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An Omen of Joe Biden’s Timidity | An Omen of Joe Biden’s Timidity
Why Biden can’t even say what Donald Trump is
Image by Tabrez Syed, from Unsplash
Something ominous happened in President-Elect Joe Biden’s remarks on November 19, which he gave after he met with governors.
A reporter posed this fiery question to Biden: “When you take a step back and you look at how the president is handling this — his refusal to concede — what do you think is really going on here? In your view, Mr. President-Elect, what do you think the president is doing? What are Americans witnessing here?” (See 42:30 minutes into the video.)
Biden gave a lengthy pause and prefaced his answer by saying, “Let me choose my words here.” Then he said, “I think they’re witnessing incredible irresponsibility. An incredibly damaging message is being sent to the rest of the world about how democracy functions.” He then gave another very lengthy pause before reiterating, “Well, I don’t know his motives, but I just think it’s totally irresponsible” (my emphasis).
That last point came up again in answering the questions, when Biden addressed the reports of Donald Trump’s calls with Michigan county officials to personally interfere with the vote-counting.
Biden said, “It’s hard to fathom how this man thinks. It’s hard to fathom. I’m confident he knows he hasn’t won and he’s not going to be able to win, and he knows we’re going to be sworn in on January 20. And I just, uh, but far be it for me to question his motives — it’s just outrageous what he’s doing” (48:55, my emphasis).
Unity through Heroic Defeat of the Identified Enemy
Just to set the stage so you’re able to see the bad moon rising in all its repulsive glory, observe that Donald Trump is sabotaging Biden’s presidency with a scorched-earth strategy. The Republican Party is cooperating not with Biden but with Trump, to turn Biden’s entire first term into a lame duck session. Jack Holmes from Esquire explains:
Trump’s destructive impulse has been highly useful in that regard:
on the foreign-policy front, he is reportedly in the process of setting “so many fires that it will be hard for the Biden administration to put them all out.” He is also hard at work ransacking the federal bureaucracy to prevent Biden doing much of anything at all. Meanwhile, he’s not doing the actual job in any sense. His regime is doing nothing about the pandemic even as it explodes in severity. There will be no relief bill for businesses or local governments.
Holmes adds, “All of these consequences are pretty much baked in now. Trump’s base will refuse to recognize Biden’s legitimacy as president, having been served a steady stream of disinformation on Facebook and the teevee. He’ll be Birtherized.”
Yet Biden deems it necessary to refrain from questioning Trump’s motives. Whatever Biden thinks he’s doing there, it’s important to appreciate how weak he looks by not telling the obvious truth.
Biden thinks of himself as a healer and a uniter. He wants to define himself as the opposite of Trump, who demagogued shamelessly to exploit social divisions to feed his childlike ego. Trump is sabotaging Biden’s presidency in what he considers retaliation for how the deep state sabotaged his term in office with Russiagate.
Fine, but let’s compare Biden’s efforts to unite the country to those of a rather more famous uniter in world history, namely Jesus. In the New Testament, Jesus was a radical moralist who taught that we should love our enemies, because all worldly disputes are trivial in light of our everlasting relation to God in Heaven or Hell.
But Jesus accused those who rejected him of being misled by the devil: “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:42–44).
My point here isn’t at all theological or religious. We can assume even that Jesus didn’t exist in history and that this quotation is just part of a fictional story from world literature. What’s important is that this kind of myth has had an enormous impact on our expectations for heroes. If Biden wants to call himself a uniter and a healer in the largely-Christian United States, he’s setting himself up to be judged by standards set by the likes of Jesus.
Jesus saw the world in terms of black and white: good and evil, Heaven and Hell, believers and unbelievers, God and Satan. Yet Jesus is widely admired as a uniter, because he had a revelatory vision of how to transcend our mundane squabbles.
Presumably, Joe Biden has a vision of a united America. But if he really believed in that vision, if Biden were any kind of idealist, he’d fight for his values by making enemies of those who implacably oppose him. That’s what Jesus did, that paradigmatic peacemaker. According to the myth, God will reign over his kingdom in the end when the devil and all unrepentant sinners are hurled into the pit of Hell rather than being won over or united with the believers.
Heroes unite people not by surrendering to the enemy or by pretending evil doesn’t exist, but by defeating the hostile forces that don’t belong in any ideal world.
By contrast, Biden’s talk of unity and of healing comes across as sentimental and platitudinous, because Biden can’t even bring himself to identify what Trump is, not even when he’s asked point-blank to demonstrate where he stands and what he’s willing to fight for. Biden hasn’t proved even that he understands the nature of his enemy or the dire state of his country. So how can anyone trust he’ll heroically unite and heal Americans by taking the lead in slaying the dragon of Trumpism?
Biden’s Public Relations Tactics
Biden’s actual reasons for refusing to question Trump’s motives are probably the opposite of heroic. Perhaps Biden is following the lame Christian tradition of leaving it up to God to judge people’s motives — as though God wouldn’t have given people the intelligence to work out how others think or have expected us to do so to avoid insane outcomes.
Or maybe when he was a child, Biden’s mother told him never to talk ill of anyone, and Biden thinks his words have magical power, as though he could steal something’s soul by calling the thing by its true name.
Then again, political hacks will insist that Americans hate it when politicians go negative, so politicos should always be smiling and optimistic. That counsel to be winsome and fake has been widely seen through and disposed of, though, which is why Donald Trump is a more transformational figure than Barack Obama.
Obama smiled his way through his presidency. Then came Trump immediately afterward by way of brutal repudiation of Democratic niceties, and rather than losing in a disgraceful rout in his bid for reelection, Trump got more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016. And what does Trump represent? Sheer trolling and vengeance against the political establishment that can’t be trusted to tell the citizenry how things really are, that pretends everything’s fine even as neoliberal globalization devastates the middle class (and the world’s ecosystems) and the US returns to the Gilded Age of robber barons.
Again, Biden wants to be seen as a uniter, but just calling yourself one in opposition to Trump the Divider doesn’t make it so, just as Obama’s calling himself an agent of “change” didn’t make him a real progressive or a new FDR, despite the opportunity afforded him by the 2008 housing market collapse.
The chances of uniting Americans and ending their culture war, by pretending the social differences aren’t deep-rooted are nil. By being so shy that you refuse to publicly question the motives of the un-American anti-president who’s in the middle of actively sabotaging your entire presidency, who turned the loyal opposition into a full-blown cult which holds the Republicans hostage, and who spent four years desecrating every American norm and tradition from the very White House — such unmanliness signals that maybe the bad guys deserve to win.
An American Tradition of Downplaying the Real Enemy
This is comparable to US policy under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, to avoid using the term “radical Islamic terrorism.” The purpose was to reassure most Muslims that the US wasn’t at war with them and that the terrorists had only hijacked Islam and didn’t fairly represent that religion.
But everyone knew this was disingenuous, that there was no such official American respect for Islam. Bush gained few friends in the Muslim world when he invaded Iraq after Afghanistan, on the pretext that Saddam Hussein was part of an “axis of evil” and couldn’t be trusted with the weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist.
And as this article points out, “Muslim enthusiasm for Obama’s presidency proved short-lived as he struggled to enact most of his promises, and along the way soured on engagement with the region.” For example, “Obama was an enthusiastic early supporter of the 2011 pro-democracy Arab Spring movement, but he threw his support behind Egypt’s military regime two years later…The Guantanamo prison remained open even as the U.S. transferred out hundreds of detainees. And across the region, new wars flared up — from Syria in 2011 to Yemen in 2015.”
Obama carried out ten times more drone strikes in the Muslim world than did George W. Bush.
As a result, that article says, “A June 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that less than 50 percent of Turks, 36 percent of Lebanese, 15 percent of Palestinians, and 14 percent of Jordanians and Pakistanis approved of Obama’s handling of global affairs.”
Obama and Bush would say their heart was in the right place. But their ignorance or lack of candidness about the nature of Islamist terrorism showed, rather, that they didn’t care about Islam or the region. If they cared, they would have known enough not to imply there’s only one correct interpretation of Islam and that all other interpreters are therefore mere impostors. And if they cracked open the Quran for even a minute, those presidents would have discovered the fertile soil for Islamist militancy. The Quran makes the blood-soaked Jewish scriptures look like a nursery rhyme.
No, Bush and Obama did understand that Islam isn’t simply a religion of peace and that the terrorists have their theological justifications just as the myriad Christian denominations have had theirs. These presidents were only trying to be politically correct and to avoid inflaming Muslim populations. But that’s a euphemistic way of saying they were afraid to face the real challenge that most of the Middle East hasn’t yet been modernized and is thus in conflict with the world of Western liberties.
Biden’s Fear-Based Reticence
Likewise, Joe Biden declines to identify the nature of his enemy because he’s afraid of Trumpism — rather like the Republican Party that’s been captured and turned into a cult that worships Trump as an agent of chaos. Biden’s afraid of the seventy-four million Americans that voted for Trump after having witnessed four years of his anti-presidency.
Most importantly, Biden’s afraid he and his feminized Democrats aren’t fit for the monumental task of defeating Trumpism or of undoing the radicalization of most Americans, including the many that don’t vote and the supporters of the toxically masculine Republican Party. Most Americans have little or no confidence in their governmental institutions. They don’t expect their public institutions to function well. Instead, they watch the political shenanigans from the sidelines for entertainment or they vote to troll and to embarrass the establishment.
Biden’s afraid to admit that Americans may not be what they once were, that tens of millions of them are desperate or enraged and are lashing out because their institutions are failing and they’ve lost faith in the myth that actually unites them, the myth of upward mobility for the American masses. Like the other centrist Democrats that are more nihilistic and therefore more Trumpian than they realize, Biden may fear that the moderates lack the stomach to sustain the noble lies needed to reinvigorate the citizenry. The President-Elect may have reason to worry that the final stage of the Spenglerian cycle may have arrived at last for liberal civilization.
Indeed, centrist politicians are the least capable of handling this particular emergency, because they’re guardians of the perfidious system that’s so widely condemned for having been captured and rigged by the richest ten percent of Americans, by the plutocrats and coastal liberal elites.
The centrist Democrats’ fear and weakness show through; these deficiencies can’t be hidden for long, just as Trump’s malignant narcissism (a fancy word for “evil”) bubbled over in his surreal conduct as “president.” When the spotlight’s on us, we evidently reveal who we are.
President Trump certainly revealed more of himself than anyone of good faith would have wanted to behold, and by pretending otherwise, Biden is beginning his first term with the kind of obvious lie of omission that justifies the masses’ cynicism about politics and even their turn to populist demagogues. | https://medium.com/discourse/an-omen-of-joe-bidens-timidity-d864acf5ab3f | ['Benjamin Cain'] | 2020-11-27 14:49:09.136000+00:00 | ['America', 'Politics', 'Democratic Party', 'Joe Biden', 'Donald Trump'] |
Performance Testing Life Cycle: A Comprehensive Guide To The Testing Phases | Performance Testing Life Cycle — Edureka
The modern era of IT has seen an overwhelming evolution of the Software Testing industry giving way to greener pastures. Thus it becomes very important to ensure the effective performance of the software application. This “Performance Testing Life Cycle” article will provide in-depth knowledge about the process of testing in the following sequence:
What is Performance Testing?
Advantages of Performance Testing
Performance Testing Life Cycle
Types of Performance Testing
Tools for Performance Testing
What is Performance Testing?
Performance Testing is a type of software testing which ensures that the application is performing well under the workload. The goal of performance testing is not to find bugs but to eliminate performance bottlenecks. It measures the quality attributes of the system.
The attributes of Performance Testing include:
Speed - It determines whether the application responds quickly.
- It determines whether the application responds quickly. Scalability - It determines maximum user load the software application can handle.
- It determines maximum user load the software application can handle. Stability- It determines if the application is stable under varying loads.
Now let’s move ahead with our Performance Testing Life Cycle article and have a look at the advantages of Performance Testing.
Advantages of Performance Testing
Validate Features — Performance testing validates the fundamental features of the software. Measuring the performance of basic software functions allows business leaders to make key decisions about the setup of the software. Measure the speed, accuracy, and stability — It helps you in monitoring the crucial components of your software under duress. This gives you vital information on how the software will be able to handle scalability. Keep your users happy — Measuring application performance allows you to observe how your customers respond to your software. The advantage is that you can pinpoint critical issues before your customers. Identify discrepancies — Measuring performance provides a buffer for developers before release. Any issues are likely to be magnified once they are released. Improve optimization and load capability — Measuring performance can help your organization deal with volume so your software can cope when you hit high levels of users.
Now that you know the advantages of Performance Testing, let’s have a look at the different steps involved in the Performance Testing Life Cycle.
Performance Testing Life Cycle
Performance Testing starts parallel with Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The different phases of the Performance Testing Life Cycle (PTLC) are:
Non-Functional Requirements Elicitation and Analysis
Performance Test Strategy
Performance Test Design
Performance Test Execution
Performance Test Result Analysis
Benchmarks and Recommendations
Non-Functional Requirements Elicitation and Analysis
It is one of the most important and critical steps to understand the non-functional requirements in PTLC. It helps to evaluate the degree of compliance with non-functional needs.
Performance Test Strategy
The second defines how to approach Performance Testing for the identified critical scenarios. You need to address the kind of performance testing and the tools required.
Performance Test Design
This phase involves the script generation using the identified testing tool in a dedicated environment. The script enhancements are needed to be done and unit tested.
Performance Test Execution
The next phase is dedicated to the test engineers who design scenarios based on identified workload and load the system with concurrent virtual users.
Performance Test Result Analysis
In this phase, the collected log files are analyzed and reviewed by the experienced test engineers. Tuning recommendation will be given if any conflicts are identified.
Benchmark & Recommendations
This is the last phase in PTLC which involves benchmarking and providing a recommendation to the client.
These were the different phases involved in the performance testing life cycle. Now let’s have a look at the different types of performance testing.
Types of Performance Testing
The different types of performance testing are:
Load testing — It checks the application’s ability to perform under anticipated user loads. The objective is to identify performance bottlenecks before the software application goes live.
— It checks the application’s ability to perform under anticipated user loads. The objective is to identify performance bottlenecks before the software application goes live. Stress testing — This involves testing an application under extreme workloads to see how it handles high traffic or data processing. The objective is to identify the breaking point of an application.
— This involves testing an application under extreme workloads to see how it handles high traffic or data processing. The objective is to identify the breaking point of an application. Endurance testing — It is done to make sure the software can handle the expected load over a long period of time.
Spike testing — This tests the software’s reaction to sudden large spikes in the load generated by users.
— This tests the software’s reaction to sudden large spikes in the load generated by users. Volume testing — Under Volume Testing large no. of. Data is populated in a database and the overall software system’s behavior is monitored. The objective is to check the software application’s performance under varying database volumes.
— Under Volume Testing large no. of. Data is populated in a database and the overall software system’s behavior is monitored. The objective is to check the software application’s performance under varying database volumes. Scalability testing — The objective of scalability testing is to determine the software application’s effectiveness in scaling up to support an increase in user load. It helps plan capacity addition to your software system.
Now, if you want to perform any of these testings on your server, you would need different types of tools that are compatible with your test plan. Let’s have a look at some of the important performance testing tools.
Tools for Performance Testing
The market is full of a number of tools for test management, performance testing, GUI testing, functional testing, etc. I would suggest you opt for a tool which is on-demand, easy to learn as per your skills, generic and effective for the required type of testing. Let’s have a look at the top 10 Performance Testing Tools :
LoadNinja
Apache JMeter
WebLOAD
LoadUI Pro
LoadView
NeoLoad
LoadRunner
Silk Performer
AppLoader
SmartMeter.io
With this, we have come to the end of the Performance Testing Life Cycle article. I hope you guys enjoyed this article and got an idea about the different phases involved in performance testing.
If you wish to check out more articles on the market’s most trending technologies like Python, DevOps, Ethical Hacking, then you can refer to Edureka’s official site.
Do look out for other articles in this series which will explain the various other aspects of Software Testing. | https://medium.com/edureka/performance-testing-life-cycle-d4242d39a5aa | ['Archana Choudary'] | 2020-05-11 12:24:24.698000+00:00 | ['Performance Testing', 'Text Design', 'Software Testing', 'Testing Life Cycle', 'Test Strategy'] |
Stay For You | I stay for you because,
Your rhythm isn’t so alone
Whenever you move in the sun
Flowers seem to suddenly grow.
No one sees what I see
No one hears what I do,
In all the wonder you will bring
We make our magic
red on blue.
I stay for you because,
You never move in angry blood
I wait for you because,
My heart flows in a
sea of love.
Across every pain and time
Somehow we are still entwined
Here for the dreamer’s life
Our words are never lost.
You stay for me because,
Always I return with
new strength,
A smile to see yourself
I feel that I am
in your head.
When I am tired and worn
You are my hopeful song,
I want to stay for you
because
I love you
when there’s nothing
left. | https://psiloveyou.xyz/stay-for-you-3d9e0880a420 | ['America Zed'] | 2020-12-28 14:17:19.866000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Devotion', 'Poetry Sunday', 'Love', 'Poetry On Medium'] |
The Latest: Spotify signs a three-year exclusive licensing deal with Joe Rogan (May 26, 2020) | The Latest: Spotify signs a three-year exclusive licensing deal with Joe Rogan (May 26, 2020)
Subscribe to The Idea, a weekly newsletter on the business of media, for more news, analysis, and interviews.
THE NEWS
Spotify has signed an exclusive three-year licensing deal worth $100 million for The Joe Rogan Experience. The show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 190 million downloads per month. The podcast (and its archive), which had previously not been available on Spotify, will be available on the platform starting September 1 and become exclusive by the end of the year.
SO WHAT
Spotify has been investing heavily in podcasting in search of higher margins: Its contracts with record labels limit its profits from music subscriptions, so it’s hoping podcasts will diversify its audio offerings, and subsequently revenue. Though it will not be selling ads against the Joe Rogan Experience (Rogan is sticking with his previous agency, PMM), Spotify is betting that the show being exclusive to its platform will attract new listeners who will go on to become subscribers to its Premium product.
Spotify has used this exclusive-license arrangement in the past to bring fans of specific personalities like Joe Budden and Jemele Hill to its platform, with the hope of making it their new portal for all podcasts. Through these deals, it receives increased ad revenue from the consumption of other podcasts as well as some benefit from reducing churn of existing subscribers.
Spotify’s licensing approach stands in contrast to its acquisitions strategy, which has included big-name podcast production firms Gimlet Media and The Ringer. In those cases, audio content was not made exclusive to the platform whole-sale. Spotify instead focused on incremental ad revenue to help its margins and aimed to acquire new users with “ancillary, exclusive content like Gimlet Academy and extra Reply All episodes” as well as releasing episodes a few days before they were made available on other platforms.
The Joe Rogan Experience exclusivity deal also applies to Rogan’s “vodcasts” — video of podcast tapings — but Spotify will still allow short clips to be posted on YouTube to continue to reach and convert new listeners. Video versions of his interviews on YouTube have been key to discovery, particularly for audiences that don’t already listen to podcasts, thanks to viral clips.
LOOK FOR
What this means for video content in the app, given the news last week that Spotify is experimenting with video podcasts. It may also increase its ability to sign exclusive deals with YouTubers, as it did with the hosts of Mom’s Basement and given that Rogan had explicitly cited YouTube revenue as a reason for not joining Spotify earlier.
Spotify’s video podcast feature partly serves to smooth converting listeners used to consuming podcasts on YouTube. It is also another way of engaging and retaining its audiences: eMarketer recently found that video streaming of audio content has increased markedly while audio-only streaming has declined during the pandemic. Video would also open the door to higher-priced video ads.
How others respond to Spotify’s continued podcast spending. Bloomberg reported that both Apple and Amazon are pushing further into buying original podcasts; Amazon’s audiobook service, Audible, has already purchased shows from comedians Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. | https://medium.com/the-idea/the-latest-spotify-signs-a-three-year-exclusive-licensing-deal-with-joe-rogan-may-26-2020-28e158679baf | ['Saanya Jain'] | 2020-05-26 21:36:48.933000+00:00 | ['Podcast', 'Media', 'The Latest', 'Streaming', 'Journalism'] |
Why SMS + Chatbots = Game Changer | SMS and chatbots are becoming commonplace in B2C communication. So, what happens when we combine the two?
SMS
Short Message Service (SMS), or texting, has become ubiquitous in our personal lives and 97% of smartphone users regularly use it to communicate. So, it makes sense that businesses have also adopted SMS to connect with customers; 52% of business leaders in North America say it’s already a major disruption in their industry, and there are no signs of this trend stopping anytime soon. The growth in business to customer (B2C) SMS is also supported by customer behavior which shows that 85% of customers prefer receiving text messages over a phone call or email, which contributes to SMS having higher engagement and open rates.
Chatbots
An emerging technology — less familiar than SMS for many — that has been gaining momentum in the communication space are chatbots, which are computer programs designed to simulate conversation with human users through text, speech, and other gestures.
While the word ‘chatbot’ is often used interchangeably with ‘conversational agent,’ chatbots are actually a subcategory of conversational agents/dialog systems. As with everything else in the tech world, the nomenclature can be confusing, so let’s clarify a little bit:
The two categories of conversational agents/dialog systems are task-oriented dialog agents and chatbots.
Conversational Agent / Dialog System — Programs that communicate with users in natural language (text, speech, or even both), through the use of word-classification processes and natural language processing. Dialog systems generally fall into two classes, task-oriented and chatbots.
Task-Oriented Dialog Agents — Programs designed and deployed to help users complete particular tasks, such as helping customers answer questions or address certain problems. These programs are capable of collecting information from users through short conversations. This category also includes the digital agents which have become commonplace in our cellphones and home controllers; think Alexa, Google Nest, Siri, etc.
Chances are, you’ve interacted with task-oriented dialog agents via pop-ups on the bottom right-hand corner of your phone or computer screen — just this morning, I was browsing through my banking app when a message from “Erica,” Bank of America’s virtual financial assistant, asked if I needed assistance.
