, creative, unique, helpful or exceptional. Some are fun sites to be inspired from; others are tools and resources that will absolutely make you a better designer.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what your favorite tools are on Twitter.
1. The preposterous web portal of Erik Bernacchi
eeerik.com | https://uxdesign.cc/29-of-my-favorite-websites-most-designers-have-never-heard-of-d7d99179cda7 | ['Danny Sapio'] | 2020-12-22 16:30:54.806000+00:00 | ['User Experience', 'Design', 'Graphic Design', 'UX', 'Product Design'] |
Pipelines & Custom Transformers in Scikit-learn | Pipelines & Custom Transformers in Scikit-learn
Machine Learning academic curriculums tend to focus almost exclusively on the models. One may argue that the model is what performs the magic. The statement may hold some truth, but this magic only works if the data is in the right form. Besides, to make things more complicated, the ‘right form’ depends on the type of model.
Credits: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/pipeline-brick-wall-background_3834959.htm (*I liked better the MarioBros. image…but you know: copy rights)
Getting the data in the right form is what the industry calls preprocessing. It takes a large chunk of the machine learning practitioner time. For the engineer, preprocessing and fitting or preprocessing and predicting are two distinct processes, but in a production environment, when we serve the model, no distinction is made. It is only data in, prediction out. Pipelines are here to do that. They integrate the preprocessing steps and the fitting or predicting into a single operation. Apartfrom helping to make the model production-ready, they add a great deal of reproducibility to the experimental phase.
Lerning Objectives
What is a pipeline
What is a transformer
What is a custom transformer
Resources
References
Scikit Learn. Dataset transformations
From the Scikit Learn documentation we have:
Dataset transformation …Like other estimators, these are represented by classes with a fit method, which learns model parameters (e.g. mean and standard deviation for normalization) from a training set, and a transform method which applies this transformation model to unseen data. fit_transform may be more convenient and efficient for modeling and transforming the training data simultaneously.
We will focus on two of the transformer types, namely:
Custom transformer
Although Scikit learn comes loaded with a set of standard transformers, we will begin with a custom one to understand what they do and how they work. The first thing to remember is that a custom transformer is an estimator and a transformer, so we will create a class that inherits from both BaseEstimator and TransformerMixin. It is a good practice to initialize it with super().__init__(). By inheriting, we get a standard method such as get_params and set_params for free. In the init, we also want to create the model parameter or parameters we want to learn.
class CustomScaler(BaseEstimator, TransformerMixin):
def __init__(self):
super().__init__()
self.means_ = None
self.std_ = None
def fit(self, X, y=None):
X = X.to_numpy()
self.means_ = X.mean(axis=0, keepdims=True)
self.std_ = X.std(axis=0, keepdims=True)
return self
def transform(self, X, y=None):
X[:] = (X.to_numpy() - self.means_) / self.std_
return X
The fit method is where “learning” takes place. Here we perform the operation based upon the training data that yields the model parameters.
In the transform method, we apply the parameters learned in fit to unseen data. Bear in mind that the preprocessing is going to make part of the whole model, so during training, fit, and transform are apply to the same dataset. But later, when you use the trained model, you only apply the transform method with the parameter learned with fit based on the training dataset but on unseen data.
It is key that the learned parameters, and hence the transformer operation, are the same regardless of the data to be applied to.
Standard Transformers
Scikit learn comes with a variety of standard transformers out of the box. Given they almost unavoidable use, you should be familiar with Standardization, or mean removal and variance scaling and SimpleImputer for numerical data and with Encoding categorical features for categorical, specially one-of-K, also known as one-hot encoding.
The pipeline
Chaining estimators
Remember that the transformers are an estimator but so is your model (logistic regression, random forest, etc.). Think of it as steps vertical stacking. Here order matters. So you want to put the preprocessing before the model. The key is that a step output is the next step input.
FeatureUnion: composite feature spaces
Often you want to apply a different transformation to some of your features. The required transformations for numerical and categorical data are different. It is as if you have two parallel ways, or as if they were horizontally stacked.
The input to the parallel ways is the same. So the transform method has to begin by choosing the features relevant to the transformation (for example, numerical features or categorical features). | https://towardsdatascience.com/pipelines-custom-transformers-in-scikit-learn-ef792bbb3260 | ['Santiago Velez Garcia'] | 2020-11-12 20:32:17.060000+00:00 | ['Transformers', 'Machine Learning', 'Pipeline', 'Scikit Learn', 'Data Preprocessing'] |
Celebrating Valentine’s Day: Romantic Dates with Colombian Women | Valentine’s Day is one of the best times to express your heartfelt love to someone you love the most — whether it’s your wife, girlfriend, or that special lady friend.
It’s the worldwide holiday solely dedicated to love.
For Colombian women, it’s a significant day meant to be spent with their loved ones. If you’re currently married, in a relationship, or dating a Colombian woman, she’ll be expecting you to surprise her with something romantic on this festive day.
Valentine’s day dates can be difficult to plan. That’s why we’ve written this article to give you a few ideas on how to spend this exciting day with your lovely lady. Learn about what Colombian ladies love to do during the “day of love.”
Día de Amor y Amistad: Colombia’s Valentine’s Day
Before we dive into romantic date ideas for Valentine’s Day, it’s best to know this little fact about the holiday in Colombia.
In most countries, the day of love is commonly celebrated on the 14th of February each year. However, in Colombia, they celebrate this special day on a different date, which is usually on the 3rd Saturday of September each year — officially called Día de Amor y Amistad or the day of love and friendship.
Originally, Colombian Valentine’s day was celebrated in February, but around 1969 it was moved to September for two reasons: to help boost the economy by increasing sales of flowers and chocolates for this month, and because Colombia had no holidays in September during this time.
Though differing in dates, Valentine’s Day and Día de Amor y Amistad are basically the same. It’s a day where you get to show your love and appreciation to the special people in your life: your family, friends, and most especially, your significant other.
There are tons of activities you can do on this magical day. If you want to know how to make a Colombian woman fall in love with you, take her out on the following date activities on Valentine’s.
Romantic Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day
There’s more to this day than gift-giving and public declarations of feelings. It’s the perfect opportunity to spend an intimate day with your Colombian girl — to be lovey-dovey and not have a care in the world. Make her fall in love with you (all over again) by taking her on these romantic dates:
Dine al fresco
Most women love a classic dinner date. But if you want to change things up, you can opt for al fresco dining. It will feel like a scene straight from a romantic film.
Imagine witnessing the sun setting down, the stars twinkling above, lit candles on the table, amazing food, a fine bottle of wine, and your beautiful Colombian lady sitting in front of you. Truly romantic. Next thing you’ll know you’ll be swooning over each other.
Go dancing
Not to stereotype, but most women in Colombia do love to dance. It’s logical to take them dancing on Valentine’s. Go get her heart pumping and hips swaying on the dance floor. It would be perfect if you could join her.
Since this date night is special, you need to come prepared. It’s advisable to take Latin dance lessons beforehand so you can surprise her on this day with your newly acquired moves.
Book a romantic getaway
Plan a trip to the beach, staycation in a local hotel, or even go on an international trip. It’s a chance for you and her to unwind, let loose, and take time off from your normal day-to-day lives.
Did you know traveling together with someone makes you closer? Couples who make travel plans together have reported that the experience made them satisfied with their relationship: they communicate better, they discover details about each other, and it helps them spend more quality time with each other.
Not only will you get to have fun, but you’re also making your relationship better and stronger.
Take a glamping trip
Add glamour to camping and you have “glamping” — an elevated camping experience. It’s like booking a hotel room, but the room itself is located on a camping site. Your girl will love this. It’s peaceful, serene, calm, and intimate.
Fly in a hot air balloon
If you like being extra, you can surprise her with a scenic hot air balloon ride for two. It will be a unique experience she’ll never forget.
You get to see breath-taking panoramic views of the world below; it’s definitely a sight worth seeing at least once in your life.
Go ice-skating
She’s probably never gone ice skating before since Colombia is a tropical country. There might be skating rinks in some malls in Medellin and Cali Colombia worth checking out. Maybe it’s time she gets to experience it for the first time. It’s a fun activity to do together.
Day date in a carnival
Drive to the nearest fair in town, play booth games, ride the roller coaster or Ferris wheel, and eat street food! Make your sweetheart feel young again in this enchanted place.
Visit Colombia
Lastly, one of the best gifts for a Colombian woman is surprising her with a trip to Colombia. She probably misses home and will be elated if she goes back for a vacation there. You could arrange a day with her family and friends; or, you could tour around the country. Either way, she’ll surely love it.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to plan a Valentine’s Day she’ll love! Preparation helps to make a date successful. So as early as now, think about what you’ll both do on the day of hearts.
A Special Day, For a Special Girl
Valentine’s Day or Día de Amor y Amistad, as they call it in Colombia, is a day to celebrate relationships. You don’t have to break the bank by spending an ungodly amount of money for it to be special.
Colombian women don’t mind as long as the thought and effort are there when spending this special holiday with them. No matter how small the gesture maybe, she’ll surely appreciate it. | https://medium.com/@elianaaguilar/celebrating-valentines-day-romantic-dates-with-colombian-women-cb296e51d596 | ['Eliana Aguilar'] | 2021-04-25 23:59:59.700000+00:00 | ['Romance', 'Valentines Day', 'Dating Advice', 'Colombia', 'Dating'] |
Adobe and Station10: Your data questions, answered | Station10 recently held a joint webinar with our partner, Adobe. The session — ‘Do more with your data’ — aimed to help our listeners understand how to better use data to drive their marketing campaigns and influence business decisions.
It was a great session with over 100 attendees, many of whom asked some interesting questions. We’ve heard a number of these before, so we thought we’d write up our answers so we can all learn how to do more with data:
What is the difference between a Data Scientist and an Analyst? What is NPS and how is it used? How do organisations collect cross-device and multiple device-user data? How easy is it to implement data-driven changes within an organisation? Are there any pitfalls to avoid on the journey to becoming a data-driven organisation?
The term “Data Scientist” is one that we are always wary of using at Station10. It’s a term that can be easily misconstrued as it sounds expensive, and even slightly pretentious.
We like to think of the data scientist and the analyst as being a part of a continuum.
Data scientists and analysts both work with, and interpret data. One is not better or smarter than the other — they just have a slightly different focus within an organisation.
The analyst can be seen as the “everyday” data interpreter, focused on reporting on business as usual activities. The data scientist, in contrast, plays more of a “big-picture” role. These guys are usually tasked with completing project-based analyses through the building of statistical models.
Which is more important?
It is important to have a balance of analysts and scientists within any organisation. You need both to get the best results from your data. A number of organisations may find that the data scientist fits less easily within their business model. In this situation, data consultancies like Station10 are bought in to provide data scientist expertise.
NPS stands for “Net Promoter Score”. It is a score used to measure customer satisfaction.
When an organisation works out the NPS of their product or service, the following questions are usually asked:
Would you recommend this product/service to a friend or colleague?
How would you rate this product/service from 0–10?
Customers that rank a product or service from 9–10 are called “Promoters”.
Customers that rank a product or service from 7–8 are “Neutral”
Customers that rank a product or service from 0–6 are “Detractors”.
NPS = % Promoters — % Detractors
The result is an arbitrary score of customer satisfaction, that can be used to uncover the value of allocating budgets for improving relationships with customers.
By comparing the NPS before and after budget spend, marketing teams are able to uncover whether further investment is worthwhile.
One question we’re often asked is how can organisations collect data on a single customer that logs in across multiple devices — their phone, their iPad, their laptop (for example)? Equally, how can we know which user to track when customers log-in to a shared device?
Multiple devices …
Many organisations address this issue by using a “single sign on”. You’ll all have used this before — when you visit a web page such as Facebook and have been asked to sign up or log in. A single sign on joins up all visitor data, so that if a customer logs into another device, that information is captured and stitched up to create an individual or “Single Customer view”.
Whilst the “single sign on” helps to join together customer data — it is not failsafe. It cannot pick up data when customers visit a web page anonymously. That’s why many websites will remember your log in information and automatically keep you logged in for a repeat visit.
The Adobe Premium Data Workbench can be used to aggregate customer data across devices. It is a powerful tool, used to understand exactly which customers are visiting a website, how, and when.
Multiple users…
Tracking one particular user when there is more than one using a device, is more difficult.
This is common in a family or an office situation, when multiple users regularly use the same computer. The single sign on is only useful in this situation when users log in/out of each other’s accounts.
Customer research is often the most effective way to predict who is visiting a page.
For example, if a hire car company knows that its vehicles can only be rented by those with a driving license, this eliminates young children from the family mix. If they also know that in 80% of family situations it is the man of the house that will rent a vehicle; they can narrow down further. From this kind of customer insight, it is easier to make a judgement as to who the visitor might have been.
When data projects are completed, and insight is gained, it is not unusual for data to suggest changes to strategy.
At Station10, we believe that if data is being used purely to back up gut instincts and current processes, it is not being used to its full advantage. In fact, it is being undermined.
Data insights need to be repeatedly applied to current practices and allowed to influence decisions as to how to improve.
These insights can, however, be difficult to apply to an organisation that is used to working in a particular way. In order to implement a new way of working, behaviours need to be changed.
A sudden enforcement of change to the way that business is used to working — like changes to the way that marketing budget has always been allocated — may be detrimental to overall activity. Teams running at highest capability, based on an older model, may initially be more effective than teams facing sudden upheaval to the way they work.
Implementing new models can therefore be a slow process. But it is completely worthwhile.
New models based upon data insights should be applied gradually, for initial benefits. These benefits need to then be communicated, understood and shared clearly across the entire organisation to ensure that internal teams are on board with this data-driven change.
To succeed as a data-driven organisation, data needs to be used to inform future decisions, rather than support current ones.
However, it can be difficult to encourage individuals within an organisation to listen to the data.
Therefore, one of the biggest challenges that we see on the journey towards data-driven optimisation is the changing of culture and individual mind-sets within an organisation.
To succeed, it is no longer enough to have the correct people, processes and technology in place — organisations need to shake up their internal culture to become data-driven.
More often than not, this responsibility lies with senior leadership, because without high-level buy-in from the guys at that top it can become very difficult to drive data-driven change.
It is also important to note that communication is key and that culture must be passed down through all organisational teams, to ensure successful implementation of data-driven changes in the future.
You can read more about how to implement cultural changes to become a data-driven organisation in Station10’s blog “Manage instinctive reactions to change to embrace data-driven innovation”.
If you’re interested in listening to our Webinar with Adobe, you can do so at the following link.
If you have any more questions that you would like us to answer, please do get in touch! | https://medium.com/station10-stories/adobe-and-station10-your-data-questions-answered-c9b43ef90ae5 | [] | 2016-07-27 09:49:58.685000+00:00 | ['Analytics', 'Data', 'Data Science', 'Big Data', 'Omnichannel'] |
20 Days to Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer Exam (BETA) | 20 Days to Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer Exam (BETA)
A journey of throwing oneself in the deep end
Photo by William Ferguson on Unsplash
— — — — — — — — Update on 15 Oct 2020 — — — — — — — — Congratulations! You are officially a Google Cloud Certified — Professional Machine Learning Engineer.
I tried a new set of 10 sample questions at https://cloud.google.com/certification/sample-questions/machine-learning-engineer
I’d say they are more difficult than 70% of the exam questions.
— — — — — ——— — — End of update — — — — —— — — — —
1 Aug 2020, I checked to see that the registration page which a week ago showed “we have sufficient beta test takers and registration is closed” is surprisingly active again. I looked through the exam booking calendar to see the latest date on 21 Aug 2020, after which even scrolling till Aug 2021 presented no available slots.
GCP exams usually recommend 3+ years of industry experience, including 1+ years of designing and managing solutions using GCP, none of which I had, but you only get to try Beta once, so challenge accepted, and a plan transpired: https://www.meistertask.com/projects/lgkxmr98po/join/
If you want to make edits, please duplicate the project and then remove yourself as a member from the original project, don’t archive or edit the original because it affects my copy.
I knew there was time to go through any material for only one pass, so focus and efficiency is crucial, then I discovered creating flashcards using PowerPoint filled with screenshots (~120) of material I have gone through is really helpful to jogging memory. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fLGQfco8DcTx-g4djL7KQYc2SY1MbT6w/view?usp=sharing
Unfortunately, I did not complete the recommended Machine Learning with TensorFlow on Google Cloud on Coursera and only went through Big Data and Machine Learning Fundamentals, and the first 2 courses (they covered a majority of what’s necessary) of Advanced Machine Learning with TensorFlow on Google Cloud Platform Specialization. However, going through the slides of all the other recommended courses was significantly helpful to the exam (especially the 5th course in the advanced specialization). A significant amount of knowledge covered in the exam also came from Google’s machine learning crash course.
Most of the preparation tips I have are collected in the MeisterTask planner above already, so I will share my thoughts after taking the exam.
Section 1: ML Problem Framing
Be able to translate the layman language in the question to machine learning terminology, such as what kind of algorithm to use to solve what real-life problems. Read the question carefully, it is not as straightforward as just looking at the label type. Some questions seemed completely business-oriented and required an understanding of business metrics and what is good for the customer.
Section 2: ML Solution Architecture
IAM and permissions may have been implicitly tested through the MCQ options provided, so know what GCP products have additional security features beyond the general IAM. Know what products can be used at each stage (ingest, transform, store, analyze) of a data pipeline. Read very carefully the current state of the company in question and do not choose options that repeat what has already been done by the company or what is too far ahead.
Know the differences between GPU and TPU acceleration and what makes either option impossible or undesirable so the choice is immediately clear once you see the key points in the question. Learn generally about what KMS, CMEK, CSEK do, and how they are used to deal with privacy requirements.
Section 3: Data Preparation and Processing
Be familiar with translating modelling requirements into the right feature engineering steps (hashes, bins, crosses), and hashing for repeatable train-test-split. MLCC (https://developers.google.com/machine-learning/crash-course) is thorough on this. Statistical methods of feature selection should be compared and understood. Quotas and limits are implicitly tested through the options showing substitute products at a particular stage in a pipeline. Knowing common uses of DataFlow vs Cloud Functions would help.
Learn how TFrecords feature in data pipelines and the general ML flow involving them, such as when to convert to them, how to train-test-split with them. Be able to identify data leakage and handle class imbalance (MLCC covers this)
Section 4: ML Model Development
Know the spectrum of the modelling tools on GCP(BQML, SparkMLlib, AutoML, ML API, AI Platform) and their degree of no-code to transfer learning to full custom code. Modelling speed and accuracy are competing requirements. Learn how data/code moves in between GCP ML components and look out for import/export shortcuts and their formats.
Know what kinds of explanations are available in AI Explanations for what types of data.
Section 5: ML Pipeline Automation & Orchestration
Most of the questions were asked at a higher level than I expected, so running through Kubeflow pipelines UI with Qwiklabs, looking at the sample code to see how components connect and understanding how TFX vs Kubeflow differ is sufficient. Note how some things can be done on-prem vs GCP. Learn how to build Kubeflow pipelines fast. There is always a competing concern between no flexibility but fast copy-paste development vs full flexibility but time-consuming development from scratch. Neither is always better, depends on where the company is at in terms of skills and product, and what infrastructure, libraries they currently use or are planning to go towards, so read the question.
Section 6: ML Solution Monitoring, Optimization, and Maintenance
Know the tools to analyze model performance during development. and continuously evaluate model performance in production. Pipeline simplification techniques are introduced in the 2nd course in the Advanced Machine Learning with TensorFlow on Google Cloud Platform Specialization.
General Exam Tips
Some questions are really short that you can answer within 5 seconds. Some time burners exist where the options are longer than the question. Some options can be guessed correctly through careful reading of requirements and common sense. Understand what the question wants and go for the option that does things just right, not more, not less. Some options are a subset of other options. Sometimes the best answer does not fulfil 100% of the question’s requirements, but the other options are even more wrong. Sometimes the closest answer suggests you do something undesirable to solve a higher priority problem, so there are elements of sacrifice. There were not many “tick all that is correct” questions. There are general python questions and Tensorflow debugging questions that require real hands-on experience which Qwiklabs will not offer because they can only teach how to succeed, not how to fail.
Read the options first and form a mental decision tree of what are the decision variables to seek from the question. There seems to be very little of the “permute 2 options on 2 decision variables to make up 4 MCQ options”, but mainly slightly different options, with up to 4 all correct, but just meeting the requirements at 0–20%, 50%, 70%, 90–100% effectiveness. Some parts of the multi-part options are repeated so there is no need to choose there. Much of the question could be irrelevant once you parse the options so reading the question anymore is wasting time. Filtering out irrelevant options is an effective speed booster. If it’s not obvious where the variances in the options are and you have to read the whole question, always start from the big picture of the current state of the company, what stage of the SDLC are they in. If you know the question is talking about deployment, all options regarding development can be eliminated. The options being multi-part could confuse people and make it harder, but it also means there are more opportunities for elimination, so even if you don’t understand all the parts of the option, you just need to find one part that makes the whole option wrong.
If time permits, prove not only why your selection is correct, but also why all other options are not on your first pass. If short on time, it is easier to prove options wrong than how the possibly correct one matches all requirements. I had only 24 minutes left to review 58/120 and only managed to review 20.
Handling the Exam UI
Questions load page by page and there are 4 buttons on every page (back, forward, review all, submit). Do not submit until all questions are done and reviewed. The review page will show how many were answered and put an asterisk beside those you marked for review. Have a low threshold for marking review (i had 58/120), because it costs a lot of time to click the back button repeatedly and look for something you did not mark for review but later wanted to. However, if you realize in the middle you don’t have 1 min to spare per review, start having a higher threshold for review because having too many asterisks at the end means you could spend time reviewing things you are pretty sure of already rather than on the ones that really need review. The “review all” page only shows you question numbers (with an optional asterisk) and your selection, with no question preview text at all, so unless you have great memory it’s hard to know which number corresponds to which question, so you may have to go through all the asterisks.
Jot down on first pass in the comments box below every question(not sure if this box is only a beta feature) why certain options are wrong so when coming back to review, you don’t restart the question from nothing and can immediately think through only the possibly correct competing options. Another use for the comment box is to record concepts you are unsure of. There could be future questions you come across that resolve such uncertainty by providing the answer as a given in the question, such as what tools are used together, which tools call which tools. Google has a history of offering non-existent options, but if you see the same option/concept appearing in more than 1 question, it is likely possible.
Don’t click the Back button 2x in succession to prevent accidental submission, because the submit button will be loaded right under your cursor after the 1st click. The back and forward take about 3–5 seconds to load, where the timer stops, so you can get some extra time to think while the page loads. Don’t type in CAPS using shift lest you do a Ctrl+C/X or some other combination that gets your exam locked (i got locked twice, luckily I did it onsite so a proctor was there to unlock, not sure how it works if done remotely).
Study Strategy
If you have time
Follow the recommended courses first before going to the tutorials (search ai platform on https://cloud.google.com/docs/tutorials and you cover 95%, the rest are GCS, PubSub, Cloud Functions, Bigquery). The courses cover a majority of what’s tested. Another benefit is when you know the concepts already, reading the tutorials will organize the individual tools and concepts into an entire architecture. You can then use the knowledge from tools to ask questions about how a tool performs against another in this architecture, how to stretch its limits, can it be connected to another source/sink, how does 1 tool’s quotas/limits affect another tool’s limits in the pipeline, where/which tools are the common bottlenecks, where is seldom a bottleneck, where are the serverless parts (2 types: can configure vs no need to configure) and which parts are not serverless.
Opening multiple tools when doing Qwiklabs is useful, such as always keeping the VM console page on, to learn that your 1-click GKE cluster deployment is actually provisioning 3 VMs by default under the hood with certain settings, or that your “Open JupyterLab” click in AI Platform notebooks has provisioned one VM of certain machine type behind the scenes, or that the startup script that was automatically run when you do some Qwiklabs has set up some git clone behind the scenes already. Keeping the GCS console open is important too since so much of GCP AI tools depend on buckets.