Chatbots — A mode of conversational AI technology, with programs more sophisticated than that of task-oriented dialog agents. Chatbots are designed for longer, less structured conversations which imitate human-human interaction; they range in complexity but often include the ability to:
Understand context
Analyze emotion
Learn from interactions
Interact when needed: proactively, scheduled, on-demand
The Benefit of Dialog Systems
A study by Oracle found that by 2020, 80% of businesses plan to utilize dialog systems. There are two big appeals to this new technology, especially for customer service use cases. First, is the 24-hour availability of these systems, and the second is that it offers a less costly alternative to employing people for this role. Market research by IBM shows that chatbots have the potential to reduce customer support costs by 30% across industries.
Most businesses that currently leverage dialog systems are using task-oriented dialog agents; this makes sense, considering these programs are being deployed with a certain goal in mind. These goals can range from helping a customer answer a specific question, or improving lead generation by engaging with customers as soon as they land on a page. In these instances, there may not be as much of a need for complex chatbots to be able to mimic unstructured, candid conversation.
SMS + Chatbots = A Game Changer
When we think of chatbots, we often think of the programs embedded in websites or mobile / web applications. But, what if we delivered the human-like intelligence of chatbots through text modality?
Enter: the SMS chatbot.
As mentioned earlier, SMS has been adopted heavily for B2C communication because of its ubiquity, scalability, and effectiveness in reaching customers. AN SMS chatbot combines conversational AI with the ubiquity of SMS — this means that businesses can engage with customers naturally and intelligently through customers’ preferred channel of communication.
Current SMS use cases tend to fall under the following categories: alerts, notifications, marketing and special offers, customer support. Automated conversational experiences don’t make the list yet, but the adoption of SMS chatbots could change that; it’s not far fetched to say SMS chatbots could help shape a world where automated conversational experiences exist at our fingertips.
What would this world look like? Here’s a few examples of how an SMS chatbot can deliver value in these spaces:
Mental Health Service Delivery — The US currently suffers from an insufficiency in mental health services, despite 56% of people in the country seeking help in this space. Access to these services is extremely limited — 96 million Americans have had to wait more than a week for mental health treatments — due to the cost of hiring skilled staff, and the few options for treatment.
SMS chatbots can be leveraged to increase access and limit wait times for people in need of mental health services by engaging with, and conversing with individuals as a therapist would. While this may not be a permanent solution, it could be used as a temporary intervention in the interim while an individual waits for a face-to-face appointment. Compared to the current situation of having no intervention during this waiting period, individuals could benefit from the immediacy of a personalized treatment option.
Personalized Education — How many times in college did you wait outside of a professor’s office for an hour just to ask a few questions? Have you ever needed help during a time that fell outside of office hours? Speaking from experience, these things happened to me a lot. Even with teaching assistants, the limitations of the professor to student ratio is difficult to overcome, especially at larger institutions.
Now, imagine an educational experience where you simply pull out your phone to ask for feedback on your essays or to ask a quick question about how to find the best resources for your research paper. SMS chatbots could make it possible to provide personalized educational experience and deliver attention to students quickly on a one-to-one basis.
The Future of SMS Chatbots
Training chatbots to interact with people in nuanced, natural conversations is a difficult task, and as with any new technology, there are ethical implications that should be considered while building and deploying this tech. But if done right, SMS chatbots offer a huge potential to deliver value in spaces where our experiences are lacking due to access, deliverability, or other limitations to human interaction. | https://medium.com/telnyx/why-sms-chatbots-game-changer-851b4da02781 | ['Risa Takenaka'] | 2020-11-25 17:05:07.199000+00:00 | ['Chatbots', 'Conversational Ai', 'Bots', 'Sms', 'Chatbots For Business'] |
APRIL'S FOOL | Life’s not always fair when you think about it. Sometimes, life is a joke, has its way of playing the worst pranks on us. Most times, you end up being it’s fool and that’s how I felt all through the month of April 17'.
As the shuttle zoomed passed the handball court, all I could think about was how much I wanted to obliterate my opponents for the day. The Grasshoppers were the handball team of Ogun State and after two matches in the past, they had earned themselves the right to be called our archrival not just because they were pretty good and always whooped our asses, but they were also the only other team my prisonyard of a school let us play. In my opinion, the Hoppers always bested us because they always brought the umpire, who in turn never failed to introduce a new rule to favor their W. This time, it was personal for me, I wasn’t going to captain my team to yet another loss to this enemy, not again.
A hippo yawn and I was back to reality. I could feel how sleep deprived I was, deep in my marrow. Leaving school the night before wasn’t the brightest idea, considering I only made it back by the slimmest of chances. I could have easily missed the game, but my vendetta was bigger than any extra turnup. The hard grinding at the club all night wasn’t enough to hold me down. We were at the final stop now, I plugged in and scrolled through my iPod for my game day playlist. Alighting from the vehicle, I was a man on a mission cruising on a beastly vibe.
My Tom Clancy novels paid off as I avoided the security men and porters to prevent any ordeals that might lead to suspicions concerning my whereabouts the night before. I was in my room within seconds and was out of my outfit in lesser, whilst entertaining an eager audience with the escapades of the previous night, doing my very best to paint a mental picture. It was like Picasso driving them around in a bus, so gracefully. Olé! Picasso on the wheels.
My iPod was buzzing now, my reminders for the day had snapped us back to the present. I looked at my iPod and realized how packed my day was. My game was scheduled for 9AM, a hot friend who had aerobics at the sports center was my 11AM and my girlfriend who was coming to visit, had the rest of my day. I moved quickly now as I changed into my sports gear and grabbed my gym bag. I was out of my room, making my way down the stairs when I ran into him. This was the first domino that was going to come crashing down, causing a ripple effect leading to the most unfortunate event.
Segun or ‘Shegman’ as we fondly called him was a friend, who I’d known for over 12 years. We attended the same secondary school, in which we were in the same house, ended up in technical class in senior school and finally attended the same University. In all, we had a mutual respect for one another and considered ourselves friends. He was silly, notorious, cool and a great sportsman. If Covenant ever did have a scholarship programme for sports, I was sure Shegman would qualify. Sadly, CU was too blind to realize the role sports played in actualizing their so called ‘Vision 2020’.
Seeing me all kitted, Shegs knew where I was headed but still asked all the same. He played handball too, when he felt up to it and was still good enough to make the team. I indulged him, giving him the answer he expected with a little sarcasm and we both laughed about it. He asked that I waited for him but I was reluctant, considering I was running pretty late. He kept pleading and after 12 years, it was still hard to say no. So I agreed, only after he promised to be dressed in 5 minutes, which he did while I sat waiting in the courtyard. Soon we were on the streets of CU, making jokes and being merry.
We arrived a quarter minutes to nine, to find the Hoppers changing into their jerseys, we went over to say hi to a few of them we knew from previous games all in the spirit of sportsmanship and probably so they could see the fire that burned in our eyes, hoping to intimidate them. Our coach called out to our duo and we knew we were about to get scolded for being late, we were the senior players after all, we were supposed to lead by example, she said. After a few apologies, we got straight to business, talking strategies and formations.
Segun and I were in the starting 7 obviously, along with a bunch of promising younglings. We changed into our jerseys, had our pregame rituals before I gave the usual captain’s inspirational speech, getting my team fired up and in that moment, I was sure nothing could go wrong. The Hoppers brought their usual umpire but I wasn’t budging this time, we were going to beat them by their rules. I let them make the first pass as it was our home court, they didn’t stand a chance. The umpire blew the whistle and the match began.
We lost again, not woefully, but with a 3 point deficit and a part of me wasn’t entirely disappointed. We played with so much heart but we just couldn’t beat them by their rules. Segun had the most goals in the game while I ended up with the most assists but it just wasn’t enough. Coach tried to cheer the boys up by getting us snacks and drinks. Our opponents were impressed with our style of play and offered Segun and I a chance to train with them during the summer break.
It was some minutes after 10 now and we were leaving our court, I remembered my 11AM appointment and decided to head to the pool area where they had aerobics. Segun followed, saying he wanted to just check out the pool area too. We got there and my hot friend was nowhere to be found, it made sense, she did say 11 after all. I hung around a bit hoping she’d show up earlier. Whilst we were there, Segun suggested that we swim, I quickly pulled out because I couldn’t swim for shit and I wasn’t ready to drown but somehow, he was still bent on swimming and asked if I had some change on me. I had a 1000 naira on me but it was always difficult getting your complete change from the pool officials so I just told him “I do not have any change.” Still determined to take a dip, he persuaded me to join him to cajole the officials to let him swim.
As we passed by the pool, he mentioned that the water was calling to him, at that point it didn’t make much sense to me so I just laughed. Persuading the officials didn’t work out well even though they knew us and Shegs resorted to his last option; finding someone to pay for him. At this moment, it was already past 11 and I was done waiting for my hot friend. I tried convincing Shegs to follow me back to the hostel but he had made up his mind; he wanted to swim so bad but this wasn’t sign enough for me to drag him back with me, so I just left and went my way.
I was in the hostel now, prepping because my girl was still coming around. She had just called me on my burner, telling me she was an hour away. I just lay in my bed now reminiscing the ‘L’ I had received that morning and the combos Shegs and I had put up. It was nasty, he always knew when to make the runs and I in turn, knew when to drop those passes. It was bliss.
The hostel was pretty much open spaced and you could tell when something was up. There was some chatter, some screaming but I really wasn’t bothered; silly boys always made noise. One of the guys affiliated with my room came in panting, I could tell that he had the gist and it felt pretty personal from the way he looked at me.
For the first time that day, I realized it was April Fool’s day and as I heard the words from his mouth, all I could think was this had to be a Fool’s day prank, nothing else. It didn’t make any sense, I just left Shegman at the pool, we played handball that morning, there was no way he was dead. All I could say out loud was, “it had to be a prank”, but when this messenger said Shegman had drowned, it hit different. If I wasn’t already laying down, I was bound to collapse. I felt like my mattress was swallowing me, my head kept spinning and I was still trying to process things when the guilt came. “Why didn’t I drag him back to the hostel?” I kept asking myself. I managed to pull myself up, trying hard to ensure my roommates didn’t see the tears forming in my eyes now. I made my way to the corridor, got some air before making my way to Segun’s room, I had to be sure. My heart raced faster when I got to his door. I knocked and opened the door but there was no Shegman there, just one of his roommates who seemed as lost as I was.
Back in my room, word came that Shegman wasn’t actually dead and it had just been some fool trying to make good use of the day. How did this prankster know that Shegs was at the pool? I still wasn’t sure what to believe but I hoped and prayed he was okay. All I could do now was wait.
My burner rang, it was my girl calling. I answered, she was downstairs waiting on me. I was pretty reluctant to go down but I had to, it would have been unfair to her and if anyone could keep me in check, it was her.
She was a sweet soul and had always been there for me. I was excited to see her, but truth was, a part of me was still broken from the back and forth news on Shegman’s well being. As I approached the car, I saw the two guys she had told me were bringing her. I recognized one of them, his name was Lex, he had gone to the same secondary school with Shegman and I, although he was our senior with about two years. I greeted Lex and the other guy, it was only the right thing to do. I got in the back seat only to see my girl, pretty as ever, trying so hard not to laugh at my now beardless face. She hugged and kissed me, I did reciprocate with all the ‘mushy’ I had in me. Lex and the other guy, Tai decided to take a walk to the cafeteria, leaving the lovebirds be. She was saying something and showing me stuff she got for my guys and I but with time, she soon realised something was up. She was smart, one of the reasons I loved her. She asked where my head was at and I replied, telling her the ordeals of my day, she just sat there and listened. Once I was done, she hugged me tight and didn’t let go as though my life depended on it somehow. A few minutes later, she was making me laugh hard, I still don’t know how but love always prevails, I guess.
I called my burner so one of my guys would come get the goodies my girl came bearing. She knew him too and they had their usual playful bickering before he told me that the rumours about Shegman’s death were true. Apparently, word had spread that they had rushed him to the health center and he was in the emergency ward. My girl looked in my eyes, noticing the inferno in them. Without thinking twice, she handed the goodies to my friend and got in the driver’s seat before zooming off to the health center.
We arrived at the health center, I was out of the car in no time and she followed behind me. We made our way to the emergency ward and were stopped by some officials who wouldn’t let us past them. I tried explaining to them, but they weren’t listening. She pulled me away knowing the anger stirring in me now was about to explode, dragged me to the car, holding my hand all through. As soon as we got into the car, all hell let loose as tears streamed down my cheeks while I tried to comprehend how and why this was all happening. I wasn’t ready to believe it all. I was hurt deep down, a part of me wanted to scream out loud but nothing was coming out except the whimpering of a wounded soul. I wanted a bottle of vodka or some kush to fill the void that was expanding within me. I was losing my mind but a warm hand on my head, guiding it to her laps brought me back. I kept sobbing, taking my time to let it all out as she kept consoling me. The engine revved to life and everything was hazy as I was lost in my thought until she killed the engine. I looked out to see we were in front of her sister’s hostel.
She stepped out of the car and made her way into the hostel to get her sister while I stayed back, trying hard to clean up.
They exited the hostel now. Staring at my babe, I realized I might never see Shegman again, talk less of walking out of any hostel. The thought pierced my heart and I might have had another breakdown. I put on a pseudo smile as they opened the doors, her sister getting in the backseat. I gave her the usual fist bump, it was our way of being ‘cool’. After all, I was always the cool boyfriend, I couldn’t help it.
As they talked and tried to ‘catch up’, I let my mind wander, to a place I’d once been. A place I’d never hoped to be for a long time; I was about questioning The Almighty. I only wanted an answer to the simple question; WHY? Why did Shegman have to drown? I mean, he was a good swimmer, so it didn’t make sense. Why did I have to lose someone again? It wasn’t my first rodeo, but I barely pulled through losing my dad. Why did I wait back for him to get dressed and follow me to the sports center? Why did I leave him back there?
At this point, my emotions were overwhelming and I’d forgotten where I was. A tear caught me off guard and I sniffed whilst cleaning it. There was silence in the car now and I could feel their eyes on me. Her sister broke the silence, with words of hope that made me feel like Shegs wasn’t gone. She somehow assured me he was going to be fine. She did have a point, it was still all a rumour, there was no proof that he was dead, I hoped. She got her goodies from the backseat, hugged her sister goodbye before hugging me, in her attempt to make me feel better. I smiled, for real this time and bade her farewell before kissing my girl on the forehead, not realizing when the words, “Thank You” slipped off my tongue. Lex called, he and Tai were at the cafeteria waiting for us. My babe asked that I drive, I felt obliged to and didn’t argue. She had been my rock so far. I started the engine, kicked the gear into drive and stepped on the gas, holding my babe’s hand all through the drive.
Lex and Tai were just outside the cafeteria, there was something different in the atmosphere around them and I initially thought they might have been pissed, waiting for us all the while. I parked the car, pulled up the handbrake and was out of the car, about to apologise when Lex asked if the rumours about Shegman’s death were true. I froze for a split second, unsure of what answer to give. Saying yes would mean I believed the rumours and honestly, I wasn’t ready to give up hope. I just replied with a nod as the right words wouldn’t come forth. I could see the light in Lex’s eyes go dim and I quickly added, “No one’s exactly sure about what’s true or not right now, for all we know, it could be a Fool’s day prank and all we can do is pray, hope and not give up on Shegman”. Those words seemed to also be what I needed to hear and somehow, I found some light in it. I tried to assure Lex that Shegman was going to be fine, but a part of me strongly doubted it, there was really something in the atmosphere and I could feel it.
I stayed out there with them, in my attempt to ‘stab’ the Saturday evening services they usually had in the hostels. We had managed to change the topic and elated the mood; positive vibes only. Tai and Lex, in front, giving us the fire jams while I sat back with my babe, feeling the mode and singing along when our lips weren’t busy. It was a good distraction and it just might have worked if my babe and I didn’t step out the car to have a lil side talk. She wanted me to leave school with her that night, “it might help” she said. Normally, I’d have jumped on the idea and gone in to pack light but my head wasn’t in the right place. I wasn’t still sure about Shegman, I couldn’t leave school without that knowledge. Don’t get me wrong, it would have been nice to go home with my babe, eat some good food, get dirty while taking a shower together, make mad love that makes you wonder if you are already a father and above all, clear my head but it just didn’t feel right. I tried to make her see reason and she understood, at least she tried to and I knew what that meant for her; mama wasn’t getting some sugar rush tonight.
In the process of convincing her that I was going to make it up to her, I saw a bunch of ‘OGs’ coming from the health center and towards me and I knew something was up. I excused myself from my babe, kissing her hand in the process and was with the OGs in no time. We had the usual greetings and one of them spoke up; “Zaram, how far na? We hear say you dey with Shegman last, wetin sup?” I didn’t know how to reply to that, I only just realized that I was probably the last of his guys that had been with him before the incident. I explained to them how Shegman and I had gone to play Handball and lost, then mentioned how he wanted to swim badly but I had to come back because my babe was coming around. Saying all that made me teary and they could all probably see it because one of them put his hand around me and pulled me in close, it was the umpteenth time I was getting comforted that day and I began to feel weak. As I finished my tale, one of them, Ojobz, told me something I probably knew… Shegman was dead.
It was all different now, it had been a rumour to me a few seconds back and I had hoped that he was going to pull through one way or the other. I had faith, I believed that there was going to be a miracle, one way or the other; this was a holy ground, wasn’t it? Then I began to see similarities to the time I lost my dad, I’d hoped too, prayed, had faith and nothing changed. Death was a bitch, it was more certain than life. Then I began to blame myself again, but this time, not in my head. They tried hard to keep me calm, assuring me it wasn’t my fault. Ojobz tried explaining what he had gathered concerning what happened to Shegman.
We all knew Shegman was a good swimmer, so it didn’t make sense to any one of us that knew him. Word on the street was that he had been swimming at the same time the school team was practicing. That didn’t make sense either. At least one person would have seen him while he struggled and helped him. I was almost suspecting foul play. Shegman had eventually found someone to pay his swimming fee, he had a way with words. The swimming team was actually practicing at the same time he did, but they all claimed they never saw Shegman struggle or heard him call for help. Someone had stumbled on him at the bottom of the pool and called for help. They pulled him out but there was no lifeguard or trainer to administer CPR or mouth-to-mouth, so the youngsters had to try frantic means, which didn’t help out much. All that while, they had called for an ambulance but none was made available; makes you wonder what the school makes their priority. These youngsters had to get the sports director who drove them to the health center in his car.
On arrival, the milk had already been spilled and there was no use crying, Shegman was gone already. Once Ojobz was done, a new feeling arose in me, my anger was rekindled but there was nothing I could do about it. The school was only bent on spirituality and academics that they forgot the little things.They didn’t understand that these ‘little things’ were hindrances to their vision. I needed to punch something badly, but I couldn’t get close to anything. I just let myself feel the hurt, while we all stood, trying hard to believe that we didn’t have to live without Shegman. We said our goodbyes and dispersed. I walked back to my girl who obviously realized what the impromptu meeting was all about. I just sat beside her, holding myself together. She put her head on my shoulder and held my hands, her way of telling she was with me. We sat in silence for a while before I let her in on what Ojobz had just told me and I could see how much she too was hurting from the idea the school’s complacency had let a young man to die.
It was about time for her to leave, she asked if I was still following her even though she knew my answer. I could tell she was just really worried, she knew how much my dad’s death had weighed me down, I couldn’t blame her for trying. I assured her I was going to be fine, promising to call if I wasn’t. With one final kiss and a warm hug, she got in the car, Lex and Tai already waiting, before they zoomed off. Seeing their brakelight in the distance, I prayed to God to protect them, before plugging in and listening to the only song that came to mind; ‘See You Again’ by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth. The song played twice before I got to my room.
Opening the door, I could feel the presence of extra bodies in my room. Word had gone round that I was with Shegman that morning and a few friends of mine had to come to check up on me and maybe the goodies my babe had brought. I tried to smile, assuring everyone I was okay before telling my friend to let them have some chicken. I was in my towel soon and heading to the shower. Turning on the shower, I froze, staring at the downpour and wondering if it would call out to me, if it could drown me. I might have stared at it a full minute before summoning the courage to step in, letting the water wash away all tears and hurt of the day. I washed up quick, scared that the fear might creep back in. I walked back to my room, changed into my pyjamas and made my bed.
The boys were all making merry and enjoying ‘my goodies’ but I wasn’t so bothered. My friend brought a few pieces of chicken that remained in the bucket and ordered that I eat, something about not losing my appetite. I reluctantly collected the bucket, but deep down, I knew how much I had craved the chicken. I bit down on a drumstick and let the taste take my sorrows away. Soon after we were done and things had been cleaned up, I lay my head to rest, trying to go through the ordeals of the day. I had only just returned that morning because of a game I ended up losing, and my vendetta had caused me a friend, I thought. If only I had stayed back and not returned that morning, maybe Shegman might have been in my room that night crunching on some bones. A part of me still hoped it was some elaborate April Fool’s prank, planned to the minimum detail. I was going to sleep and wake up and everything was going to go back to normal, I thought. I wasn’t going to wake up April’s fool. Somewhere between thoughts, everything went black and I was asleep.
I was up the next morning, knowing I’d never forget yesterday’s date, it was tattooed in my head now, forever. I missed the service, I couldn’t push myself to go. I watched my day go by, still horrified by the events of yesterday. My babe called during the day and we talked, she hadn’t stopped worrying. My hot friend (My 11AM for the day before), texted me and asked to see me. She knew I was close with Shegman and wanted to see how I was doing. I took a walk later that afternoon to the pool area and tried to imagine the scene that might have taken place there. I soon left, unable to handle the image I had put in my head and headed for the chapel. I felt I had to say a prayer on his behalf and I did just that.
Back in the hostel, I ran into a mutual friend of Shegman and I, he was among the OGs I had seen the evening before. He told me Shegman had been buried that morning, at the graveyard within Canaanland. I was furious at myself for having not attended, I had no idea it was holding that day. His parents and siblings were there. I imagined their hurt, the look on his father’s face when he saw his son but with a lot less life than he had last seen him. I wondered how his mother must have felt when he was put in the ground. No parent should bury their child, was all I could think. I was hurt thinking about the fact that his siblings were never going to see their big bro anymore. I did have my emotions in check and I forced my already teary eyes to hold back from crying again. We bade goodbye and I just stood out in the courtyard looking at the sky, hoping Shegman was one of the stars that shone so brightly. | https://medium.com/@znwulu/aprils-fool-80928a199c68 | ['Tory Tella'] | 2021-04-01 12:29:00.299000+00:00 | ['Tragedy', 'Sorrow', 'Guilt', 'Thriller', 'Friendship'] |
Why Everyone in Healthcare Should Watch Their Back | Lawrence Hartman is the author of GUILTY TILL PROVEN INNOCENT: A Shocking Inside View Into America’s Failing Justice System (now available online at Amazon) and may be contacted by email at [email protected] to discuss your legal mitigation needs.
Read today’s headlines and you’ll notice that they’re full of alarming stories of doctors and other medical professionals charged with healthcare fraud. On some level it only makes sense, since healthcare now represents one-sixth of the U.S. economy, at over $3.5 trillion dollars a year. The problem is, that the government uses a hub and spoke approach which, thanks to the amorphous crime of conspiracy, catches both the witting and unwitting, guilty and innocent.
Federal agencies make extensive use of analytics according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, searching out questionable relationships and improper influence. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in particular, scrutinizes relationships between providers, payers and life science companies on a regular basis. The analytics themselves expose certain anomalies and suspicious patterns as CMS seeks to verify identities or mine data from social networks. Once identified, the investigators seek to make a case, but with an inherent bias toward finding guilt because, after all, they have to justify their initial conclusions and time invested to their superiors. So, you can see where this generally leads.
Federal regulators are also well armed with complicated laws to help them pursue these types of cases. The False Claims Act, for example, enables prosecutors to pursue fraud and abuse claims, while the Anti-Kickback Statute is continuously defined more narrowly and can now include such menial items as dinners and tickets to sporting events, let alone elaborate trips or vacations. Then there’s the Physicians Payment Sunshine Act which requires detailed reporting of “payments or transfers of value” by drug medical device companies and supply manufacturers, among many other laws. To make matters even more challenging, regulators often only need to allege that you either knew or should of known in order to find criminal culpability, under a legal doctrine commonly referred to as “willful blindness.” Finally, the Federal agencies in charge of enforcing health care fraud and abuse also have the largest office of Inspector General in the entire government, ensuring that cases are churned out in assembly line fashion.
My bunkmate Christian studied physiology back in his native country of Chile. He was offered a job in the States as a physical therapist and eventually worked his way up to Rehabilitation Director, providing services the government acknowledged he performed. The government also acknowledged that he made no money from the conspiracy other than a regular salary. Little did he know, though, that the people who owned the clinic, and several more just like it, had hired an outside group that was sending them a large number of clients in violation of patient brokering law. Now, Christian had no reason to know this law (it certainly didn’t exist in Chile) or that his boss was violating it. However, since he’d been approving invoices (which he had no reason to believe weren’t legitimate), he was painted with the same broad brush used against those who made millions. Even more outrageous, he didn’t even know many of his co-defendants (doctors and therapists from other clinics under the same umbrella of ownership) prior to trial. There, they were, the whole lot of them, with barely any idea what they were up against in the federal criminal justice system. The prosecutors asked for 25 years against Christian, the same length as some of the ringleaders who’d cooperated. He once too had an opportunity to cooperate himself but unfortunately believed everything he’d been told about the US justice system, so he just had to be exonerated in the end, right? Well, he ended with 12 years, wishing he’d known more about the process and handled things differently.
A physician’s assistant named Roger was a in a slightly different situation. He was working for a clinic, regularly seeing patients, billing correctly, but came to see and hear things going on around him that stoked his suspicions. So, he quit to go elsewhere and the resignation letter was part of his employment record. The government brought charges a full six years later that included Roger as a defendant even though the statute of limitations had lapsed. Now, Roger knew that he personally hadn’t done anything wrong, so he decided to go to trial. The government, however, argued that Roger should have gone to the authorities when he suspected something unseemly and that merely quitting didn’t eliminate him from the conspiracy. Roger tried to get people he knew in the medical field to testify in his defense, but they were too afraid of pissing off the government to get involved. Moreover, Roger had a terrible attorney who totally fumbled the statute of limitations issue. Roger ended up with a sentence of 15 years, several years longer than that given to his supervisor who made almost ten times what Roger did. The problem, however, didn’t end there. Roger’s wife, an office manager at another clinic, was fired shortly after Roger’s conviction because they were fearful she might be snooping around for information to shorten her husband’s sentence. She was never able to get another job in the medical field again.
So, if that’s how the government treats relatively low-level defendants with little or no culpability, imagine how hard they go after people they believe to be the ringleaders. Trust me, I know, I was once in that position. It takes considerable expertise, know-how and creativity in order to achieve a good result. Frankly, had I known back then what I know now, I strongly believe I would have shaved years off my sentence.
Healthcare fraud is the tempest in the teapot and will continue to be the center of government attention as it steadily grows as a percentage of our economy. As a result, prosecutors feel intense pressure to make cases and get convictions. Actual guilt or innocence is sort of besides the point, it’s all about what they can prove. The stakes are high. It’s therefore best to go in armed with the best and most comprehensive strategy in order to obtain the optimum outcome. | https://medium.com/@justicefailing/why-everyone-in-healthcare-should-watch-their-back-bf4d96f1b78a | ['Failing Justice'] | 2020-11-11 07:32:39.972000+00:00 | ['Criminal Defense Attorney', 'Criminal Justice', 'Prison', 'Criminal Justice Reform', 'Prison Reform'] |
Daada -Father of my Father | I was an orphan, then you showed me the sight of fatherhood. I never asked for my father as you are his father. I saw you and you were with me. You were with me before school time seeing me study like crazy. You were with me in those cold mornings when we have no gas and you put on electric heater, warm your water on it and give me almonds. You were there whenever chacha and daddi scolded us. You over protected us three with your wings. The day you left, I really felt I am orphan. I saw your soul going, ammi crying and chacha shouting. I saw everything and it was like my world has collapsed. I gathered myself and recited. In 9th class I used to study all night for your dream Dadda. “Meri hina doctor bunne gi” not knowing I have to go to doctors all my life. The day you were gone I started to freeze in my school. I had such severe depression that I forgot to live after you. You were the only hope at that time but Allah loved you more than us. You wanted best for us three. I remember that time; when we used to run between you and Daddi for three rupees. You always managed my new pencil. You were more than a father who walked with three heavy bags on your bicycle, with three grand children on foot - School. I never saw you complaining about it. With your health, knowing your son has gone in such a small age, You did it all for us. DAADA
You will be missed always and always.
9th DECEMBER, 2003 | https://medium.com/@hinavahidy/daada-father-of-my-father-d2684b48305a | ['Hina Vahidy'] | 2020-12-11 20:52:41.170000+00:00 | ['Death', 'Grandfather', 'Fatherhood', 'Love', 'Care'] |
画像提供:レボン。 | 画像提供:レボン。
DR;DR
パラレルを搭載したヘイコは、草間パラチェーンスロットを競うためにクラウドローンを開催しています。
ヘイコのクラウドローンキャンペーンは1ヶ月、パラチェーンリースは1年になります。
貢献者はHeikoトークン(HKO)で報われ、HKO総供給の5%が分配されます(現在のクラウドローンでは2.5%、将来のクラウドローンでは2.5%)。
クラウドローン参加ガイドはこちら
パラレルは採用しています!履歴書とカバーレターを送信するには、ここをクリックしてください。
パラレルヘイコの草間パラチェーンオークション
パラレルファイナンスは、ポルカドットエコシステムにおける貸出、賭け、借入を提供する分散型マネーマーケットプロトコルです。ポルカドットと「カナリアネットワーク」草間との関係と同様に、ヘイコファイナンスはパラレルの姉妹ネットワークであり、草間ブロックチェーン上で立ち上げたいと考えるパラチェーンです。私たちは、レバレッジの取り込みとオークション融資プラットフォームを通じて、コミュニティが資本効率、セキュリティ、アクセシビリティを高める力を与える分散型の未来を築いています。平子が参加することを発表することに興奮しています草間パラチェーンオークションのバッチ2。
準備方法
KSMが現在、賭けやガバナンスのために使用されている場合は、入札する前に、それらを取り出す必要があります。このプロセスは約7日かかるので、クラウドローンに早く行きたい場合は、遅かれ早かれ取り引き解除を考えるべきです。取り込みを解除する方法については、以下のリンクをクリックしてください。
parallelfinance.medium.com
参加方法
ヘイコのオークション入札に参加するには、KSM保有者はパラレルのウェブサイトまたはポルカドット.jsを介してHKOのためにKSMをロックする必要があります。
この簡単なガイドで、ポルカドーの使い方をご覧ください。{js} クラウドローン モジュールは、パラレルのクラウドローンに貢献します。
Parallel Heiko Token Distribution
Users who want to play a part in Parallel’s future are encouraged to participate in Heiko’s crowdloan. In return, contributors will receive a weighted distribution of up to 2.5% of HKO, Heiko’s governance token. This up to 2.5% will be split among all of the contributors in the parachain auction, and released according to a linear vesting schedule if/when Heiko wins a parachain auction. 400,000 KSM is the max we will raise. If we raise more than the max, the contribution will be capped. We will reward as many as 25 million HKO tokens, and as few as 20 million as the reward for participating in the auction. We have set the max cap for the raise at 400k KSM, so no matter what, every KSM contributed should return at least 50 HKO tokens. The HKO token conversion rate will be determined by this formula:
Reward Rate = total HKO rewards / total KSM contribution
Vesting
The tokens rewarded will be unvested linearly across a one year time frame. This means that every block, a proportion of HKO rewards will be unlocked, and the user can claim them at any time. There is no cliff in the crowdloan vesting, so the distribution will occur evenly, every day and month.
HKO’s Utilities
HKO token holders are delegated with voting rights and the ability to propose governance action, referenda, network upgrades, council elections, and other parameter adjustments.
HKO is a native fee token that is required to execute the functionalities and security of the protocol.
The native token is utilized to incentivize collators and validators, which is the mechanism that powers the decentralized node infrastructure of the network.
HKO token is utilized to hedge risks, incentivize rewards, and share profits. The insurance parameters are determined by HKO token governance in the event of a slash.
HKO will be burned whenever a fee is paid on our platform. These fees include money market fees, staking/unstaking fees, transaction fees, and any fees in our future fixed-rate products as well.
HKO will be added as an incentive for users to stake, lend, and borrow on Heiko.
Validators will have incentives to hold HKO in order to be whitelisted in our node evaluation schema/algorithm. The more HKO they hold, the better their chances will be of being nominated by our stakers.
Parallel Heiko’s Markets
Leverage Staking
Once launched, Heiko will offer liquid staking on Kusama. On Heiko’s lending interface, users will be able to compound their KSM stake with greater effectiveness than they ever have in the past, with minimal risk. Leverage staking allows you to lend against your staked assets, to earn interest from staking and lending at the same time. In addition, when Heiko receives the user’s KSM, it stakes them to the network by algorithmically nominating the most reliable nodes on behalf of the user. For comparison, with a custodial staking solution like Kraken, users receive a flat annualized yield of 12%. In this instance, the user does not strictly have possession of their coins, because Kraken takes custody of them. Compare this with Heiko, which is noncustodial and tailored to the users needs, offering APYs as high as 20% when leverage staking is added.
Auction Lending
パラチェーンオークションは、クラウドローン参加者に与えられたHKOのようなインセンティブを介して早期流動性へのアクセスをユーザーに提供します。Heikoのオークション貸出モジュールは、Heikoユーザーが固定金利または変動金利で参加者にDOTとKSMを貸し出し、プロジェクトの借入によって決定される将来の株式の割合を貸し出すことで、このダイナミックさを増幅します。借り手がパラチェーンオークションに勝った場合、彼らは通常6ヶ月から2年の間、定義された期間ロックされている借りたコインの金利を支払います。負けた場合、ユーザーは次のパラチェーンオークションまでローンを延長するか、ローンを取り戻すかを選択できます。パラチェーンリース期間が終了すると、コインはパラチェーンからロックを解除し、貸し手に返されます。草間にこのユーティリティを開始すると、HeikoとParallelは公式のオークション貸付プラットフォームとして市場に出回るブランドアイデンティティを与え、ポルカドットで立ち上げる借地人を引き付けます。
クラウドローンのウェイトリストに参加する:
今後のパラレルヘイコクラウドローンの準備をしなさい。
ウェイトリストに参加するここ.
パートナー様の継続的なサポートに感謝します。
不和に関するコミュニティに参加してください。
パラレルに従ってください。
ツイッター |電報|中|ギットハブ
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免責事項：
本稿では、パラレルの業績およびその他のデータに関する予測、予測、目標、計画、その他の将来の見通しに関する記述が含まれています。このような将来の見通しに関する記述は、パラレルの仮定、見積もり、見通し、およびそのような記述の準備時に入手可能な情報に照らして行われたその他の判断に基づいており、既知および未知のリスクおよび不確実性の両方を含みます。したがって、計画、目標、その他の記述は、記載されているように実現されない場合があり、実際の決算、成功/失敗または発展の進展、およびその他の予測は、本明細書に記載されているものと大きく異なる場合があります。その後の条件やその他の状況の変更により、予測、計画、その他の将来の見通しに関する記述を更新または改訂することが望ましい場合でも、Parallelは本件の更新または改訂の義務を否認します。ここに含まれるリスクや返品に関する情報(開発中の機能を含む)は、広告や財務上のアドバイスを目的としたものではありません。 | https://medium.com/@tt401/%E7%94%BB%E5%83%8F%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B-%E3%83%AC%E3%83%9C%E3%83%B3-680a18d9ed2d | [] | 2021-09-11 11:34:05.669000+00:00 | ['Japanese'] |
Orange Paint | Orange Paint
Jack’s keys clanged in his bag as he moseyed his way down the street. There was a clink accompanying each step. He tightened his grip on his backpack straps, looking around every few minutes for signs of other people. The world remained silent.
Ahead he could see his destination clearly, the streetlamp illuminating his path. The clinks became more rapid as he turned the corner into the ally way beside the drug store. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone to check the time. 1 am, a bit behind schedule but he’d make due.
He slowly placed his backpack onto the ground. Jack could hear his keys crashing into the metal cans as he silently cursed himself for not taking more precautions. If he was caught, he was dead and being noisy was not the way to avoid that from happening.
He froze in an attempt to remain silent. The movement stopped and he reached his hands down to unzip his bag. He kept pausing after every inch by tedious inch determined not to draw any onlookers. This had to be quick. The front of the bag flopped open and he began removing each can of spray paint. He’d wrapped each can in a rag to stop them from clanging around in his bag as he walked but it seemed that one had escaped. He found the culprit at the bottom, tangled in his keychain.
The time had begun, he stepped back to gauge the space he had scoped out days ago. This had to be perfect. It was Joe’s own fault for not listening to reason. Joe had to know it was him but it couldn’t be obvious. He did not need the cops knocking on his door. His parents were already angry enough about his being fired. He could only imagine how much trouble he’d be in if they discovered the continuation of his vandalization habits.
In a way, he felt bad that Joe was going to be out here half of tomorrow trying to wash Jack’s art off the wall, but then he remembered the thirty-minute lecture he endured about coming in late only a few times before Joe basically threw him out of the store. With his thoughts of remorse squashed, he began to paint.
He stepped up close to the rough bricks and began sketching in his initial lines. He took out more colors and started filling up his canvas.
Jack watched a few drips escape down the cracks and smiled to himself. From blue to green to orange, he worked for hours. The chemical smell was strong and made his eyes water but he continued on. He kept pulling out his phone as he watched the clock tick towards 6 am. He had the urge to pick up speed but he knew he had to be meticulous. With one final streak of paint, his masterpiece was complete.
He stepped back to admire his work, only stopping when a sudden commotion in the street sent him speeding to gather his things.
Joe always did make a fuss about punctuality. He always said that early was on time and on time was late of course, this would be the day he’d come to work at 5:30. Haphazardly, he stuffed every can full and empty into his backpack and decided that he best sneak away.
Jack poked his head around the corner, looking both ways. Confusion took over as the street was as empty as when he began. He could have sworn he heard a car pulling up and there were definitely voices.
Jack stepped out onto the sidewalk and brushed off the oddity as a sign to get back home. That was until he heard something call out.
His head whipped around, looking for the source of the noise. He was anxious now, he couldn’t afford to get caught here. He elected to ignore it and started walking in the direction of his house. The farther he went the less he heard the noise. He didn’t get more than half a block before curiosity got the best of him and he was turning around.
He could hear it clearly when he stood in front of the garbage cans placed outside the apartment complex that neighboured the drug store. Jack assumed some animal had gotten itself trapped inside and he moved to open the lid.
As he did so, he leaped back in order to avoid the most likely rabid creature that he imagined jumping out. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to realize there was no wild raccoon ready to eat his face, in fact, nothing had come out of the trash can at all.
Jack leaned forward and peered inside. There was nothing but bulky garbage bags that only could have fit after some forced maneuvering. There were no signs of life. His concern grew as he pondered what could have possibly been the source of the noise. It was almost instinctive when he gripped the handles and pulled the trash can back from the wall it was placed against. What he saw made his heart sink to his feet.
Its skin was pink and wrinkled. There were dark patches of blue and greens spotted across its body, or at least what he could see poking out of the ratty t-shirt it had been bundled in. Its eyes were scrunched closed and its tiny mouth was open while it cried out desperately. Little hands were reaching out, touching nothing but air as it looked for help.
Jack’s head started to spin as he realized exactly what he overheard earlier. He quickly reached down to grab the child from where it had been tossed away. He pulled him close to his chest and he felt the little fingers grip onto his jacket.
“We have to get you to a hospital, little guy.” He unzipped the top part of his jacket and shoved the baby, who couldn’t have been more than a few days old, inside.
Jack ran. He ran towards the main street which would lead him to the hospital a few blocks away. He had never been one to take anything seriously but damn him if this wasn’t a good place to start.
He could feel the baby shiver against his chest and its wailing had ceased altogether. He knew the kid had just been put in the ally but who knows what happened before he got there.
He saw the lights in the building’s windows before the sirens jolted into his senses bringing him to a halt. He was like a deer in headlights as the two officers stepped out of the car and slowly moved towards him.
“Please, you have to help him.” Jack was quiet as he pulled the child from inside his jacket. Both men looked shocked, not having expected a baby. “He needs a hospital, I just found him and…” He was hyperventilating, he hadn’t been doing that before.
“It’s okay, son. We’ve got him.”
The one who had been driving took the baby from his arms while the other gripped his shoulders. “Get in the car, we’ll take him to see a doctor.”
Jack’s whole body felt numb. It could have taken them two minutes to get to the hospital or it could have been two hours. Either way, he was shocked when they arrived.
The officer holding the baby took off through the ER doors while the other came around the car and helped him out. He was thankful for the arm around his shoulders as he didn’t trust his legs to hold him up.
The world went by in flashes, one minute he was being told to sit and the next he was watching his hands shake as both officers were talking to a nurse. They kept looking at him and he couldn’t tell why. He couldn’t even remember why he was there.
Jack looked at his hands again and saw the orange paint specks that dotted his fingertips. He should have been more careful, his parents were going to kill him.
When the officer walked towards him he knew it couldn’t be good. It was past noon now, he should be at home. He’d felt his phone going off in his pocket so many times but he didn’t have the energy to even pull it out.
“Son, where did you find that baby?” The officer’s voice was soft as he put his hand on Jack’s arm.
“They put him in the garbage.” He spoke barely above a whisper.
“Did you see who?”
“No, if I hadn’t been so paranoid packing up, maybe I could have caught them.”
“Then it’s probably best you took your time.” He paused and seemed to have to gather his courage before speaking again. “That child has been missing for a few days now, he was kidnapped from the hospital. His mother died having him and it seems… well, it seems someone decided to take him amidst all the chaos.”
“Is the baby okay?” The question was desperate though based on the look on the officer’s face, he knew the answer.
“There was nothing you could have done, he’s with his mother now.”
Silence passed between them as there was nothing else to be said. The tears were falling before he could even think about stopping them. He placed his head in his hands and he felt the officer’s grip on his arm tighten as he grieved for a child he didn’t even know.
He imagined his small crinkled face and his tiny delicate hands. He would never know his mother was dead and he would never know someone decided to throw him away, but at least for a moment, he had someone to cry for him. The thought remained on his mind even as the officer called after him and he began his walk home. | https://medium.com/@sydneygcoleman/orange-paint-4aad5ca50125 | ['Sydney Coleman'] | 2020-12-18 14:38:35.584000+00:00 | ['Fiction', 'Fiction Friday', 'Fiction Writing', 'Short Story', 'Story'] |
Christmas Contemplation | TODAY’S HOROSCOPE — DECEMBER 25th 2020
Beyond the nut roast, baubles, presents, laughter or peaceful solitude, the Sun and Mercury, are waiting for you. They sit within the Saturn ruled deacon of Capricorn because their degree position is less than 10. As they travel through this sign they are revisiting the ground of corporate and governmental power. Also, this duo are reflecting the pattern of Jupiter and Saturn, that have just left.
You’re invited to engage your rational mind whilst thinking about how power has been used this year. For example, what are your personal thoughts about:
How have the media, government and corporates managed the narrative of the pandemic? Or, The implications of yesterday’s Brexit Deal. Who are the ultimate winners and losers?
Because the Sun and Mercury are moving through Capricorn, here’s another opportunity to comb through the facts. After all, Saturn does rule this sign, so cogent evidence is required. While assessing it, you’re trying to make sense of their impact on your personal liberty and humanity. This will increasingly be brought into sharper focus now that Saturn is in Aquarius.
The Moon has moved into its holiday home in Taurus, so be honest about what you truly feel. Connecting with your emotions can be done peacefully because the Moon has moved passed Uranus. Also, they are both well aligned with the Sun and Mercury. Capricorn and Taurus live in the realm of physical realities. Therefore, everything has to make sense, the books have to be balanced.
The Capricorn planets are empowering you to look at the deeper facts to form your own conclusions. This urge will grow over the next 3 weeks as Mercury and the Sun conjunct Pluto. Pluto is the supreme detective that likes to unearth what is hidden.
Whatever you discover could help you to reconcile the awkward alliance between the Moon and Venus. Here, the universal visionary is at odds with material security.