If you don’t have time
Read the tutorials and documentation (overview, best practice, faq) straightaway. This is the more difficult path because there will be many unknown concepts while going through the tutorials, and they may be too in-depth, that level of knowledge covering < 10% of what’s tested. However, they serve as the fastest starting point for the learner to know the unknowns.
Know the gcloud SDK
https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference
This is the fastest way to know what Google has and how it is named. Expand each section to see the method names and you will have an idea of what services are available without trawling through GCP console UI. This page also alerts you to doc pages you may have missed and helps solve questions that test the correct command to use.
“I’m afraid I’m too much of a newbie to go for it.”
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
On Day 1, I had totally no idea what 53/81 bullet points in the exam guide meant, or how to achieve those points. After studying https://developers.google.com/machine-learning/crash-course, I also realized some of the 28/81 which I thought I knew, was not what it’s supposed to be.
I don’t think having a ton of ML knowledge is necessary for these reasons.
The exam has very little implementation/ debugging questions, mostly focusing on GCP tool selection and solution architecting (sometimes open-source tools are given as options but usually GCP tool wins for serverless scalability). I would definitely have not attempted with 20 days of study if any implementation is required. Even if someone did something before (eg. handling imbalanced data), he may not have done it in the google suggested way. Yes, it’s not as objective and there are indeed google recommended practices to memorize. A good portion of the exam is on GCP specific tools, commands, workflows. If someone does not study GCP, he won’t know what’s possible, or how development, test, deploy, monitor workflows are done using GCP tools. Knowing how to do it outside GCP does not mean it’s the correct answer. Often on-prem tools or doing it locally is wrong in the exam context. It is not in Google’s favour to make exams incredibly hard. People who have enough experience would not need the certificate to prove anything. Making it too hard discourages people from studying for the exam, which means fewer GCP users, fewer exam fees earned, less open-source companies employing these test takers and switching to GCP on a company level.
Some arguments supporting the benefit of previous experience:
Dataflow is based on Apache Beam, Cloud Composer on Airflow, AI Platform pipelines on Kubeflow, so if you already used the open-source version, you can go through code in tutorials faster, and know why some tools are overkill and obviously the wrong choice compared to another tool in the multiple-choice. But remember again, implementation is rarely tested. What’s more important is knowing what GCP specific source and sinks are available for Dataflow, and how a GCP pipeline allows for certain workflows/shortcuts, which may not have been possible with open source tools. People who read/experience more can better distinguish which business metric to apply for what situation or what ML problem can be framed from given features and vague requirements. However, there is only very basic ML, technical jargon required before common sense can take over. People who read/experience more will know more ways to do something or more ways something can go wrong and its negative impact, and use that knowledge to be able to identify and infer what went wrong when presented a scenario and what steps to take to fix it. (eg. Data leakage, bad train-test-split, training-serving skew, underfitting). However, knowing solutions is not enough, because you must also know what to try first, and here comes again google recommended practices to study.
As a final disclaimer, it is unlikely that anyone can pass this in 20 days without previous experience which helps answer the debugging questions and to react faster to evaluation metrics like (precision, recall, F1, AUC), but this article hopefully motivates people who are considering that it can be done.
Feel free to connect with me on Linkedin if you have any more questions or like to share your experience: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanqi91/ | https://towardsdatascience.com/20-days-to-google-cloud-professional-machine-learning-engineer-exam-beta-b48909499942 | ['Han Qi'] | 2020-10-26 06:44:29.962000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Exam Preparation', 'Google Certification', 'Google Cloud Platform', 'Data Science'] |
Please don’t delete anything you wrote in the past. | Please don’t delete anything you wrote in the past. Even if you’ve evolved or things have changed it still has value.
You’ve published things that have helped me understand things in new ways. And, as you said, it’s an acute reminder that we are allowed to be imperfect. We are allowed to change and evolve.
Thank you for sharing your journey. | https://medium.com/@crsarmy7/please-dont-delete-anything-you-wrote-in-the-past-520d5db95a39 | ['Christopher Robin'] | 2020-12-23 12:57:57.437000+00:00 | ['Dating Advice', 'Dating', 'Relationships', 'Relationships Love Dating', 'Love'] |
Beginners Guide to earning Crypto | There are many different techniques to acquiring bitcoins, and in this guide, we will show you the most popular methods of getting yourself some units of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency.
How To Get Rich With Bitcoin Even If You Have No Clue About Technology — Click Here
Buy Some Bitcoins
Buying bitcoins is a very simple and straightforward process. You can simply go to a bitcoin exchange website such as Coinbase or Kraken, and exchange your US Dollars, British Pounds, Euros, Canadian Dollars, and other supported currencies (this will depend on the platform) into some bitcoins.
Of course, with the ever-increasing value of bitcoin, this is easier said than done.
Right now, you can expect to shell out more than $10,000 for a single bitcoin! The good news is that you don’t have to buy a whole bitcoin. Each bitcoin can be divided into 100 million units called Satoshis (named after Bitcoin founder, Satoshi Nakamoto).
This means you can buy a few thousand Satoshis for a few dollars. While this won’t make you rich, you can at least get a feel for how bitcoins and cryptocurrency works.
Here are some of the best places where you can buy bitcoins:
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
There are plenty of platforms where you can buy and sell cryptocurrency. The most popular ones that have been around a few years are Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Coinmama, and CEX.io. You’ll have to do some research, however, if your state or country is supported and what currencies and payment methods they accept as each platform would have their own rules and regulations. The transaction fees involved will also vary in each platform so you’ll definitely have to look around to find the best cryptocurrency exchange that would suit your bitcoin needs.
Cash Exchanges
If you want to avoid bitcoin exchange platforms and pay directly in cash (or another payment method that’s popular in your local area), use cash exchanges like LocalBitcoin or Paxful. These platforms allow you to trade directly with another person.
There are no expensive transaction fees involved. However, they may charge a fee for successful trades. We would suggest that you look for a platform that offers an escrow service to make sure the seller doesn’t run away with your hard-earned cash!
Trade Your Other Cryptocurrencies For Bitcoin
If you’ve got a digital wallet full of other cryptocurrencies, you can easily trade these for bitcoins. You can go to sites like ShapeShift.io which allows you to quickly trade your non-bitcoin cryptocurrency to bitcoins.
You don’t even need an account to make a trade. Simply enter the amount you wish to convert or trade, your bitcoin address, and your cryptocurrency refund address. That’s it! You’ll have your new bitcoins in a few minutes.
Get Paid With Bitcoins
Getting paid with bitcoins is not a complicated process at all. You simply need to have your own bitcoin wallet so you can start receiving payments. For starters, you can create a free online wallet on Blockchain.info or Coinbase.
All you need is a valid email address to sign up and begin receiving payments! Once your wallet is set up, you can either generate a QR code or use the long alphanumeric address and send it to the person you wish to receive bitcoins from.
Here are some ideas on how you can get paid with bitcoins:
Work For Bitcoins
There are many different types of work you can do to get paid in bitcoin. It doesn’t matter if you work online or offline as making and receiving bitcoin payments is so simple you don’t really need technical know-how to do it
Solopreneurs find this payment method so much more convenient as they don’t need to wait 24–48 hours (or more for international workers) to receive bank transfers from their clients. They can receive their payment, salary, or wages in just a few minutes.
It’s a big relief to workers knowing they don’t need to wait in limbo, unsure if they’re going to get paid for their hard work or not. Employers or clients also like the idea of not paying those exorbitant bank fees for doing transfers especially to workers or freelancers overseas.
With bitcoin payments, they get to save plenty of money just in bank fees alone!
Sell Products Or Services
Whether you are an online shop or a brick-and-mortar store, you can choose to receive payments in bitcoin. With a growing community of bitcoin users, you’re bound to get new and repeat customers who will do business with you simply because you’re forward-thinking enough to accept bitcoin payments.
The added benefit to customers is they can easily send you payments straight from their bitcoin wallets while you receive their payments almost instantly. It’s really a win-win situation for both you and your customers!
For online shops, you can use plugins or scripts to start accepting bitcoin payments on your site. If you’re unsure of how you can do this, it’s best to hire a developer to make sure it’s set up right (you don’t want those bitcoin payments going somewhere else!).
When your customers go to your checkout page, they’ll see the bitcoin option and select that if they want to pay using bitcoins.
For local shops like hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, flower shops, groceries, etc., if you want to receive bitcoin payments in person, all you have to do is just print your wallet’s QR code and pin it near your cash register.
When your customers are ready to pay, simply direct them to the QR code, have them scan it on their mobile phones, enter the amount they need to pay, hit Send, and wait for your bitcoins to arrive.
When your customers are ready to pay, simply direct them to the QR code, have them scan it on their mobile phones, enter the amount they need to pay, hit Send, and wait for your bitcoins to arrive.
Receive Tips From Customers
You don’t need to be in the service industry to receive tips. If you have a blog, you can set up a bitcoin payment gateway where your loyal fans and readers can tip you if they so desire.
Don’t underestimate the generosity of your audience especially if you produce content that provides a lot of value to them. Try it out — you just might be surprised to see some bitcoins on your wallet after a few days!
Complete Small Tasks On Websites
There are now plenty of sites on the Internet that offer free bitcoins (usually just a very, very small fraction of it) for every task you complete. Some websites require you to complete surveys, watch videos, click on ads, answer questions, sign up for trial offers, download mobile apps, play online games, refer friends, shop online, and more. Payment is usually quick and easy.
Some platforms just require your bitcoin wallet address while others require you to sign up and create an account. While it’s true these jobs are mostly small and can be done in a few minutes, earning only a few hundred or thousand Satoshis at a time may not be worth it especially if you value your time. But if you’ve got nothing better to do and you want to experience firsthand the joys of owning cryptocurrency, then you’ve got plenty of micro tasking sites to choose from.
Join Bitcoin Faucets
Bitcoin faucets are just websites that give away free Satoshis at set time intervals. These sites bring in a huge amount of traffic from people wanting to get free bitcoins so expect lots of competition and, depending on where the faucet is hosted, slow loading times.
Some faucets give away Satoshis with no work involved, that is, you just need to have the site up on your browser, while some require you to solve little tasks before you earn your Satoshis (much like the micro-tasking websites we’ve discussed in the previous section).
Sites like these are a major time drain as well so it’s really up to you if you can afford to exchange your precious time for a few Satoshis.
Mine Your Own Bitcoin
Bitcoin miners play an extremely important role in the Bitcoin network. Without miners, there would be no new bitcoins, and no transactions would be confirmed. Bitcoin miners are so important to the Bitcoin ecosystem that they are justly rewarded with bitcoins for their hard work. However, bitcoin mining is not as profitable as it seems.
When Bitcoin was still in its infancy, miners were getting paid 50 bitcoins for every block mined. But every 210,000 blocks (this is around 4 years), the reward is halved. So this means that the initial 50 bitcoins was halved into 25 bitcoins
And now, at this particular point in time, the block reward is down to 12.5 bitcoins. If you consider the price for one bitcoin right now (well over $10,000), this is still is a very attractive reward indeed. And experts predict the price will continue to go up as the number of bitcoins in existence slowly go up, too, and the demand for more bitcoins continue to increase.
Mining bitcoins is not an easy job, much like any other physical mining job in the real world. Bitcoin miners may not get dirty from soot and mud, but their powerful computers do.
The difficulty in mining new blocks has gone up so much that individual miners are finding it extremely difficult to solve complex cryptographic functions on their own. Many different miners or mining groups compete to discover a new block and the mining difficulty are at extremely high levels now.
How To Get Rich With Bitcoin Even If You Have No Clue About Technology — Click Here
Most, if not all, miners are forced to work in mining pools where several miners work together as a group to add new transactions to the blockchain. When a new block is mined, the reward is split according to the work each miner’s computer has done.
Mining bitcoins doesn’t come cheap. You can’t just use any computer as solving cryptographic functions will take so much of your computer’s processing power.
Not even a high-end laptop or desktop computer can do the job anymore — it’s really that difficult to mine new bitcoin blocks today!
Even if you join mining pools, you’ll need to invest a lot of money to buy the right hardware. In the beginning, a powerful CPU (Computer Processing Unit) and GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) were sufficient to mine new blocks. However, as the difficulty of mining bitcoins have gone up, more processing power was needed.
Today, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) chip is seen as the only way to succeed in mining. A bitcoin-mining ASIC chip is designed specifically to mine bitcoins. It can’t do any other task apart from mining bitcoins.
While this may be viewed as a downside for some, remember that mining is a hard job. You need all the resources you can use to find the next transaction block so you can add it to the blockchain and get rewarded bitcoins in the process. Professional miners find this hardware very powerful than other technologies used in the past.
Also, it’s not as power hungry as other hardware out there. It will still consume plenty of power, however, so consider that if you’re worried about your electricity bills.
If you are prepared to buy the technology to mine bitcoins as well as pay more costly power bills, then mining bitcoins will be a great way for you to acquire this particular cryptocurrency.
However, we’d like to say that this is not a job for the uninitiated. It’s best to leave this task to the experts or those with an in-depth knowledge of how bitcoin mining works. As we’ve shown you in this guide, there are many ways you can acquire bitcoins that don’t require a healthy investment of both time and money.
How To Get Rich With Bitcoin Even If You Have No Clue About Technology — Click Here
5K A Week | https://medium.com/@eleonorebronkhorst/different-techniques-to-acquire-bitcoin-61a20443241d | ['Celeste Bronkhorst'] | 2021-08-15 16:57:07.929000+00:00 | ['For Beginners', 'Forex', 'Beginners Guide', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
Use the Tube! | In the midst of last week’s heatwave I twice went into town to meet with friends — once with a change onto the Victoria line and the other keeping to my local Northern line only. My last foray had been March 18th (the day Boris pulled the plug on the educational system by cancelling the exams with no consultation or planning) when I already felt rather exposed and slightly nervous about my foolhardiness on the journey home especially when a woman sat down right next to me despite other available seats as already my sense of safe space was overriding my Londoner acceptance of zero personal space when commuting. Both journeys last week admittedly were not in rush hour but I am now confident about my next journey when the Allbright Club hosts a coffee morning to celebrate reopening their doors. Having spoken to my neighbours at our weekly Friday night drinks in front of our houses I realise that I am the trailblazer and so thought it timely to share WHY I feel confident using the tube to get round town again.
The familiarity of descending into the station with the new commuter habit of pausing to hook your mask (home made cotton so rewashable — no need to contribute to the new menace of discarded surgical masks which are the new normal equivalent of the plastic bag lying in the gutters and catching on twigs in bushes) already becoming second nature and feels strangely comforting & reassuring. Smiling at the TfL staff (and trying to make sure it reaches your eyes so they can see it!) you start the familiar journey and nod at other mask wearing commuters all spaced seats apart and settle into your usual habit of reading a book/magazine or paper, making notes or most likely scrolling your phone for games. As you whizz up to your stop (and compare the speed of your journey to the recent trips out of town to wildswimming spots where the traffic to get onto the A3 seems to have recently returned to gridlock most afternoons) you also appreciate the escape from the whole family all working at home (and that you’ve escaped responsibility for yet another lockdown lunch!). Ascending the escalator back out onto the street but this time in a central London postcode you help yourself the hand sanitiser (especially grateful when you realised you picked up a pre Covid handbag on the way out and so have none of your own with you) and emerge blinking into the new normal feeling hopeful that London really is open again…. Let the real life networking return!!! | https://medium.com/@BarefootBronnie/use-the-tube-91d66f9ff55a | ['Bronwen Gray'] | 2020-07-02 17:33:21.326000+00:00 | ['London', 'Travel Tips', 'Masks', 'Lockdown Diary', 'Commuting'] |
Having more money won’t make you NOT happy. | HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO BE HAPPY?
Time Magazine said that a study done on happiness revealed that the more people make above $75,000, the more they feel their life is working out on the whole — but that it doesn’t make them any more jovial in the mornings.
(Note the definition of Jovial: cheerful and friendly)
For many, it’s hard to be cheerful when you’re constantly stressed about money.
Money problems bring fights with your spouse, feelings of uneasiness because you can’t pay for things you want to give your kids, and the reality of being trapped, a financial slave on the hamster wheel of a paycheck-to-paycheck life.
With the cost of living in the USA, most people who make 75K or less have nothing leftover financially at the end of the month.
Who wants to clip coupons and pinch pennies?
Take my advice: You need much more than 75K, and for all those people who say money doesn’t bring happiness, how would they know?
Most people who tell you money doesn’t bring happiness don’t have money!
Get access at https://grantcardone.com/ppv
Think about it like this:
If I have never traveled to New York City, and I told you NYC sucks, would you take my word? If I’ve never been to New York, what business do I have of telling others about the place?
Years ago before I moved to San Diego, people used to tell me people in California were crazy. These people had never even lived in California! Personally, I found I loved California — except for the taxes.
So, why do people who have middle-class assets give others advice about having riches? I’ll tell you that not having money won’t make you happy either!
HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION?
Never let anyone tell you money won’t make you happy, especially when they make $75K or less.
Here’s what I want you to do — take areas of your life and measure your happiness in that area on a scale of 1–100. Marriage, finances, business, income, kids, spiritual, physical — rate each one. You don’t need to have a 100 to be happy; 90 and above is fine for me.
Anytime you are struggling in some area of your life, stop and ask yourself; where am I on a scale of 1- 100? If your response is below 90, then ask yourself, what can you do to increase your happiness in that area to over 90?
Where are you on happiness in regard to your finances?
If you are below 90, there is a problem.
Get access to the livestream of the 10X Growth Conference this weekend and let’s fix this.
75K may or may not make you jovial. But I’m willing to bet $1 million won’t make you less happy.
Be great,
GC | https://medium.com/the-10x-entrepreneur/having-more-money-wont-make-you-not-happy-49d6f7164509 | ['Grant Cardone'] | 2020-02-19 17:30:10.349000+00:00 | ['Money Mindset', 'Income', 'Happiness In Life', 'Happy Life', 'Inequality'] |
Part 1: ECIRP Walkthrough — PRICE | Walkthrough
Once you gain control of Ivry walk over to the door at the far right side of the bedroom. Next turn left and click on the flower vase on the floor. You will acquire a Key Part From there take another step to the left and click on Puppet on the Sofa sitting on the chair beneath the fiver photo’s handing on the wall. You will then acquire Puppet on the Sofa Look up at the five photographs above the chair and click on the far right photograph. The magnifying glass will then move rapidly across the screen and you’ll enter the pause menu.
This is what is meant to happen so don’t freak out.
After you regain control of Ivry, look at the five photographs again and click on the small rectangular on that is horizontal to investigate the Doodle to acquire Child’s Doodle. Walk in front of the Hearth and inspect the broken music sitting on top of it to the top left corner. From there look above the Hearth and inspect the landscape painting. Walk left to the edge of the screen and inspect the Cuckoo Clock hanging on the wall. Inspect the painting to the right of the Cuckoo Clock and to the left of the Broken Music Box.
Move the screen over to the left and inspect the Left Book Stack on the White Table beside the White Wardrobe. Here you will find the Illusion Spell. To the right of the Left Book Stack click on the Censer to acquire it. To the right of the Censer click on the Right Book Stack. Next click on the White Wardrobe to investigate it. Walk left to the White Dresser and click on the top drawer to acquire a Knife. Looking at the same White Dresser click on the bottom shelf to find the Tarot Card 1: The Lovers. Now look on top of the White Dresser and click on the Flowers to pluck off a Petal. Still look at the White Dresser click on the Basket to the left of the Flowers to find a packet of Powder. Beside the Basket click on the Teddy Bear to acquire it. Look to the left of the White Dresser and click at the bottom of Iva’s Bed to acquire Gear 1. Move the screen to the right until you see Puppet on the Sofa. Equip the Knife and click on Puppet on the Sofa to cut out the eye and acquire Gear 2.
Open up the Clue Menu and combine Teddy Bear and Child’s Doodle to acquire Dad’s Gift. Exit the Clue Menu. Equip Gear 1, walk to the Hearth and inspect the Broken Music Box again. You will automatically fix the Broken Music Box which will reveal a Secret Code 1.
Secret Code 1: 3725
Looking at the opening at the bottom half of the Hearth, click on the top section of the opening to acquire Component 2. Equip Component 2 and click on the Cuckoo Clock above the White Table to fix it and acquire Tarot Card 2: The Hanged Man. Move the screen to the left until you see the White Dresser. Click on the middle Dresser and input the Secret Code you received from the Broken Music Box to acquire the Piccolo and Half a Piece of Sheet Music: Requiem.
Secret Code 1: 3725
Equip the Petal and look at the nightstand to the left of Iva’s Bed. Inspect it to receive Secret Code 2.
Secret Code 2: 666
Equip Tarot Card 2: The Hanged Man and move the screen right until you see the Puppet on the Sofa. Inspect it to acquire the Small Key. Look to the White Table with the Right Book Stack beside the Hearth. Inspect the Right Book Stack to acquire the Resurrection Spell. Move the screen to the left until you see the White Wardrobe. Inspect it and you’ll be asked to free the trapped creature within. Once you regain control of Ivry, inspect the White Wardrobe once more and input Secret Code 2 to acquire Key Part 2 and the Cat in the Closet.
Open up the Clue Menu and combine Censer and Powder to acquire Fragrance. Combine Fragrance and Illusion Spell to acquire Illusion Incence. Combine Illusion Incence and Cat in the Closet to acquire Truth. Combine Puppet on the Sofa and Resurrection Spell to acquire Iva.
After you regain control of Ivry, open the Clue Menu again. Combin Half a Piece of Sheet Music and Dad’s Gift to acquire Childhood.
After you regain control of Ivry, open the Clue Menu again. Combine Iva and Truth to acquire the Completed Key.
From here walk to the Locked Door to automatically open it complete Part 1: E.C.I.R.P and unlock Part 2: P.R.I.C.E. | https://medium.com/gaminglinkmedia/part-1-ecirp-walkthrough-price-a918cbcdaa3d | ['Ryan Velasco'] | 2020-03-18 15:01:01.011000+00:00 | ['Game Walkthrough', 'Gaming Link Media', 'Price Game Walkthrough', 'Free To Play', 'Indie Horror Game'] |
I ordered chole bhature and received customer experience in return | Image: Patrick Beznoska
It was late at night when we were driving back from the beach. My mom and wife were hungry and badly wanted to eat something. When I suggested some places, they turned it down. They strictly said no to fine dining places as they take more time to bring what we ordered and is also expensive. So, they wanted me to look for something simple where they can have a good South Indian dinner.
I started looking for restaurants as I took a right at the SRP tools junction. After driving a few hundred meters, I stumbled upon a small restaurant that was decently crowded. It also had a decent amount of space to park my car. So, we went in and ordered dosas. It was delicious!
But, that was not the part where I was impressed. The incident that followed made me think about how some small restaurants think from the shoes of a customer and provide them a unique customer experience.
After having a dosa each, I and my wife were still hungry. But, ordering one more dosa for each felt like too much. So, we decided to order something and share it. We called the waiter. He was a tall, dark guy in his mid-forties. He was wearing a faded saffron shirt, a maroon-colored lungi, and a faded purple towel hung on his shoulder.
“Anything else, sir?” he asked
“What else do you have?” I asked
“Masala dosa, onion dosa, uthappam, onion rava, plain rava…” he said all the possible combinations of dosa.
When he came down to “Chola poori” I stopped him and looked at my wife.
She said “Let’s have Chola poori”
For those who’re confused about what a Chola puri is, it is the South Indian name for chole bhature.
In fine dining language, it is a handpicked dough made of wheat flour rolled into a thin sheet and deep-fried to golden brown perfection served with a lip-smacking chickpea gravy with a pinch of coriander.
In layman terms, it is a poori the size of an inflated car airbag served with channa masala.
I said to my wife “Okay, we’ll order one chole bhature and split it.”
The waiter nodded and went inside the kitchen.
After a few minutes, he came with the Chola poori that was already cut in half. He had informed the chef that we’re planning to share it among us and the chef decided to cut the thinly rolled dough in half before deep-frying it. Also, we might have looked like the couple who would fight over an unevenly split poori. So, the waiter didn’t want to give it that chance.