Venus in Sagittarius received the green light from Chiron in Aries to find rich interpersonal encounters. Through them they’ll enhance your personal growth for inspired living. However, there’s the potential for this vision to be undermined because Chiron squares the Sun.
These cardinal energies openly place power on the table. You can write your own story that shows you as a powerful protagonist. Or, you can follow the formulaic script prescribed by others. As one year closes and another begins, which route will you choose? | https://medium.com/@bybreensamuels/christmas-contemplation-6b6ce1a3f98e | ['Bybreen Samuels'] | 2020-12-25 11:10:13.838000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Spirituality', 'Zodiac', 'Astrology', 'Horoscopes'] |
Better JavaScript — State, and Array vs Array-Like Objects | Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash
Like any kind of apps, JavaScript apps also have to be written well.
Otherwise, we run into all kinds of issues later on.
In this article, we’ll look at ways to improve our JavaScript code.
No Unnecessary State
APIs can be classified as stateful or stateless.
A stateless API provides functions or methods whose behavior depends on inputs.
They don’t change the state of the program.
If we change the state of a program, then the code is harder to trace.
A part of a program that changes the state is a stateful API.
Stateless APIs are easier to learn and use, more self-documenting, and less error-prone.
They’re also easier to test.
This is because we get some output when we pass in some input.
This doesn’t change because of the external state.
We can create stateless APIs with pure functions.
Pure functions return some output when given some input.
When the inputs are the same in 2 different calls, we get the same output each time.
So instead of writing:
c.font = "14px";
c.textAlign = "center";
c.fillText("hello, world!", 75, 25);
We write:
c.fillText("14px", "center", "hello, world!", 75, 25);
The 2nd case is a function that takes inputs and doesn’t depend on the font and textAlign property as it does in the previous example.
Stateless APIs are also more concise.
Stateful APIs led to a proliferation of additional statements to set the internal state of an object.
Use Structural Typing for Flexible Interfaces
JavaScript objects are flexible, so we can just create object literals to create interfaces with items we want to expose to the public.
For instance, we can write:
const book = {
getTitle() {
/* ... */
},
getAuthor() {
/* ... */
},
toHTML() {
/* ... */
}
}
We have some methods that we want to expose to the public.
We just provide this object as an interface for anything that uses our library.
This is the easiest way to create APIs that the outside world can use.
Distinguish Between Array and Array-Like Objects
JavaScript has arrays and array-like objects.
They aren’t the same.
Arrays have their own methods and can store data in sequence.
They’re also an instance of the Array constructor.
Array-like objects don’t have array methods.
To check if something is an array, we call the Array.isArray method to check.
If it return false , then it’s not an array.
Array-like objects can be iterable or not.
If they’re iterable, then we can convert them to an array with the spread operator.
For instance, we can convert NodeLists and the arguments object to an array:
[...document.querySelectorAll('div')]
[...arguments]
We convert the NodeList and the arguments object to an array.
If it’s a non-iterable array-like object, which is one with non-negative integer keys and a length property, we can use the Array.from method to do the conversion.
For instance, we can write:
const arr = Array.from({
0: 'foo',
1: 'bar',
length: 2
})
Then arr would be:
["foo", "bar"]
Photo by Michael on Unsplash
Conclusion
We shouldn’t have unnecessary states in our program.
Also, duck typing is good for identifying types.
And we should distinguish between array and array-like objects.
Enjoyed this article? If so, get more similar content by subscribing to Decoded, our YouTube channel! | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/better-javascript-state-and-array-vs-array-like-objects-7396a21c28c0 | ['John Au-Yeung'] | 2020-11-01 19:19:10.694000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'Programming', 'Web Development', 'Technology', 'Software Development'] |
Begin Where You Are, You Have Everything You Need | Begin Where You Are, You Have Everything You Need
A message to myself for 2021
Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash
Some things happen gradually, then suddenly. Taking in information and advice is one of those things. You can hit a saturation point and then you can just keep going.
Research turns into reading about best practices and absolute shoulds or should-nots…which turns into more research and never sketching, never prototyping, never building, never shipping.
No more. | https://medium.com/better-programming/begin-where-you-are-you-have-everything-you-need-905262bfe520 | ['Zack Shapiro'] | 2020-12-31 13:05:33.978000+00:00 | ['Maker', 'Software Development', 'Startup', 'Work', 'Programming'] |
Logo Design Inspiration 167 | Just create a great brand identity and your business is doing fine. Is this context enough to persuade you that taking steps necessary for brand identity building is quite important? Well, many marketing experts hold this idea as true. Why? A company that can easily be identified by the potential customers can have the best shot of making it to the next level. The aspect of competition is an unavoidable fact. It’s a truth that can’t be denied. Your company should be strong enough if you want to succeed. Otherwise, you’re gonna be on the losing end.
Relevantly, it is important for your business to become strong and competitive. Building a brand identity is the key. The question now is: How to build a converting brand identity? Simply put, you need to do proper branding. And one of the essentials in branding is to have an engaging and attractive logo design. Hence, you need the digital branding company today. They can help you in making sure that your business brand is going to stand out from the rest of the competitors. The service they provide is more than just creating a logo design. More specifically, it also includes other marketing activities you should do to make your business as strong as possible. To give you some insights, here are important tasks that the digital branding company is going to help you with:
Expertise and creativity in developing a logo design
You can have the best logo for your business but it won’t be able to cater your marketing needs if it doesn’t get noticed. That is why it is important for your brand identity to have a well-designed and attractive logo that can truly engage potential customers. With the professional help of digital logo company, you will be able to get what you need. The design will be unique and it won’t have any similarity with other logo designs out there.
Promotion of your business
There is no denying that you need to promote your company as much as you can. And this is going to be a task that the digital branding company will help you with. For example, they can help you create advertising material like banners, posters, flyers, stickers, or T-shirts for your business. It’s necessary for you to have something that attracts people’s attention and make them know about your new business. That’s why the digital branding company is going to be able to provide such services for you.
Social media management
What is the function of social media marketing? It is one of the most effective tools that can be used to boost your business. Are you planning to create a business profile in Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media platforms? Hire the digital branding company today and they will help you manage everything related to your social media marketing needs. This service can be crucial in building your brand identity effectively.
Steps in creating a digital brand identity: How to hire a digital branding agency? What’s next?
There are many considerations when hiring an agency for your brand identity building activity. This includes the budget, service package, experience and skills of the agency and more. That’s why you need to carefully plan before hiring them. In fact, you should be sure about what you want to achieve in terms of your business’ brand identity. You have to have a specific goal in mind that should be shared by the digital branding company. In order to do so, here are the steps that you can follow:
Make sure that your business has a strong foundation
This can be said as priority number one. You need to consider why your business exists and where you want it to become in the future. But don’t just stop there. It is also important to think of what your business should be doing in order to achieve your plan and vision. Creating a brand identity can be effectively done if you know how you want your business to look like. You need to have a certain goal in mind. Here, it is important for you to have a general idea about what kind of branding style does your company represent and what are the things that will contribute in achieving the goals of your branding project.
Make sure that you have defined target audience
Aside from knowing why and where do you want your business to go, it is also important to identify who are the people who will be the potential customers of your business. You need to identify their interests and characteristics. The digital branding company will help you with this task.
Create a list of branding features that you would want to incorporate in your business’s brand identity
Aside from knowing who are the people who will become your potential customers, it is also important for you to know what specific features you want to highlight through your brand identity. What features do you want people to notice first when they see or read about your business? This might be the unique selling proposition of your business. You need to think of the things that can really set you apart from the other businesses out there. Those traits and characteristics that can make people remember your business are going to be the ones considered as branding features.
Conclusion
Creating a brand identity for your business can be challenging. You need to make sure that you have done everything necessary so that you will be able to get a unique and attractive logo design. This article has discussed some important steps for you to follow in order to create an engaging brand identity for your business. And one of the things that you need is the help of digital branding agency. If you want to learn more about what they can do, check out the free e-book The Ultimate Guide on How To Hire A Digital Branding Agency by clicking here! | https://theymakedesign.com/brand-logo-design-inspiration-167-ce19b1deeaa0 | ['They Make Design'] | 2021-12-13 07:02:58.424000+00:00 | ['Business', 'Design', 'Logo Design', 'Inspiration', 'Branding'] |
It’s Your Fault “Main Street” is Dying | Before we get into this, full disclosure: Yes, I shop at Amazon. And Target. And Costco. Clearly, I’m not a loony, ranting hippie. I see the undeniable value that a consolidated-supply-chain-mega-retail-opolie creates. Things cost less, and if I’m lucky the trip to retrieve my goods doesn’t require a car, but rather a leisurely stroll to my own front door.
The thing is, I hate patronizing online stores and big boxes because I can’t escape the feeling that my choices are literally killing my community.
Perhaps I’m just feeling nostalgic today, but recently I’ve been thinking about “main streets.” You kThere’s the diner next to the bookstore next to the corner grocery next to the office supply store…
It’s beautiful.
It’s romantic.
And mostly notably, it’s endangered.
Though economies tend to grow over time, in the short run, they’re pretty much a zero-sum game. When you show up to the office tomorrow morning and notice you’re running short on paperclips, you have a choice: Get in the car and drive to Ol’ Millie’s Office Supply or just buy these.
You know what I’m talking about:
Sure, it takes less than 30 seconds to find the paperclips on Amazon. But Millie has been a cornerstone of the community for decades. Her father sat on the city council. Her daughter went to the same high school you went to. When the town flooded — you remember that, don’t you? — who was right next to you sandbagging?
Yes, Amazon is slightly less expensive and more convenient, but somehow that seems less important these days. Our communities don’t need drone delivery, but they desperately need more of Millie.
Only one company can get the sale; only one company gets your money. Choose wisely.
If all this seems a bit preachy, maybe it’s because I struggle mightily with this. Especially as an entrepreneur working with companies in their nascent stages, the siren’s call of savings can be difficult to overcome. But these choices are beginning to weigh on me. It breaks my heart to see things like this:
So I’ve decided to rethink my priorities. It’s easy to always select the lowest cost provider, but it’s clear that this can no longer be the only consideration. In addition to price, here’s what I’ll be considering from here on out:
Customer Service.
This is the primary way that local companies can compete. Local companies need to acknowledge that they have a “home field advantage” when competing against the industry titans. Understanding the needs of local families and businesses allows for a more seamless service experience, and, in the rare cases where something goes wrong, working with a local purveyor has obvious advantages.
Economic Interdependence.
The entrepreneur in me has a deep and abiding respect for open markets, but the fact is that economies are like ecosystems in that when one part of them fails, it’s rarely isolated. As we saw during our last two major recessions, one involving housing and one involving technology, the rot spreads. The best way to backstop against major economic disasters and strengthen community is to patronize like-minded organizations. This includes hiring service providers that are active in the community. To be clear, I’m not saying that all spending should be local. But I am saying that I’d rather do business with people recognizing the ethical quandaries inherent in spending choices, as well as those inclined to make choices that benefit our slowly wilting main streets.
Community Service.
When local non-profits want to improve our communities, their top fundraising targets are local businesses. If a business that I patronize doesn’t donate some of their financial resources back to the community, that’s their fault. If a business doesn’t have the resources to donate because I didn’t patronize them, it’s tough not to think that’s my fault.
Let me say this as straight-forward as possible:
Local businesses are often less convenient, more time-consuming, and more expensive.
But after writing this, I don’t care nearly as much about that. Why?
Because local businesses care more. About me, my business, and our shared community.
If you agree, share this article, follow me for future rants, or give a shout out to your favorite small, local business in the comments. Who knows, if the nostalgia continues, maybe I’ll do a post on one of them in the future…
*****
Shaun Black is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder of KOHA. Catch his entrepreneur interview video series, “When in Doubt” on Facebook. | https://medium.com/the-ascent/its-your-fault-main-street-is-dying-e878dba4d20d | ['Shaun Black'] | 2017-10-06 19:36:08.225000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'The Ascent', 'Marketing', 'Community', 'Digital Marketing'] |
Nobody’s Army: Lessons from the Astroworld | by Gina Arnold
“The 20th century is the era of crowds.” — Gustav LeBon. Photo: Gold, by Sebastiao Salgado.
When I was young, I went to rock festivals…a lot of rock festivals. In fact, outside of the people who work rock festivals, such as promoters, bands, and stagehands, I might have been to more rock festivals than anyone you know. In the 1990s, I was a rock critic for all those big rock magazines that no longer exist, and festivals were my beat. My attendance at all the festivals adds up to having witnessed a lot of mayhem. One time for example I was at a rock festival in Ohio where a riot occurred during a set by the band Ministry. Crowds of young men rampaged through the arena and tore all the seats off their bearings, and when it was all over, the late Chris Cornell, whose band was up next, said: “You guys looked like some kind of an army out there. The question is, who’s army are you going to be?”
I thought of that question ruefully on the morning after Astroworld, the 2 day Festival that happened in Houston in November, at which 10 people were killed in a 40-plus minute melee that saw 50,00 people surging toward the stage, tripping, tramping, squeezing, stomping on, and putting almost 100 people in the hospital. Whose army was that, I wondered. And what were they fighting for?
That incident is why, in my book about festivals Half a Million Strong: Crowds and Power from Woodstock to Coachella I suggest that, by being uncomfortable, dirty, and destructive, attendance at rock festivals makes young people feel like they are participating emotionally in historic events. They are like battlefields for people who will never set foot on a real one.
a book about crowds by moi
My book was based on my Ph.D. dissertation, but in addition to research, many of the thoughts were informed by real life experiences. I’ve been lifted off my feet in the pit of Fugazi show, surfed across the top of a crowd at Nirvana, and seen boys jumping from balconies in Tijuana, upheld by a scrum of people so tight that there was no fear of them smashing to the ground, and yet, I was still profoundly disturbed and befuddled by the events that occurred at Astroworld. Clearly, there was a degree of mayhem at that looked completely unlike anything I ever experienced in front of a stage.
The first-hand reports of it were almost too terrifying to read. The pleas for help. The unconscious women being crowd surfed out. The ten year old in cardiac arrest. The tweets saying, “We were the floor.” The morning after, much blame was put on the performer and promoter Travis Scott and Live Nation, both of whom are now being sued for liability, the latter for their lax safety precautions and the former for promoting the show, maximizing profit, and encouraging mayhem.
Both of these entities are clearly culpable for much of what went down and yet, there may have been other factors at play. Was it Covid-related somehow? Was it due to the polarization of America which has made people angrier and more ‘me’ oriented? Have people literally lost their humanity?
I think the answer to all of those questions is yes. Sadly, we are living through times when life feels cheap, stupid behavior is often rewarded, and many young people are eager — even encouraged — to engage in risky behavior, such as joining maskless crowds in the middle of a pandemic. It seems as if recent events in America have plunged us into a more frightening reality which the events at Astroworld reflect.
Another thing that differs between this show and past ones has to do with new technology. Unlike previous concerts — Woodstock and Monterey Pop, say — this festival has been documented by the crowd itself, via social media, thus giving us access to what it was like in the trenches. I suspect that some of the concerts we now revere were quite horrid to be in the midst of — and not just at Altamont, where a man was murdered in full view of the stage as The Rolling Stones performed. (The murderer was acquitted, by the way.)
Moreover, although social media may bring some much-needed transparency to events in the pit, it has also played a darker role in fomenting the mayhem in the first place. Festivals like Astroworld are all about being seen at them on Instagram or TikTok — creating FOMO, recording yourself, “pictures or it didn’t happen.” Part of the appeal of these events is participating in something worth documenting, and ‘raging’ is how concert goers help to create something dangerous and edgy to brag about. This is why I don’t think that the brutal events at Astroworld will stop kids from wanting to attend festivals like it in the future.
In his Nobel prize-winning book Crowds and Power, published in 1960, Elias Canetti grappled obliquely with the unaccountable facts that led to crowd-behavior in Nazi Germany. In the book, Canetti accounts for the desire to join large, angry crowds by saying it is a way that individuals seek psychological safety from a world they perceive as being hostile — that is, they form informal armies as a way of ensuring their own survival. Canetti couldn’t have imagined an Astroworld, but I bet he would have understood it. | https://medium.com/fools-rush-in-again/nobodys-army-lessons-from-the-astroworld-f12d4c71dc09 | ['Gina Arnold'] | 2021-11-23 19:38:48.419000+00:00 | ['Rock And Roll', 'Festivals', 'Travis Scott', 'Music', 'Astroworld'] |
Where do we go from here? | photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.com
The political climate in our nation has become so toxic what can be done to reverse course?
It’s no longer acceptable to have a differing viewpoint from anyone anymore. Either you believe what they believe or you get shouted down and cancelled. Death threats and hate-filled rants are directed at people on both sides of the political aisle. Does anyone truly believe that through the shutting down of thought and ideas that this nation will thrive and prosper? That it will be the beacon of light it has been for the whole world since its founding?
The United States has had many difficulties and dark times in the past to be sure. And we no doubt have much more to overcome. However, you can not look at where we’ve been to where we are now and honestly say that great strides and much progress have not been made along the way.
The constant bickering and nasty fighting back and forth are doing nothing but pulling us backwards. The constant need to make everything a political issue and argument is absolutely tiring. It has in my view alienated and silenced many in this country that just want to live a peaceful life and enjoy the many freedoms this country offers. | https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/where-do-we-go-from-here-46cd138d87bf | ['Eric Allen'] | 2020-10-22 14:01:06.707000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Society', 'Culture'] |
The fastest guide of ViewBinding usage (Kotlin) | No, water, not useless words. You know everything. Just code.
1. Setup
android {
//...
buildFeatures {
viewBinding = true
}
}
Then, rebuild the project to generate ViewBingins.
2. Where are my ViewBindings now?
Go to
<your_module_name>/build/generated/data_binding_base_class_source_out
Expand the folder to see your generated ViewBindings!
3. Usage
3.1 Usage in Activity
private lateinit var binding: ResultProfileBinding
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
binding = ResultProfileBinding.inflate(layoutInflater)
val view = binding.root
setContentView(view)
}
Then
binding.name.text = viewModel.name
binding.button.setOnClickListener { viewModel.userClicked() }
3.2 Usage in Fragment
private var _binding: ResultProfileBinding? = null
// This property is only valid between onCreateView and
// onDestroyView.
private val binding get() = _binding!!
override fun onCreateView(
inflater: LayoutInflater,
container: ViewGroup?,
savedInstanceState: Bundle?
): View? {
_binding = ResultProfileBinding.inflate(inflater, container, false)
val view = binding.root
return view
}
override fun onDestroyView() {
super.onDestroyView()
_binding = null
}
Then use it in the same way as in Activity before.
3.2 Usage in ViewHolders
class BannersViewHolder(val binding: RvCategoryBannersBinding) : RecyclerView.ViewHolder(binding.root), BaseClickListener {
private val rvBanners: RecyclerView = binding.rvCategoryBanners
fun bind(viewModel: CategoryBannersViewModel) {
// do your stuff
}
}
and pass ViewBinding from Adapter :
override fun onCreateViewHolder(parent: ViewGroup, viewType: Int): RecyclerView.ViewHolder {
val binding = RvCategoryBannersBinding.inflate(LayoutInflater.from(parent.context), parent, false)
return BannersViewHolder(binding)
}
Note: You can play with bind method to achieve more cleaner memory management inside RecyclerView, but… it’s not related to this article.
4. Corner cases
4.1 <merge> layouts
Inside Fragment :
private var _binding: FragmentSettingsBinding? = null
private val binding get() = _binding!!
private var _debugMenuBinding: DebugInfoBinding? = null
private val debugMenuBinding get() = _debugMenuBinding!! override fun onCreateView(inflater: LayoutInflater, container: ViewGroup?, savedInstanceState: Bundle?): View? {
_binding = FragmentSettingsBinding.inflate(inflater, container, false)
_debugMenuBinding = DebugMenuBinding.bind(binding.root)
return binding.root
}
If you have something like
<include layout="@layout/debug_menu" />
in your layout. For Activity do the same thing (DebugMenuBinding.bind(binding.root))
4.2 <include> layouts
private lateinit var binding: ActivitySelectAddressBinding override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
binding = ActivitySelectAddressBinding.inflate(layoutInflater)
setContentView(binding.root)
}
Here we have another way to declare it
binding.bottomSheet.rvRestaurantListDialog.layoutManager = LinearLayoutManager(this)
binding.bottomSheet.rvRestaurantListDialog.adapter = rvAdapter
activity_select_address.xml :
<include android:id="@+id/bottom_sheet" layout="@layout/bottom_sheet_view" />
5. Okay. Let’s talk a bit
Understand the difference between inflate and bind methods :
inflate — inflates the view by context and other options. This method use bind inside
inside bind — expecting to get the parent layout, that contains all views declared in this Binding. Be aware: if you’ll pass an incorrect view inside — you’ll get a ClassCastException.
2. As ViewBindings is a good mechanism to make your code more null-safety (with other advantages), however, you can notice that ViewBindings usage produce a boilerplate code. I strongly recommend you to look at ViewBindings + Kotlin delegates tutorial.
3. Feel free to send me any advice or suggestion to improve this article. | https://medium.com/@pandarium-shustikov/an-exceptional-guide-of-viewbinding-usage-kotlin-6b64cee9f47f | ['Sergey Shustikov'] | 2020-11-27 19:46:01.623000+00:00 | ['Android View Binding', 'Guides And Tutorials', 'Android'] |
Squeegee and Carlybob | We were so relieved to be rid of the party tenants we didn’t mind the work to get the Dragon House cleaned up for the next ones. Having a month off was a welcome break, even though we had no rent to use to cover the mortgage.
It had been an eye-opening experience as well. Being a landlord looked easier on paper than it was in reality and we were learning a lot.
Realizing the initial tenant interview was our chance to eliminate some of our difficulties, we gave ourselves a pep talk before we looked at the next round of applicants.
Part of our problem was a tendency to second guess ourselves. We had established a set of qualifications but we had no idea how to choose between two equally qualified applicants.
We decided to try a ‘first past the post’ technique.
We decided to rent to the people who were FIRST QUALIFIED.
No emotions, no second-guessing.
We put an ad in the paper. One by one I went through our list, checked their references, and when a couple met the requirements — I rented it to them.
They were in their fifties, both grew up in the town but weren’t married. He was a retired logger with a steady disability cheque and she was planning to stay at home to take care of them both.