So, we were served two pieces of a perfectly split Chola poori.
I was surprised and delighted with the whole experience.
The waiter understood that it would be difficult and messy to tear a full poori in half. So, he told the chef to cut it in half and fry it to make our lives easy.
I thought it was a great example of how to nail customer experience.
Caring makes all the difference
The incident that night reminded me of several past incidents where I had experienced a delightful customer experience from small restaurants, tea shops, and street food joints. They don’t offer a great customer experience in return for a 5-star rating or an amazing review on Google or Zomato. Most of these restaurants won’t even be on Google.
They offer a great customer experience because they care.
Last month, I went to Yercaud with my friends. We visited a waterfall that was located seven kilometers from the city center. As we got down from the car, we saw a lot of shops outside the gate that led to the waterfall. They had bread omelette, lemonade, instant noodles, carbonated soft drinks and a lot more. But, they did not directly sell it to those who come to visit the falls.
Instead, each vendor (mostly women) assisted visitors in whatever way they can. For example, the woman who ran one of the shops told us where to park our car. After we did, she said it is a two-kilometer walk from the gate and the path has steep staircases. She advised us to carry our water bottles. When we were about to leave, she said: “If you are thirsty or hungry when you’re back, we have lemonade, bread omelette, and instant noodles”.
We thanked her and went to see the waterfall. On our way back, we were hungry and ended up eating in the woman’s shop.
Instead of looking for a sale first hand, she helped us first. That made a world of difference.
Customer experience is not a tradeoff
Companies that are trying to build a loyal fan following can learn a lot of things about customer experience from small brands. How they take care of their customers. How they learn and understand the needs of recurring customers and how they manage to serve with a smile.
Sometimes, on the way to stardom, big companies often forget what drove them there. Companies that once focused on customer experience often shift their priorities to growth, revenue, competition, etc.
In Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, so much was said about the early years of Nike. The salesmen who worked in Nike stores used to maintain a personal relationship with every aspiring athlete — be it someone who is part of the university running team or a professional athlete. They knew every athlete’s requirement, their upcoming races, etc. Some even send a postcard to the athletes to know about their race.
This was one of the reasons for star athletes to endorse Nike when they were at the peak of their careers. Nike cared and the athletes reciprocated it when they become famous.
But, we don’t know if it is the same with Nike now. Their shoes are still great, but aspiring athletes will miss the customer experience that was delivered a few decades back.
So, instead of focusing on things that would create a delightful customer experience, companies end up focussing on selling more and bridging the gap between the competition. Companies should try to grow and make money without compromising on customer experience. Companies like Amazon understand the importance of customer experience and continue delighting customers.
The key to delivering great customer experience lies in putting ourselves in the shoes of a customer, understanding what they want and delivering it. This will make them feel valued and will give them stay loyal to a brand like how I would always think of the restaurant when I eat a Chola poori.
Originally written for Endangeredblog. | https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/i-ordered-chole-bhature-and-received-customer-experience-in-return-d41aef08590e | ['Karthik Pasupathy'] | 2019-11-15 13:07:30.689000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Food', 'Sales', 'Startup Lessons', 'Customer Experience'] |
Living & Leading in the Temporary | As 2020 ends and 2021 begins, I feel compelled to craft a personal commentary about ‘living & leading in the temporary.’ It has been an extraordinarily complex year both personally and in leadership work. Every leader I have worked or spoken with talks about the complexity they are residing in. Some have found incredible innovation; some have had to lay people off; some are struggling to meet budgets; some have left roles and recreated themselves. | https://medium.com/@careersingov/living-leading-in-the-temporary-d462593cf060 | ['Careers In Gov.'] | 2020-12-16 00:04:09.944000+00:00 | ['Leadership', 'Management', 'Management And Leadership', 'Business'] |
Dagger and Hilt navigation support in Android Studio | Last update: July 23rd, 2020
Have you ever got lost in a project trying to figure out from where a Dagger or Hilt dependency is being provided? Does it come from an @Inject constructor? Or maybe from an @Binds or @Provides method? Does it have a qualifier? It’s not an easy task…
🤔 What if you could know that and more with just one click? 🎯 Ask no more!
The latest version of Android Studio 4.1 (currently available in Beta) comes with new gutter icons that allows you to easily navigate between Dagger-related code: dependency producers and consumers, components, subcomponents, and modules! Also, you can find the same information in Find usages.
Hilt support has been added to Android Studio 4.2 (currently in Canary). Apart from the Dagger features listed above, you can also benefit from easy navigation for entry points.
Easy Dagger and Hilt dependency graph navigation in Android Studio
As you can see, navigating the Dagger graph of your Android app has never been easier! Knowing from exactly which provider method a dependency is coming is just one click away with the new support in Android Studio.
In action
Starting with Android Studio 4.1 Canary 7, you can see a new gutter icon in projects that use Dagger or Hilt:
New Dagger and Hilt gutter icons in Android Studio
The behavior of these actions are as follows:
Icon with arrow up -> where the type is provided (i.e. where dependencies come from)
Tree-shaped icon -> where the type is used as a dependency
Let’s see some examples of the new functionality using the Dagger branch ( dev-dagger ) of the architecture-samples GitHub sample.
Knowing where dependencies are coming from
Given a class that can be injected by Dagger, if you tap in the gutter icon with the arrow up of a dependency, you’ll navigate to the method that tells Dagger how to provide that type.
In the following example, TasksViewModel has a dependency on TasksRepository . Tapping on the gutter icon takes you to the @Binds methods in AppModuleBinds that provides TasksRepository :
Know where a dependency is coming from
Also works with qualifiers!
Given the above, if the dependency is provided using a qualifier, it will take you to exactly that provider method!
DefaultTasksRepository depends on a TasksDataSource provided with a qualifier. Tapping on the gutter icon takes you to the method in AppModule that provides that type with that qualifier:
It also works with qualifiers!
Where is this type being used as a dependency?
When you have a method that tells Dagger how to provide a dependency, you can click the gutter icon with the arrow down to navigate to where that dependency is used. If that dependency is used by more than one consumer, you can select the consumer you want to navigate to from a list.
In our project, DefaultTasksRepository is used by different ViewModel s. Which ones? You can know it by tapping on the gutter icon of the provider method ( @Binds in this case):
Know where a type is used as a dependency
Hilt entry points
When you’re at a Hilt entry point, the gutter action helps you navigate to where a dependency is coming from. To showcase this feature, we’ll use the interop branch of the migrating Dagger to Hilt codelab.
Navigate where a type comes from at an entry point
Find Usages
You can find the same relationships between your Dagger/Hilt code with the Find usages feature in Android Studio.
If you right-click on the bindRepository of the AppModuleBinds class and select Find usages, for example, you’ll see something similar to this: | https://medium.com/androiddevelopers/dagger-navigation-support-in-android-studio-49aa5d149ec9 | ['Manuel Vivo'] | 2020-07-27 06:19:07.434000+00:00 | ['Android', 'Android Development', 'Dagger 2', 'Android Studio', 'Dependency Injection'] |
Saving the Environment: In Context | Often, entering into a journey towards sustainable living can be somewhat daunting, and it’s hard to understand the impact you’re having when everything’s given to you in such arbitrary measurements. What does a 15,000 tonne carbon footprint mean? How bad is eating meat really? In this article, we’ll provide you with 5 practical facts to help you kickstart your understanding in the journey towards sustainability.
Assuming that you drink 1 litre of water per day, it would take you more than 4 years to drink the amount of water that is used for producing 100g of beef.
Producing 1 steak requires the same amount of water as taking a 5 minute shower, every day, for 2 months.
The UK food supply alone is directly linked to the extinction of an estimated 33 species at home and abroad.
1 kilogram of beef can have roughly the same impact on global warming as an economy flight from London to New York.
Producing a 200g steak causes the same amount of emissions as driving your car from Oxford to Milton Keynes (46km).
Whilst we’ve provided just a handful of examples, it’s hard to consistently have environmentally conscious actions placed into an understandable context which helps you appreciate your impact.
One of our core values at Forward Fooding is to help bridge the gap between understanding and practical action when it comes to sustainable living. Our Global FoodTech Map provides a platform on which thousands of start-ups and corporations can collaborate and network in order to work together to power the revolution in the FoodTech sphere. Want to join our community? Find us here.
Forward Fooding also interviewed one of the frontrunner start-ups in this bid for sustainable living, Oliver Bolton, CEO of Almond.org. His app is going to disrupt life for the consumer as we known it, and will revolutionise how we are able to understand how we can help to reduce their carbon footprint. You can read the interview here.
If you enjoyed this article, follow, clap or share and join us in our Food Revolution at ForwardFooding.com | https://medium.com/forwardfooding/saving-the-environment-in-context-875af4d18b99 | ['Mathilde Redshaw'] | 2019-07-02 08:28:12.538000+00:00 | ['Facts', 'Startupsinsider', 'Sustanability', 'Environment', 'Foodtech'] |
“Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.” | This quote by Samuel Beckett has both amazed and haunted me ever since I first read it. What does it even mean? And why does it trigger me so much?
Here’s the thing — I have always been a procrastinator with perfectionistic qualities… or maybe vice versa. Truth is that by avoiding the input of effort into any of my tasks, I always got away unscathed, and with bonus points for being just smart enough to pass. By the time high school turned to college, I realized there were only two ways to go — the 4am deadline binger route or the slow and steady track.
As much as I enjoyed galloping through university in the final 2 minutes of my deadline as my sole excuse for cardio, the time for shedding that identity was upon me. The first time I actually submitted something on time however, the following realization struck — I still had time to fix it. I had all the time in the world. In fact, I could keep on fixing it. Forever. Why? Because I am not good enough, and never will be.
And before you start coming at me with the “Oh yes you are!” and “Don’t degrade yourself like that!” comments — listen. I am not good enough, because I can always be better. Instead of having that put me down and keep me from failing, because “two more hours of editing will certainly fix it”, I came to realize they won’t. They can make me feel better about submitting the project, but at the end of the day it will be as good as my skillset allows it to be at that current moment. And besides — every failure is a lesson. Every success — not so much.
When I achieve a great success by my own standards, the following tends to happen — I celebrate it, receive my daily ego-boost, and then move on to a bigger, better thing. Failure is a different story — I cry, get angry, hit my hand on a hard surface while screaming at the top of my lungs and instantly regret that… and then cry some more. Once I calm down, I try to fix it. I troubleshoot the entire situation, replay it in my head a dozen times and try to find a logical method for correcting it. If that is impossible, I feel guilty while overthinking it again, but ultimately consider it a lesson learnt and close the case. That’s the difference — failure helps me reflect on how I failed, while success is often a given.
We are constantly exposed to other people’s highlight reels. The best moments of their lives, whether it be on social media or in person. Nobody likes to brag about their failures — that doesn’t make us feel high and mighty. But it should. Having the courage to fail brings you closer to your goals if you take advantage of it. It often means that you care enough as to put 110% of yourself in something, and then release it to bare its judgements.
More often than not, it’s the fear of failure that leads us to fail. Many people, me included, never really attempt anything out of this exact fear, or if we do, we half-ass the shit out of it, just in case. This fear of failure, criticism and public disgrace, is all around us, especially now that we are so connected online. You can have a miniscule slip-up, and the whole world will come crashing down around you. Everyone will know. People will expose you as a fraud, your high school crush will unfollow you and your life will be in ruins.
Don’t fret. Failure only means that you are trying to learn something. You are trying to grow and move forward. Become a better you. And if someone wants to make fun of that, let them. It’s their choice to focus on your failure and not on their own, because believe me — everybody fails. Almost everyone you admire has had a huge failure at some point that they had to overcome. Once you look failure in the eye, laugh at it and then willingly continue your endeavor despite the chance of making a complete fool of yourself, you’ll see there is nothing scary in that. And the safer you feel in embracing failure, the more adventurous you’ll get in the ways you attempt triumph.
I have gotten to a point when I’m no longer “in it to win it” at any cost — my goal is to do the best job I can do, with my current knowledge and abilities. If that means failure, so be it — at least I tried, gave it my best and refused to back down in the face of adversity. We should all be more appreciative of our failures. After all, it takes a winner to prosper, but it takes an even bigger winner to fall down, rise up and shoot for success once again, without losing sight of his or her goals. | https://medium.com/@adobriyanova/try-again-fail-again-fail-better-c73b07626063 | ['Alexandra Dobriyanova'] | 2020-12-16 23:53:34.554000+00:00 | ['Self-awareness', 'Failure', 'Self Improvement', 'Motivation'] |
📈 I’ve open-sourced a simple Coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard (React + Chart.js + BootstrapTable) | I’ve recently open-sourced a new 📈 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard which shows the dynamics (the curvature of the graph) of Сoronavirus distribution per country.
Reasoning
The reason for creating a new dashboard was to complement the well-known JHU Dashboard (which is made by Johns Hopkins CSSE) with the feature of seeing the charts with the number of COVID-19 confirmed / recovered / deaths use-cases per country.
Basically I personally had a question like: “What about the Netherlands/Ukraine?”, “Is the virus spread (growth factor) slowing down?”, “How I can compare the recovered/deaths dynamics per-country?”, “Which countries are doing the proper things to slow down the growth-factor”.
Here is how the main functionality looks like:
Data source and tech-stack
The dashboard is using COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Data Repository by Johns Hopkins CSSE as a data source.
Front-end wise I’ve tried to make it as simple as possible, therefore the dashboard is using a pure React.js (without JSX transpiler or CreateReactApp starter). To display the data I've used Charts.js to draw the chart and Bootstrap Table to display a sortable, searchable and clickable data table.
Main Functionality
The dashboard is still raw but it provides a basic functionality of displaying the global and per-country data charts.
For example here is how Global dynamics of confirmed/recovered/deaths use-cases looks like as for March 23rd:
Here we may see a positive dynamics for China (Hubei):
We may also compare Italy to Spain:
The regions are displayed in sortable, searchable and clickable data-table:
Known issues
The following functionality is not implemented yet but it would improve a usability of the dashboard: | https://medium.com/@trekhleb/ive-open-sourced-a-simple-coronavirus-covid-19-dashboard-react-chart-js-bootstraptable-a2b5f27ffe94 | ['Oleksii Trekhleb'] | 2020-03-23 07:27:31.367000+00:00 | ['Data Visualization', 'Web Development', 'JavaScript', 'Data', 'Dataviz'] |
7 Killer Tips for B2B Product Page Content Creation | Your product page doesn’t have to be boring.
Content marketing has become a buzzword these days.
Everybody is talking about it. Everybody is sharing their ideas about how to make it work, build an audience and become the masters of killer content. Check out LinkedIn jobs, you’ll see hundreds of new job ads daily.
Ask 10 different people from B2B companies about what content marketing actually is, and you’ll get 10 different answers. For some people it is about writing beautiful product pages, for others, it is mostly about creating nice articles with right keywords to help them to rank on Google.
But the question is, do you really want to know the things you can achieve with killer content?
When done right, content marketing can be your lead generation machine.
Let’s get this right straight away: your story, your customer or buyer journey they all start with the content you put out there.
If you don’t have the killer content, sorry but your story will be only yours and yours alone. It will never spread out. Your products and solutions will just sit there waiting to meet with your customers one day.
You should also know that whatever that is you want to achieve, it all starts with your content.
Get it right and thrive.
Don’t pay attention? Get ready to fail. Big time.
Whether you’d like to make some noise about your new product or expand your market or increase your brand awareness you need to follow some key steps to get there.
Here is to help you get started with your product pages.
These 7 tips will help you to build your audience and connect with them so that they can start their journey on your sales conversion funnel.
1. Get to know your customer as if you are on a lovely first date
Who is your customer?
What do they do?
What do they read?
What platforms do they visit online?
What are their pain points? What are their challenges?
What are their ambitions?
What is the goal that they want to achieve so that they can start talking about it proudly at dinner conversations?
Do you know what they need, what they want? And, does your product or solution match with that?
What problems does your solution solve?
Make your research. Learn about your customers in every way.
You need to know what their agenda looks like, what their priorities are.
Spend time to get to know them as if you are on a first date and you are about to fall in love. You want to know every little detail about this new person, right?
What they want to do in their free time, their favorite Netflix series, the favorite food, the places they’d like to visit some day.
Do you homework. Know your audience. Know them by heart.
2. Create killer headlines
Without an attractive headline, you don’t get your prospect or existing customer to read the next sentence on your product page.
True story.
It doesn’t matter what amazing features your product has or what improvements it can bring to your customer.
If you don’t get the attention of your reader with your headline they’ll move on. I am sure they have many tabs open on their browser. They’ll simply close the tab of your product page and check out the next one.
So make sure your headline stands out not in a fashionable, clever way instead, in a simple way.
Say clearly how you can help your customers to achieve what they want to achieve with your solution.
If you get stuck, if you are out of new ideas check Medium. Check online magazines. Read the headlines of Forbes or make a search on LinkedIn and create your headline by using them as an inspiration.
3. Talk directly to your customers on your product page
Whether you are selling products to retail companies or banks or restaurants make sure you address them directly with your content.
Don’t start with “This product or this solution does X and helps retailers to achieve X.”
You are not talking to a retail store. It is not the store that is reading your content. It is not the store making the decision to buy your product or service you provide.
There is a person who is interested in it and this person may also be involved in the buying process. So make sure you talk to them directly to catch their attention right there and then.
Simply, choose “You”. “This product helps YOU to achieve this and that…”
4. Refer to your customers’ pain points & needs & challenges
When creating your product page, do not focus on how great your product is. Trust me, nobody cares about how good it is unless it has some sort of value in it for them.
Don’t say this is an amazing solution. Explain simply and clearly what it is, what it does. Try to say it in one sentence, if possible. This is the only way for you to “WOW” them.
It doesn’t matter how complicated the product might be, you should still be able to say what it does in one sentence. If you can’t do that, you can’t expect your audience to understand it, right?
Make sure you add some content about the customer challenges, put the empathy right there and make them feel like “We know what you are going through, that is the reason we created this product at the first place. Don’t worry, we got your back. We’ll help you go through this. You’ll get rid of these problems, you’ll achieve these and here are the benefits you’ll get as a result of buying our product.”
This should be the goal. Simple. Straight forward.
Your content should give this message right away. Forget about fluffy words. Be clear. Keep it short. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes.
Once you write your content, then go to the other side of the table where your customer would sit and read that content out loud.
Is it appealing to you? Is everything clear enough?
If the answer is no, go get a cup of coffee, get some fresh air or listen to some music. Then, sit in front of your computer again and start from the beginning. Don’t feel bad, know that this is going to make your content better!
If it all sounds good. Then move on to the next step.
5. Speak your customers’ language
Know your customers.
Know their language.
Know their jargon.
Even the adjectives they use when they refer to a solution, a product or a concept. Know that!
For example, if you work at a fin-tech company selling banking solutions to financial institutions, how do you refer to omni-channel banking experiences?
What adjectives do you use to describe them? How do you make them more appealing?
How about seamless or frictionless? They sound good, to the point right?
This doesn’t come to you as an inspiration. You need to read what your customers read, you need to follow LinkedIn pages they follow. Watch their interviews on YouTube. Read the news in the industry online. Make your SEO keyword search.
You simply need to be where your customers are.
You can access many resources that can help you to speak their language. It is not going to happen over night, but you’ll get there.
When you spend time on these, you get to know them better and start speaking their language.
So, when you write your product page, you then can create the feeling that you know the deal.
You know the industry, you know your customers needs and luckily you have the tools to help them to achieve their goals.
6. Don’t brag about your product, talk about the value it creates
Take a look at your existing product page if you have it already. Try to read it from the value perspective. Does it state that clearly or not?
Is it boring?
Is it fun?
It has been a long time that we have passed the era where advertising was the king. We now live in a different era where value makes all the difference.
So how do you define the value?
How do you bring it out?
Well, try to look at it this way. What makes your product different than the others?
What is the one benefit that stands out the most?
What is your unique selling proposition?
Find it!
If you are struggling to find it, go talk to your team be it the CEO, product team or sales people. Someone at your company will tell you something that will make sense and you’ll see the value there and focus on that!
That’s your jewel.
And when you find your jewel, hold on to it. It surely will open the doors.
You also do a lot of research at this point, so you know what your prospect customers want. All you need to do now is get these two together and talk about the customer needs and the value you create.
7. What is your product’s story? Find it, bring it out.
After all, it all comes down the stories we tell. Don’t think like “But this is a simple product page or a solution page, not a novel”.
Well, we all know that. Your customers also know that. But it is the stories that stick with the people the most and it doesn’t necessarily have to be like a soap opera or a love story.
Your product’s story is about the experience it will create.
What is the most amazing thing that your product does so well that your customers can’t stop talking about it with their colleagues and friends?
What is it that makes it so unique, fun, enjoyable or useful?
Find that, work on that and you’ll stick in your customers’ minds.
“Your story is a symphony, not a note.”
Seth Godin
Add value to your customers’ experiences even when they just read a product page.
Don’t think that it is just a page with features and benefits. It can be a lot more than that.
Create this product’s story, get into your audience’s head and look at it from their perspective.
When you do that it’ll be much more easier to reach your audience. You’ll create the killer content and proudly say “Yep. I did that”. | https://medium.com/@iremakdere/7-killer-tips-for-b2b-product-page-content-creation-3bc096054747 | ['Irem Akdere Cinga'] | 2020-11-28 07:32:22.091000+00:00 | ['Content Writing', 'B2b Marketing', 'Product Page Content', 'B2b Content Marketing', 'Content Marketing'] |
27 Free Resources for Developers and Designers | Design is the face of your product, service or content, without good designs, even if the content is amazing, there are chances that it might not appeal a larger audience to “have a look”.
But, there are so many tools available on the internet which makes our lives (as a designer/front-end developer or a content creator) more easy, and I am going to talk about many of them which I use, in this blog.
Did someone say “design”?
It’s been so many years I’ve been making content, and taking free initiatives, and one thing that used to scare me was posters and info-graphics.
I always wanted to spend my time in making content, not worrying about promotional posters, and then I started searching on Internet about tools which can help me with that, and came across some amazing ones.
Slowly, I came across free and open source vectors, images, design inspirations which we can use. If you are like me, trust me, this blog is going to make your life a lot more easy ( ° ͜ʖ °)
But wait, I bet there are a lot more resources out there apart from these as well, so if you come across one, do mention it in the comments as well, I will edit this article, add more and of course, I will give you proper credits.
Let’s get started! | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/27-free-resources-for-developers-and-designers-aaa9019abed | ['Madhav Bahl'] | 2020-09-16 07:55:10.902000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Productivity', 'Development', 'Content Creation', 'Design Thinking'] |
Software Quality: Maintainability Foundation — Introduction (Part 1) | Maintainability is one of the non-functional quality characteristics of the ISO/IEC 25010 Software Product Quality standard and describes those aspects that are relevant for highly maintainable software.
The quality model is the cornerstone of a product quality evaluation system. The quality model determines which quality characteristics will be taken into account when evaluating the properties of a software product.
The quality of a system is the degree to which the system satisfies the stated and implied needs of its various stakeholders, and thus provides value. Those stakeholders’ needs (functionality, performance, security, maintainability, etc.) are precisely what is represented in the quality model, which categorizes the product quality into characteristics and sub-characteristics.
The product quality model defined in ISO/IEC 25010 comprises the eight quality characteristics shown in the following figure: | https://medium.com/@ankwrn/software-quality-maintainability-foundation-introduction-part-1-a0cd85834b3c | ['Anka Wirawan'] | 2020-12-15 12:10:13.282000+00:00 | ['Code Quality', 'Information Technology', 'Software Engineering'] |
TOP-10 Greenest cities. Infographic, facts, and a special bonus | New York
The US federal system policy system is specifically designed so the city development plan is often adopted at the national level, forcing cities to be at the environmental movement center. More than half of the city’s bus fleet operates on alternative fuels.
The city improved air quality, using clean types of fuel resources. CO2 emissions per capita are now lower than in other US cities.
Helsinki
Helsinki — the capital of Finland, is famous for its rich nature. There are 40 national parks here, as well as other green spaces. Being anywhere in the city, you can reach the park or the natural zone in less than 10 minutes!
Helsinki is an ecologically clean city, known for its efficient, advanced and environmentally friendly public transport system.
Vancouver
Amsterdam
The development policy of Amsterdam is aimed at the intelligent and effective use of space, energy, and resources. You should note: the city is also the most bike-friendly one in the world. Another central policy goal is to make the city life as simple as possible.
Amsterdam is the leader in the electric transport sphere. Nowadays, more than 2,000 stations for charging electric vehicles, boats, electric bicycles, etc have been built. New charging stations appear every week. It goes without saying that it all use green electricity.
Zurich
The world finance & banking center, the city of Zurich, is called the pioneer in the “society of 2000 watts” idea. The city is planned to use only 2000 watts of energy per capita (the level recognized as a sustainable) by 2050.
Long-term development and country ecology improvement gave great results: the best world ratings on the city life quality, the leading levels of public transport in Europe, inexpensive transport infrastructure, and limited use of cars, even for people with high incomes.
Vienna
Systematic planning at the city, national, and supranational levels facilitates the rapid implementation of climate, environmental and energy projects in Vienna. A huge number of projects on climate protection, renewable energy, waste use and recycling have already been implemented and are now borrowed by other countries.
San Francisco
Organic food + Waste reduction + Renewable energy + Zero emissions + Water conservation = One of the cleanest cities in the world.
San Francisco. Source
Oslo
The daily life of citizens, the result of eco-politics:
Stockholm
Since 1990, the city has reduced its CO2 emission level by 25%. The goal is to completely abandon fossil fuels by 2050. Buses, taxis, private cars operate on biofuel. Several special eco-districts have been built in Stockholm, consisting of new non-volatile houses.
The European Commission gave Stockholm the first title of the “European Green Capital” in 2010. The city has long been searching and solving the problems that face all major modern cities — traffic and pollution. | https://medium.com/solardao/top-10-greenest-cities-infographic-facts-and-a-special-bonus-3087b857c4d4 | ['Anastasia Shcherbina'] | 2018-05-02 16:33:38.357000+00:00 | ['Green Energy', 'Renewable Energy', 'Copenhagen', 'Infographics', 'Solar Dao'] |
IG Drones: Revolutionizing the Transmission Line Industry | Image Credit: DJI
Technology is driving innovation. Technology is driving creativity. Its technology that decides, Mankind’s sustainability.
In the 21st century, it’s indisputable that we are all dependent on technology for our survival. While technological advancements have been regarded as both a boon and a bane to society, let us throw some light on one of the biggest boons of technology - THE DRONES and its use in THE TRANSMISSION LINE INDUSTRY
With each passing day, the use of drones in business is significantly increasing especially in the transmission line industry. They have been providing the industries with efficient and practical solutions to the problems that commonly arise in that field.
Wondering what benefits a little device as a drone could possibly serve. Come on! Feed your curiosity with the super informative article below.
IG Drones: Reinventing Transmission Line Inspection
With the exponential growth of industries in recent times, a significant rise has been observed in the use of drones in transmission line industries. They say, “Time is money”, so we’ve got to save it right? While walking among the transmission lines to detect underlying defects is not only tedious but time-consuming as well.
IG Drones not only save a lot of time but also provide us clear-cut, detailed information about the problems along with high-resolution, thermal images of the issues. This is the reason why many operation providers are being replaced by drones to increase power electricity and reduce maintenance costs. IG Drones not only help us to do predictive maintenance of the towers effectively but also keep the transmission line industry safe as this is a vital part of their work.
Transmission Line Tower captured in India by IG Drones
Inspecting Transmission towers
Tring tring…..(the telephone rings) “There is no current supply in our colony since last 5 hours. What’s the problem?”
This type of calls is really common in the electricity board offices. Solving the problem isn’t tough, its detection is. Conventionally, the lineman used to climb up the towers to check where the actual problem lies. But again, it is not necessary that the transmission tower will always be in a suitable place. The ways to get up to the tower might be through access to private property, or the tower might be above a sequence of trees, obstructing views from the ground. Without a drone, it is undoubtedly a dangerous task. It may take numerous days to walk through private property. But with a drone, and a pilot already available, it can be done within a fraction of seconds.
Drones are unstoppable. It can be used in any area, such as area too close to the homes and areas that are difficult to access manually by ground inspection. Without any working hour hazards, one can easily get an exact look at the transmission tower, inspect the problem correctly and hence solve it with versatility.
Regular ground patrols
During regular patrols, a team member can directly deploy a drone to capture a high level of detailed inspection. The issues which might have been missed by the normal eye can easily get detected and classified efficiently. While during routine maintenance, a lineman may observe any potential issues with the transmission pole, but a company with trained ground patrol teams and drones can easily outdo the conventional methods of using bucket trucks or climbing towers.
Substation maintenance, upgrades, and inspection
Usually, the substations are easily accessible. But during maintenance or any sort of up-gradation, it needs to be turned off as it is not safe for a human to carry out the work with the current flowing. In rare situations though, this might cause a power outage for consumers leading to a lot of inconveniences.
Storm Restoration
Say, for instance, your area has been hit by a tornado or cyclone which has caused serious damage to several transmission towers. With the entire area being affected, it’s not possible for the linemen to assess the damage caused. Hence, rather than linemen, the drone can be used to carry out the inspection more effectively. With the help of a drone, we can use its software, to inspect the damages by taking detailed photos, uploading them, and creating one compatible map. This in return, allows us to take necessary measures to recover the damages rapidly and more efficiently.
CONCLUSION
We are living in a world where smart work counts more than hard work. The drones and its camera technology have the following advantages:
Make the task of inspection quite easier
Captures aerial-thermal, detailed photographs of the damages
Makes the process of repairing more efficient
Is less time consuming as compared to manual inspections
Reduces the cost of manual labor
Significant reduction in the rate of occupational hazards
Clearly, the smart work every industry would love to adapt to.
The versatility and work efficiency of this device is the main reason behind its enormous popularity and demand in the transmission line industry today.
For drones, ‘Sky is the limit’ and for the industries enforced with this technology, ease of work and profit is limitless.
Watch our latest Youtube Video on Transmission Line Inspection
ABOUT US:
IG Drones provide specialist inspection services at height and difficult to access areas, via the use of drones. Technical end-to-end solution to help you ease your operation. Capture the smallest of details with ease. Raise your operational standards & Imagine more with us. Imagine Inspire Innovate.
Follow us on — Twitter |Facebook |Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube Channel | https://medium.com/@igdrones/ig-drones-revolutionizing-the-transmission-line-industry-8592a1438554 | ['Ig Drones'] | 2020-11-25 20:48:04.420000+00:00 | ['Development', 'Drones', 'Powerline', 'Power Transmission', 'Technology'] |
Explore the Options Available at UF College of Medicine | The University of Florida College of Medicine continues to attract students who want to become professional nurses. This school has a long history of preparing doctors for practice. Many of them have become prominent physicians in their communities. Some of them even went on to become members of political families in the United States.
The University of Florida College of Medicine was established in 1948 with the merger of four other colleges, and it is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States. The main campus is in Jacksonville. It offers over 250 undergraduate degrees, including associate degrees, bachelor degrees, master degrees, and PhDs. The admission process of the UF college of medicine has a very strict admission process that considers academic eligibility, personal characteristics, athletic achievement, career objectives, GPAs, and many other aspects.
The University of Florida College of Medicine has its main campus in Jacksonville. It enrolls more than thirteen thousand students who are pursuing degrees in medicine. Of these, nearly eleven thousand are full-time students and about seven thousand are part-time students.
A candidate who has finished his/her medicine course from an accredited institution has no prior educational background as of now. The person who gets admission process of the UF college of medicine participates in either three or four-year programs. The first two years of study give the students a solid introduction to the subject and to their specific career goals, while the last two years of research prepare the students for their graduate program in either specialty areas or in nursing.
The course work consists of both classroom lectures and externships. The student reads medical publications in the classroom and reads the relevant textbooks to become familiar with the different terminologies and basic physiology. He learns how to perform physical examinations and creates a clinic if his faculty give him permission. The student then goes through a series of classes that are divided into pre-medical, pre-dental, dental, and pediatric. The pre-medical courses include anatomy and physiology, chemistry and biology, diagnostic procedures, pharmacology and physiology, Obstetrics and gynecological procedures, Pediatrics and women’s health, and public speaking. After this, the student has the option of taking up electives like Biochemistry and cellular biology, Forensic Pathology, Ethics in Medicine, History, and philosophy of medicine, and Neurological Surgery and subspecialties like neurosurgery and rheumatology.
Once the student has graduated from UF college of medicine, he can look forward to being admitted to one of the many medical schools located all across the United States. The process of admission is not that complicated. Before disclosing the applicant, the educational institution must evaluate the applicant’s medical courses. The school will give the details of the student’s academic performance and his background information. Then only after assessing the applicant’s curriculum vitae will they admit the applicant.
The cost of going to school like UF School of Medicine may be intimidating for some prospective students. But as most medical schools today have now up-to-date facilities, these costs are highly affordable even with the current economic downturn. Most of these schools now have the latest technology in teaching and research. There is no need for you to worry about taking care of your studies because there is a fully equipped health services department to take care of your daily needs as a student. There are also many scholarships available to help you fund your education.
If you are still in high school, you can choose to go to any one of these schools. There are several advantages to going to a UF College of Medical Care. You will get a chance to work with doctors already if you feel interested in a career later on. You will also learn more from experts and be exposed to a wide range of medical fields. In short, you will be prepared for a fulfilling career after completing your studies at UF Medical Schools. | https://medium.com/@medical-education/explore-the-options-available-at-uf-college-of-medicine-eaf1ea7ba050 | ['Dr Carl Stephens'] | 2021-02-22 08:32:38.023000+00:00 | ['University', 'Medicine', 'Medical', 'College', 'Florida'] |
Learn about instruments and the art of creating music | Learn about instruments and the art of creating music
July 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Marie Fleche Memorial Library
Residents of Berlin interested in learning about musical instruments and what it takes to create music are encouraged to visit http://berlinborolibrary.org/events-and-programs/.
All ages are eligible to meet Linda Millenbach, local musician, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., July 19, at Marie Fleche Memorial Library and learn about the topic. | https://medium.com/the-berlin-sun/learn-about-instruments-and-the-art-of-creating-music-b7dffac9fac7 | ['Sean Devlin'] | 2018-07-16 20:36:21.105000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Education', 'Musicians'] |
Ecosystem approach to automation | Photo by Rui Silvestre on Unsplash
The technology landscape for automation continues to evolve at the same that there is great interest and adoption in enterprises. The speed of evolution whether it is new capabilities, new vendors, new technologies is faster than the rate of change and consumption by the organizations. This is not something unique to automation rather an age old challenge between new technologies and how organizations at large apply them in their environments. So it becomes critical for organizations to have a plan and approach to match the right automation technology with the business need. The automation toolkit can help organizations achieve this goal.
Every automation technology — whether it be RPA, AI, ML, process execution platforms, process mining or others all have their use cases that they are good at and potential business challenges they can address.However as the market evolves every technology vendor is extending their platforms to cover the entire automation lifecycle, most of which centers around their innate strength or capability. This creates a challenge for the enterprise , inspite of wanting to take an ecosystem approach to automation, it can suddenly become a very vendor centric or singular technology centric automation story.
Recognizing this early in the journey, allows the organization to plan, evaluate and evolve its automation toolkit and approach. Building the toolkit requires marrying the right technologies to the right business problem. e.g apply RPA to automate high volume repetitive processes, process execution/workflow to co-ordinate end to end process, people, systems and others. This ensures that you can combine the right technologies to address to the end to end business processes and operational needs. e.g Process Mining + RPA + ML to intelligently handle inputs and data required to process high volume processes.
The other aspect of toolkit is to analyze the individual business functions and impact technology has on the business functions over the next 5 to 10 years and the accompanying financial models of the business. This ensures a strategic lens on the business process and accompanying automation revolution.
Matching and implementing the technology option to the business need is a skill and requirement is a need that will exist for always, same holds true for automation.
If anything may be new is the rate of change, the speed , scale , methods in which change is communicated and impact at which change is felt. | https://medium.com/integratedautomation/ecosystem-approach-to-automation-f0ed21c0576d | ['Navin Maganti'] | 2020-12-04 18:45:34.563000+00:00 | ['Rpa Tools', 'Process Improvement', 'Organization', 'Automation'] |
A Guide to Crypto-Anarchy: the booming ode to anti-banking | One of the most prolific features of cryptocurrencies and the budding blockchain-powered “decentralized economy” is that is providing individuals with more privacy and digital anonymity than ever before.
The world’s first digital currency bitcoin is enabling anyone in the world with an Internet connection to make digital payments without the need for an intermediary, while anonymous cryptocurrencies such as Monero, Zcash, and PIVX are providing digital currency users with the option to conduct fully anonymous financial transactions.
Cryptocurrencies are breathing new life into the crypto-anarchist movement, which has witnessed substantial growth since the advent of bitcoin almost ten years ago.
What is Crypto-Anarchism?
Unlike what the name may suggest, crypto-anarchism (or crypto-anarchy) is not a political theory that suggests replacing the state with cryptographic technology. Instead, crypto-anarchy can be defined as a cyberspatial realization and manifestation of anarchism, according to University of New South Wales researcher Usman Chohan.
Crypto-anarchists are individuals who utilize cryptographic software and privacy-enhancing technologies to evade persecution while propagating their political freedom, financial sovereignty, and perpetuating their privacy.
The concept of crypto-anarchism was born out of the Cypherpunk movement, which started in the late 1980s.
The Cypherpunk movement included prominent figures such as Wikileaks’ Julian Assange, Blockstream’s Adam Back, bitcoin developer Hal Finney, Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen, and Timothy C. May, who published the seminal work on Crypto-Narchaism, the Crypto-Anarchist Manifesto, in 1992, in which he stated:
“Computer technology is on the verge of providing the ability for individuals and groups to communicate and interact with each other in a totally anonymous manner. Two persons may exchange messages, conduct business, and negotiate electronic contracts without ever knowing the True Name, or legal identity, of the other. Interactions over networks will be untraceable, via extensive re-routing of encrypted packets and tamper-proof boxes which implement cryptographic protocols with nearly perfect assurance against any tampering. Reputations will be of central importance, far more important in dealings than even the credit ratings of today. These developments will alter completely the nature of government regulation, the ability to tax and control economic interactions, the ability to keep information secret, and will even alter the nature of trust and reputation.” — Timothy C. May
As it turns out 26 years later, May was correct.
Cryptocurrencies and Crypto-Anarchy
While the crypto-anarchists of the early cypherpunk movement were already able to communicate through encrypted channels to keep their data and information private, what was missing was anonymous digital cash that could be used to conduct financial transactions.
In 2008, when the Bitcoin whitepaper was published, many crypto-anarchists believed that what they have been waiting for has arrived. Bitcoin provides users with the ability to store their wealth and make financial transactions without the need of a traditional financial intermediary such as a bank or payment provider. This allowed crypto-anarchists (and anyone else in the world) to finally send and receive funds outside of the established financial system.
However, over the years it became apparent that Bitcoin’s public blockchain is an inherent flaw in Bitcoin’s construction for those who want to use the digital currency to protect their personal financial sovereignty. Wallet address clustering, linking IP address to bitcoin wallets and blockchain analysis have enabled authorities to link bitcoin wallets to their real-world owners.
To solve this problem, anonymous cryptocurrencies were born.
Anonymous cryptocurrencies provide users with full personal financial sovereignty. That means, as an individual who can decide what you will do with your money without a bank or a government being able to tell you what you can and can’t do with your funds for the simple reason that they are not able to determine how much money you hold and what you are spending it for.
The two market-leading anonymous cryptocurrencies are Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR). However, the strong demand for truly anonymous financial transactions has spurred substantial growth in this cryptocurrency market segment, which has led to the creation of a range privacy-centric altcoins such as PIVX (PIVX), Verge (XVG), Bitcoin Private (BTCP), and many more.
Why Crypto-Anarchism Matters Today More Than Ever
In today’s day and age, every single Internet user is being spied on and their data is being collected. If intelligence agencies such as the NSA are not harvesting your data, it is being collated by technology giants such as Facebook and Google. This fact has become increasingly clearer since Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing in 2013 and the recent Congressional hearing of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
However, it is even clearer that the government will not help to protect citizens from these widespread systematic invasions of privacy. This is where crypto-anarchy comes into play.
While opponents of encryption, privacy-enhancing technologies, and anonymous cryptocurrencies primarily cite their potential use by criminals, money launderers, and terrorists as the reason why there should be limited or even banned, the reality is that there has never been a time when privacy-enhancing solutions were more critical than ever.
As our lives continue to move further online, and our homes become infiltrated by Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that can listen in on our conversations and send data about us to its providers (and third parties who pay for it), people need to be made aware of the fact that there are products and services that are being developed and promoted by the crypto-anarchist movement, which enable us to preserve our privacy and individual liberty.
While crypto-anarchism may sound like a frightening term to some, the reality is that the rise of crypto-anarchism has the potential to play a significant role in protecting the privacy and liberties of today’s citizens. | https://medium.com/ico-alert/a-guide-to-crypto-anarchy-eda873560919 | ['Alex Lielacher'] | 2018-07-23 21:20:49.256000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'News', 'Anarchism'] |
Leading Peers: No more a Catch-22 | Leadership is a quality which a few people excel in. Leading people is difficult and leading peers even more. It becomes difficult for the leader to choose the leadership style, i. e. autocratic, democratic or free rein, for leading peers. Choosing any rigid approach may not only hamper the success but may even be detrimental to the present position. Moreover while leading peers the level of authority with the leader is almost non-existent. Having negligible authority and full accountability seems a catch-22. Colleagues may resent or even fear assistance or orders from a peer.
Leading peers is seldom easy. However it is not impossible. It is rightly said, If you want something to be done by someone, GAIN THEIR TRUST. Gaining the confidence of the colleagues will help in bridging the problem of resentment to a great extent. One requires to find the needs of the colleageus and fulfill them. Needs maybe financial,social or other needs. Fulfilling these needs would lighten a flame of satisfaction and belongingness between them. Thus, it would help them to work in right direction and accepting the changes with open arms. Also, the leader must understand that his colleagues would not follow him through his words but through his actions and behaviour. It is a human tendency to follow an example than a speech. So, he must himself follow his speech and his colleagues may follow his lead.
Leading peers may seem out of the question if effective communication does not takes place between the colleagues. Proper communication and minimal miscommunication will enable the leader and the peers to be confident about the goal to be accomplished. Also, a leader may suffer a major setback if he considers the idea of informal communication as flaucinaucinihipilification. Informal communication help in creating a comfortable environment for the employees to work in. It also fills up the gaps left by formal communication. Communication is not a one way process. Not only speaking according to the intellectual and physical capacity of the receiver, effective communication requires involvement and participation on the part of peers, the leader must listen to the speaker with due attention and try to understand the message the speaker wants to convey in the same sense.
At the same time the leader must avoid getting involved into gossips. Gossips not only waste the time that can be used efficiently and productively but also breaks the trust and confidence of the other colleagues. Gossiping about other employees or peers must be a strict NO for the leader.
Leadership is an attribute and like an art it is influenced by human nature and improves with practice. Every person may have a different notion about leadership. However, leading the peers requires a great skill in the field of influencing people and gaining and maintaining their trust. One major formula to be kept in mind for leadership is that strategy for goal accomplishment must not be imposed on colleagues. Rather it must be formulated with a thorough discussion and involvement of the colleagues. Such an approach will help in easy and fast accomplishment of the goal. Also, the success must not be enjoyed only by the leader but by the whole team because A boss has a title while a leader has the people. | https://medium.com/@whtsonurmind/leading-peers-no-more-a-catch-22-68657aee4835 | [] | 2020-12-25 08:53:35.704000+00:00 | ['Growth', 'Leadership', 'Leadership Development', 'Leadership Skills', 'Business'] |
Increasing triplet subsequence problem | Hi today, I have solved an algorithm issue (Increasing triplet subsequence) which is very interesting, I would like to share the solution.
Given an unsorted array return whether an increasing subsequence of length 3 exists or not in the array. Formally the function should: Return true if there exists i, j, k
such that arr[i] < arr[j] < arr[k] given 0 ≤ i < j < k ≤ n-1 else return false. Note: Your algorithm should run in O(n) time complexity and O(1) space complexity.
Example 1:
Input: [1,2,3,4,5]
Output: true
Example 2:
Input: [5,4,3,2,1]
Output: false
So the purpose is to check if there exists a sub-sequential 3 integers (a, b, c) who increases which means a < b < c in the array.
Taking the note into consideration, the algorithm should run in O(n) time and O(1) space.
Thus my thought is that
We define a minimal first element minOne which indicates the minimal element which is the 1st of the triplet.
And we defined a minimal second element minTwo which indicates the minimal element which is the 2nd of the triplet.
Then we iterate from the first element of the array to the last element of the array. For each item
1, If the item is smaller than minOne, we assign minOne to item because minOne records the minimal first item of the triplet
2, If the item is larger than minOne, we assign minTwo to Math.min(minTwo, item) because it means that it can be the 2nd item of the triplet and we use Math.min to find the smaller minTwo
3, If the item is larger than minTwo, we can say that we found the triplet and then we can return true to say there exists a triplet.
Until the end, we return false as we cannot find a triplet which increases.
Now it is the code show (in Java)
public boolean increasingTriplet(int[] nums) {
if (nums == null || nums.length < 3) {
return false;
}
int minOne = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
int minTwo = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
for (int num : nums) {
if (num < minOne) {
minOne = num;
}
if (num > minOne) {
minTwo = Math.min(num, minTwo);
}
if (num > minTwo) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
The one-way iteration takes O(n) time and we defined extra two variables minOne and minTwo which takes O(1) space.
And this is kind of dynamic programming which basically calculate the current result based on previous calculated result
Hope you enjoy this! | https://medium.com/@xiaogegexiao/increasing-triplet-subsequence-problem-995471b338f1 | ['Xiao Mei'] | 2019-02-14 12:19:33.089000+00:00 | ['Algorithms', 'Programming', 'Dynamic Programming', 'Arrays', 'Data Structures'] |
How Losing My Hair Led to Deeper Intimacy With My Partner | How Losing My Hair Led to Deeper Intimacy With My Partner Tubi Hamid Sep 8·10 min read
In the novel How One Becomes Sarah Mead, there’s a scene in which the main character Sarah asks her partner Sam to shave her head upon starting to lose her hair to alopecia. The process is detailed in a way that highlights how intimate the act is and how feminine Sarah felt going through it. The book is fiction and was written well before I became sick. But when I began losing my hair after undergoing chemo and radiation on my head, I resented the passage and its author for writing something they were clearly out of touch with. That my hair loss would likely be permanent made my resentment that much stronger.
My hair has been a central matter in my life since I was first old enough to consider it. I’m a hijabi and ensure my hair remains covered when I’m out in the world or in mixed company. As a Muslim girl, my parents raised me to believe that a woman must have long hair to be obedient to Allah, for women with hairstyles men wear were an affront to God. This is not something I believe as an adult, for I’m certain Allah cares more about how I treat others than how I wear my hair, but one’s upbringing is hard to shake. In my first marriage, my husband, who became violently abusive shortly into our marriage, used my hair as a means by which to control me. I got it cut once without his permission and he beat me. More than once he threatened to shave it off if I brought him shame, which could occur any number of ways, all dependent on his mood. Years into our marriage, keeping my long hair, not losing it to his rage became a point of pride for me. Long hair meant I was being a good wife. Being a good wife meant a life with minimal pain. Losing my hair, I came to understand, meant that I had failed in some great way.