Although they didn’t seem like the ideal tenant, they turned out to be the best ones we had chosen so far. They paid on time — always cash —and they loved the house.
He was handy and could do minor repairs around the place. She was an avid gardener. Soon the dragon sculpture in the backyard was surrounded by beautiful flower beds. They never complained and they told us they wanted to live there forever.
They had nicknames, which was an old tradition in the town. His was Squeegee. Seriously. Hers was Carlybob. That should have been a clue to what was coming.
As time went on we discovered they had some unique habits.
They liked to go out early in the morning and do some truck hunting.
While drinking. And driving their truck. They would drive out into the country with a bottle of whiskey and shoot pheasants (or rabbits) hanging out of the truck window. Very early in the morning. Did I mention they were drinking? Charming.
They did have a few fights, which were spectacular.
The neighbor told us stories of her chasing him outside waving a frying pan in her hand. Sometimes she would leave him. Then we were left with a tenant who spent his time lying around on the couch, drinking and trashing the place. She would eventually return and things would go back to normal.
In the end, she left him for good. He didn’t want to stay without her so he gave his notice. That was ok, except for the junk they left behind…. | https://medium.com/illumination/squeegee-and-carlybob-3cde51cec172 | ['Tree Langdon'] | 2020-11-17 21:17:48.481000+00:00 | ['Fiction', 'Robber Baron', 'Landlords', 'Tenants', 'Series'] |
Bridging the Divide : Psychedelic Biophilia & Human Nature Connection | Feelings of interconnectedness with nature, of being part of nature, seem to be a primary facet of the psychedelic experience, described over and over again in experience reports, in research surveys and in key historical accounts of early psychedelic experiences. One survey of 150 psychedelic users reported that all reported an increase in nature connection following their psychedelic experiences. There are a number of correlative studies showing that psychedelic users tend to rate highly in nature relatedness, and in a sample of patients with major depression undergoing psilocybin therapy, measures of nature connection remained high 7–12 months post experience. It was interesting to note that the patients with depression did not acknowledge their disconnection from nature until after their psilocybin sessions, when it seems they were reminded of the importance of that connection.
In another study pooling data from healthy participants undergoing psilocybin sessions, an enduring shift in people’s relation to the environment was reported by over a third of study participants 8–16 months later. Interestingly, a follow up of the famous Marsh Chapel Experiment, where Harvard divinity students were given a high dose of psilocybin or placebo, found that when study participants were interviewed 24–27 years later, one of the common themes emerging from interviews was an enduring and deepened appreciation for life and nature following their psilocybin experiences.
One recent large scale study found that lifetime experience with classical psychedelics (but not other consumed substances) was found to strongly predict self-reported engagement with pro-environmental behaviour, and this was largely explained by people’s self-identification with nature, or nature relatedness. Research conducted so far suggests that the long-term increase in nature relatedness reported is tied to the experience of ego dissolution, where a brain network known as the default mode network (which is thought to be a fundamental component of the neural basis of the ego or sense of self) is relaxed and deactivated. This appears to result in perceived boundaries between self and other dissolving, resulting in an expanded perspective of self-nature overlap. It is intriguing that the memory of this perspective shift appears to be enduring, especially given that much of the psychedelic research studies linked to increased nature relatedness among participants are conducted in clinical, nature deprived settings.
One can only wonder at the potential capacity of psychedelics to (re)connect people to nature were monitored psychedelic sessions conducted in natural settings.
The perspective shift catalysed by the experience of psychedelic ego-dissolution appears similar to what is known as the overview effect, a cognitive shift many astronauts report when viewing the earth from space. This has been described as “truly transformative experiences involving senses of wonder and awe, unity with nature, transcendence and universal brotherhood”, with many astronauts becoming passionate environmentalists on their return to earth.
The experience of awe, the emotional response to vast stimuli that transcend current frames or reference, or the feeling of being a “small self” in relation to something much vaster, appears to be an important component of the experience of nature, psychedelic experiences and the overview effect the astronauts report. While not many people are likely to have the opportunity to go to space in the near future to view the earth and experience the overview effect for themselves, it seems that psychedelics may offer an alternative route to a similar transformative vantage point.
Psychedelics have also been found to enhance connectedness in a broader sense…to self, self with others and the world at large. A sense of disconnection is linked to poor mental health, including depression. One study exploring the effectiveness of psilocybin therapy for the treatment of major depression found that of the 17 of 20 people who responded to varying degrees, all independently described feelings of disconnection associated with their experience of depression, and that the psilocybin had worked, at least in part, by enhancing their connectedness to themselves, others and the wider world.
Psychedelics such as psilocybin have found to result in enduring increases in measures of personality trait openness. This is associated with an appreciation for new experiences and aesthetics, imagination, creativity and a hunger for knowledge. Previous to this research personality traits were generally thought to be fixed by the age of 30, and openness was considered to decline with age. In addition, of all the personality traits, openness appears to be one of the strongest predictors of a connection to nature and pro-environmental behaviour.
As Albert Hofmann so eloquently put it, a year before his death at the mighty age of 101:
Reconnecting humans with nature and identifying any means through which we can reverse our disconnection should be considered a common goal and urgent priority shared by all. As a group of ecopsychologists concluded at the Psychology as if the Whole Earth Mattered conference almost 30 years ago: “if the self is expanded to include the natural world, behaviour leading to destruction of the world will be experienced as self-destruction.”
Given the demonstrated capacity of psychedelics to facilitate this increased human-nature connection, it would seem their widespread prohibition is not in the best interests of our species, or the biosphere at large. What if rather than vilifying these compounds, we held them in the same high regard as some indigenous groups do? How different might our global future look if that were the case?
To ensure preservation of the biosphere, we require a fundamental psychological shift at the population level…we need to transcend our sense of separateness and urgently regain a sense of our connection to nature. I can’t think of anything more important. | https://medium.com/@sgandy2512/bridging-the-divide-psychedelic-biophilia-human-nature-connection-4bcc5ea99c3 | ['Sam Gandy'] | 2020-02-21 19:16:00.188000+00:00 | ['Environment', 'Ecology', 'Biophilia', 'Psychedelics', 'Nature Connection'] |
Changing the wallpaper | Photo by Vadim Sherbakov on Unsplash
I got my first desktop computer in 9th grade and I vividly remember spending an enormous amount of time trying to understand the nuances for the first few months. More than just playing games, I was trying to understand the functionalities the PC offered. Prior to getting my own PC, I have only played games or watched movies on my friends’ or cousin’s PC.
I never really got the chance to be left alone with a computer to explore it completely.
One of the first few things I got myself acquainted with was changing the wallpaper. At school, I had definitely learned more than just changing wallpapers in the lab sessions, but again, the freedom to change the wallpaper and even experiment with it only came when my PC arrived.
Right-click anywhere on the desktop; Click on properties; Select the Desktop tab; Browse through the preloaded images or customize it using your own picture.
This was the exciting part: Own pictures!
My parents have always been big on taking pictures and recording memories. We had a ton of pictures and there was no scarcity for exercising the customize option.
You could choose to fit or stretch the picture based on your liking. The tile option was rarely chosen as I didn’t like the repetitiveness. Wallpaper didn’t offer customization beyond these options, but then, there was the screensaver settings. There were different animations that could be chosen, especially if the text option was selected. You could write something, and that would get displayed as the screen saver in different styles.
I recollect how I once made fun of my sister by typing something about her.
Obviously, it was reciprocated.
Fast forward 15 years, I’m almost suffocated by the photo editing options that are available on different social media platforms. Since I am writing this by reminiscing, I certainly miss the good old days that came with lesser options!
If you liked the above piece, hit the CLAP button below. | https://medium.com/@nairakashms/changing-the-wallpaper-89cda134e9d7 | ['Akash Nair M S'] | 2020-02-23 19:18:26.568000+00:00 | ['Daily Blog', 'Computers', 'Memories', 'Experience', 'Childhood Memories'] |
Data storytelling - Black Lives Matter! | Data storytelling - Black Lives Matter!
Introduction
#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayron Martin’s murderer. Black lives matter foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK and Canada whose mission is to eradicate white and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
So many death have been recorded as a result of Police violence in US which has claimed many lives over the years and left the family of the deceased in lifetime agony. The core question is
Can the death rate be minimized or completely avoided?
Yes, it can. Data scientist can give insight and recommendation to solve this problem. This key question motivated me to give a shot at the publicly available data on police violence in US on Kaggle.
I have done some exploratory data analysis on the US police violence & fatal shootings against citizen between January, 2015 and August, 2020. This analysis will not only discuss about black race people but in fact all races living in the US. The intention of this analysis is to answer the outlined questions, to/show;
1. Which day, month and year death is highly recorded?
2. What is the percentage of age bucket (group) and gender affected?
3. What race, state, city and demography are most affected?
4. What is the proportion of flee or not flee and threat to the police or not?
5. What are the most used arms?
6. Black lives Matter, further insight on black race
1. Which day, month and year death is highly recorded?
Death analysis by day
proportion by day
The above visual clearly shows that mostly killings occur in mid week that is, Tuesday and Wednesday and decline towards the weekend and rise again at the beginning of the new week that is, Saturday and Monday.
Death analysis by month | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/data-storytelling-black-lives-matter-d8b1dc0cb71c | ['Oluwatosin Sanni'] | 2020-09-10 13:34:58.918000+00:00 | ['BlackLivesMatter', 'Data Science', 'Storytelling', 'Data Analytics', 'Data Visualization'] |
Aerospike Rocket Engine | A perfect propulsion system?
Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash
We consider rocket science to be challenging — and for a good reason. Crafting a precisely engineered vehicle that propels the spacecraft demands a deep understanding of physics, control theory, fuel chemistry, and engineering. Likewise, understanding the series of failures that led to a specific design is crucial: every blown-up rocket is a lesson in itself. The capability of the rocket comes from the efficiency and adaptability of its engine. It is no surprise that engineers dedicated a lot of effort to improve the technology and design of the rocket engines.
The main principle of rocket engine
The third Newton’s law (action-reaction) underlies the operation of a rocket engine: discharging the mass at high velocity propels the remaining mass in the opposite direction. You can observe this effect by holding a handheld showerhead and turning on the flow of water: you will feel a jolt when water comes through. This principle allows propulsion even in the absence of an external medium, as it is the case in the vacuum of space. Here, the rocket engine generates thrust by ejecting gases at high velocity.
Accelerating the ejected mass to high velocity requires energy. In the case of chemical rockets, this energy comes from combustion. A sudden release of thermal energy increases the pressure and the temperature inside the combustion chamber. Propellants are injected under high pressure, countering the enormous pressures of 10⁶-10⁸ Pa inside the combustion chamber.
The nozzle of the monstrous F1 engines that propelled the Saturn V. Circular plate on the right is the injector plate through which fuel and oxidizer entered into the combustion chamber. Photo by Hafidh Satyanto on Unsplash.
Nozzle design
Pressurized gases exit the combustion chamber through the nozzle and propel the vehicle. However, the way gasses exit the combustion chamber crucially determines the efficiency of the rocket engine —the nozzle can increase the thrust by ~67% in the ideal case. Most frequently, rocket designs use a bell-shaped “de Laval nozzle.” In this design, the rocket engine is roughly divided into two sections: high-pressure convergent and low-pressure divergent section connected by a narrow throat.
Gases in the combustion chamber converge towards the throat at high pressure and temperature but typically move with a subsonic speed — high-pressure convergent section. After passing through the throat, gasses start to expand, which increases the velocity but decreases the pressure and the temperature. In this divergent section, thermal energy is converted into the kinetic energy of rapidly exiting gases.
The geometry of the nozzle determines the expansion process of the exiting gasses. Ideally, if the nozzle shape allows gasses to reach a pressure equal to the ambient one, all gasses will leave the nozzle in a parallel manner. In this way, the thrust will be maximal. However, if the pressure of exiting gasses is higher than the ambient one, gasses will expand sideways, thus losing thrust. This nozzle is underexpanded. Likewise, if the nozzle geometry leads the exiting gasses to reach lower than ambient pressure, the outer gasses will constrict the flow of the exhaust. This nozzle is overexpanded.
Bell nozzles are most efficient at a specific altitude
The optimal shape of the nozzle thus depends on the ambient pressure. When a rocket launches from Earth, it starts at the ambient pressure of ~10⁵ Pa (1 bar) and makes its way towards the vacuum of space. Thus, the nozzle of a fixed shape will perform optimally only at a particular pressure. To some extent, rocket staging alleviates this issue. In this way, rocket engines most suited for higher ambient pressures at launch are discarded together with their stage; the rocket continues its ascent using engines optimized for lower ambient pressures at higher altitudes.
Taken together, the bell nozzle engine will perform optimally only at a specific pressure. However, if we would like to use a vehicle that requires no staging, we need a rocket engine with an optimal performance throughout the ascent. Engineers have often considered such a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle when designing concepts of reusable vehicles.
Aerospike engine
The aerospike engine drops the outer bell of the nozzle. Instead, it directs the outflow from the combustion chamber towards a “plug” in the middle and lets the ambient gasses surrounding the exhaust regulate its expansion. Thus, when the ambient pressure decreases, the exhaust shape is altered accordingly. In turn, this altitude compensation maximizes the thrust achievable at a particular altitude.
Comparison of bell-shaped (left) and aerospike (right) rocket engine. A bell-shaped nozzle is optimal only at a particular pressure (altitude). At very low pressure (or in a vacuum; top) or high pressure (bottom) the nozzle is underexpanded or overexpanded, respectively. Altitude compensation of the aerospike engine maximizes the thrust achievable at a particular altitude. (Schematic by the author, public domain)
This principle allows other geometries of the engine. Besides the toroidal aerospike in which the name-giving spike replaces the bell skirt, the rocket engine can take a more futuristic-looking linear shape (see image below).
There are several additional features of the aerospike engine that make its use very attractive. In the case of a linear aerospike engine, its multiple nozzles (see image below) allow thrust vectoring through differential throttling. Classical bell-nozzle or toroidal aerospike engines achieve vector control by gimballing the engine.
Linear aerospike engine “Rocketdyne XRS-2200” developed by Lockheed-Martin. Note a series of small combustion chambers ordered in a row. The rocket engine used hydrogen and oxygen. (CC BY-SA, source)
Linear aerospike engines are stackable: the figure above shows an engine made from two blocks of with ten combustion chambers each. Additionally, this arrangement allows the spreading of the thrust loads along a wider area of the vehicle, which reduces the structural reinforcements and consequently reduces weight.
Issues
The main caveat of the aerospike engines comes from heat management and associated engineering complexities. While cooling the nozzle bell is already challenging as it is, there are effective ways of doing it. Most efficient is regenerative cooling in which the propellant flows through piping running around the nozzle and thus cooling it. Some nozzles — especially those not meant for reuse — use ablative cooling in which material deposited on the wall of the nozzle vaporizes or melts away and thus reduces the temperature. Other methods, such as film- and radiation cooling are used as well.
The geometry of the aerospike engine makes cooling challenging: its spike is put directly amid the infernally hot exhaust gases. Even more so, as the spike narrows, it gets more difficult to cool. Truncating the spike partially alleviates this issue but harms performance. To counter this the exhaust of the turbopumps can be used to create a pressure cone that mimics the reminder of the spike. Additionally, the area next to the combustion chamber(s) is under particularly heavy heat load and is difficult to cool due to large area. Aerospike engines are also heavier due to the large combustion chamber(s).
Proposed projects
Engineers have considered aerospike engines for a variety of projects. Space Shuttle orbiter, whose engines operate throughout the range of ambient pressures (from sea-level pressure to the vacuum of space), was considered to have aerospike engines but went with tried-and-tested bell-shaped engines.
Lockheed Martin started developing “VentureStar” as the Space Shuttle replacement. VentureStar was an SSTO and would — if successful — dramatically simplify the pre-launch preparations. As an SSTO vehicle, its design incorporated aerospike engines. VentureStar would have a stack of seven linear aerospike engines and could launch up to twenty tonnes payload to Low Earth Orbit. After launching vertically, it would land like an airplane — similar to a Space Shuttle orbiter, but with less stringent airport requirements. Its design was to be proven by a sub-scale demonstrator X-33. The project was canceled after difficulties with composite fuel tanks.
VentureStar releasing a satellite. Note the stack of seven linear aerospike engines. (public domain).
Today, very few companies are developing rockets using aerospike engines. ARCAspace, for example, is developing a Haas 2CA rocket, which would utilize the linear aerospike engine. Its rocket engine would sport sixteen combustion chambers, allowing for thrust vectoring without nozzle gimbaling. It is, however, still cheaper to improve and use flight-tested bell-shaped rocket engines in combination with staging rather than develop the technology required to make aerospike engines flight-ready.
The aerospike engine is — with all its issues — a thought-provoking concept. As space technologies advance, we might see the resurrection of the aerospike engine and its use in a flown rocket. Yet, for the time being, it is likely that more classical, bell-shaped rocket engines will continue to dominate the rocket design. | https://medium.com/predict/aerospike-rocket-engine-4deb0dc57fb4 | ['Bor Kavcic'] | 2020-10-09 21:42:38.071000+00:00 | ['Space Exploration', 'Rockets', 'Rocket Engine', 'Space'] |
Example of barter trading | Hello! 👋🏻 Today we will tell you by example what a barter transaction is.
Barter is understood as the exchange of values without the use of currency. During the Middle Ages, Europeans traveled all over the world to trade handicrafts and furs for silks and perfumes. Colonial Americans traded musket bullets, deer skins, and wheat.
When the money came about, barter became more organized and globalized. For example, if a country produces a lot of rice, that country can exchange it for another type of grain or fruit, textiles, or oil.
Barter between businesses often includes goods or services in exchange for advertising. A company can supply promotional materials and in return receive a certain amount of airtime.
A modern barter exchange is a platform for an organized search for counterparties for barter transactions, usually implemented in the form of a specialized site, the system of which provides an automatic search for options for exchanging goods and services, taking into account the expressed wishes.
🏆 Barter Smartplace creates a blockchain barter platform that will allow members to exchange any tokenized assets and liquid currency. The tokenized asset can subsequently be placed on the platform and sold or included in a barter exchange.
To conclude barter transactions, you just need to have funds in your bank account and agree to connect it to your Smartplace account to conclude subsequent transactions. Barter costs no more than 0.02% for each party, including Ethereum gas costs. If the dark pool is used for exchange, then the cost of the contract may be higher in exceptional cases.
The signing of a barter agreement by the parties is performed on a smart contract system with the replacement of data on the owners of assets in the relevant registers on the basis of a concluded legal contract. This is one of many examples of barter transactions.
✅ The Barter Smartplace platform is designed for international automated legal barter exchange, combining the traditional economy with decentralized finance.
📢 Join the modern barter trade with Barter: http://barter.company/
Join the community: http://t.me/barterteam
Telegram wallet: http://t.me/barterwalletbot | https://medium.com/bartersmartplace/example-of-barter-trading-d4694af21755 | ['Nansy Dunne'] | 2020-12-08 13:01:56.969000+00:00 | ['Trading', 'Smart Contracts', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Barter'] |
This Week In Social Entrepreneurship: Events, Opportunities, News, Insights & More. | Events
These Active Learning Sessions are designed to expand your learning from the Qld Online Learning Centre (QOLC) topics.
This month you’ll learn how to develop your Social Enterprise Brand with Green Fox Studios!
Happening virtually on 7th September 2021, 12:30 pm — 1:30 pm AEST
Register for this event here!
The 4th Financial Inclusion Conference — Roads to Resilience aims to take a deep dive into financial resilience and explore the various roads to it. The conference is particularly relevant now, following the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Date and time: Tue., 26/10/2021, 8:30 am — Wed., 27/10/2021, 5:00 pm AEDT
To know more about this event, click here!
Learn to Develop a Successful Smart Travel Tech Startup Business Today!
If travelling is your passion and you love to design and develop your own travel startup this is the proper workshop and training for you. You will learn about all new trends in the travelling industry and cover the topics that will make your travelling startup stand out and compete. So let the sunshine in and take a fresh breath and enrol on your smart travel workshop today!
Date and Time: 7th September 2021, 1:00 PM — 5:00 PM AEST
If this excites you register here! | https://blog.startsomegood.com/this-week-in-social-entrepreneurship-events-opportunities-news-insights-more-47b7ff069eab | [] | 2021-09-04 09:46:28.045000+00:00 | ['Awards', 'Social Change', 'Social Impact', 'Scholarship', 'Social Enterprise'] |
Sharath Siddanur | An Upcoming Indian Celebrity Entrepreneur from Bangalore, India | Sharath Siddanur is an Indian entrepreneur, traveler, content writer, digital media columnist, and expert in the field of Search Engine Optimization tools, resources & community, PR, Google Knowledge Panel and Knowledge Graph to fullest and is dedicated towards development of self through exploring and understanding current search engine’s algorithms. He values learning through experience, reading, by traveling, seeing new place and meeting new people. He has a keen interest in working with associated clients through developing high end online strategy and contents. With almost 10 plus year of experience in the field of SEO and digital marketing, he has established himself as a force to be reckoned.
Early Years
Sharath Siddanur was born in Harapanahalli, in Karnataka State, India and brought up in Bangalore, India, He dropped out of college and started his career as CSR at International Call Center, and later with some experience started his startup.
Life and Career
Sharath Siddanur has provided valuable services to startups and established business organizations to have a strong digital presence, which paved way for smooth overall progress. Sharath Siddanur is the founder and director of Shachpro Technologies Pvt Ltd, an Information Technology and web applications, SEO, Digital Marketing and media advertising company. As the season goes on Shachpro Technologies roots with a strong presence at the market, handling and managing websites, web applications, social media accounts of various industries mainly celebrities, politicians, startups, industries claiming there profile verifications, badges on social media, Google knowledge graph or panel, GMB, press release coverage, branding with highly optimized content on search engines. | https://medium.com/@sharathsiddanur/sharath-siddanur-an-upcoming-indian-celebrity-entrepreneur-from-bangalore-india-7d4199450339 | ['Sharath Siddanur'] | 2020-12-08 17:14:43.384000+00:00 | ['SEO', 'Entrepreneur', 'Digital Marketing', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Celebrity'] |
Generations of Test Automation Frameworks | Software Test Automation is a software, code, or a process built using software or a programming language to test a software or application under test to validate tests. Test Automation helps in validating checks against expected results and actual results attained by running the automation scripts/software. Test Automation software focuses primarily on automating repetitive, monotonous, and manual tasks. Some of the advanced test automation software could fully automate the validation of end-to-end process flows of a software application.
Software Test Automation has been around ever since mainframe computers became a common enterprise automation tool. Even mainframes used a Restructured Extended Executor (ReXX), JCL, and other tools for automation of the testing process, resulting in productivity improvements. For client-server and GUI applications(with Windows/Mac revolution), it started with a simple codeless record and playback moving towards code-driven test automation. With the players such as Mercury (which has since become a Micro Focus tool after an interim stint with HP),
Segue offering leading automation tools of the time, test automation was widely pursued as a means to fast-track testing, reduce cycle times, and improve product quality by delivering business value faster. All these resulted in the rapid growth of the software industry. How about a quick review of the past, current, and future generations of test automation? Let’s try to understand all the six generations of test automation:
First-generation (record and playback)
Record and playback using a simple screen capturing of actions.
Record and Playback tool is a tool-based feature that records the screens and plays back for validation. It is recommended for validating non-data centric scenarios such as features/menus and navigation validations.
Second-generation (modularity/data-driven)
The data-driven framework uses a modular design and use of data lookup through the use of tables, files, etc.
Modular scripting helps the test automation engineer build a strong library that can be reused across applications, projects, and businesses, as some of the key actions and processes could be a tool-agnostic or a person agnostic automation. Record-and-playback style automation breaks apart the moment a feature, object, or interaction changes. If you have any record and playback scripts, all need to be re-automated. When it comes to modular scripting, you need to change one script; and the effort reduction for maintenance is significant.
In a data-driven framework, data read from an external file, such as a flat file, excel, databases, or a comma-separated file is used for driving the test automation logic. In data-driven test automation, the data and test automation logic are separate. The test data in the data file is used for executing test cases by running different test functions or methods based on the value or the test data. As the name says, the data drives the test automation logic.
Third-generation (keyword-driven, reusable libraries)
Keyword-driven frameworks using libraries–
A keyword-driven test automation framework is a table or an action-word (also known as a keyword) based test automation. In keyword-driven test automation, an action phrase/verb/word known as a keyword defines a set of actions that need to be performed on a test object in a system under test. It contains logic on how a test is executed as defined by an automation analyst. The action phrase would contain the values of the potential arguments to be used for conducting the test.
Fourth-generation (hybrid frameworks & behavior-driven)
Hybrid frameworks–
A hybrid automation framework is a combination of test automation frameworks, such as data-driven and keyword-driven framework being used in combination. As an example, a hybrid test automation framework combines the best of both keywords- and data-driven frameworks. A hybrid framework gives the flexibility to choose the best test automation approach for testing a test case or an application by the test automation engineer. One way a hybrid automation framework can be implemented would be to keep both the test actions and test data in an external file and used in a hybrid manner for test automation execution.
Behavior-driven test automation –
For behavior-driven automation, a simple user behavior-based approach is used. Scripts and tools, such as Gherkin and Cucumber, are used for behavior-based automation.
Fifth-generation (programmable, driver-based frameworks such as Selenium, TestNGetc.)
It uses modular, multi-platform, programmable, and driver-based frameworks. It also uses Selenium, TestNG, Junit, and other mobile test automation tools.
Sixth-generation (AI-driven full-stack test automation frameworks (self-healing, auto-generating))
AI-driven test automation leverages AI-driven full-stack test automation frameworks, self-healing test automation scripts, self-maintaining test automation scripts, auto-generating test automation scripts, and script-less test automation.
Test automation has progressed a long way since the real innovation which took place in the last 2–3 decades, with the evolution of tools, techniques, and infrastructure, enabling us to design, script and test faster. One of the best tools available for Test Automation at the moment is Selenium. It’s an open-source test automation framework that allows test automation coding using multiple languages (Java, Python, C, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, and PERL) and is primarily used for web apps. It is the most widely used test automation tool and a much sought-after automated testing suite, by automation engineers who are equipped with technical expertise and analytical skills, for web applications across different browsers and platforms.
If you are looking to make a career in test automation using Selenium, then this book is for you — Science of Selenium. You will deep dive into Test Automation, Components of Automation Framework, and Test automation framework architecture.
A step-by-step guide to understanding key concepts for Selenium Automation using examples to shine in your interview for test automation roles
Key takeaways
Web UI Automation with Selenium
Selenium Coding with Other Languages Building a Test
Automation Framework with Selenium
Advanced Features of Selenium
Cross-Browser Test Automation
Tips and Tricks for Test Automation
BPB is Asia’s largest publisher of Computer & IT books. For the last 62 years, BPB has been a friend, philosopher, and guide for programmers, developers, hardware technicians, IT Professionals who have made things happen in the IT World. Check out the catalog, if you wish to learn more about Machine Learning, Data Science, Security, Web Development, and Cloud Computing. | https://medium.com/@bpbonline/generations-of-test-automation-frameworks-ec48cd831b3e | ['Bpb Online'] | 2020-11-23 06:34:44.905000+00:00 | ['Software Test Automation', 'Software Testing', 'Test Automation Framework', 'Test Automation', 'Testing'] |
⚡How BioLNG can help decarbonize transport, Solar takes it all in Germany’s latest Renewable Auction and will Joe Biden actually aid the Oil Industry? | ⚡How BioLNG can help decarbonize transport, Solar takes it all in Germany’s latest Renewable Auction and will Joe Biden actually aid the Oil Industry? Jakub Rzeplinski Follow Nov 26, 2020 · 11 min read
Good evening The Carbon Cut Readers! Today’s highlights include:
A report on how BioLNG can help decarbonize transport sectors
Solar takes it all as not a single wind project enters oversubscribed tender at Germany’s latest renewable auction
Joe Biden was accused during the presidential campaign of planning for the end of oil, but some analysts say the president-elect won’t hurt — and may actually help — the industry
From Autonomous Cars To Green Hydrogen, Here Are The Top Techs For 2021 according to Lux Research
and how CO2 could be gold for global shipping.
⛽ NEW FUELS
💧 Hydrogen
1️⃣ Green hydrogen ‘gamble’ risks costly mistakes, warns Enel boss Starace — Renewable power giant’s CEO says still unclear if centralised or distributed model to dominate, with danger of stranded investments for backing losing option.
2️⃣ Shouldn’t we demonstrate the case for hydrogen before running a town on it? — (UK) The Government’s 10 point net zero plan commits to delivering hydrogen to a town by the end of the decade. Before the taxpayer funds trials on hydrogen in towns, should we not see the comparative evidence against electrification that demonstrates hydrogen for domestic heating as being good for the UK consumer? Staying with the ten point plan, it was heartening to see the BEV passenger car receive centre stage. There was no mention of the hydrogen FCEV for passenger and light vehicles, thus effectively signaling the end of the UK’s interest in hydrogen for the majority of transport emissions.
3️⃣ Green hydrogen generation from municipal waste — Since the construction of the suspended railway in the late 1800s, Wuppertal in Germany has been pioneers in transportation, with the Schwebebahn still in operation today. Once again, Wuppertal is putting themselves on the map for their innovative approach to mobility, with the implementation of a fleet of fuel cell electric buses, powered by the green hydrogen generated from the incineration of municipal waste.
4️⃣ Scientists Create Living Factories That Churn Out Hydrogen Fuel — By jam-packing photosynthetic algae into sugary droplets of water, scientists are building mini biological factories that churn out hydrogen that could be used as a source of carbon-neutral energy.
❄️ LNG & Natural Gas
1️⃣ The great gas investment divide — Gas’ part in the transition to a climate-neutral energy system is more controversial than for any other major source of primary energy.
2️⃣ Titan launches free LNG comparison tool to enable like-for-like benchmarking to other fuels — Available on Titan LNG’s website, the new LNG delivered price page provides an overview of LNG prices delivered onboard in various quantities and ports, aiming to increase transparency and understanding of the cost of LNG as a marine fuel. Furthermore, it displays up to date indicative pricing on a weekly basis in five key LNG fueling locations: Rotterdam, North Sea, Baltic, Mediterranean and Singapore.
3️⃣ Thumbs down for LNG as industry innovators thrash out the future of fuels — TradeWinds’ expert panel plots its way to 2030 while discussing the merits of hydrogen, sail power, ammonia and more.
🚘 Mobility — EVs, Batteries & Fuel Cells
1️⃣ China’s new NEV plan targets battery electrics, ‘quality brands’ — China’s plan for new energy vehicles (NEV) in the next 15 years aims to promote the transition from a state-led to a market-led industry. In the eyes of the policy makers, Chinese brands should lead the way and control the domestic market. Whether the plan (in Chinese) will succeed hinges on how the government manages the phase-out of purchase subsidies after 2022.
2️⃣ Battery-electric trucks will win race against fuel cells and e-fuels — Battery-electric trucks are set to take over heavy duty road freight because they are much cheaper to run than other low-emission technologies, says green vehicle expert Auke Hoekstra, a researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology. Trucks equipped with fuel cells or using e-fuels will never be able to compete with electric trucks’ business case, forecasts Hoekstra in this interview. Catenary trucks could be a viable alternative, but it will be hard to get the technology off the ground on a large scale, argues Hoekstra, who is also programme director at NEON Research and founder of ZEnMo simulations.
☀️ RENEWABLE GENERATION & SUPPLY
🔋 Energy Storage
1️⃣ JERA demonstrates battery storage data platform — JERA has begun a demonstration of its Battery Energy Storage System Data Platform named BESS. BESS is a membership-based platform that provides services based on operational data collected from storage batteries installed on user premises. It is built on top of JERA’s IoT platform. According to the results of a survey conducted by JERA, the main reason users install storage batteries is to provide backup energy in times of disaster, so the batteries have surplus capacity during normal times.
2️⃣ EStor-Lux to set up Belgium’s largest battery park — EStor-Lux is constructing Belgium’s largest battery park in Bastogne in a partnership with Centrica Business Solutions. The latter will be responsible for operation and enhancing the revenue received from the batteries. The battery park will function as a virtual power plant, making efficient use of the available supply on the high-voltage grid and discharging the power when demand threatens to outstrip supply.
♨️ Geothermal
1️⃣ French group planning development of up to 4 geothermal projects in Serbia — As part of an announcement of a planned wind farm near Kikinda in Serbia, French company IEL OIE Balkan Renewable Energy also announced plans for a geothermal power plant next year.
🔆 Solar Power
1️⃣ Cubico completes 270MW US PV purchase — Cubico Sustainable Investments has completed the acquisition of a pair of US solar projects totalling 270MW from RES. The Delta’s Edge and Crossett projects, located in Mississippi and Arkansas, will be built by RES. The projects are expected to reach financial close in the first quarter of 2021, with commercial operations starting in 2022.
2️⃣ Solar-plus-storage is a ‘zero-emissions threat’ to gas-burning power plants in the US — Solar PV combined with energy storage represents a “zero-emissions threat” to gas generation in the US, according to a new report from BloombergNEF. While PV and batteries can perform the same services and “offer similar value” to natural gas power plants, dynamics of the competitive threat posed in the US energy market by solar-plus-storage and different types of gas generation are nuanced, the analysis firm said.
3️⃣ Sonnedix Acquires 160 MW Utility Scale Project in Chile — Sonnedix, the global independent solar power producer (IPP) has recently acquired a solar PV project in development stage from the renewable energy developer and constructor Andes Solar. The transaction includes the co-development of the project.
4️⃣ Massive Solar Facility Would Displace Farmland, Forest — A plan to build one of New England’s largest ground-mounted solar installations is drawing opposition, but it’s not coming from residents. The 485-acre Gravel Pit Solar project in East Windsor, Conn., has a 120-megawatt capacity, with 50 megawatts designated for Rhode Island. But despite the project’s name, only 16 percent of the solar facility’s footprint will cover gravel and sand quarry land. Farmland and forest account for 288 acres.
5️⃣ Stanford scientists invent ultrafast way to manufacture perovskite solar modules — “Perovskite solar technology is at a crossroads between commercialization and flimflammery,” said Stanford University postdoctoral scholar Nick Rolston. “Millions of dollars are being poured into startups. But I strongly believe that in the next three years, if there isn’t a breakthrough that extends cell lifetimes, that money will start to dry up.” That’s why a new perovskite manufacturing process developed at Stanford is so exciting, Rolston said. In a new study, published in the Nov. 25 issue of the journal Joule, he and his colleagues demonstrate an ultrafast way to produce stable perovskite cells and assemble them into solar modules that could power devices, buildings and even the electricity grid.
💨 Wind Power
1️⃣ Saitec wins €2.4m funding to scale-up floating wind project — Saitec Engineering has been awarded with €2.4m funding to bring its SATH floating wind technology to market. The European Commission finance for the SATHScale project will allow Saitec to scale up its prototype from the technology validation and demonstration in a relevant environment to Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
2️⃣ Siemens Gamesa collects 130MW Canadian contract — Siemens Gamesa has signed a 130MW order to supply wind turbines to Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada’s Rattlesnake Ridge wind power project. The 26 SG 5.0–145 wind turbines will be installed at one of the first subsidy free wind farms in the country. Located southwest of Medicine Hat in Alberta, this project will provide clean, affordable power for more than 79,000 Canadian homes.
3️⃣ Japan’s largest gas company joins race to build offshore wind — Tokyo Gas joins partners Northland and Shizen for 600MW plan off Chiba Prefecture.
♻️ CARBON CAPTURE & CIRCULAR TECH
💎 Carbon Capture
1️⃣ More trees, please: Lukoil’s Fedun targets Russia’s carbon farms and CCUS potential — Russia has vast potential to tap into the growing global decarbonisation market, with the development of carbon sinks as well as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) facilities presenting a huge opportunity set for the oil and gas producing powerhouse, according to Lukoil’s Leonid Fedun.
2️⃣ Subsea CO2 storage plan offshore Denmark clears first regulatory hurdle — The mission to store CO2 beneath the Danish North Sea has cleared the first major hurdle after the intended subsea reservoir was confirmed feasible for CO2 injection by independent certification body DNV GL to the endorsement of Danish authorities. With this certification of feasibility to DNV GL’s Carbon Capture and Storage certification regime and the international standard, Project Greensand has successfully completed the first phase of validation of the project aiming to develop capacity to deliver a significant part of Denmark’s CO2 reduction target by reusing discontinued offshore oil fields.
🏦 POLICY & INVESTMENTS
📜 Policy
1️⃣ Biden’s Plans For Carbon Capture Buildout Could Make Headway In Congress — President-elect Biden in his Plan For A Clean Energy Revolution, calls for the nation to “accelerate the development and deployment of carbon capture sequestration (CCS) technology.” The plan goes further, to advocate for technology that not only captures the carbon but puts it to beneficial use, such as in enhanced oil recovery. Citing the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environmental organizations, the plan states that “carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) is a rapidly growing technology that has the potential to create economic benefits for multiple industries while significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.”
2️⃣ Biden presidency to create ‘big momentum’ on tackling climate change: IEA’s Birol — The election of Joe Biden to the US presidency and his commitment to rejoining the Paris Agreement will create a “tremendous momentum” to fight climate change and will likely lead to a “big push” for technological innovation in the area, International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol said Nov. 25.
3️⃣ Changes to UK’s renewable energy auction scheme announced — The changes follow a consultation process ahead of the CfD allocation round 4, which will see onshore and solar wind projects eligible to participate for the first time since allocation round 1, and an extension of the deadline by which generators must demonstrate delivery progress, among other amendments.
4️⃣ NSW’s ‘urgent’ electricity infrastructure bill includes 2GW of long-duration energy storage — Policymakers for New South Wales (NSW) in Australia have been debating a bill to co-ordinate investment in the state’s electricity infrastructure that includes 2GW of long-duration energy storage and AU$50 million (US$36.71 million) support for green hydrogen over 10 years.
💰 Investments & Funding
1️⃣ Vestas launches venture investment programme — Vestas is launching a new venture investment programme to accelerate the deployment of sustainable energy, the electrification of societies and unlock new growth opportunities. Vestas Ventures will invest in early-stage start-ups within sustainable energy. It will partner as a lead or follow-investor with start-up companies globally with promising technologies and solutions.
2️⃣ Chancellor announces £4.3m offshore wind enabling fund — Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled new funding for the Government to work closer with the offshore wind industry on removing barriers to growth and protecting biodiversity. In today’s Spending Review he announced a £4.3m Offshore Wind Enabling Actions Programme to be jointly run by DEFRA and BEIS. The Programme is “designed to increase understanding of the environmental impacts of offshore wind and find strategic solutions to reduce barriers to its expansion in English waters”, according to HM Treasury documents.
📈Pricing & Trading
1️⃣ CO2 exceeds EUR 28/t as auctions near year end — The benchmark Dec 20 EUA contract climbed as high as EUR 28.12/t on Ice Futures, the second time carbon has breached the EUR 28/t barrier since late September.
⚙️ OTHERS
🧭 General
1️⃣ What will the future of energy in Europe look like? — It is expected that in 30 years, more than a quarter of Europe’s electricity will be produced at sea, up from only 2% today.
2️⃣ Egypt on track to take title as ‘green powerhouse of Africa’ by 2025 — Development of 9GW-plus clean-energy pipeline led by giant Gulf of Suez Red Sea wind power project to carry nation past South Africa for first time.
3️⃣ How Renewable Energy Technologies Amplify Buildings — Photovoltaics are apt for buildings where they can reside on the unused rooftop area. Instead, they can also use the car parking space, where along with producing energy, they offer protection to cars and individuals from rain and sun.
4️⃣ Philippines aiming for 34,000 MW of renewable energy by 2040 — “Coal and oil shares will also continue to decrease due to the use of alternative fuels for transport, among others. This also translates to a power generation mix that shifts from being coal-centered to one where RE, natural gas, and other emerging clean energy technologies will have increased shares,” Secretary Cusi said.
5️⃣ Big Oil And Big Tech Are Spending Billions On Renewable Energy — According to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report, global corporations have been striking a record number of clean energy power purchase agreements, or PPAs. In 2019, corporations purchased 19.5 gigawatts of clean power through long-term contracts, marking an impressive 40% Y/Y increase. Indeed, over the past three years, companies have quickly ramped up their clean energy purchases from 4.3GW in 2016.
🏭 Emissions
1️⃣ China’s CO2 emissions will be higher in 2020 than in 2019, says IEA’s Birol — China’s greenhouse gas emissions will increase in 2020 compared to 2019 as they have rebounded after the COVID-19 outbreak, the head of the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. “As of today, Chinese emissions this year, 2020, will be higher than in 2019, they rebounded,” Fatih Birol told a digital energy conference organised by Norwegian oil firm Equinor.
2️⃣ Microsoft announces 100% renewable datacentre region in Sweden — Microsoft has confirmed plans to launch a world-class sustainable datacentre region in Sweden in 2021. The region, which will include three datacentres, will be powered by 100% renewable energy and will deliver Microsoft Cloud services across Sweden to support businesses with advanced connectivity, data privacy and security.
🧩 Tech and R&D
1️⃣ Dutch students build electric car from recycled material — The bright yellow, sporty two-seater which the students named ‘Luca’, can reach a top speed of 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour and has a reach of 220 kilometres when fully charged, the Technical University of Eindhoven said. | https://medium.com/the-carbon-cut/how-biolng-can-help-decarbonize-transport-solar-takes-it-all-in-germanys-latest-renewable-2e4bed5dfc9e | ['Jakub Rzeplinski'] | 2020-11-26 01:03:00.734000+00:00 | ['Lng', 'Natural Gas', 'Joe Biden', 'Carbon Emissions', 'Solar Energy'] |
Commandos hunt down drug runners in the Caribbean | The large support vessel used the cover of rain and darkness to stay out of sight and avoid raising suspicion, meanwhile, her boarding team of Royal Marines of 47 Commando and the US Coast Guard prepared to strike.
On approaching the target craft, the Royal Marines were spotted and the suspect vessel’s crew started to throw their illegal cargo overboard, at this point the boarding team turned on the blue lights and went loud.
“Some patches of heavy rain had hidden Argus from sight in the distance and we were closing in unseen. When we were one mile off they saw us and started to run for it. We gave chase.” — Boat Group Commander from 47 Commando’s 539 Raiding Squadron
The crew of the intercepted vessel were brought back to RFA Argus along with their seized cargo before being transferred to US Coast Guard cutter Spencer.
“We could see people on board throwing packages into the sea. This is important evidence, so we had to stop and collect one. The rest were picked up later. We then continued the chase and managed to catch the vessel.” — Boat Group Commander from 47 Commando’s 539 Raiding Squadron
The small vessel would no longer be transiting any goods anywhere as soldiers from 24 Commando Royal Engineers later sunk it.
24 Commando Royal Engineers sunk the drugs runners vessel.
A few days later, offshore patrol ship HMS Medway acted on reports of a suspicious go-fast, diverting course and launching sea boats piloted by Royal Navy sailors with a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment aboard.
A go-fast boat is small and fast designed with a long narrow platform, which is the preferred boat for drugs smugglers.
The boarding team getting ready to depart.
16 bales of cocaine and three detainees were captured in this boarding, which saw Medway catch up with the suspect craft from 45 miles out.
Only a day later more information was fed to Medway and she gave chase to another craft, landing a further nine bales and three more detainees. The detainees and the seized drugs have now been handed over to US authorities allowing Medway to resume patrols of the region. | https://medium.com/voices-of-the-armed-forces/commandos-hunt-down-drug-runners-in-the-caribbean-65d05d0ab05b | ['Ministry Of Defence'] | 2020-09-18 14:24:57.608000+00:00 | ['Drugs', 'United States', 'News', 'Military', 'UK'] |
How to deal with difficult boss - ep. 1 | How to deal with a difficult boss — ep. 1
Each of us has certain preferences related to the perception of the world, to learning, and to the way we make decisions. Being aware of our own preferences, as well as knowing the preferences of people who are important to us, can significantly help in overcoming obstacles in our relationships. Also in achieving our intended goals.