In my current life, I pride myself on having put all of those false beliefs behind me. Or so I thought I had until I was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. I’d always naively thought, as many do, that if I was ever diagnosed with cancer, I would be the one to not let silly vanity trip me up, I’d not be bothered by something as trivial as the loss of my hair if it was between my survival and my hair. It’s easy to think these things when cancer is an abstract concept, something that happens to other people, not a real illness you must endure. When I was diagnosed and told I would need surgery, I was at first okay with what I assumed would be a temporary loss. It was “just hair” after all.
The day before my surgery, I sat in a dining chair in the bathroom as my partner cut off my hair that hung to my waist. We laughed as they cut it ever shorter, through questionable styles. I had the mushroom cut of children of the 80s, a severe mullet, a flat top, and we finished with the worst of the terrible styles by shaving just the crown of my head with a razor. I shaved the rest, standing in the mirror feeling empowered as I did the thing my ex husband always threatened to do while feeling loved and wanted, not ashamed and scared. My long, thick hair lay in a massive pile on the floor and I didn’t give it a second thought as we cleaned it up and my partner took it out to the dumpster. It was temporary. Within a year or so, things would be back on track. I was experiencing a new hairstyle after having the same one for 20 years. This was an opportunity for growth.
This all changed when my surgery was only semi-successful. They weren’t able to remove the entire tumor and I would need chemo and radiation. This was again fine with me, still a temporary loss, I assumed. In preparation for the radiation therapy, the doctor gave me all sorts of info. Pamphlets, support group info sheets, brochures and websites to wig shops.
“Wigs are uncomfortable,” I told him, “I’ll just go without until my hair grows back. Save the brochures for other patients, please.”
The doctor offered a kind smile and hesitated for a moment. “Tubi, the hair loss from this radiation is often vast.” He said. “And permanent.”
My mind raced through the mental pictures of exactly where and how much of my head would be irradiated. Where, exactly, I would be permanently losing a “vast” amount of hair. The memory of the terrible “joke” haircut in which my partner shaved only the crown of my head and we laughed and laughed at how bad it looked on me came to mind. That was precisely where I would be losing my hair. My head would be transformed into the permanent joke, the most unfeminine caricature we could come up with.
My partner and I didn’t talk on the way home from that appointment. We were both stuck on now-bad memories. Courtney on what a joke they had made of the “medieval monk” hairstyle just a few weeks before, and me on all the times they had mindlessly ran their fingers through my hair, brushed it out of my face, expressed love and affection through their hand in my hair. Now what would they do, I wondered, rub fingers over a bare head complete with cartoon squeak sounds?
In the days before radiation therapy began, my partner tried to comfort me, make me believe that my hair didn’t factor into their attraction to me, and wasn’t what made me beautiful. They reminded me that as a hijabi, no one but them need ever know that I had lost my hair. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe their words. After all, Courtney spent ten years as my older sister’s partner and for the last five years of their relationship, my sister was voluntarily bald or wore a close crew cut. What I struggled with was my past beliefs, my failings as a woman, and the loss of my femininity.
As treatment went on, it wasn’t a matter we ever brought up. I was still on chemotherapy and bald from that anyway and as sick as I was from it, my hair rarely crossed my mind. It was several weeks after chemo ended and fuzzy wisps of hair began to grow everywhere but atop my head that I began my daily struggle with seeing myself in the mirror.
The morning I noticed the light-colored and fuzzy wisps becoming my natural dark and thick stubble, I was again reminded of our laughter at the look as we shaved my head for surgery. I was reminded of my ex husband and his threats to shave my head to shame me. I was reminded of what I was raised to believe about Muslim women and short hair. I needed to get rid of the stubble before my partner could wake and see it. How could I bear their gaze as a shamed, failure of a woman with the hair we’d mocked? I could share anything with Courtney but not this. Not the realization of a deeply held fear knowing they would feel obligated to make me feel better, no matter what they felt about how I looked now.
I closed the bathroom door, turned the shower on to muffle my sobs, and got my shave gel from the shower. I tried to steel myself but failed as I rubbed the gel around my head and it turned to foam, just as it did on my ex husband when he shaved his head to conceal his male pattern baldness.
There’s a passage in the novel when an unspoken trust is shared between Sarah and Sam. Sam, a barber, has just finished shaving off Sarah’s long hair at her request and he spins Sarah around to see her now-bald self in the mirror. Instead of being horrified as she expected, Sarah noticed all of the feminine features of her face and she notices Sam staring at her with as much adoration and attraction as always. Sarah’s greatest fear had come to fruition after she’d spent so much energy trying to conceal her hair loss and Sam was there to help her, without question.
I didn’t expect the same “help” for myself, even though the novel’s author is my partner. I didn’t expect it because I would never ask. My ex husband standing behind me, razor in hand, looking at my bald head was a thought that terrorized me for years. Why would I willingly put myself in that position now? Plus, shaving your feminine significant other’s head would surely have a way of killing any romantic feelings there were between you.
The closed door and running water failed to muffle my crying and Courtney came into the bathroom to find me a trembling wreck hunched over the sink.
“Can I hold you?” They asked me.
I nodded.
“May I kiss you?” They asked me.
I nodded.
“Can I have this?” They asked, holding out a hand for the razor.
I put it in their hand.
“Do you want me to do this?” They asked.
I shook my head, no, and they held me without a word until my tears stopped.
“Can I do this for you, please?” They asked, when I finally allowed my eyes to meet theirs.
I nodded, reluctantly. I knew this game. Our back and forth of consent. Courtney knows my past and what I endured with my ex husband and they know that when I’m struggling, when my mind goes back to my life with him, everything must revolve around consent. This empowers me in ways past me was always denied. The back and forth of consent, me granting permission for every touch, everything that’s done to and for me, it reminds me that now, even in situations that feel out of my control, there are always things that I have the power to control.
Yes, you can do this for me because I cannot do it for myself. I know this and I am grateful that I do not have to say it, that it is just understood. This is an intimacy I allowed for the first time in our two years together and despite my obvious vulnerability, for a moment I feel more powerful than perhaps I ever have. No, I did not take control of the situation myself, I gave my control over it to someone else. A control that would have been dangerous in my former life. A control that reminds me that I am safe and loved and not ever shamed no matter what I am going through at that moment.
Every day now begins with shaving away the stubble that grows around the sides of my head. It’s still a relatively new routine, as my hair has only been re-growing for a couple of months, and sometimes it’s still a struggle. Sometimes I can do it myself, sometimes I have to ask for help. Sometimes I open social media and resent people that post selfies with hairstyles I’d want for myself and other times I’m grateful my morning hair routine has been shaved — pardon the pun — from 45 minutes to five. I’ve found femininity in other things and though I started this process of acceptance by insisting on wearing my hijab in our home because I didn’t want Courtney to look at me and see a bare head, I’ve returned to smiling when I catch them looking at me when they think I won’t notice. There’s such a sense of empowerment in having a daily ritual that grew out of love where it was once a tool used to control me.
Two weeks ago, I met a doctor that does hair restoration for women that have lost their hair in situations like mine. He had come to my salon with his wife. She sat in my chair and said, “What’s your hair look like under there?” But not in the nosy “what’s under your hijab?” probing manner of many others. She simply didn’t know what she wanted to do with her own hair and she was seeking inspiration. I removed my scarf and laughed.
“Something tells me this isn’t what you’re looking for,” I said.
“It’s a bit more drastic than I’m ready for, I think.”
Her husband began asking questions about my hair and what happened to it. I didn’t mind. I prefer questions to the assumption that I’m dying or the not-so-sneaky stares. I explained and he told me what he did and offered me an appointment.
Courtney and I went to the appointment and as we sat there while the doctor explained the process and procedures, I realized that where I once would have done anything to not have to be a bald woman, I now had no desire to subject myself to any amount of pain to not be a bald woman because I simply don’t need to. I’ve grown to love the way my partner looks at me, studies me on the days I hand them my razor and I love how powerful I feel on the days I do it myself. I love that I’ve been released from my longest held fear and not because it happened to shame me and it wasn’t so shameful after all, but it happened to help me and it continues to help me to grow and heal from my past every day.
Perhaps in time I’ll reconsider hair restoration but for now I’m quite happy with the woman losing my hair has helped me become and I’m grateful it’s a source of intimacy and trust in my relationship. | https://medium.com/@tubihamid/how-losing-my-hair-led-to-deeper-intimacy-with-my-partner-6d6ab2e9acf | ['Tubi Hamid'] | 2021-09-08 18:52:31.348000+00:00 | ['Hair Loss', 'Healing From Trauma', 'Cancer'] |
“Pain with reflection” = ” awesome Growth”! | This is an idea has had a huge impact on me, a long time back unknowingly and now knowingly. I will try to discuss only the emotional pain, causes and some remedies to deal with it. Also, in many cases, even physical pain can be managed if we can handle the emotional pain well!
I always try to learn from the best minds in the respective areas, as books have helped to do that in a big way. But pain is one aspect which can be best learnt by our own selves. I have been reading a lot last year, life, philosophy(Hindu, Buddhism, Christianity, Sufism), Work-related books, self-help, and sometimes fiction(read 21 books in 2018). I will try to get into the nitty-gritty from various sources, observations of people and of self.
The best we can do is embrace the pain and accept it to make our selves better. Pain is something we all try to avoid, we try to run away from it. Ones you encounter with pain, instead of ignoring, take it up in a way to enable you to find a solution for progress. Ones you realize how effective it is to accept the pain in an open manner and reflect upon it, you will completely change the way you be in a painful situation next time. Instead of running away from it, we can accept it, identify it, reflect upon it and learn how to better ourselves and in turn deal better with it.
Emotional Pain can be from any reason it can be caused by our Personal or professional life. When we do experience pain, we have two choices, either to accept it or continue in our delusion by ignoring it. The most important thing to keep in mind during these moments is “to catch hold of it with awareness without a reaction”. It’s definitely not easy to realize it in that particular moment. But we can definitely at least note it and reflect upon it later. You would come across a lot of people who would gift you, “tough love”. A lot of moments you would get your blind spots from others. It is also a fact we don’t readily accept our own weakness easily and are also not aware of them. A simple strategy can be helpful for this. If we accept our weakness does not mean that we become them. We are definitely not our weakness forever, it, in turn, gives you the opportunity to get better with. It can enable you to work our on solutions to enable progress. But always remember we can’t improve what we can see(our blind spots), which gives us an open reason to accept criticism without judgements.
We have been in tough and painful moments a lot of times. I have personally been in many unlimitedly, previously being driven by my unaware emotions, I have never been able to understand, the only thing I had done was an unconscious reaction. Even some of you may recollect some moments in your work dealings(daily activities), personal relationships(family, romantic, friends, colleagues, daily interactions, etc). Do any of them in your previous situations make you realize your own blind spots? If your answer is yes. We need to start embracing those uncomfortable situations in better ways, be assured the discomfort is temporary but the progress thereafter is “Awesome”. Its a tough choice we make at the moment of pain, the easier choice we have further.
A deeper understanding via scriptures of various books would help us know that pain does exist but we purely misunderstand it. The only problem in life and the pain is, life isn’t happening the way you want it to happen. Is there any other problem? If we look into a deeper perception, aren’t we just reacting to our sensory impressions stored within our minds? If we understand it further, we are just reacting to the thoughts which come into our minds stored previously from past experiences. A simple way to keep this point clear within us by understanding a basic rule, we are not our body, nor our mind which is created via unconscious impressions, neither our thoughts nor our pain. Thus, our pain cannot define us and identify to ourselves. The best way is to be proactively receptive to the pain without judgement and immediate unconscious reaction. It can be explained by a simple analogy, imagine yourself driving a car, as a higher self than your hands(thoughts steering), accelerator(thoughts), now if you allow the accelerator, and steering controlling you, would you be able to drive safely? The same we can try hard not to get driven by our thoughts, mind, emotions, pain unconsciously. Instead, just observe and react as per our control to have a sane and safe drive!
Just copying a useful quote:
“A transition is always painful
From filth to cleanliness
From darkness to light
From falsehood to truth
However, the discomfort is temporary
When you get used to the new state you wonder how and why you put up with filth, darkness and falsehood for so long
You’ll never go back!”
Also, I wrote about Errors, mistakes, previously, check it out. I suggest similar remedies like Yoga, Meditation, Conscious awareness, non-judgement to catch hold of the pain, reflect, act and progress awesomely! Cheers!
References: Principles(Ray Dalio), My Gita(Devdutt Pattnaik), Power of Now(Eckhart Tolle), The Bible(Audio), and a lot of more books I have read and learnt from. | https://medium.com/@pavanraheja/pain-with-reflection-awesome-growth-43b50e652be5 | ['Pavan Raheja'] | 2019-01-02 18:09:14.538000+00:00 | ['Human Behavior', 'Pain', 'Emotional Intelligence', 'Self Improvement', 'Self-awareness'] |
Pest Control Coconut Creek. Does the presence of pests in your home… | Finding Pest Control Coconut Creek is easy and simple just call Optimus Pest Control services to get rid of all the annoying pests and enjoy pest-free homes and offices.
Does the presence of pests in your home irritate you? Are you hurting with their existence?
Optimus Pest Control is here to give you services of Pest Control Coconut Creek and make the clients happy by removing all the pests from their place residentially as well as commercially. In our daily routine, we used to see different kinds of pests about us and we do not want to see the pests in our house and make ideas on how to remove them from the house. The option that comes to everyone’s mind is to hire a professional company that will help in defeat the pests from the house and gives you quality services as per your requirements and needs. We are here to give you the extraordinary services of Pest Control Coconut Creek. The insects are small in size and have different and exclusive species are present in the world, some insects are hazardous and dangerous for humans and animals, and due to these insects a lot of diseases have occurred and people suffer from these infectious diseases. The pests may give harm the valuable belongings, premises, and many other things in different ways, and people are stressed to think that how to get rid of these insects and make themselves satisfied. When we are searching for the best company for the elimination of the pests we choose the one that is well-reputed and experienced to give you Pest Control Coconut Creek services and gives you peace of mind by removing the pests from your place and make it pests-free and safe. This tiny creature makes a huge mess in the place where they are living, and when the pests decide to enter someplace then no one will stop them from entering that place.
They are found everywhere in the house and office when they make infestation, their large quantity will affect the living of humans and animals, some of the pests used to feed on the bodies of humans and animals by sucking their blood. To avoid their presence it is basic to call the professionals for the services of Pest Control Coconut Creek. At the initial stage, the pests are controlled then you may not suffer from the great damage and if you do not bother with their presence in your home then you suffer huge damage that is not cheap . So you just need the services that are provided by the experts and save you from the big loss. We are here to give the people a variety of services as they demand from us because your satisfaction is important for us. Whenever you are suffering from the infestation of pests you must need to contact us, we will surely help you in the best possible way by giving Pest Control Coconut Creek services. Pests are the basic problem for everyone and everyone tries hard to eliminate them from the house and office where they make infestation. If you are trying to remove them on your own then you are doing the wrong thing because it is the most dangerous step that you are going to take. You just call us we will help you in removing the pests and that is also the right way to remove them. Optimus Pest Control is one of the best pest control companies that is providing different services of controlling pests when they create an infestation then Pest Control Coconut Creek is essential. We have professional and qualified staff that are engaged in delivering the best services and save you from the evils of pests. Pick up your phone and make us a call. | https://medium.com/@optimuspest5/finding-pest-control-coconut-creek-is-easy-and-simple-just-call-optimus-pest-control-services-to-9b79ef7ba5e7 | [] | 2021-03-22 07:13:19.817000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Blogging', 'Freelancing', 'Marketing', 'Médium'] |
Eyes on You 👀 | The number of conspiracies surrounding China’s intentions and initiatives span far and wide. Not only has President Trump coined the term “the China Virus” when referring to the COVID-19 virus but this time around, a veteran cybersecurity expert has compiled research revealing that Chinese intelligence is likely surveilling U.S. mobile phone subscribers using phone networks in the Caribbean.
According to a piece published by The Guardian, China has been engaged in “active” surveillance attacks through foreign telecom operators. Without any clear evidence to back the claim, the report is heavily reliant on the expertise and credibility of Gary Miller, a man with a large track record in the industry.
Specifically, the report describes these initiatives like this:
“At the heart of the allegations are claims that China, using a state-controlled mobile phone operator, is directing signaling messages to US subscribers, usually while they are travelling abroad.
Signaling messages are commands that are sent by a telecom’s operators across the global network, unbeknownst to a mobile phone user. They allow operators to locate mobile phones, connect mobile phone users to one another, and assess roaming charges. But some signaling messages can be used for illegitimate purposes, such as tracking, monitoring, or intercepting communications.”
Do you think this is overkill? Or could there be something to these allegations afterall…
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand. | https://medium.com/invstr/eyes-on-you-649ccce6737a | [] | 2020-12-21 10:24:38.169000+00:00 | ['Surveillance', 'Conspiracy Theories', 'Trump', 'China'] |
Introducing the Deep Learning AI Canvas | © 2017 Intuition Machine Inc.
One of the big mysteries of Deep Learning is, how do we apply this disruptive new AI technology to improving our businesses? There are plenty of questions that are quite open to be able to answer this question. Which business process shall I apply Deep Learning to? Is it even feasible to apply Deep Learning to my selected context? Will it be worth the effort? Are my expectations of A.I. unrealistic? How exactly will I go about implementing this?
These are just a few of the questions that will pop up. It is indeed a complex subject and we definitely are in dire need of some kind of framework where we can organize our thinking around this. That’s what this canvas is for.
Detailed in ”The Deep Learning Playbook”:
Coming soon to an internet bookseller near you!
♡ Heart for a chance at a free copy! | https://medium.com/intuitionmachine/introducing-the-deep-learning-canvas-a2e80a998f11 | ['Carlos E. Perez'] | 2019-02-19 12:04:54.159000+00:00 | ['Lean Startup', 'Deep Learning', 'Artificial Intelligence'] |
Synapse Team Spotlight: Getting to know Matt Freeland, Product Engineer | What is your role at Synapse and what are some of your responsibilities?
Officially a Product Engineer. One of my main responsibilities is assisting our implementation and account management teams in onboarding platforms. I’m their direct SE while they’re in the process of using the sandbox to learn the products and start developing their applications to interact with it. I also do some reporting stuff, working in our databases to pull reports for our compliance & engineering teams and do some general support engineering stuff. Additionally, I contribute to our Backend codebase.
Did you always know you wanted to become an engineer?
Kind of. Even before I was in an actual engineering role, it might seem ridiculous but I’ve been using Excel and doing a couple of art projects in various graphics programs like Photoshop. I had been introduced to the world of scripting so I would script automated tasks in Excel, I’d make macro-enabled spreadsheets and stuff like that so I did a little bit of lightweight coding and I’ve been doing that for basically my entire working life. Anything I could create shell scripts for or make macro-enabled spreadsheets for, I would do it and when I started learning Python it just all clicked for me and I realized yep, Engineer is where I want to be.
Once you made that decision, how did you know what the next step would be from there?
I got laid off from an industry that is very cyclical and is prone to bulk layoffs and decided that I wanted better stability and I had plenty of time and runway to make a change. I decided the best way would be to go to a programming boot camp. So I did with the express idea of becoming a web developer not yet sure that I wanted to be a back-end engineer at that point but as I went through the courses I kind of gravitated towards Python and Flask specifically and that is where my focus is right now.
What drew you to joining Synapse originally?
Initially and before I knew anything about the product, it was a stack that I was comfortable with. I looked at the technical specifications in a listing and was like ‘Hey Flask! I can work in Flask’. From there when I was doing some research on the company and the product it was just super cool and I was pretty invested in getting the job. I did a lot of research on the public API, but it really cemented in when I came in for the interview and talk to you and Sankaet and Hillary, sitting there and watching Sankaet’s overview of how the product worked, I was completely hooked at that point.
Want to read more, please visit our blog. | https://medium.com/synapsefi/synapse-team-spotlight-getting-to-know-matt-freeland-product-engineer-89c0f3fab171 | ['Carla Mcmorris'] | 2020-12-17 01:42:34.525000+00:00 | ['Engineer', 'Engineering'] |
The Most Unusual Flowers in the World | Every flower in our environment does have a beautiful appearance. But I am sure that there are plants you have never seen of or even heard about it. The world is so big that we do not have the chance to meet with any kind of beauty on the planet anytime we want due to the distance or maybe because of the opportunity we do not have. But this is not a obstacle to meet with the hidden wonders…
Gloriosa Superba
Gloriosa Superba which grows in a tropical climate is unique to South Africa and Asia. The appearance of the flower has an extraordinary look compared with the usual ones we see in our environment. Gloriosa Superba is the national flower of Zimbabwe. A little part of the flower is known to be poisonous.
Picture from Gardening Know How
Strongylodon Macrobotrys
This claw-shaped flower with its fascinating appearance, is under threat due to its natural life is destroyed. The colours of Strongylodon Macrobotrys can vary from green to blue. The growth of the plant is in Filipins and its natural pollinators are bats.
Picture from Eden Project
Cypripedium Calceolus
This flower is also an ultrarare one, it is not possible to see such a flower around. Cypripedium Calceolus is a member of the orchid family. It can be seen in some European countries. This flower is protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in the UK.
Picture from Wild Flowers
Cosmos Atrosanguineus
Cosmos Atrosanguineus also named as Chocolate Cosmos, is a flower unique to Mexico. It is known that this flower died out in the wildlife. This flower has an effective fragrant. Today, the clone of Cosmos Atrosanguineus is conserved in protected areas.
Picture from Pacific Bulb Society
Rafflesia Arnoldii
This huge flower evokes the images from science fiction movies. It is a plant that grows in India. It is giving nearly the same smell as the flower Titan Arum. Rafflesia Arnoldii is the biggest flower in the world and it can grow up to 1 meter. The weird fact about this flower is that it does not have an apparent leaf or a root.
Picture from Harvard Magazine
Some of the plants are under threat and some of them are in safe hands. It is sad that we do not have the opportunity to see those unusual flowers around which is a cause of our lack of knowledge about them. But it is never too late to meet with them… | https://medium.com/@emeklieezgi/the-most-unusual-flowers-in-the-world-cad26d80671c | ['The Secret World Of Plants'] | 2021-12-19 18:37:27.123000+00:00 | ['Nature', 'Flowers', 'Plants'] |
PowerMock : How to test a private method | “I HAVE THE POWER!!” — I had this feeling a few days ago. I will be honest that at work I do not get time to write unit test cases for each and every piece of code that I write. Often when I do have time, I make an effort to write test cases even for the trivial piece of code blocks such as — Check if properties file is present.
I was working on new code where I had the luxury to write the code in peace (a rarity at my work place where every project is like a fire drill). While writing test cases I came across a situation where I had a class with two methods:
I wanted to write test cases for both the method. However Junit would not allow me to write a test case for a private method. I searched over internet forums and every one suggested that I use Java Reflection API to write my test cases or make my private method public, which I did not want to do.
That’s when POWERMOCK steps in and in a tiny little section of its documentation I noticed a piece of “**WhiteboxImpl” ** class which can help me test private methods.
So that’s what I am going to demonstrate in this tutorial.
STEP 1: Add Maven jar filesSTEP 2: Create a class MyClass.javaSTEP 3: Write a test case for public method : my _public _method
As you can see above that there is no issue with calling a public method and it will run successfully but when you try and call the private method, the code will show error that private method is not visible.
STEP 4: Use PowerMock’s WhiteboxImpl class to test a private method.
Before you do anything you need to make sure that you added Powermock annotations correctly.
@RunWith(PowerMockRunner.class) @PrepareForTest(MyClass.class)
The syntax is pretty simple WhiteboxImpl.invokeMethod(, “,input param1, input param2,…);
The WhiteBoxImpl class actually uses “ Java Reflection API” in the background to make a call, but for the lazy coders like me, who do not want to write Reflection API( Read hate Reflection API), the WhiteBoxImpl class is a small piece of coding heaven.
Now run the test class and you will see that test cases have passed.
~Ciao -Repeat the mantra — “I HAVE THE POWER{MOCK}!!!” | https://medium.com/@dinesh19aug_46117/powermock-how-to-test-a-private-method-7a02051cf11d | ['Dinesh Arora'] | 2020-12-03 17:32:36.487000+00:00 | ['Powermock', 'Spring', 'Testing', 'Junit'] |
Those who can, do.. Forty minutes into the day, it’s only… | Those who can, do.
Forty minutes into the day, it’s only 8.10am on a Monday morning and my head is already full of questions and concerns. Did my planning get uploaded to the server properly? Will senior leadership be alright with me leaving the box empty for Friday’s maths plenary session for the third week in a row? Are my different coloured highlighters where I left them before the weekend? Where’s the remote for the projector that I need to lead the whole school assembly? There’s both a morning briefing and an after-school meeting today — when will I get time to print out photos of last Friday’s drama and ‘hot seating’ session, and will everyone in the class leave a blank page to make sure everything’s in chronological order? Where did I leave my time-saving Two Stars and a Wish stickers?
All of this before even having opened the door to the thirty young pupils who enter the room each day brimming with excitement and energy, keen to share tales of their recent adventures.
Granted, stress at work is not a new issue and neither are the constraints and pressures in the public sector. But the toll of the stress that teachers face on an almost daily basis has accumulated so many column inches in recent years that it is getting harder to ignore, with one article calling the long-term sick leave an ‘epidemic’. For many in the profession, however, actually acknowledging there is a problem and asking for help is far easier said than done.
I left the teaching profession after the best part of a decade working in the classroom. While there is truth in the cliché (it really is a rewarding job), I also saw many colleagues, both with more and fewer years of experience under their belt than myself, burning out and taking increasingly long periods off work. In a profession that is now so driven by data, the statistic ‘one in three’ should be printed on thick card (although anything thicker than 80 gsm in any Resources Cupboard is like gold dust), highlighted in yellow (laminating is optional) and left on the desks of those higher up the ladder. Because the fact that one in three teachers now leaves the profession within their first five years cannot be overlooked for much longer.
Of course, every job has its ups and downs, its good days and bad. But teaching, and the toll that the job can take on staff wellbeing, is increasingly making the headlines — from ‘soaring stress levels’ to how AI can ease teachers’ workload. And all of this was long before the word ‘lockdown’ featured in everyday vocabulary.
Staff wellbeing
Put simply, teaching is not a job that is easy to switch off from at the end of the working day. On a daily basis you are actively involved in the lives of many young learners, their parents and carers and the wider community as a whole. Contrary to popular belief, the work does not start at 9am and stop at 3.30pm and several days of each half-term and end-of-term holiday are also dedicated to planning and preparation.
Speaking from personal experience, I have never spoken to a teacher who wants to leave because of a ‘bad year group’ or because the ‘kids just don’t listen’ — this is part and parcel of the profession and teachers develop strategies to better manage these situations as each term goes by. I have, however, spoken to numerous teachers who use the words ‘workload’, ‘management’ and ‘work-life balance’ when voicing their thoughts on finding another job.
Professor Cary L Cooper, co-author of ‘Teachers Under Pressure: Stress in the Teaching Profession’, is a specialist in workplace health and wellbeing. He believes people skills should be on a par with technical expertise when staff are promoted, arguing that more emotional intelligence amongst managers would create a better workplace for all.
Staff morale varies greatly from school to school. Having worked in several schools, I have witnessed the positive outcomes of strong and genuine leadership and its effect on staff morale. Equally, I have also witnessed senior leaders miss opportunities to make significant changes to wellbeing and morale by falling into a trap that, as trainee teachers, we are always told to avoid: going straight to ‘telling off’ for something rather than leading by example and giving praise for progress made.
Fortunately, the public humiliation of an individual pupil is gradually becoming less common in classrooms. With well-timed praise and positive feedback, much progress has been made in classroom behaviour management since the days of recurring detentions and missing out on school trips. However, this can be a very instinctive human trait when under pressure and things aren’t going as planned, whether as a class teacher of thirty or a head teacher of a large school. While it may seem to bring about short-term gain in the eyes of the more senior, reverting to negativity and sanctions (in the form of, say, excessive action plans and lesson observations) is certainly not a good management strategy to boost staff morale, or indeed good for staff retention.
Sadly, many statistics from the most recent Teacher Wellbeing Index continue to hover around the three in four mark: 71% say workload would be the reason they would leave the profession, 72% are stressed, 74% can’t switch off from work and 78% have experienced behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work.
Reinventing the wheel
With such pressure to make each lesson unique, differentiated and consistently engaging, there are simply not enough hours in the day for one person to plan, prepare and deliver such classes. Fortunately, in this digital age, there are many people out there who can help. There are forums where you can share ideas and advice or ask for help from others that understand the position you are in. There are also a number of sites that offer ready-made and time-saving materials which can be adapted to the needs of your pupils.
Of course, an element of stress and some pressures are to be expected in the workplace and can in fact help with motivating staff and meeting targets. But when the needle rarely drops out of the red, and when many teachers are already putting their all into the job, something really needs to be done. Thankfully, mental health issues are gradually suffering less of a stigma and the more accepted it is to speak out about the way we feel, the more awareness about the issue is raised. While predictions about the future of teaching include more technology and collaboration among students, we must acknowledge the current situation that educators find themselves in and help those who work so hard to help others. | https://medium.com/@tomasokienka/those-who-can-do-for-those-who-cant-it-s-a-constant-battle-f730d387fd26 | ['Tomas Okienka'] | 2020-12-21 15:25:27.038000+00:00 | ['Teaching', 'Mental Health', 'Management', 'Education', 'Stress'] |
Impact of Blockchain Technology in Health Care | Photo by Kendal on Unsplash
Blockchain technology has the potential to transform health care, placing the patient at the center of the health care ecosystem and increasing the security, privacy, and interoperability of health data. This technology could provide a new model for health information exchanges (HIE) by making electronic medical records more efficient, disinter mediated, and secure. While it is not a panacea, this new, rapidly evolving field provides fertile ground for experimentation, investment, and proof-of-concept testing.
The promise of blockchain has widespread implications for stakeholders in the health care ecosystem. Capitalizing on this technology has the potential to connect fragmented systems to generate insights and to better assess the value of care. In the long term, a nationwide blockchain network for electronic medical records may improve efficiencies and support better health outcomes for patients.
Bruce Broussard, president and CEO of Humana, posits blockchain will become the next big healthcare technology innovation, particularly as it relates to payments and payer contracts. For example, in a situation when a health plan and patient are dealing with a contract, the blockchain can automatically verify and authorize information and the contractual processes. “There is no more back-and-forth haggling with the health plan about what was paid, why it was paid or whether it should have been paid,” he wrote. “With transparency and automation, greater efficiencies will lead to lower administration costs, faster claims and less money wasted.”
Another potential healthcare application is population health. Instead of relying on health information exchanges or other ways to aggregate data, organizations can eliminate the middleman and access patient databases on a large, population scale. “Spending time and resources verifying members’ trustworthiness (e.g., HIE, all-payer claims database, local EMRs) no longer makes savvy business sense. Blockchain will leap frog population health by providing trust where none exists for continuous access to patient records by directly linking information to clinical and financial outcomes,” reports CIO.
With its ability to deflate the current spending bubble, protect patient data and improve the overall healthcare experience, blockchain may help ease the pain. The technology is already being used to do everything from securely encrypt patient data to manage the outbreak of harmful diseases. And at least one country is big on the potential of blockchain healthcare: Estonia.
The size of Tennessee with the population of Maine, Estonia began using blockchain technology in 2012 to secure healthcare data and process transactions. Now all of the country’s healthcare billing is handled on a blockchain, 95% of health information is ledger-based and 99% of all prescription information is digital.
SECURING PATIENT DATA
Keeping our important medical data safe and secure is the most popular blockchain healthcare application at the moment, which isn’t surprising. Security is a major issue in the healthcare industry. Between 2009 and 2017, more than 176 million patient records were exposed in data breaches. The perpetrators stole credit card and banking information, as well as health and genomic testing records.
Blockchain’s ability to keep an incorruptible, decentralized and transparent log of all patient data makes it a technology rife for security applications. Additionally, while blockchain is transparent it is also private, concealing the identity of any individual with complex and secure codes that can protect the sensitivity of medical data. The decentralized nature of the technology also allows patients, doctors and healthcare providers to share the same information quickly and safely.
Checkout how these these companies are applying blockchain to healthcare security:
BURSTIQ:
BurstIQ’s platform helps healthcare companies safely and securely manage massive amounts of patient data. Its blockchain technology enables the safekeeping, sale, sharing or license of data while maintaining strict compliance with HIPAA rules.
Blockchain application: The company uses blockchain to improve the way medical data is shared and used.
Real-life impact: Because BurstIQ’s platform includes complete and up-to-date information about patients’ health and healthcare activity, it could help to root out abuse of opioids or other prescription drugs
FACTOM:
Factom creates products that help the healthcare industry securely store digital records on the company’s blockchain platform that’s accessible only by hospitals and healthcare administrators. Physical papers can be equipped with special Factom security chips that hold information about a patient and stored as private data that is accessible only by authorized people.
Blockchain application: Factom employs blockchain technology to securely store digital health records.
Real-life impact: In June of 2018, Factom got a grant of nearly $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to beta-test a platform aimed at integrating secure data from Border Patrol cameras and sensors in order to better understand the impacts of blockchain in “a realistic field environment.”
BLOCKCHAIN MEDICAL RECORDS CAN STREAMLINE CARE AND PREVENT COSTLY MISTAKES
Miscommunication between medical professional’s costs the healthcare industry a staggering $11 billion a year. The time consuming process of obtaining access to a patient’s medical records exhausts staff resources and delays patient care. Blockchain-based medical records offers a cure for these ills.
The decentralized nature of the technology creates one ecosystem of patient data that can be quickly and efficiently referenced by doctors, hospitals, pharmacists and anyone else involved in treatment. In this way, the blockchain can lead to faster diagnoses and personalized care plans.
These four companies are embracing the concept of blockchain medical records to create shared databases and personalized health plans.
These companies are embracing the concept of blockchain medical records to create shared databases and personalized health plans.
SIMPLYVITAL HEALTH
SimplyVital Health is making its decentralized technology available to the healthcare industry. It’s Nexus Health platform is an open source database that allows healthcare providers, on a patient’s blockchain, to access pertinent information. Open access to important medical information helps healthcare professionals coordinate medical efforts more quickly than traditional methods.
Blockchain application: SimplyVital uses blockchain to create an open source database so healthcare providers can access patient information and coordinate care.
Real-life impact: SimplyVital recently partnered with genemics and precision medicine company Shivom to form a Global Healthcare Blockchain Alliance that employs blockchain security to protect DNA sequencing data.
CORAL HEALTH RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Coral Health uses blockchain to accelerate the care process, automate administrative processes and improve health outcomes. By inserting patient information into distributed ledger technology, the company connects doctors, scientists, lab technicians and public health authorities quicker than ever. Coral Health also implements smart contracts between patients and healthcare professionals to ensure data and treatments are accurate.
Blockchain application: Coral’s blockchain technology accelerates care, automates administrative processes and employs smart contracts between patients and doctors.
Real-life impact: According to Coral’s chief strategy officer Jeremy Mullin, the company is looking into the possibility of using a blockchain and the Smart on FHIR protocol “to let patients track their own health files.”
MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND DRUG TRACEABILITY/SAFETY
How much do we really know about our medicine? Can we be sure it hasn’t been tampered with? Is it coming from a legitimate supplier? These questions are the primary concerns of the medical supply chain, or the link between the lab and the marketplace.
Blockchain has serious implications for pharmaceutical supply chain management, and its decentralization virtually guarantees full transparency in the shipping process. Once a ledger for a drug is created, it will mark the point of origin (ie. a laboratory). The ledger will then continue to record data every step of the way, including who handled it and where it has been, until it reaches the consumer. The process can even monitor labor costs and waste emissions.
Here are the companies using blockchain to rethink the medical supply chain.
CHRONICLED
Chronicled builds blockchain networks that demonstrate chain-of-custody. The networks help pharma companies make sure their medicines arrive efficiently, and they enable law enforcement to review any suspicious activity — like drug trafficking. In 2017, Chronicled created the Medi-ledger Project, a ledger system dedicated to the safety, privacy and efficiency of medical supply chains.
Blockchain application: Chronicled’s blockchain network is used to ensure the safe arrival and detailed review of drug shipments.
Real-life impact: According to the company, results from Chronicled’s recent Medi-Ledger Project prove that its blockchain-based system “is capable of acting as the interoperable system for the pharmaceutical supply chain” and “can meet the data privacy requirements of the pharmaceutical industry itself.”
BLOCKPHARMA
Blockpharma offers a solution to drug traceability and counterfeiting. By scanning the supply chain and verifying all points of shipment, the company’s app lets patients know if they are taking falsified medicines with the help of a blockchain-based SCM system, Blockpharma weeds out the 15% of all medicines in the world that are fake.
Blockchain application: Through its app, the company’s blockchain-based system can help prevent patients from taking counterfeit medicines.
BREAKTHROUGHS IN GENOMICS
The potential of genomics to improve the future of human health, once a dream, is now a scientific and financial reality. In 2001, it cost $1 billion to process a human genome. Today it costs about $1,000, and companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com are bringing DNA tests that unlock clues to our health and past to millions of homes.
Blockchain is a perfect fit for this growing industry as it can safely house billions of genetic data points. It’s even become a marketplace where people can sell their encrypted genetic information to create a wider database, giving scientists access to valuable data faster than ever before.
These three companies are using blockchain to further our understanding of the most basic building blocks of human life.
NEBULA GENOMICS
Nebula Genomics is using distributed ledger technology to eliminate unnecessary spending and middlemen in the genetic studying process. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies spend billions of dollars each year acquiring genetic data from third parties. Nebula Genomics is helping to build a giant genetic database by eliminating expensive middlemen and incentivizing users to safely sell their encrypted genetic data.
Blockchain application: The company uses blockchain to streamline the study of genetics and lower costs.
ENCRYPGEN
The EncrypGen Gene-Chain is a blockchain-backed platform that facilitates the searching, sharing, storage, buying and selling of genetic information. The company protects its users’ privacy by allowing only other members to purchase the genetic information using safe, traceable DNA tokens. Member companies can use the genetic information to build upon their genetic knowledge and advance the industry.
Blockchain application: The company’s blockchain platform makes it easier to search for, share, store and buy genetic information.
Real-life impact: EncrypGen plans to expand its user profile to include self-reported medical and behavioral data. According to company co-founder and CEO Dr. David Koepsell, it’s also working on integrating a blockchain payment and auditing platform as well as forming partnerships with testing companies, analytics software developers and others. | https://medium.com/@jeet.mehta/impact-of-blockchain-technology-in-health-care-c7cbcf3503a8 | ['Jeet Mehta'] | 2020-07-03 09:12:54.627000+00:00 | ['Healthcare Technology', 'Smart Contracts', 'Contracts', 'Healthcare', 'Blockchain'] |
Taxes Are Not the Monster Under Your Bed | by Sana Sethi
When voters see a ballot measure aimed at raising taxes, they are quick to shoot it down. Their pen automatically gravitates towards the “No” bubble on their ballot. They may even be relieved, thinking, “That’s an easy one.” Colorado voters are no exception. Just this past election, Coloradans voted to reduce the state income tax by approving Proposition 116.
Politicians often use “They will raise taxes!” as a tactic to smear opposing candidates during their campaigns. And it works. Americans, as a whole, hate taxes. We complain about them, we fear the possibility of them being raised, we solemnly stare at all the minus signs on our paychecks with contempt.
We must stop vilifying taxes and look a little closer at what tax increases would actually do. Progressive tax increases are not about low- or middle-class folks emptying their pockets into our tax fund. They are typically aimed at requiring the ultra-rich to do their due diligence of paying taxes like the rest of us and giving back some of the wealth they couldn’t hope to spend in one lifetime, while so many in this country struggle. Take Joe Biden’s tax plan for example. Biden wants to raise taxes for people earning more than $400,000 a year, but it seems like just the sound of the phrase, “tax increase,” makes everyone start running around screaming. The vast majority of Americans would not see their taxes raised under his policy. But alas, the ever-so-frightening tax increase makes us all fear for our livelihoods.
The reality is, taxes are actually a good thing. They help us create a stronger social safety net to take care of people. Taxes go towards things like food stamps, healthcare programs like Medicaid, and Social Security, a program that has lifted millions of older adults out of poverty. With such profound economic inequality in America, the richest 0.1% making 196 times as much as the bottom 90%, we need taxes to do the work that we cannot trust billionaires to do on their own: level the playing field.
For folks who love to throw around the word “handouts” when talking about social services, let’s be very clear that it is often big corporations and the ultra-rich that benefit from the tax policies in our country while lower- and middle-class folks pour their incomes into the tax funds. The same funds, by the way, that give each Senator $40,000 to spend on furniture for their offices. Handouts are apparently just fine for the rich, but when addressing economic inequality, they’re seen as excessive.
Let’s also be clear that it is our system that makes it so that people need assistance in the first place. Our economic system, rooted in racism and classism, intentionally puts people in a situation where they aren’t making enough to pay rent and buy groceries. These structural barriers pervade many people’s lives and render them hopeless of surviving without social service programs. Taxes, which fund many of those programs, help us get to a country in which people can enjoy economic freedom and give them a shot at not just getting by, but reaching for opportunities that make our country better as a whole.
In a country founded on rugged individualism, it’s easy to forget that a government’s job is to take care of its people. But take a look at our neighbors across the pond. “Several European countries tax in excess of 40% of GDP, including France, Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden”, whereas “U.S. taxes represent about 24.3% of the country’s gross domestic product.” Those industrialized nations with higher taxes are able to provide more comprehensive government services, not to mention better and more consistent pandemic relief, than countries with lower taxes. The US has one of the lowest tax rates compared to any other major industrialized nation and it shows in our crumbling infrastructure, stagnant education system, and abysmal healthcare access.
Now, taxes are complicated. I can hear the snarky corrections being muttered from the Economics major reading this. Yes, there are progressive and regressive taxes, there are federal and state taxes. It’s hard to compare one country’s tax system to another’s. But it’s not about getting into the weeds on this issue. Looking at these facts, we can easily deduce a trend here.
America is falling behind other major industrialized nations in the quality of life its residents can enjoy. We pride ourselves as a leader in innovation and freedom, but without ensuring our social service programs are well funded through taxes like every other major industrialized nation, we will soon find ourselves left behind. The freedom we enjoy will not be so liberating when we are burdened by a lack of opportunities, medical debt, and food insecurity — things many people in this country are already struggling with.
Taxes can ensure that coming generations have bright futures with a strong education. They can ensure that healthcare becomes a human right for every single American and help us close the unacceptable income and wealth gap. In a country where one person is worth over $183 billion but 50 million people are experiencing food insecurity, it’s time to ask ourselves why. As the richest country in the world, why are we in this shameful situation?
Imagine a world in which corporations and the top earners in this country actually give a portion of that back to workers. We could become a more equitable society, with more opportunities for people to grow, learn, and thrive. We could address the plethora of social problems our country faces and maybe even turn to the rest of the world to offer a helping hand, since we are not only the richest country but also one of the most destructive. I hope the next time you see a progressive tax increase on the ballot, you pull your pen away from the magnetic force and choose to fill in the “Yes” bubble instead.
Resources:
https://inequality.org/facts/income-inequality/
https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/9c14ec69-c4e4-4bd8-8953-f73daa1640e4.pdf
https://www.thebalance.com/how-us-taxes-compare-with-other-countries-4165500
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/14/946420784/u-s-faces-food-insecurity-crisis-as-several-federal-aid-programs-set-to-run-out-
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-tax-plan-comparison-trump/
https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/policy-basics-top-ten-facts-about-social-security#:~:text=Fact%20%236%3A%20Social%20Security%20lifts,elderly%20Americans%20out%20of%20poverty.&text=Without%20Social%20Security%20benefits%2C%20about,the%202019%20Current%20Population%20Survey
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/10/944620768/theres-rich-and-theres-jeff-bezos-rich-meet-the-members-of-the-100-billion-club | https://medium.com/new-era-colorado/taxes-are-not-the-monster-under-your-bed-50d00c0aecb7 | ['New Era Colorado'] | 2020-12-17 23:55:22.696000+00:00 | ['Taxes', 'Election', 'Economic Justice', 'Legislation'] |
I Feel Included When | I Feel Included When
By author
You ask me a question and listen without interrupting
You cook and say, “Can you chop this?”
I’m folding laundry and you offer to help with yours
During a meeting, I make a suggestion that is acknowledged
And at the water cooler, my coworker follows up on my suggestion
Because they think it’s got potential
We brainstorm how to get it going
While walking down the street, I hear a compliment, not a cat-call
And people’s eyes above their masks
Have turned up corners for a smile ‘hello’
Inspired by this publication’s idea and the curator’s lightness. | https://medium.com/one-minute-life-hacks/i-feel-included-when-a889a382c6a6 | ['Corina Oana'] | 2020-12-12 20:52:33.452000+00:00 | ['Smile', 'Listen', 'Uplifting', 'Ask', 'Inclusion'] |
Who Determines Who’s Worthy of Life? | Who Determines Who’s Worthy of Life?
By GuyEWood
Reading Time: < 1 minute
The Last Children of Down Syndrome: Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t. This is just the beginning.
“Suddenly, a new power was thrust into the hands of ordinary people — the power to decide what kind of life is worth bringing into the world.”
Sadly, prospective parents are choosing death over life. In Denmark, some 95 percent of prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome end in abortion.
As Albert Mohler notes in The Briefing, the selective killing of babies based on diagnoses of Down syndrome is similar to the proverbial canary in the coal mine in that it presages a time in which babies are aborted for any number of reasons for which they are deemed unfit for life.
“Think about it this way, Karl Emil’s sister, Ann Katrine, said: ‘If you handed any expecting parent a whole list of everything their child could possibly encounter during their entire life span — illnesses and stuff like that — then anyone would be scared.’
‘Nobody would have a baby,’ Grete said.”
Pray for life and consider how you can become involved as a voice for those who have no voice.
Filed Under: Abortion, Blog, Pro-Life Tagged With: abortion, down syndrome, pro-life | https://medium.com/@guyewood/who-determines-whos-worthy-of-life-2d35bc0766db | [] | 2020-11-19 19:38:24.506000+00:00 | ['pro-life', 'abortion', 'Abortion', 'down syndrome', 'Down Syndrome'] |
Wendy Margolin of Sparkr: 5 Non-Intuitive Ways To Grow Your Marketing Career | As a part of my Marketing Strategy Series, I’m talking with fellow marketing pros at the top of their game to give entrepreneurs and marketers an inside look at proven strategies you might also be able to leverage to grow your business or career. Today I had the pleasure of talking with Wendy Margolin.
Wendy Margolin helps healthcare providers grow their practices and stand out online with content marketing. As the owner of Sparkr Marketing, she provides boutique content marketing services, one-on-one coaching, and group courses. When she’s not working, she’s busy with four kids, two dogs, and running and biking through Chicago.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My career path felt long and circuitous as I went through it, but in hindsight, I recognize how it all fits together. I got started in journalism, working first at The Jerusalem Post and then at a local magazine in Chicago. I loved the interviewing and writing process, as well as telling stories, but every new issue started to feel the same.
I left that job and became marketing director of a small nonprofit at a precipitous time — 2007. It was just at the cusp of the explosion in digital marketing, and I got to learn everything as it was developing. I consider that job my marketing Bootcamp.
I simultaneously launched a freelance marketing side hustle that’s now become my full-time business, Sparkr Marketing.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you first started and what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve made so many mistakes along the way because that’s the nature of creating massive amounts of content in a fast-paced industry. The good news is that much of digital marketing can be edited in real-time, so I try not to get caught up in the pressure. Done is always better than perfect.
By far my funniest marketing incident was renting a rickshaw for a private school marketing video. It was around the time that the James Cordon Carpool Karaoke videos were popular, and this school used music to change classes instead of bells. I managed to convince the principal to let us make a video of a prospective student touring their new building in a rickshaw.