We often say that we are dealing with a “difficult boss” or a “difficult employee”. But isn’t it the case that this person thinks the same about us? 🙂
It sometimes happens that we meet a person with extremely different preferences on our way and that is why it is so difficult for us to communicate. Sometimes we get stuck with each other and we have to tolerate each other or to cooperate — especially at work.
Therefore, in the series of these episodes, I will talk about those areas that may be the most important for us in our professional life. I will also explain how to manage differences in the most effective way. | https://medium.com/@ryszard-skarbek/empowerment-coaching-how-to-deal-with-a-difficult-boss-ep-1-18ca62a671cf | ['Ryszard Skarbek'] | 2021-01-08 09:33:13.495000+00:00 | ['Mentoring', 'Work', 'Self-awareness', 'Effective Communiaction', 'Coaching'] |
Agile Or DevOps — The Process. The Purpose. The Result. | Just like a coin has two sides, Agile and DevOps are the two buzz concepts of the same modern software development practices that many organizations are eager to employ or have already employed. Though the two are NOT essentially the same they can often create mix-up or overlap while trying to comprehend them. Both Agile and DevOps are aimed at providing a framework to produce a new product or a part of a product, a launch, or a release. While we may follow using Agile and DevOps theories together, it is important to identify the contrasting points to understand where they seem similar and where they clearly differ.
1. The Description:
Photo from istockphoto
Agile is a software development practice that involves breaking down the development process into small “ user stories” which can be easily managed by time-boxed iterations, known as Sprints with set goals. Sprints are typically conducted every two to three weeks, depending on the level of complexity and thus not making the purpose outdated.
After the Waterfall bubble (that needed developers should first define customer need, and then move through development until they release a single, finished software product that meets the stated need) burst, and the agile manifesto was accomplished, then the iterative and incremental development became the new norm.
Agile prioritizes the following:
People: Teammates, customers, and interactions between these people-instead of processes and tools
Timeliness: Working software-instead of comprehensive documentation
Flexibility: Responding to, and even embracing, change-instead of following a predetermined plan
While Agile was a response to Waterfall methodology, DevOps was NOT a response to Agile.
DevOps is a software development practice that brings people, processes and technology together to deliver continuous value. It is a wedding between tools and culture. The approach is divided into planning and tracking, development, build and test, delivery, monitoring and operations. DevOps is unique with the development, IT operations, quality engineering, and security teams working together to create efficiency across all tasks involved in developing and deploying new products to the end-user.
As IT became essential to businesses, a vital area emerged as Development and Operations (DevOps) that walks a line between flexibility, the rigorous testing and communication that comes with deploying new software. More than the rapid or frequent deployment in DevOps, it emphasizes on making sure that the annual updates go smoothly.
DevOps prioritizes the following:
Deep communication: Between software development and IT operation groups. This in turn increases the productivity of all development resources, allowing them to deliver faster, with better quality, by improving collaboration and eliminating constraints and slogging on useless work.
Business: Using automated deployment processes to decrease the time-to-delivery of customer-demanded functionality, while increasing existing customer revenue and driving new customer sales.
Operations: Improve service reliability and customer satisfaction, with best-in-class performance and security, while reducing support resolution time and IT costs.
Management: Better govern all development and operations with higher visibility and predictability of corporate and team performance, while reducing risk.
2. The core attributes for:
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Agile — The fail-fast mindset of Agile revolves around Transparency, Inspection and Adaptability, keeping pace with customer needs and expectations. This means the developers tend to test freely when trying to reach the desired results, but they are also fast to let go the development lines if that doesn’t happen. Doing so allows reducing the threats both for the customers and for the software development teams while ensuring more predictable software delivery process and also raises the chances for the customers to get what they expect, under the projected budget and within the timeframes.
DevOps — The heart of well-planned DevOps is the relentless focus on continuously delivering customer value that involves measuring and prioritizing the delivery of business services and features, whatever the contributing methods and tools may be. Testing freely or experimenting in DevOps is not recommended, as the costs of operating the infrastructure can be huge. So, before provisioning the infrastructure the DevOps team must define the project’s structure, scope, main requirements, possible scalability issues.
3. The Processes or Practices:
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Agile software development can be implemented in a number of ways, including Scrum, Kanban, Scrumban, Extreme Programming, Behavior Driven Development (BDD), Test Driven Development (TDD), and many more. At its heart, agile is a change in the way of thinking about development.
DevOps involves a set of technical processes such as:
Continuous Development — Involves code verification and code changes submission to a principal repository numerous times a day and tracking the changes
Continuous Integration — Involves code integration in a common repository, numerous times a day; identification of possible merge conflicts and bugs rapidly by dividing the work into small, manageable chunks of code
Continuous Deployment — Involves automated releases of minor updates and consistent delivery to the end-user thus satisfying the customers and speeding up production so as to not pose a substantial threat to the existing architecture
Continuous Testing — Involves testing as much as possible in every step of development by automated tests leading to valuable feedback and a risk assessment
Continuous Operations — Involves working on upgrading software with small but frequent releases thus preventing downtime and availability issues during code release.
Continuous Monitoring — Involves constant monitoring of performance through collaboration and feedback sharing thus maintaining an efficient DevOps pipeline.
4. The tools used:
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Agile tools are focused on management, communication, collaboration, metrics, collecting insights from users which are why most actively used Scrum tools are indispensable for Agile teams since Scrum is the most used methodology.
For planning sprints, assigning responsible team members, tracking progress, cooperate, and exchanging results — Jira, Trello, Kanboard, Active Collab, Bugzilla, SpiraTeam, Monday.com
For Communication — Skype, Slack, Discord, Zoom for daily meetings, chats, and reports
For collecting feedback — SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, SurveyGizmo
DevOps uses tools for team communication, software development, deployment, and integration that focus more on facilitating the process of development, automation, code sharing, and real-time collaboration and less on management and planning.
Continuous Development — GitLab, SVN, AWS
Continuous Integration — BitBucket, AWS CodePipeline, Azure Pipelines, OpenStack, TeamCity
Continuous Deployment — Jenkins, Buddy, Docker, Kubernetes, Puppet
Continuous Testing — Katalon Studio, Appium, Selenium
Continuous Operations — Chef, Ansible, Kubernetes
Continuous Monitoring — Nagios, Splunk, Datadog
5. Methodology Vs. Deployment:
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Agile software development is a methodology for developing software. Once the software is developed and released, the agile team doesn’t formally care what happens to it. They’re on to the next sprint and the next revision of the user story. Agile helps to manage complex projects.
DevOps is all about taking software which is ready for release and deploying it in the safest, most reliable manner possible. DevOps doesn’t depend on the software being developed by the agile discipline. DevOps can deploy software that was developed in any number of approaches, including Agile and non-Agile theories, which is still appropriate for certain projects. The point of DevOps is to deliver technology to business units in a timely fashion and ensure the technology runs without interruption or disruption. DevOps central concept is to manage end-to-end engineering processes.
6. The Roles:
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Agile is an equal opportunity team where every member of the scrum can do every job within the team, which prevents slowdowns and bottlenecks by following a set of best practices for creating quality software in a timely manner. There is no need for a team member to sit and wait for a specialist to become available for the next step in the process. Any available team member should be able to do what’s required for progress. In addition, when each team member is capable of doing every job, it increases understanding and makes close communication much easier. There is no separate development team and operations team in Agile. The various roles in Agile are:
Product Owner — responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the Product Backlog
Scrum Master — Servant-leader for promoting and supporting Scrum
Development Team — self organized, cross-functional small team of professionals who do the work of delivering a potential releasable increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint and is responsible for the Sprint Backlog
DevOps adopts two separate DEVelopment team and OPerations team, trying to avoid the blame-game when client has complaints about software or when software fails or has major flaws. What the teams will do is communicate between themselves on a frequent and regular basis. DevOps practice uses a DevOps Engineer who is multi-skilled and will be given the ownership of the entire process: developing the code, unit testing/ functional testing the code and deploying that code to staging/ testing/ production thus knowing the system end to end. This also solves the problem of dependency. The various role in DevOps are as follows:
DevOps Evangelist — The principal officer (leader) responsible for implementing DevOps
Release Manager — Releases new features & ensures post-release product stability
Automation Expert — Responsible for achieving automation & orchestration of tools
Software Developer/ Tester — Develops the code and tests it
Quality Assurance — Ensures quality of the product and confirms to its requirement
Security Engineer — Monitors the product’s security & health
7. How To Communicate ?
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Agile approach involves daily, informal meetings. These scrums are not meant to go over specification documentation with an eye on milestones and metrics. In Agile, each Sprint includes Sprint Planning, held at the beginning of each sprint cycle to work on the Sprint Backlog which includes top sequenced stories from the Product Backlog; sprint execution, which includes short 15 minutes Daily Stand up meetings/ Daily Scrum to identify accomplishments, plans and known obstacles/impediments; a Sprint Review held with the stakeholders, where their original ideas are presented in the form of working software and a Sprint Retrospective at the end of each Sprint Cycle to examine how the just-completed sprint went as far as people, relationships, processes, and tools.
DevOps meetings are not daily. In DevOps, communications often involve specification and design documents. It’s critical for the operations team to fully understand the software release and its implications so they can properly run the deployment process. The operations team will often involve user representatives, so that users can be ready for the update, and so that they understand the impact a deployment will have on business operations. Such communications don’t need to happen on a daily, stand-up basis. But they certainly need to happen. DevOps is a theory rooted in communication, both within itself, as the developers and operators have to coordinate, but also across other departments. Development team frequently communicates with Operations team to ensure secure and stable environments for testing, and their crossover to other teams like marketing and customer service makes sense as they deploy new software. DevOps communication is focused less on management and more on product characteristics and design specifications. The team is focused on describing software requirements, hardware implications, and plans for future releases. DevOps communication can be combined with Agile.
8. A Team, Or A Team Of Teams?
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Agile follows the basic rule: stay small — the smaller the team, the fewer people on it, the faster they can move, even if they are contributing to a larger effort. The nature of scrum communications happens in and among the small team.
DevOps will have many teams that work together and each team can realistically practice different theories. DevOps, by its nature, will have multiple teams working together. Some teams can be practicing agile scrum; some can be practicing agile kanban; some can be practicing waterfall. All can come together at the point of software release to communicate with the operational team for deployment. It’s good to reiterate the point: DevOps doesn’t depend on any one development discipline to be effective.
9. Scheduling:
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Agile teams work in short, predetermined amounts of time, known as sprints. A time in the near future (generally one month or less) is chosen, and set a number of features to be created is prioritized within the sprint. Teams know there will be another sprint coming up, and more features can be covered then. They expect to listen to users and to end up revising current features in an upcoming sprint. Sprints rarely last longer than a month, and often can be as short as a week.
DevOps doesn’t prioritize speed and rapid development. Rather, it prioritizes minimal disruption and maximum reliability. DevOps values providing continuous delivery daily (or even every few hours) with extreme reliability. DevOps might roll out the work of each sprint at the sprint’s end — or it might wait until several sprints have released software so there can be a consolidated deployment with less disruption.
10. Documentation:
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Agile teams don’t categorize their meeting minutes or other communications; rather often prefer methods of simple pen and paper. Agile teams use extremely light documentation to enhance flexibility in the development process. One of the principles of agile development is to prioritize working software over complete documentation.
DevOps takes documentation seriously, requiring design documents and specifications in order to fully understand a software release. DevOps needs the documentation because it will turn the software over to a separate operations team for deployment. Sufficient documentation ensures the teams collaborate well emphasizing communication over official documentation. Automation helps minimize the impact of scanty documentation, but while turning complex software over to another team, one can’t assume a long meeting will transfer all the knowledge required. DevOps tends to consider good documentation as part of its definition of working software.
11. Automation:
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Agile development teams may choose to use certain tools. It’s entirely possible for an agile team to communicate via email and sticky notes placed around a conference room. Agile mainly focuses on working with speed releasing quality software in a timely manner and doesn’t require automation.
DevOps absolutely depends on automated deployment to make everything happen smoothly and reliably. Certain tools are an integral part of DevOps. DevOps mainly focuses on achieving automation by coordinating various DevOps tools. DevOps teams often use all those tools and more, including the addition of configuration management, metrics and monitoring schemes, virtualization and cloud computing. In DevOps, quality is guaranteed by continuously monitoring the software application after its deployment, thus satisfying their overall goal is to minimize disruptions and maximize efficiency.
12. Who Gives the Feedback?
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In Agile, feedback is mostly given by customers. This highlights the value Agile places on the customer, which helps the developers by providing faster feedback loops and ensuring product alignment with market need. Agile further advocates for adaptive planning, evolving development, early and continuous delivery, and continuous improvement so that developers can rapidly and flexibly respond to change in client needs, software, or other external factors.
In DevOps, feedback is mostly measured by the internal team (by using Continuous Monitoring tools), though the feedback from stakeholders and the team itself has a higher priority which encourages internal feedback among teammates to improve and speed up delivery.
Wrapping Up
The DevOps vs Agile is a never-ending debate in the IT industry. Agile methodology and DevOps are different from one another. But through their similarities, it could lead to thinking that they are the same. What makes them meaningful is that they can coexist. After all, they both want to bring value to the end-user — the customer. Organizations and development teams can utilize both to complement each other. At the end of the day, the needs of the user always need to be top of mind.
Agile is all about development, though sometimes it takes over the entire company it doesn’t inevitably lead to DevOps. The practice of DevOps involves a separate discipline and methodology from those of agile. When the two are treated as separate disciplines that can work together, decisions become much more coherent than when the two terms are used as synonymous. Using both in tandem is often the best approach for increased success and affecting change within a team, department, or an entire organization. Understanding both theories that are flexible enough to adapt to changes in requirements, gives a realization that there isn’t one answer to solve all organization needs and that both can have profound culture shifts within an organization.
Thus, it is not right to say “Agile is same as DevOps” or “Agile is the opposite of DevOps”. A nice way to say would be something like “Agile + DevOps builds a Great Product”
What do you think? | https://medium.com/@smkm1419/agile-or-devops-the-process-the-purpose-the-result-7dab0da26c4c | ['Sanya M'] | 2021-04-26 02:01:00.632000+00:00 | ['Test Automation', 'DevOps', 'Automation Testing', 'Agile', 'Devops Tool'] |
The truth about weight loss in 2020 | Resurge is a combination of natural ingredients that work wonders to rectify the Shallow Sleep Syndrome plaguing a majority of people (men and women) today, leading to problems like weight gain, anxiety, loss of sexual drive, premature aging as well as other ailments.
Resurge helps to restore deep sleep, boosting metabolic rate, triggering fat burn and reversing the effects of aging in just a few days. It is 100% natural, vegetarian, Non-GMO and has no side effects.
Who Created Resurge Weight loss Pills?
John Barban, a successful nutrition specialist and healthcare professional with years of experience in his field is the creator of Resurge. Working on this Resurge review, we came across his personal tragic story which inspired him to come up with this fat burning supplement.
REVIEW OF THE PRODUCT
At the peak of his life, John began gaining weight which he just could not control. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t seem to knock off the body fat leading to sleepless nights. Visiting a world-renowned sleep therapist, he chanced upon the breakthrough ingredients that are at the core of Resurge. He transformed millions of people around the world through his Resurge supplement.
Who Can Use Resurge Weight Loss Pills?
Resurge is for anybody who is looking to lose weight, delay aging and live a healthy life. It is for today’s individual who is deprived of the regenerative sleep that heals the body, repairs cells and tissues and ensures proper body functioning. The supplement can be equally beneficial for men and women.
Sleeplessness is mainly caused by age and lifestyle(3). As human beings grow older, sleeplessness becomes a part of the normal aging process. When it comes to lifestyle, it is the technology that is stealing our sleep. The blue light of our phone screens keeps us awake, preventing the body from getting the deep sleep it so requires. Resurge is for everyone who is facing the damaging consequences of sleep deprivation. The main benefits you will get by using Resurge supplement are:
The Resurge supplement helps to remove the toxic and harmful substances that are produced as byproducts of many processes in your body.
It provides you a relaxed feeling in the morning by enhancing deep sleep.
The Resurge pills balance your hormonal imbalances.
The amino acid supplement enhances your total metabolic rate and burns out extra pounds from your body.
Resurge Ingredients and Dosage
When John had visited his sleep therapist, he was given a list of ingredients to be mixed in the right measures and take them before going to bed. In this Resurge review, let us go through the ingredients of this product.
10 mg Melatonin that enhances deep sleep.
150 mg Ashwagandha to give you a relaxed feel.
100 mg of Hydroxytryptophan improves the quality and duration of sleep.
200 mg of L-theanine(4) to decrease your stress level and improves your relaxed state
50 mg Magnesium along with 15 mg of Zinc gives you peaceful sleep and morning alertness
1200 mg of Arginine and Lysine — 1200 mg of Arginine 1200 mg of Lysine decrease the production of aging hormones during sleep(5)
All of the above ingredients have their own special powers in restoring sleep, burning excess fat, activating metabolism and the immunity system, reverse aging and heal the body in general. However, the Resurge weight loss supplement that John sells to clients today is thankful, a much more evolved version.
Since sourcing the ingredients proved to be costly and time-consuming, John collaborated with a reputed manufacturer to prepare capsules out of the ingredients in the exact same measure that resulted in Resurge. Resurge customer review reveals that the users really got huge satisfaction from it.
Resurge Side Effects
The Resurge weight loss supplement is a 100% natural solution that has no side effects. In fact, it is one of the reasons that the people, both men, and women who take the supplement swear by it. In all the Resurge reviews 2020, we came across online, people appreciated the fact that compared to regular drugs and medication, Resurge was completely free of any health risk or side effects.
The one thing you should be careful with is to follow the instructions given by the creator properly. The instructions provided with Resurge supplement are:
This product is mainly recommended for women and men above 40. People of age below 18 shouldn’t use this.
Follow the dosage as instructed by the manufacturer
Do not use these pills if you are pregnant
Ensure that the bottle is sealed while purchasing
People taking other medications do not use this product
Consult a physician before taking resurge pills if you have any allergic problems to medicines
Pros mentioned by users and medical advisors
Unique: Resurge review reveals that it is a weight-loss supplement like no other which addresses the problem of weight gain from point of view of sleep deprivation leading to fat storage in the body.
Resurge review reveals that it is a weight-loss supplement like no other which addresses the problem of weight gain from point of view of sleep deprivation leading to fat storage in the body. Natural: The ingredients that make up Resurge are 100% natural and proven to heal the body.
The ingredients that make up Resurge are 100% natural and proven to heal the body. Tried and tested: Resurge weight loss supplement review points that the creator of Resurge, John Barban has personally benefitted from the ingredients in the supplement.
Resurge weight loss supplement review points that the creator of Resurge, John Barban has personally benefitted from the ingredients in the supplement. Convenient: Compared to the other fussy weight-loss techniques, this takes just a few seconds to pop in your mouth each night after dinner.
Compared to the other fussy weight-loss techniques, this takes just a few seconds to pop in your mouth each night after dinner. Instant results: Various Resurge reviews prove that the Resurge results are almost immediate once you took the supplement.
Various Resurge reviews prove that the Resurge results are almost immediate once you took the supplement. Boosting Energy: The latest reports state that the pill helped many to regain the energy levels that they had when they were young.
Frequently Asked Questions | https://medium.com/@dimitarikonomov/the-best-and-fast-way-to-lose-weight-in-2020-3c1cb3bb8fcf | ['Dimitar Ikonomov'] | 2020-03-23 18:42:46.919000+00:00 | ['Loseweightdiet', 'Belly Fat', 'Fitness', 'Body Positive', 'Loseweightquickly'] |
Off To A Great Start! 🚀 First Steps With Spendee 💰 | New To Spendee?
That's awesome! If you are reading this post, it probably means that you just downloaded Spendee either on iTunes or Google Play or you signed up through our web app. 📲 Either way, you’ve just become part of the Spendee family. 👫
Even though most of our users think that Spendee is super intuitive and easy to use, we believe that a few more tips at the beginning of your Spendee journey will make your experience even more pleasant. 😍
Using The App is Simple…
See all of your money in one place by tracking your cash flow Understand where it goes by analysing your spending habits Optimise your spendings & save money thanks to our smart budgets Learn more about personal finance through insights
1. Track Your Money
Add Your First Transaction
In Spendee, we call every expense and income “a transaction” no matter if you add it manually or it gets automatically imported from your bank account. The place where you add your transaction is called “a wallet.” A wallet can be cash for manual transactions or bank for transactions that have been imported from your bank account.
A plus sign to add a cash transaction to your wallet.
In Spendee you can track your expenses in two ways. There is the modern, automatic way when you connect your bank account and then every time you pay by card or you receive money to your bank account the transaction will get imported and categorise in Spendee automatically. And what's even better — you can try it out in our 14-day free trial!
Or you can also use the good old way of tracking all your expenses manually. In this case, we recommend adding your transaction right after it occurs so you won’t forget about any of your expenses. To add your first transaction click on the green Plus button.
Timeline page with all transactions and monthly cash-flow.
See All Of Your Money in One Place
One of the biggest benefits of Spendee is seeing all of your money in one place! You can track your manual cash wallet as well as all of your bank accounts, e-wallets and crypto wallets.
Wallets page showing different Wallets and total wealth.
2. Understand Where It Goes
Analyse your spending habits thanks to our beautiful graphs! After at least 5 transactions are added, it is a great time to visit the Overviews for the first time. You will enjoy all kinds of different graphs and analysis, such as the pie chart for a given month showing you the percentage of your expenses spend on different categories.
Pie chart showing the distribution of expenses.
3. Optimise Your Spendings
Save more money thanks to our smart budgets! Now that you understand where your money goes, you can take necessary steps to reduce your spendings and save more money. We’ll notify you on your progress to make sure you are in green numbers and maintaining your positive cash flow!
Save money thanks to smart Budgets.
4. Learn From Insights
Activity section.
Embrace financial awareness. We are your best financial friend which proactively helps you to manage your personal finances and build a sustainable emergency fund. We’re ready to give you tips & tricks to help you with your daily decision making. We are preparing useful statistics, challenges and articles that you can read in the Activity section. We will be guiding you through all of the necessary steps to build financial health. Stay tuned!
Useful Tips & Tricks
Now that you understand the basics of the app, here are a few tips to make your life easier:
Schedule Transactions
Create recurring transactions for expenses that you pay every month or week like rent, bills or insurance.