Turns out steering those massive bikes is harder than it looks, and mistakes were made. We managed to leave our mark on the admissions campaign and on the walls. The best part, though, was when I had to drive the rickshaw down busy streets to reach a nearby park where the cross country team was competing.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
A big breakthrough for my freelance business was when I got to manage all the social media for one of the world’s largest insurance brokers. I spent a year and a half with that company, planning, implementing, and managing all their content and ads.
I learned a massive amount working with that account, and more importantly, it gave me the confidence to leave my day job and launch my business full time.
My key takeaways from that experience are:
Say yes first and figure it out later.
You usually know more than you think.
Don’t ever work incorporate. They have too many meetings.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Sparkr Marketing is young, and we’re still developing our identity and culture. Still, though, I have clients who I’ve worked with for over a decade, which is unusual for consultants. I think this is because I try to deliver more value to my clients with every task — before the deadline.
I also think being friendly is a simple but key tactic to building a business. Even before the pandemic, I always tried to meet clients on Zoom so that they can see my face. Smiling goes a long way.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m burning the midnight oil to build a course to teach business owners my Everyday Marketing system. It’s a strategy that works for any industry to plan a year’s worth of social media core content in one month.
I want to bring this system to more business owners so they can reach their audience in a more authentic, engaging way without having to hire an expensive marketing agency.
What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout?
Marketing has changed rapidly over the last decade, and it can be overwhelming. Just when we think we’ve mastered a platform or have a new strategy, everything changes.
Instead of seeing this as a challenge, I see it as an opportunity to continue learning. I left my first writing job because it was too monotonous, so I know firsthand that learning, growing, and striving for better results are key to a satisfying career.
If you find yourself feeling burnt out, tackle something new. Take one of the thousands of outstanding online courses, listen to a new podcast, or challenge yourself to learn something new on the fly — like launching your own podcast.
Finally, one of my favorite ways to get motivated for a challenge is to look back at some leading marketers to see where they were a few years prior. Scroll back on some of your favorite Influencers’ accounts or listen to one of their early podcasts. It’s probably pretty mediocre or even bad. Then scroll forward on your life and where you are headed. Picture it and then go for it.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
My boss at the nonprofit where I previously worked as a marketing director was a key mentor in my life and career. He gave me the support I needed to learn digital marketing as it was developing and rapidly changing, whether it was an opportunity to tackle something new or bring on a coach to teach me a new skill. He also gave me a lot of autonomy.
Finally, he took a keen interest in my growth as a person, giving me books about self-development and even providing parenting advice. He continues to be someone I turn to for advice. I realize then and now that this is unusual and exceptional, and I hope to emulate this kind of leadership for the women on my team.
Is there anyone you consider to be a hero in your life?
It’s cliché, but my hero is my mom. She raised my sisters and me all on her own, with so many struggles along the way. Her life has never been easy, but she somehow remains cheerful and fully focused on others. She is slow to anger, quick to forgive, positive, thoughtful, and generous. She’s full of integrity and exceedingly honest.
Wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. If you could break down a very successful campaign into a “blueprint”, what would that blueprint look like?
I have a six-step system called Everyday Marketing that I use in my business and for my clients. Here’s the strategy in an easy-to-remember formula: PSA SEL
Plan your social media content for the year.
Schedule the posts in a social media scheduler.
Appoint ambassadors on-site who can submit news and photos.
Stories on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Engage with those who respond to your stories.
Lock the social media apps when you’re not using them.
With this system, you can complete the bulk of your work upfront in as little time as one week. You stay consistent, even during busy seasons. And when you do have time, you can focus on engaging with your audience in social media stories. The Everyday Marketing system takes time upfront, but then you end up saving time by not wasting it scrolling.
Finally, I recommend clients put a screen time limit on their social media apps and lock them outside of that designated time.
Companies like Google and Facebook have totally disrupted how companies market over the past 15 years. At the same time, consumers have become more jaded and resistant to anything “salesy”. In your industry, where do you see the future of marketing going?
The most important thing to remember for content is that you are a human selling to other humans, no matter what your service or product is. Even my B2B software client is made up of humans selling SAAS to humans.
The best content features images and videos that look natural on the social media channels. Highly produced videos and stock photos don’t perform nearly as well. The text of posts, emails and blogs should also be as conversational as possible for your industry. This is true for organic content as well as for ads.
Can you please tell us the 5 things you wish someone told you before you started?
Set up a routine.
It’s no joke that we entrepreneurs are the hardest bosses some of us ever have. Everyone says setting up a routine is essential, and this is true for me as well. I attribute sticking to my routine to the reason I’m still sane after months of running a business with my kids home during the quarantine.
My routine starts with getting up early, around 5:30. The earlier I get up, the more productive the day. It also means I go to bed early.
There’s a nagging temptation to never stop when it comes to my business–a sentiment I’ve heard from a lot of entrepreneurs. And while hard work is necessary to get something off the ground, setting boundaries is as well. I’m still working on switching gears when my family is home. I’m also committed to pursuing other interests, like running and guitar, no matter how packed my day.
Set aside time to focus on building your own business.
So often I hear small business owners say they don’t have time to focus on marketing or building the structure of their businesses. I get it. It’s tempting to work all day on what pays today’s bills, but if you don’t schedule a time to focus on building your own business, you won’t continue to have a business.
The work I do today to build Sparkr is what will ensure my business grows in the future. I schedule at least five hours into my week when I focus only on Sparkr.
You never lose by giving away free information.
A lot of what I teach in my marketing coaching, I give away for free on this blog, my podcast, and in my weekly Facebook Live sessions. I’ve yet to question giving away free advice. I feel grateful for what I’ve learned, and I’m so happy to help others. I have a tendency to give away so much advice during a prospect call, that the recipient ends up implementing some of it even before we work together. And if they don’t end up working with me? That’s okay too.
I’m pretty confident that the more support you offer for free, the more that will come back to you. Call it karma or kindness, but at the end of the day, you want people to realize that if you give away this much information for free, how much more value is in your paid services?!
Start with a great virtual assistant.
I heeded the advice of other entrepreneurs and hired an awesome VA early on in my business. This felt a little premature at first, but by having a VA, I was able to think of how I needed help. Now I get more done each month than I could do on my own. I recommend starting small, and then each month come up with new ways to work together.
Now before I start a task, I think first about whether I need to be the one doing it. If the answer is yes, I think about how I can make that task part of a system that someone else can eventually implement.
Take action and change it later.
Indecision is an enemy of progress. There are so many parts of my business that have changed in my first year. Just scroll down my Instagram and you’ll see all the versions of Canva templates I went through one year ago until I found something I like better. I even changed WordPress templates in the middle of the year because the one I picked to launch the site was no longer working the way I wanted. I find it’s better to go with what I have and improve it later. Done is always better than perfect.
Can you share a few examples of marketing tools or marketing technology that you think can dramatically empower small business owners to become more effective marketers?
A social media scheduler is essential to marketing your business, even if it’s just your own personal brand. There’s so much content to create, so it’s faster and more efficient to create it in bulk.
I also think Messenger bots are really powerful when you use them well. I’m confident this will continue to grow.
What books, podcasts, documentaries or other resources do you use to sharpen your marketing skills?
There are so many experts who I count among my teachers. I cycle through podcasts such as Amy Porterfield, Stu McLaren, Rick Mulready, Duct Tape Marketing, StoryBrand, and Passion Economy. Podcasts have been my friend on a lot of lonesome COVID runs.
I love the books by Donald Miller, Marketing Made Simple and Building a Story Brand. Ann Handley’s book, Everybody Writes, is my favorite current book on writing. Finally, Donald Miller’s Business Made Simple course is essential to anyone in the business. Are you seeing a pattern here?
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
The most inspiring movement I know is one I already support. The movement is called Momentum, a program to inspire Jewish women to live their most meaningful lives. Thousands of women around the world join a 10-day trip to Israel and then follow that up with a year of learning and growth. Once a woman is inspired among a community of friends, she can bring that back to her family and community. I’ve been a group leader on this program three times, and every year is powerful and life-changing. If this movement continues to grow and if other faith and minority communities can replicate it, then we would all reap the abundance of good that would come from it.
Thank you for taking the time to do this and for sharing so many fantastic insights with us! | https://medium.com/authority-magazine/top-marketing-minds-with-wendy-margolin-of-sparkr-marketing-and-kage-spatz-b844c03a3f93 | ['Kage Spatz'] | 2020-11-19 17:13:40.017000+00:00 | ['Marketers', 'Business', 'CMO', 'Marketing', 'Career Advice'] |
The Heartbreaking Love Story Of Whitney Houston and Robyn Crawford | When I was visiting LA last summer, my friends and I thought it would be funny to go on a bus tour of Hollywood homes. But, as we should’ve expected, it turned dark real quick. As our bus rumbled down Wilshire Blvd and we passed the Beverly Hilton hotel, our chipper tour guide excitedly explained, “And that’s where Whitney Houston died!” She added that she thought it was really kind of the hotel to completely renovate the room in which Houston passed away, not allowing it to be exploited for reporters or tourists. Yes, how kind of them.
In the seven years following Houston’s death, there’s been nothing but sensationalized headlines about the singer’s tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, her prolonged drug use, and, every so often, her “lesbian incest scandal.” That’s the way many media outlets have described Houston’s relationship with her longtime best friend and executive assistant turned creative director, Robyn Crawford.
After allowing the dust to settle and the media circus to calm down, Crawford has finally spoken publicly about her relationship with Houston — and it’s far more heartbreaking and complex than any tabloid could ever encapsulate. In her new memoir, A Song for You, Crawford admits for the first time publicly that she and Houston were romantically involved when they were teenagers in Newark, New Jersey. “We were friends. We were lovers. We were everything to each other,” she writes. “We weren’t falling in love. We just were.”
However, their romance was short-lived, according to Crawford, with Houston ending things once she signed a record deal at 19. “She said we shouldn’t be physical anymore,” Crawford writes, “because it would make our journey even more difficult. She said if people find out about us, they would use this against us, and back in the ’80s that’s how it felt.” And so, Crawford “kept it safe.”
But while Houston might not have been comfortable being in an open same-sex relationship while she catapulted to global stardom, she still wanted Crawford by her side, to serve as her support system, deal with the record label, and, as The New York Times puts it, “absorb the logistical burdens of fame.” (Also, we can assume, to hug and kiss and spoon and have sex with.)
While Crawford remained loyal to Houston and never told anyone of their physical relationship, she continued to pine after her. When writing about a night the singer got dressed up for a date with Eddie Murphy, in “a black dress and low-heeled slingbacks,” Crawford recalls thinking, “Boy, I wish she was doing that for me.”
Over the course of several decades, Crawford and Houston’s relationship grew abusive, with the singer once slapping Crawford across the face because she’d spent time with another woman, “a rare indication of Houston’s possessiveness (and perhaps of things left prudently undisclosed),” according to the offensively heterosexual Times. I guess “things left prudently undisclosed” is how they say “they were still fucking.”
The reason there’s so much mystery surrounding Houston’s sexuality is because she would adamantly deny rumors she was anything but “heterosexual. Period.” Initially, in the early days of her career, Houston wasn’t offended by the accusations, telling news outlets in 1988 that the rumors didn’t bother her because she knew she “wasn’t gay.” However, as more rumors swirled (involving high-profile queer women like Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis, of Top Gun fame), she grew tired — and her internalized homophobia grew stronger. By 1990, Houston was blatantly offended by the rumors of her being queer, saying she “cried over” them, adding “Maybe it’s because they don’t know who I’m sleeping with, so they decided I’m gay!”
Aside from society’s overall disdain for gay people, a big reason Houston may have felt so uncomfortable discussing her relationships with women is her family’s homophobia. They were apparently so against Houston’s relationship with Crawford that in 1995, musician Kevin Ammons filed a lawsuit claiming Houston’s father, John, had hired him to break Crawford’s legs and arms, because she was a “lesbian … trying to sabotage” Houston’s marriage with Brown. While John denied these claims, there’s plenty of evidence Crawford wasn’t welcome in the Houston family.
Houston’s mother, Cissy, wrote in her 2013 autobiography, Remembering Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss and the Night the Music Stopped, that she didn’t want Crawford around her daughter. Others close to the family claim some relatives “blamed” Houston’s sexuality on her being molested as a child by her cousin, and famous soul singer, Dee Dee Warwick. Cissy and Dee Dee’s sister, Dionne, have denied these claims.
Following Houston’s death, more people have felt comfortable discussing the late singer’s sexuality, with famous daytime lesbian Rosie O’Donnell saying she always knew Houston and Crawford “were together.” Sandra Bernhard, who is also gay, outed Houston on O’Donnell’s show, saying she felt like the singer’s inability to come out of the closet contributed to her death, an idea Houston’s former husband agrees with.
Brown told Us Weekly in 2016 that if Houston’s family, particularly her mother Cissy, had been more understanding of her sexuality, things might’ve gone very differently for her. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” he said. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.”
After being by her side for more than two decades, Crawford left in 2000. She’d discovered burned spoons in Houston’s house and attempted to get her into rehab, to no avail. At the time, she also suspected Brown was physically abusing Houston. For a while, Crawford felt completely lost personally and professionally — she had to, as she puts it, make a “conscious decision to … not get sucked back into Whitney World.”
Somehow, she managed to put the pieces back together, fall in love, and start a family of her own. But Houston would still occasionally try to pull her back, leaving voicemails “with no return number,” according to the Times, and dangling job opportunities in front of her.
Despite everything — the cruel tabloid headlines, the physical abuse, the disdain from Houston’s family, even the threat of having her legs and arms broken — Crawford writes about Houston with nothing but love. She remains calm throughout the prose and almost never disparages her, according to the Times, mostly writing about the bad things done to Houston, not the bad things she did.
It makes sense when you consider what she wrote in a 2012 obituary for Houston in Esquire: “She knew I was never going to be disloyal to her. I was never going to betray her.” | https://medium.com/mad-dyke/the-heartbreaking-love-story-of-whitney-houston-and-robyn-crawford-3f81695e368a | ['Mad Dyke'] | 2019-11-09 13:15:27.437000+00:00 | ['Music', 'LGBT', 'LGBTQ', 'Gay', 'Queer'] |
TOP 65+ Inspiring Health Quotes, Life, Better Mind, Body & Health Motivational | HomeHealth Quotes
by The Health Blog -
“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind,, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” — B.K.S. Iyengar “To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” -William Londen “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” — Joseph Pilates “The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good health lies in successful adjustment to changing stresses on the body.” — Harry J. Johnson “To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” — Buddha
“Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account.”-Anne Wilson Schaef “You can’t control what goes on outside, but you CAN control what goes on inside.” — Unknown “The cheerful mind perseveres, and the strong mind hews its way through a thousand difficulties.” — Swami Vivekananda “It is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” — Mahatma Gandhi “Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos- the trees, the clouds, everything.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it, and watch the whole transform.” — Rene Descartes “Every negative belief weakens the partnership between mind and body.” — Deepak Chopra “Health is a state of complete mental, social and physical well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” — World Health Organization, 1948 “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” — Thomas Edison “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” — Voltaire
“A sad soul can be just as lethal as a germ.” — John Steinbeck “If you know the art of deep breathing, you have the strength, wisdom, and courage of ten tigers.” — Chinese adage “Remain calm, because peace equals power.”- Joyce Meyer “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” — Winston Churchill “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” — Irish proverb
When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when a character is lost, all is lost. Billy Graham It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. Jiddu Krishnamurti Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account. Anne Wilson Schaef You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkled on the sundae. Paul Walker I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex, and rich food. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself. Johnny Carson
“A healthy outside starts from the inside.” Robert Urich “Love yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle.” Jules Robson “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” Buddha “Health is not valued till sickness comes.” Thomas Fuller “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.” Jim Rohn
“Health is the greatest gift.” Buddha “Health is the crown on the good person’s head that only the ill person can see.” Robin Sharma “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” Mahatma Gandhi “Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” Edward Stanley “You can’t enjoy wealth if you’re not in good health.” Anonymous
“The mind and body are not separate. what affects one, affects the other.” Anonymous “Happiness is the highest form of health.” Dalai Lama “The first wealth is health.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” Winston Churchill “There is no diet that will do what eating healthy does. Skip the diet. Just eat healthily.” Anonymous
Health is not valued ‘till sickness comes. Thomas Fuller So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health. A. J. Reb Materi The greatest wealth is health. Virgil The best investment you can ever make is in your own health. SH The groundwork of all happiness is good health. James Leigh Hunt
Your body is your most priceless possession…so go take care of it! Jack LaLanne It’s never too early or too late to work towards being the healthiest you. Unknown To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. Buddha Life is not merely being alive, but being well. Marcus Valerius Martialis A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison. Marcus Valerius Martialis
To ensure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, exercise, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. William Londen Those who have an enthusiasm and interest in life, stay young — no matter how ‘old’ they get. It is these people who often stay the healthiest and live the longest too. SH A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. Irish Proverb You are, quite literally, what you eat. Every bite, every drink matters. Unknown Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food. Hippocrates
You wouldn’t put diesel in a petrol car. So don’t put junk food in your body! Anonymous Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness. Edward Smith-Stanley The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy. Kenneth H. Cooper A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. Paul Dudley White
I think if you exercise, your state of mind — my state of mind — is usually more at ease, ready for more mental challenges. Once I get the physical stuff out of the way it always seems like I have more calmness and better self-esteem. Stone Gossard Fitness is not about being better than someone else..it’s about being better than you used to be. It’s not one giant step that does it, but lots of little steps. Slow progress is better than no progress. The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do. | https://medium.com/@healthylifestyel/top-65-inspiring-health-quotes-life-better-mind-body-health-motivational-35047f2e0f97 | ['Healthy Lifestyel'] | 2020-12-23 09:30:07.491000+00:00 | ['Motivation', 'Quotes', 'Healthy Lifestyle', 'Health', 'Healthcare'] |
Max Scherzer continues to deliver striking out 13 in hometown gem | (Photo by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
by Rowan Kavner
With much of the focus on Albert Pujols’ return to St. Louis, it was a native of the city who took center stage Monday afternoon.
Max Scherzer, who was born in St. Louis, attended high school in nearby Chesterfield and went to college at the University of Missouri, looked right at home striking out 13 batters in eight innings of work while energizing a Dodger team coming off a taxing night of travel in a 5–1 win.
“He’s better than advertised,” said manager Dave Roberts. “We knew what we were going to get as far as the player. He’s certainly even exceeded that.”
Roberts said Scherzer’s impact has extended to the clubhouse, where his accountability, preparation and conversations with teammates have rubbed off. His consistent work habits have translated to faultless production, which was needed Monday after the Dodgers arrived at their hotel from San Francisco around 3 a.m. local time.
Twelve hours later, they were back on the field, where Scherzer continued to lower his now Major League-best ERA to 2.28 on the year. He allowed one unearned run in his most dominant of a string of sensational outings since joining the Dodgers, who brought him in at the deadline hoping he’d solidify a championship roster.
He has done more than that.
Along with Walker Buehler and Julio Urías, the trio has carried the weight of a depleted rotation and channeled that burden into extraordinary results. Scherzer now has 63 strikeouts and five walks in seven starts with his new team. All seven have been wins.
“That’s what coming over here my job is to do, is to go out here when it’s my turn to go out there and win,” Scherzer said. “There’s a ton of pressure to do that. You’ve got to compartmentalize it and go out there and accept it.”
On Monday, Scherzer became one of eight pitchers ever to record at least 200 strikeouts in a season nine times. Scherzer and Justin Verlander are the only active pitchers on that list to accomplish the feat.
As much as he appreciates possessing the best ERA in the game, the 37-year-old is more focused on the process than the results.
“For me, that’s executing all five pitches, knowing when to locate, knowing how to attack the strike zone,” Scherzer said. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
He got 25 swings and misses Monday, including at least one on each of his five pitches. The Cardinals took 17 swings on his slider and swung through the pitch 10 times.
Scherzer worked with pitching coach Mark Prior and catcher Austin Barnes to make in-game adjustments after seeing how aggressive the Cardinals were early in counts. He started throwing more offspeed pitches once the mid-day shadows made it difficult for everyone on the field to see.
The tight hamstring that bothered him in his previous start never gave him problems Monday. He now has a 1.05 ERA in seven starts as a Dodger.
“He’s been outstanding,” said Chris Taylor. “We knew what we were getting, but I think he’s even exceeded our expectations. He’s been unbelievable.”
Taylor helped spot Scherzer an early 4–0 lead.
The Dodgers started the game with three straight hits after a leadoff double from Trea Turner. Taylor finished a four-run inning with a two-run home run — his 20th blast of the year and first since Aug. 28. He had one hit in his previous seven games entering the day.
“Obviously haven’t been feeling the best the last couple weeks and felt good to finally get a barrel on something and see it go over the fence and really just contribute,” Taylor said. “I’ve been grinding, especially that last series. So, that felt good. Hopefully, I can relax and carry that into the rest of the season.”
If the Dodger batters were operating on fumes early on after a tiresome 24 hours, the adrenaline quickly wore off. After a Corey Seager run-scoring single with two outs in the third inning, they didn’t get another baserunner the rest of the day.
Scherzer, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his last three starts, didn’t need anything else against his hometown club.
“These aren’t the guys I grew up rooting for,” Scherzer said. “These are the guys I want to compete against.” | https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/max-scherzer-continues-to-deliver-with-13-strikeouts-in-a-hometown-gem-9eb5c05b2f17 | ['Rowan Kavner'] | 2021-09-07 01:28:21.819000+00:00 | ['Cardinals', 'Dodgers', 'Postgame', 'Max Scherzer', 'MLB'] |
Polk Audio MagniFi 2 soundbar review: Virtual 3D audio and built-in Chromecast, but iffy bass | Polk Audio MagniFi 2 soundbar review: Virtual 3D audio and built-in Chromecast, but iffy bass Balakrishna Nov 21, 2020·8 min read
Polk Audio manages to tease some relatively impressive virtual 3D audio out of its 2.1-channel MagniFi soundbar, which makes the speaker’s subpar bass response all the more disappointing. Equipped with built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant support, the MagniFi 2 is easy to set up, and Polk Audio’s custom digital sound processing delivers subtle surround and height effects without undue harshness.
The $499 MagniFi 2 also comes with three HDMI inputs, a pleasant surprise for a soundbar in this price range. But while it’s unquestionably an upgrade over standard TV speakers, the MagniFi 2’s otherwise crisp audio is undermined by muddy bass from the wireless subwoofer, robbing the sound of punchiness.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best soundbars, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping.ConfigurationPolk Audio has three lines of soundbars. The budget Signa series includes soundbars that range in price from $129 for the 2.0-channel Signa Solo to $249 for the 2.1-channel, Chromecast-enabled Signa S3. The mid-range MagniFi line includes the MagniFi 2, which we’re reviewing here, along with the compact 2.1-channel MagniFi Mini ($299) and the 5.1-channel MagniFi MAX SR ($599), which comes with wireless surrounds and Chromecast support. Finally, the 2.1-channel Polk Audio Command Bar (which we’ve also reviewed) comes with onboard Alexa, complete with Alexa’s telltale halo light on top.
The Polk Audio MagniFi 2 is a 200-watt, 2.1-channel soundbar, with two oval-shaped 1 x 3-inch midrange drivers and one 0.75-inch tweeter for each of the left and center channels in the main unit, plus an 8-inch down-firing cone in the ported wireless subwoofer for low-frequency effects. Each driver gets its own dedicated Class-D amplifier.
Like other 2.1-channel soundbars, the MagniFi 2 lacks a dedicated center channel, which is typically reserved for dialog. Instead, the left and right channels combine to create a third, “phantom” center channel, a technique that can (depending on the quality of the soundbar’s audio processing) make dialog sound distractingly echo-y. We’ll evaluate the MagniFi 2’s audio quality a little later in our review.
[ Further reading: The best surge protectors for your costly electronics ]The MagniFi 2 doesn’t support immersive 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, nor does it come equipped with DTS Virtual:X, a popular sound mode that teases virtualized surround and height effects from as few as two drivers, without the need for either in-ceiling speakers or upfiring drivers that bounce audio off the ceiling. Instead, the MagniFi 2 boasts Polk Audio’s own SDA (Stereo Dimentional Array) audio processing and its new 3D audio mode, which allows the soundbar to deliver virtualized surround and height cues.
Virtualized 3D sound has its pros and cons. Unsurprisingly, you’ll hear more precise height cues from upfiring drivers that bounce sound off your ceiling, or—even better—height speakers that are installed in your ceiling. That said, not everyone wants to go through the hassle of installing in-ceiling speakers, and upfiring drivers won’t be effective if you have a vaulted ceiling or acoustic ceiling tiles. In those scenarios, a soundbar with a virtual 3D sound mode might be your best option. Again, we’ll assess the effectiveness of the MagniFi 2’s custom 3D audio mode in the performance section of our review.
The MagniFi 2 can’t be upgraded with wireless surround speakers for true surround sound—or at least, not quite yet. While Polk’s existing SR1 wireless surround kit, which works with the MagniFi MAX soundbar, isn’t compatible with the MagniFi 2, a new SR2 wireless surround kit ($199) that will work with the MagniFi 2 is due in January 2021, so hang tight.
Measuring about 37.5 x 3 x 2.1 inches (LxWxH), the fabric-covered MagniFi 2 is a tad narrower than the width of my 55-inch LG C9 OLED, and it’s just shy of the bottom edge of the LG’s low-slung screen. The 14.6 x 12.1 x 145-inch (LxWxH) subwoofer has a rounded rectangular design that tapers from bottom to top, a departure from the boxy-looking subwoofers that typically ship with soundbars.
SetupThe main MagniFi 2 soundbar unit can be either placed directly in front of your TV, or mounted on a wall below your TV. The soundbar comes with a mounting guide but no screws or brackets. I opted to simply put the MagniFi 2 in front of my OLED. The roughly 10-foot power cord comes in two segments, with a chunky AC brick in the middle (meaning no annoying wall wart), while the second segment terminates in a standard two-prong plug.
Once the main soundbar component is plugged in, you can then place the included subwoofer nearby and then connect its own power cord (so no, the subwoofer isn’t truly wireless). The subwoofer comes pre-paired to the main unit; there’s also a button in back of the main soundbar housing that triggers the manual pairing process. For me, the subwoofer paired seamlessly with the soundbar.
Ben Patterson/IDG The fabric-covered MagniFi 2 soundbar comes equipped with buttons for power, input select, Bluetooth, mute, and volume up/down.
With the soundbar and subwoofer both powered up, it’s time to connect the MagniFi 2 to your home Wi-Fi network, which you can do with the Google Home app for iOS or Android (you’ll need to install it and sign in with your Google Account, if you haven’t already). Setting up a soundbar with Google Home is typically a painless process, and indeed, I immediately found a “Set up Polk MagniFi 2” banner on the app’s main screen. Tapping the banner steps you through the process of selecting your home wireless network.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly when, oddly, I got a “Something went wrong” error after the app had successfully connected the soundbar to my Wi-Fi router. Backing up and repeating the connecting process seemed to fix the problem, so it might have been a random hiccup, and the MagniFi 2 didn’t have any subsequent connectivity issues.
Ports and connectorsWhen it comes to connecting the MagniFi 2 to your TV, you have a coupe of options. First, you could plug all your video sources (such as a set-top box, a game console, and a Blu-ray player) into your TV’s HDMI inputs, and then connect the TV to the MagniFi 2 via the soundbar’s HDMI-ARC (short for Audio Return Channel) port. (A high-speed HDMI cable is included in the box, by the way.) It’s a convenient method if you already happen to have your video sources plugged directly into your TV, but the downside is that the MagniFi’s HDMI-ARC port doesn’t support eARC (‘enhanced” ARC), which allows the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats prized by Blu-ray aficionados. (Click here to read more about eARC.)
Ben Patterson/IDG The Polk Audio MagniFi 2 features a trio of HDMI inputs, plus an HDMI-ARC port.
An alternative is connecting video sources into the MagniF 2i’s HDMI inputs, and luckily, there are three of them, a rarity for a $499 soundbar. Plugging a standard or UHD Blu-ray player into one of the MagniFi 2’s HDMI means you’ll be able to enjoy lossless audio, and the soundbar can pass 4K HDR video to your TV. Of course, the downside of connecting video sources through the MagniFi 2’s HDMI ports is that you won’t be able to pipe audio from smart TV apps through the soundbar; for that, you’ll have to go the HDMI-ARC way.
Besides HDMI connectors, the MagniFi 2 has an optical (Toslink) input that can support Dolby Digital (but not Dolby Digital Plus) audio, while a USB-C port is reserved for firmware updates.
Remote control and buttonsOn top of the main Polk Audio MagniFi 2 soundbar cabinet are buttons for power, input select, Bluetooth, mute, and volume up/down. On the front of the soundbar and peeking out from its fabric covering are 10 status LEDs that flash in different colors to indicate volume levels, detected audio signals (such as Dolby or DTS), Bluetooth pairing status, and more. Most of the LEDs go dark after a brief period of inactivity, and while a single audio mode LED does remain lit, it’s not bright enough to be distracting.
The MagniFi 2’s non-backlit remote is logically laid out (with the volume rocker in the center and the mute button just beneath), but many of the buttons are perfectly flat and edgeless, making them difficult to find in the dark. The good news is that the most important buttons, including the volume rocker, the power, mute, and input buttons, and the volume buttons for the optional (and not-yet-available) wireless surround speakers do have either tactile bumps or indentations. That said, the level buttons for bass response and voice boost (more on that in a moment), along with the audio modes and 3D buttons are all flat as a pancake, and I had to turn on my phone’s flashlight to find those buttons while watching a movie or a show.
Ben Patterson/IDG While the volume and mute buttons on the MagniFi 2’s remote have indentations and bumps to help you find them in the dark, almost all the other buttons are perfectly flat and edgeless.
While the MagniFi 2 is Wi-Fi-enabled, it lacks a dedicated mobile app for controlling playback tweaking its settings. You can take some measure of control using the Google Home app, but for the most part, the available settings (volume, speaker name, room, speaker group, and so on) are pretty much the same as they are for any Google smart speakers, which means no equalizer or discrete volume levels.
Features and functionalityThe Polk Audio MagniFi 2 comes with built-in Chromecast, which means you can “cast” audio to it from supported Chromecast-enabled apps such as Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, and so on. You can also add the soundbar to a Google speaker group for multi-room audio, as well as designate it as the preferred audio playback speaker for, say, a Google Nest Mini or a Google hub. If your favorite music app (such as Apple Music) doesn’t support Chromecast, you can always stream tunes to the soundbar via Bluetooth 4.0.
Besides its Chromecast support, the MagniFi 2 also supports Google Assistant voice commands, but only to a limited degree. You can, for example, ask Google to play music on the MagniFi 2 as you would any Chromecast-enabled speaker (“Hey Google, play The Beatles on Polk Soundbar”) as well as control the volume and pause or resume the music. That said, a Polk rep told me that Google Assistant voice commands won’t work for soundbar functions on the MagniFi 2, which means you won’t be able to ask the Assistant to change video inputs or sound modes, and in my tests, asking Google to turn the soundbar on or off didn’t work, either. Still (and as I’ve said before), I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker for a soundbar to have iffy or no voice assistant support, given that it’s almost always easier to simply use the remote.
Click here to read about the MagniFi 2’s sound modes and performance | https://medium.com/@balakri58604653/polk-audio-magnifi-2-soundbar-review-virtual-3d-audio-and-built-in-chromecast-but-iffy-bass-6da1f6d631b9 | [] | 2020-11-21 00:51:43.820000+00:00 | ['Cutting', 'Headphones', 'Chromecast', 'Security Cameras'] |
Casa Node Update — 1.14.19. The Refresh button is so 2018 | Casa Node Update — 1.14.19
The Refresh button is so 2018
Today we’ve got a big update for Casa Node owners! Over the next few weeks we’ll have a lot of new features and user experience improvements to the Node, and we’re super excited to be kicking it off this week with some huge dashboard improvements! | https://medium.com/casa/casa-node-update-1-14-19-66f31c34dc7d | ['Nick Neuman'] | 2019-07-18 21:41:13.224000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Product Updates', 'Lightning Network', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto'] |
Going to Paris. What Van Gogh’s arrival in Paris can teach us about timing. | Life, growth, art, and creativity.
Photo on Visual Hunt
For six long years Van Gogh sketched, painted, read, and studied his craft. His life took him too many different cities, meeting many different people, and experiencing many different misadventures. No matter what life dealt him he kept painting. The goal was to end up in Paris with his brother Theo. Over the years Vincent and Theo would talk about if it was the right time for Vincent to go to Paris. Theo was involved in the main stream art world and served as an advisor to Vincent. Theo would often encourage Vincent where to go next and would tell him it wasn’t time for him to go to Paris.
Paris represented the ultimate destination for an artist. The city offered artists with “valuable training, opportunities to exhibit and sell their work, and an inspiring artistic community” (Artist in Paris, 2018).
Vincent had exhausted his welcome at another town. He had ruined some relationships, unsettled a family, worn out his models, and ate up all the food of his sympathizers. It was time for him to leave town. That didn’t make it time to go to Paris, but what happened with his art did.
Vincent poured over another canvas. His weary models posed for hours almost falling asleep. He kept painting. Trying to get something to come out that wouldn’t. When he was finished he threw the canvas on the floor and put a clean one up to start over. He wasn’t aware of it, but what he was getting ready to paint would change everything and usher in a new era of his life.
“It was just as Pietersen had told him in Brussels; he had been too close to his models. He had not been able to get a perspective. He had been pouring himself into the mould of nature; now he poured into the mould of himself” (Stone, 1934).
After six long years Vincent had finally captured what he had been longing for. Something about this painting was different than all the others that had come before. He captured the colors that he wanted to. He captured the scene as he saw it. He captured “that which does not pass in that which passes” (Stone, 1934). He finished the painting feeling calm and peaceful. Not his usual manner. His painting had a smell and taste to it that captured what he experienced. He was pleased and this propelled him into the next phase of his artistic development and life. He was ready for Paris.
When he got to Paris his brother was waiting quietly to introduce him to something that would redefine his art. Theo introduced his brother to the Impressionists knowing that was the type of painter his brother was. Theo knew that this was what had been missing for Vincent. When Theo was exposed to other Impressionists he knew his brother was one too. He knew that it was all there and that all Vincent needed to do was to learn about the light and color. Theo told Vincent that he must “borrow from them. But nothing more. You must not imitate. You must not get swamped. Don’t let Paris submerge you” (Stone, 1934).
“You were an impressionist from the day you picked up a pencil in the Boringe. Look at your drawing! Look at your brushwork! Look at your lines! They are your impressions” (Stone, 1934).
What a beautiful moment. The moment when Theo helps Vincent put together the missing pieces. Vincent is immediately thrown into despair concerned that all his years of practicing and learning his art were for nothing. Theo says, NO! “You’ve worked out your craft for yourself. You paint like Vincent Van Gogh and nobody else in the world. If you had come here before you crystallized your own particular expression, Paris would have moulded you to suit yourself” (Stone, 1934).
The years were needed to prepare Vincent for what was to come. They were needed to prepare him to be the artist he was meant to be. If he had went to Paris too soon he wouldn’t have been ready for Impressionism. The timing was key to everything. The timing is key to everything for us. Where we are today is part of the artistic process. It’s part of our growth as artists. If we try to go to Paris before it’s time we won’t be ready for it. We won’t be ready for the opportunities, won’t have work to sell, and won’t be ready for an overwhelming community. We need some time alone to develop our craft and find our voice. All the preparation means something. It meant something for Vincent.
“One starts with a hopeless struggle to follow nature, and everything goes wrong; one ends by calmly creating from one’s palette, and nature agrees with it and follows” (Stone, 1934).
Vincent got to the end of himself. When he threw down that canvas he picked up another and started painting according to his palette and it was at that moment he was ready for Paris. The moment when he stopped following nature, the ideas of others, and started following his own way. When he poured his vision into his way of doing things. It was then he would be ready to train, would develop pieces that he could sell, and embrace an artistic community. He couldn’t embrace an artistic community until he was sure who he was as an artist. They would have moulded and shaped him into something he wasn’t. Thanks to Theo he went at the right time and became the artist he was always meant to be.
There is a right time for you and I hope you find it.
Marcy Pedersen
References
Artist in Paris. (2018). Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/stories/artist-in-paris#2
Stone, I. (1934) Lust for Life. New York, NY: Penguin. | https://marcypedersen.medium.com/coming-to-paris-what-van-goghs-arrival-in-paris-can-teach-us-about-timing-ca38536a9f1 | ['Marcy Pedersen'] | 2018-10-17 23:58:41.235000+00:00 | ['Art', 'Personal Development', 'Time Management', 'Creativity', 'Growth'] |
SIGNS OF LOVE FROM HIM, EVEN HE DOESN’T SAY IT | Being in love with someone is one of the most confusing as well as surprising feelings ever, not only for women but also for men. It is one of the most difficult things to express without trying to scare the person away. So people, mainly men, mostly avoid having direct conversations about their feelings, particularly about love. So, you have to pick up the signs of love.
You must have heard that “Actions speak louder than words”. Instead of having direct conversations he mostly tries to express themselves through their small everyday gestures or body language.
We have brought up some of the surest signs of love to help to realize that your man is in love with you, even if he is too shy to say it.
1. Remembers small details:
When a man starts falling in love, the first sign is that he starts noticing you closely, observing you and remembering small details about you, and then forming inferences from those observations.
It could start with taking notice of what type of dress you wear mostly. And what color you like to wear most, what your daily routine is, what you like to have for lunch, dinner, or snack time, how you like your tea or coffee, etc.
These are the minor things for you but for him it’s a disguised attempt to tell you that he cares about you and at times he may mold himself or his routine according to yours just to see that smile on your face.
2. Brags about you:
One of the positive signs that a man is in love with you is that unknowingly he speaks too much about you. He might include you in every conversation he has and brags about you unknowingly, portraying you as a newly won medal.
You might not be aware of this as he expresses his feelings mostly in front of his friends or other people but this is one of the surest signs of love. Strange, but this is what newly found love can do to a man.
3. Compliments you:
When a man loves you, he starts taking notice of your daily things, it is one of the surest signs that the man would compliment you on one or another thing that he might find cute or attractive about you.
The reason behind this is mostly that he doesn’t want to scare you off by overexpressing himself with his emotions.
4. Listens to you:
Men are rarely patient listeners. They avoid getting involved in too many talkative situations normally but they might do this for you.
Listening to you when you are stressed by getting in deep shit talks and giving advice on critical matters. And listening to even your normal random talks just to know you more deeply and clearly. It indicates that he is definitely falling for you by showing these signs of love.
Click here to read the complete article. | https://medium.com/@ahsen-48991/signs-of-love-from-him-even-he-doesnt-say-it-5650a69cb32a | [] | 2021-02-23 10:47:15.614000+00:00 | ['Lovestory', 'Love Letters', 'Relationships', 'Signs Of Love', 'Love Life'] |
Meeting an ‘Old friend’ called Pain | Meeting an ‘Old friend’ called Pain
Sometimes you just have to surrender
Photo by Ilya Plakhuta on Unsplash
The road to the art studio was easier than I thought. Hopping on my pushbike and just riding down to Adelaide city from the foothills seems to be an enjoyable mission.
Today is a different day. No work, just tattooing. I mean receiving one. It feels exciting, with a slightly chill in my stomach.
Even after a few other tattoos inked on my body, I still sweat of thinking about the pain. Some people faint, others cry and some others give up halfway through. I normally face it and struggle to deal with during the process. It seems to work out in the end though.
It is a weird one, but I am convinced to take a shot. As tough as it can be, there is nothing you can do unless you let the pain becomes your friend. That friend that invites you for dinner without giving the address, you know?
The friend that needs a quick nap at your place before he/she can get back to work the next morning, but still kicks you out of the room and has shower before you.
Pain is like a selfish friend that in the end of the day still wants the larger size of the pie.
Knowing that a sharp thin needle, sometimes several ones, spear(s) through your body dragged by a remote gun whilst ink is placed under your skin… it sounds more like a rite of passage into a tribe. Which most possibly it was in the past.
At least this time though, the artist’s hands are controlled and soothing. It flows like honey that even with pain you can notice that the lines are perfectly done.
He is a great artist, with a solid career and unique style. His drawing shines like the sun rise. It looks like that each line was perfectly carved by magical hands, letting alone each gouge from the needle represents steps into a new realm.
As much as pain felt secondary, this is another collection to my personal history book. I could not feel any better, especially with the end results.
My life is not more important than someone else’s one living under drastic conditions. The privilege of having a piece of art sculped on my body is a complete honour from his behalf. And obviously carrying this art for the rest of my life is something beyond imagination.
Another phase of this journey ticked off, whereas body and nature are one, and once it has to succumb, it will probably become compost. Letting art takes over equals visual appreciation which is not just another simple body culture to be ignored. | https://medium.com/illumination/meeting-an-old-friend-called-pain-b042b803f3af | ['Tiago Miranda'] | 2020-12-12 02:49:11.842000+00:00 | ['Pain', 'Philosophy Of Mind', 'Vision', 'Experience', 'Ego'] |
Leetcode SQL | Leetcode SQL
627. Swap Salary
Given a table salary , such as the one below, that has m=male and f=female values. Swap all f and m values (i.e., change all f values to m and vice versa) with a single update statement and no intermediate temp table.
Note that you must write a single update statement, DO NOT write any select statement for this problem.
Example:
| id | name | sex | salary |
|----|------|-----|--------|
| 1 | A | m | 2500 |
| 2 | B | f | 1500 |
| 3 | C | m | 5500 |
| 4 | D | f | 500 |
After running your update statement, the above salary table should have the following rows:
| id | name | sex | salary |
|----|------|-----|--------|
| 1 | A | f | 2500 |
| 2 | B | m | 1500 |
| 3 | C | f | 5500 |
| 4 | D | m | 500 |
Solution:
update salary set sex= if (sex = 'f', 'm', 'f');
Link | https://medium.com/jen-li-chen-in-data-science/leetcode-sql-d5ea6a6693cc | ['Jen-Li Chen'] | 2020-12-19 19:00:46.001000+00:00 | ['Leetcode', 'Solutions', 'Sql'] |
The Formation of the Moon Re-enacted on Supercomputers | Exploring the formation of the Moon using supercomputer simulations.
The Moon likely formed from the collision of the young Earth with an object the size of Mars in the ancient Solar System. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The formation of the Moon billions of years ago is cloaked in mystery. Most astronomers believe the young Earth, still cooling off from its formation, was struck by a mars-sized body called Theia, roughly 4.5 billion years ago.
As the proto-Moon orbited Earth, it cooled, and gathered debris from the surrounding region of space. At the time, the Moon was much closer to Earth than it is today. Over billions of years, gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon resulted in our planetary companion moving further away from our home world.
Spinning the Story a Bit…
Researchers at Durham University developed supercomputer simulations, showing how this ancient collision may have unfolded.
A screenshot of one of the simulations demonstrating how the Moon would have formed from an impact between a young Earth and Theia, a body the size of Mars. Image credit: Sergio Ruiz-Bonilla
The velocity of Theia and the angle of impact affected the collision, as did the rotational rate of the body. The team of investigators examined a wide range of possible conditions, ranging from no spin to a quick rotation, and from glancing blows to more direct impacts.
Interestingly, when simulations tested the effect of a non-spinning version of Theia, the impact resulted in a satellite with roughly 80 percent of the mass of the Moon. Adding just a small amount of spin resulted in a second Moon in orbit around Earth.
Some of the impacts studied resulted in merging of the early Earth and Theia, while others showed just a glancing blow between the bodies.
“Among the resulting debris disc in some impacts, we find a self-gravitating clump of material. It is roughly the mass of the Moon, contains [about one percent] iron like the Moon... The clump contains mainly impactor material near its core but becomes increasingly enriched in proto-Earth material near its surface,” researchers describe in an article describing the study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
A look at simulations showing details of an ancient impact between early Earth and a Mar-sized impactor, called Theia, forming the Moon. Video credit: Durham University
As the young proto-Moon settled into orbit around the Earth, the young body likely grew by collecting debris from the space around our home world. This body was seen developing a small iron core, surrounded by material from both Theia and the early Earth, similar to what we see on the Moon.
“It’s exciting that some of our simulations produced this orbiting clump of material that is relatively not much smaller than the Moon, with a disc of additional material around the post-impact Earth that would help the clump grow in mass over time… I wouldn’t say that this is the Moon, but it’s certainly a very interesting place to continue looking,” Dr. Sergio Ruiz-Bonilla in the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University, said.
Researchers will continue refining models, examining how mass, velocity, spin, and other factors could affect the impact that formed the Moon. | https://medium.com/the-cosmic-companion/the-formation-of-the-moon-re-enacted-on-supercomputers-2e37e630559f | ['James Maynard'] | 2020-12-05 17:50:31.615000+00:00 | ['Science', 'Space', 'Moon', 'Technology', 'Physics'] |
Hubii & Nahmii primer for newcomers | What is Nahmii?
Nahmii is a second layer scaling solution built by Hubii AS. Second layer solutions are products built on top of existing blockchains to make them faster, cheaper and more efficient. Nahmii uses Ethereum as a security layer, but is interoperable with other blockchains that have smart contract support. It has a commercial product running on top of it, Fjord Control, and more products are in the works.
What is Hubii?
Hubii AS is the company that built Nahmii. Hubii AS created the Hubii Network Token for their content marketplace product. When working on their content marketplace, Hubii realized that existing blockchains were too slow and expensive to meet their needs. Thus, the team decided to build their own scaling solution. As a sign of gratitude towards people who bought Hubii Network tokens, Hubii decided to airdriip Nahmii tokens to Hubii Network token holders.
What are the advantages of Nahmii?
Nahmii offers a couple of advantages over competitors:
Scaling: Nahmii scales to more than 15 transactions, per second, per wallet. Theoretically the limit is endless.
Instant finality: Nahmii does not have block times, like many other solutions do. This means that payments are verified and visible within Nahmii in a blink of an eye.
Predictable fees: A flat fee of 0.1% exists. Bulk and large transactions will eventually be able to get discounted rates.
KYC/AML
Who is Hubii/Nahmii partnered with?
Nahmii is partnered with the following companies:
What is the value proposition of holding Nahmii?
Fees generated through the Nahmii protocol are distributed to Nahmii holders. You can either buy Nahmii tokens and receive fees directly, or you can buy Hubii network tokens and receive Nahmii airdriips. Nahmii tokens will be air dropped until 2028 at a rate of ~15.7 Nahmii per Hubii, per month. All Hubii token holders are eligible for the airdriip, provided they hold their tokens in an address that they control.
Long term, the more products and companies start to utilize the Nahmii protocol, the more fees will be generated, the more Nahmii holders will earn.
Where is the Nahmii source code?
Nahmiis client fund smart contract code is public and huge. With upwards of 7000 lines of code, it is one of the biggest smart contracts out there. You can check it out here:
Besides making the smart contracts publicly available, Hubii has made some of their other code repositories public too. Included are, among other things, the source code of Hubii Core, the Nahmii SDK, CLI and the Nahmii smart contracts:
Where can I get more information about Nahmii?
You can find more technical information and the tokenomics in the Nahmii whitepaper.
There’s a small but active and engaging community on Telegram.
Official websites:
Social media:
Hubii employees regularly publish articles on Medium. You can find most of them here. | https://medium.com/@heindauven/hubii-nahmii-for-newcomers-6308b3c37572 | ['Hein Dauven'] | 2020-12-24 16:21:16.301000+00:00 | ['Scaling', 'Ethereum', 'Smart Contracts', 'Blockchain', 'Micropayments'] |
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