Creating recurring transactions.
Use Labels
Label your transactions to keep yourself organised!
Labels and categories.
Share Wallets
Share wallets with your friends or family and manage your wealth together! No need to argue about money anymore. This is the perfect solution for everyone who wants to track their money with more users. You will have a great overview of who paid for what and how much you all spend in total. Learn more about them here!
Shared Family Wallet.
Try Our 14-Day Free Trial
Unlock the full potential! With Spendee Premium, you'll be able to… | https://medium.com/spendee/off-to-a-great-start-first-steps-with-spendee-567d3815e4ca | [] | 2021-01-12 15:45:02.108000+00:00 | ['Personal Development', 'Personal Finance', 'Saving Money', 'Money', 'Money Management'] |
On My Way to Growth Mindset. | Growth Mindset refers to your belief that you can achieve your motive by practising and hard work. Our efforts will pay and we can achieve our desire goals.
There’s no Impossible It’s I M POSSIBLE
It is not necessary to have someone all the time to motivate you.
We need to support our self by doing small practices.
We need to self talk to our self and said
“You can do it.”
“You are amazing.”
“You are super strong.”
My tip:
We can also do this by doing power poses.
Make a power pose close your eyes and self-talk: You have achieved that You can do this you are celebrating your success.
Power Poses
Let’s break the line and come out of my comfort zone
If you think everything is going great and there are no failures, This means you are not coming out of your comfort zone, and not giving your best. Try to come out of your comfort zone to take some challenges. YOU ARE FACING FAILURES MEANS YOU ARE PROGRESSING
What I am Going To Start?
For celebrating my self I am going to list down my daily learnings and achievements that are going to motivate me whenever I feel low. | https://medium.com/@mahnoornaveed74/on-my-way-to-growth-mindset-5624ee389f2 | ['Mahnoor Naveed'] | 2020-12-26 07:57:05.142000+00:00 | ['Growth Mindset', 'Amal Fellowship', 'Amal Academy', 'Self Improvement', 'Self-awareness'] |
The most important place to start to grow your business | Photo by Amina Filkins from Pexels
“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” Seth Godin
If you’re responsible for your company’s growth strategy, you probably already know how important it is to have a clear customer profile. When you have an intimate understanding of your customer’s wants and needs, you’re more likely to choose the right strategy to grow your business.
The constant socioeconomic shifts due to new technologies, cultural expectations, demographic changes, etc. also means customer needs are constantly evolving. Many companies have some sort of customer profile but the above shifts mean they might already be outdated.
The global pandemic is a prime example of major disruption that may have shifted your customer’s behaviours. In a very short period of time work-from-home became an employee expectation, and virtual offerings (e.g. classes, events, etc.) became the alternative for in-person activities. If a company didn’t catch onto this change in their customer profile quickly, they would’ve been left behind.
So wherever you are with your customer profile, here are three simple steps to get started:
1. Schedule Five Customer Interviews
“As good as your business model may be, it cannot and will not survive forever…That means you must constantly gather information on shifts in your competitive environment, especially those that might affect the behaviour of your primary customer.” Harvard Business Review article Choosing the Right Customer (2014)
That’s right. Just five interviews!
There’s research from the user experience space that shows that testing only five users reveals over 75% of usability issues. Discovering 75% of usability issues gives you a great head start on building the right solutions. You can get more insights from talking to more customers, but you’ll see diminishing levels of return on that time.
Let’s say you schedule five customer interviews for 25-minutes each. That’s slightly over two hours of time spent better understanding current issues customers are facing. It’s little upfront investment for reducing risk and clarifying your value proposition.
If you already have an existing customer base, you’ll have plenty of potential interviewees to choose from. I would suggest selecting those that you believe from your ideal customer base.
To know if a customer is ideal or not, imagine growing your business by 10x the number of customers. Would you want ten times more of that customer? If you answered yes, then you’ve identified a good ideal customer.
If you don’t have an existing customer base, you can invite people in your network for an interview. Think about people who are decision makers in their roles and the type of people you’d love to work with and provide an offering to.
If you’re a B2B company, I would suggest these five interviews to be focused on the key decision maker. If a VP of Sales is your key decision maker, focus on scheduling interviews with people with that title. Uncovering their pain points should be your priority above all else.
Step 1 is complete when you’ve identified your five customers you’re going to talk to. Once you’ve identified those folks, it’s onto Step 2. | https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/the-most-important-place-to-start-to-grow-your-business-d696a8c452f1 | ['Peter Nakamura'] | 2021-01-16 22:52:39.164000+00:00 | ['Sales', 'Growth', 'Marketing', 'Value Proposition', 'Growth Hacking'] |
5 Best Template For Lyrics Blogger Website | 5 Best Template For Lyrics Blogger Website
Today I’ll share with you the best templates that you can use to rank your lyrics website please note that all these templates are SEO ready and will give a good push to your lyrics website and also I would like to mention that these templates are totally free and if you want the premium version then that is also available but I would suggest you try the free one first and if you like it then only purchase the premium version or else do not waste your money.
These Templates have been collected from various sources and the template credit goes to their real owners I am just suggesting and helping you guys to get better with your lyrics website and to help you all to rank your website faster.
So without any delay let’s get to the point.
Lyricist Blogger Template
The first template is Lyricist Blogger Template
Author of this template is SoraTemplates
This Template is designed and maintained by SoraTemplates
Preview
For Demo click here
To get the Template click on Download
This Template is well and uniquely designed for the blogger platform who is working with the music and lyrics niche blogs. This Beautiful Template can have the ability to adjust its screen size according to the device to provide a user-friendly and a good web view to the user. it has a color combination of red and white. This Template has WhatsApp sharing feature too which will increase your chances of getting your posts shared and go viral.
The template Has The combinations of Web 2.0,, Minimalist, Gallery,1 Right Sidebar, Mega Menu, Right Sidebar, Responsive, Ads Ready, Drop Down Menu, Browser Compatibility, Page Navigation Menu, Seo Ready, Music, Lyrics, Social Bookmark Ready, Free Premium, Post Thumbnails,2 Columns, Lyricist, Tabbed Widget Ready, WhatsApp Sharing, Fast Loading, Clean, Magazine,1 Sidebar, Slideshow
MINIBOX BLOGGER TEMPLATE
The second template is MINIBOX BLOGGER TEMPLATE
Author of this template is TemplatesYard
This Template published by templatesyard.com
Preview
For Demo click here
To get the Template click on Download
This second template/theme is highly responsive as well as attractive which makes the user to visit your website again. It has faster loading speed and also with fits any screen size of various devices with aspect ratio, It is well designed with modern web design and is highly optimized SEO
For Full Article visit: https://www.empirewebinfo.com/2019/12/5-best-template-for-lyrics-blogger.html | https://medium.com/@empirewebinfo/5-best-template-for-lyrics-blogger-website-c9e117dc9a20 | [] | 2020-01-12 10:22:23.230000+00:00 | ['Lyrics', 'Web Development', 'Website Design', 'Earn Money Online'] |
The Vandalist | Photo by Fleur on Unsplash
“It doesn’t need to look perfect,” she said. We turned left at the light and headed down that street where I used to live when I was… don’t remember. I think I remembered the low brick ranch with the carport on the left. My head craned as we went by. I fabricated a memory of me pushing Gabby down the swooping driveway, full run speed over and over again. I told myself I remembered the bounce of the suspension system. Big rusty springs.
My memory hit a possible snag. Where’d we find that thing? There was no possiblitly. Dad? Not an English speaking guy. Kept to himself mostly. Mom stayed in the back. Everything we had came through the store or we’d found it somewhere. Nothing was brought with us. But still, my brain was drawing a vivid picture for me complete with honeysuckle smells and the warmth of fresh spring with damp wafts of just opened sticky flower buds. I resolved that it had all happened. I ended with the crack of a bat, the sound she made when the carriage collapsed and her baby skull hit the slab. The sound brought my mother and father worried onto the porch. They looked at me. I ran.
Amy made another turn and there lay Susie that afternoon in the drainage ditch. I’d found her while walking Jocko. The rest was lights and lots of raised voices and eyes and questions I had no answers for. Maybe that’s why we moved. I don’t recall being down this road since then and that was many years ago.
We pulled into a gravel driveway. Amy rolled down the window and shut off the engine. She grabed the pack of Camels on her side of the dashboard and lit one.
“It doesn’t need to look perfect,” she said again. I didn’t respond. I just looked out the windshield at the side of the barn. “Paint’s in the back.” she said reaching down to release the trunk. She’d paid me already so what was I waiting for? She was going to smoke her cigarette and watch.
I got out and went around to the back of the car and caught her eyes in her rearview mirror watching me. I lifted the trunk. Inside were the spray cans and blue throwaway gloves I said I needed.
“Make it big,” she said. I want that bitch to see it every morning.
I got to work. | https://medium.com/the-junction/the-vandalist-65e008acfdb7 | ['Winslow Thornhill'] | 2020-05-04 17:22:20.587000+00:00 | ['The Junction', 'Graffiti', 'Fiction', 'Short Story'] |
Cyberpunk 2077’s Los Angeles | Culture
Cyberpunk 2077’s Los Angeles
What does the game have to say about Los Angeles Futurism? I played 50 hours to find out. Jon Peltz Follow Mar 2 · 10 min read
Author’s note: Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive, open-world game with dozens of hours of content, some of which I may not have experienced. What follows is what I gleaned from 50+ hours of playtime and reading of the game’s promotional literature. Also, this piece contains mild spoilers of some of the game’s lore.
An obsession with the halcyon days of guitar-based music genres like grunge and hard rock. A beach town buoyed by a decaying theme park on a pier. A white-lettered sign in the hills. Myriad neon signs and kitsch. Endless Keanu Reeves sightings.
You’ll find all this iconography and more in 2020’s much anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. Originally announced 2012, the game is a hugely ambitious follow-up to Polish developer CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a medieval fantasy game that beloved as much for its rich storytelling, horniness, setting, and player choices as much as it was for the fact that the developer community at length with its community, and made consistent improvements to the game. The game turned CD Projekt Red into one of Poland’s largest entertainment companies and has led to a spinoff card game and Netflix series. By contrast, the release of Cyberpunk 2077 has been ugly. It was released on multiple generations of consoles, and ran so poorly on the old ones that Sony delisted it from its PS4 shop entirely. After promising that the studio wouldn’t resort to crunch — an industry term for forcing workers into countless hours of overtime — they eventually succumbed to its lull. The developers’ stock fell 40% in the week of its release. The game also caused multiple epileptic reviewers to have seizures. Nevertheless, the game has reportedly sold more than 13 million copies.
In the lore of Cyberpunk 2077’s universe, Night City exists in between Southern and Northern California, but it’s fair to say it’s an interpretation of Los Angeles. Perhaps, more appropriately, it is a representation of the Los Angeles realized in ‘90s cinema, then evolved through the eyes of a large-scale Polish video game development team.
In Thom Anderson’s Los Angeles Plays Itself — an essay on Los Angeles as depicted in cinema — he notes that film noir classic Double Indemnity created an image of Los Angeles that will forever be etched into the minds of of outsiders — that of a place filled to the brim with untold crime, seedy characters and sexual perversion. Night City checks all of those boxes. In this technocratic dystopian world, you’ll spend most of your time fucking people (or barely avoiding fucking them), murdering people with a wide array of detailed, fetishistic weapons, driving around, or deciding whether to betray or rob people. Cyberpunk 2077 displays an image of Los Angeles that’s been evolved by the game’s myriad other influences — William Gibson’s satirical future-noir Virtual Light, which features secrets stored in virtual reality goggles, cigarettes, a tele-empathic drug called Dancer, The Matrix, The Fast and the Furious series, and people smoking cigarettes in Blade Runner.
Cyberpunk 2077 is bullish with depicting its characters smoking cigarettes, despite the game’s bugs wreaking havoc with this aesthetic motif. Cigarettes fly around characters’ heads and mouths. They shoot out of characters’ hands. Characters stand up and leave tables, but their cigarettes remain, like obstinate nicotine ghosts. I won’t focus too much on the game’s bugs, as many reviews have already done, but the cigarette one really highlights how much of the game was intended to be an edgy update on the Los Angeles noir. It’s libertarianism run amok, with very few moments of community. In fact — that’s really one of the few choices you have in the game: the be a rugged individualist or to accept help from those around you and from your mental Keanu.
Unsurprisingly, the game heavily pushes you into being a rugged individualist. It’s the same image of Los Angeles sold to outsiders by Hollywood and developers for years: a place where one can use their wit and gall to make something of oneself, putting themselves over the top of openly corrupt institutions and other less industrious workers. And — much like the real thing — it very rarely works as it’s supposed to. People fall through their own cookware. Cars start floating at random. People get stuck in items. People just repeat punching animations while standing still and trying to box you. Cyberpunk 2077 fails its players in the same way that Los Angeles fails its citizens. Through dogged persistence — it took me 10 hours to start enjoying the game and figure out how to plan out my manual saves before I knew the game would crash — you’ll start enjoying your time spent with characters you meet along the way.
There are many highways in Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City, but everything is built out vertically, with none of the suburban sprawl of the real Los Angeles. It is as though the high rise developments of DTLA expanded outward like a plague. It is perhaps similar to Demolition Man’s San Angeles—an infinite urban sprawl comprised of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. (Cyberpunk 2077 takes place after a disastrous proxy-war between corporations. Demolition Man often references the Franchise Wars, which were fought between fast food companies.) There are a few trailer parks, a community of nomads, and a single suburban community with bungalows, but they exist outside the boundaries of the city. As far as I could tell, there were two houses in the hills and they both belonged to aging rock stars. Even though CD Projekt Red claims the city as a dystopia, it’s clear they couldn’t resist the impulses of many who feel the need to “fix” Los Angeles. That is to say, their futuristic ideal is a Los Angeles less sprawl and enclaves and with more gridded areas and roundabouts. Many of the high-rises in Night City seem to exist in their own Columbus Circle, as though Manhattan were transplanted onto the beach.
Night City’s public transportation is glorious, and you would be hard-pressed to find any Angeleno living refer to it as dystopian. There’s a free underground subway (and seemingly an automated bus) system linking up the entire city, harkening back to the trolley era. There is little to no traffic or congestion. Wealthy people seemingly fly above the fray. It’s unclear why anyone in this version of Los Angeles would even need a car, as there’s nowhere to go if you’re not doing a street-race or perhaps leaving the city entirely. Though you could recreate the experience of cruising around in your vehicular private-public space, waiting behind cars at lights, turning onto an exit at the last minute, there really is no reason to. For me, it was essentially the only way to get around, as my game would often crash if I drove through the city too fast after finishing a mission (perhaps this was an allusion to Speed, yet another Keanu Reeves vehicle, though I doubt it). Unless we’re to assume everyone is a dying mercenarial gig-worker like V on a series of violent quests, there’s no industry in Night City besides tech. Where would people be driving to? All the low-wage jobs are automated, and all the high-wage jobs seem to be done virtually or inside of a tower. While the wealthy live in Eames-influenced tower penthouses, the poor either live on the street (though homelessness seems somewhat rare in Night City) or in homes that are essentially large capsule hotels, with their buildings hosting stores, restaurants, gun stores (on every corner) and every other necessary service in Night City. Abandoned and decrepit hotels and motels have become their own communities. Farms are obsolete, and food is synthetic.
The beaches of Cyberpunk, dubbed Pacifica, are empty and run by a problematically portrayed gang of Black people obsessed with Haitian culture called the Voodoo Boys. In our first encounter with them, we find them having a rave/prayer service and then one chops the head off of a rooster. It isn’t explained in the story why they’re obsessed with Haitian culture if they aren’t from the Caribbean. Pacifica is described in the Night City Guide: “Pacifica could have Night City’s money making resort, but once the investment dried up it became a husk left to rot. Now it’s the turf of one of Night City’s most dangerous gangs: the Voodoo Boys.” It seems like a race-baiting fantasia right out of an apocalyptic press release written by the LAPD or a ‘slow growth’ beach town homeowners’ association. Nobody is playing, or surfing, or boating, though it’s clear the wealthy still have yachts.
Mike Davis, the definitive Marxist chronicler of the history of Los Angeles, writes in City of Quartz about an LAPD officer being quoted in the times saying that the scenic Pacific Palisades park is “for rich white people.” There is certainly no “surftopia” as Reyner Banham — an architectural critic who documented the city in the seminal Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies — would call it. This is ostensibly because the ocean has become too toxic for recreation, but I couldn’t help but feel Los Angeles’ surfing culture would adapt if they had access to bodily implants. There is, however, a Waterworld-esque mission where you explore an old city that’s been submerged by water from a broken dam, no doubt an allusion to William Mulholland’s disastrous St. Francis Dam.
The most stirring way Cyberpunk depicts the future of Los Angeles is in the way it strips nature out of the city, highlighting through absence what we take for granted. A piece of in-game lore indicates, birds were exterminated because they carried some sort of avian virus. This touch is particularly resonant in early 2021. There are a few scenes where you encounter a mysterious, adorable sphinx cat. These contain some of the most resonant images in the game, as cats are great and this one is nicely animated, and also because the removal of nature has left such a hole in the rest of the world. By contrast, we’re treated to a flashback of a character working on a factory farm, and its just as sterile and disgusting as you might expect.
There is a MAGA-lite street gang of veteran “patriots” called the 6th Street Gang, but they’re completely divorced from the truly objectionable aspects of modern conservatism. They are not explicitly racist or cruel, they just enjoy American flags and guns. It’s a sheepish and tone-deaf portrayal. Politicians are corrupt — except for the two I get to work with in a mission, who are sincere but then it ends up they are having their thoughts controlled by an AI, so maybe they’re not sincere — and corporations are bad. People are addicted to drugs and body modification, which are good but also bad (the game waffles on this quite a bit). You can have sex with ciswomen or cismen, but not trans people, as far as I could tell.
It seems like Cyberpunk picks and chooses moments at random where society is desensitized and where it isn’t. The game adores sex, but in a mission where I chose to help a group of sex workers unionize, the workers themselves were depicted as stupid and flakey. Latin Americans are reduced to a woeful stereotype of family and modified-car obsessed subculture. Hollywood is represented in a limited way, as the industry has evolved into a large snuff-film money-laundering operation, in which people view productions that are first-person gratuitously violent and sexual experiences of prostitutes and inmates on death row. The message here is muddled. The game presents these productions as perfectly legal and profitable—the productions are shot on a studio lot accessible to the public —but there are also protesters against this system, and a black-market producing identical smut videos. The portrayal of police is unsophisticated: cops are nice but also spy on and modify the minds of civilians. It’s all a nonsensical, inconsistent mishmash. For all of the pre-release criticisms about transphobia and racial insensitivity in the game, I found that Cyberpunk has very little to say about the future of racial relations or queerness or even politics in America.
While Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to define a generation of video games, it’s ultimately too incoherent and pieced together to make a grand statement of its own. Many of its worst tendencies are juvenile pastiche of other sci-fi properties, and its most rewarding emotional pieces come in the intimate first-person moments that seem influenced by smaller, narrative independent games. When it works, it’s absorbing fun, and dare I say beautiful, but in such a massive, messy adventure, that doesn’t really propel it out of a crowded genre.
There are inspired, beautiful moments and some surprisingly interactions in the game, but I couldn’t help but feel that the overall traversal and world of this future Los Angeles was detached from the real thing and unsure of itself. While Cyberpunk 2077 guides players through dozens of hours of a premonition of a synthetic future Los Angeles, too much of your time feels wasted on references to other interpretations of the city. It’s like taking homeopathic medicine distilled 100 times over, or taking a Star Tour that hasn’t been updated in 40 years. | https://medium.com/groundgamela/cyberpunk-2077s-los-angeles-10d01c607ab5 | ['Jon Peltz'] | 2021-03-02 22:56:06.570000+00:00 | ['Cyberpunk', 'Culture', 'Dystopia', 'Futurism', 'SciFi'] |
Woman over the moon after receiving boutique fudge box in lieu of paid overtime | A woman in London has received a large box of luxury fudge squares - some with edible glitter on top — from her employer as gratitude for working countless hours of unpaid overtime.
Laura Holdsworth, an account manager at the PR firm Love Me Too (LMT), was “over the moon” when she signed for the surprise package this morning at her home in Forest Hill. “It’s just so nice to feel appreciated,” she said. “This year has been hell, working sixty hours a week at the kitchen table while looking after two toddlers. But, then you get some really fancy sweets and it’s all worth it.”
The company’s CEO, Tim Burford, said he sent the edible gift boxes to all 600 LMT employees to make them feel special. “Without their tireless uncontracted work,” he added, “we would not be on track for record growth this year. They deserve every calorie.”
Not all of LMT’s staff appreciated the sugary handout, however. Zoe Pauset from IT suggested she would rather have “just got paid” for the hours she’d worked. Another employee, who preferred not to be named, described the gift as “bullshit.”
Burford is unfazed by what he says is “a vocal minority of ungratefuls,” pointing out that in a business the size of LMT, it’s impossible to please everyone, “even with hand finished toffee crumb icing and white chocolate swirls!”
LMT’s bumper profits mean the company now has plenty of cash to re-invest in the coming year. “We are considering buying a confectionary manufacturing plant,” Burford said, “our sweet budget has been through the roof this year.” | https://medium.com/the-haven/woman-over-the-moon-after-receiving-boutique-fudge-box-in-lieu-of-paid-overtime-c494cd3930ee | ['Aram Balakjian'] | 2020-12-08 00:20:15.360000+00:00 | ['Employees', 'Satire', 'Humour', 'Humor', 'Working From Home'] |
Caramelized cabbage with bacon and feta | Free image from PeekPx (I forgot to take a photo of mine)
This recipe started with one from Helen Rennie, who is one of my favorite food youtubers. But I changed it a lot.
Serves one very hungry person or two more normal appetites as a main course.
Ingredients
(all amounts approximate)
6 ounces bacon OR 6 ounces duck bacon and 2 Tbsps. olive oil (I get duck bacon from a farmer’s market near me. It’s delicious and much less fatty that the usual bacon)
1 head cabbage, core removed, sliced into strips about 1/4" wide
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
juice of 1 lemon
Method | https://medium.com/one-table-one-world/caramelized-cabbage-with-bacon-and-feta-2fed22dcf9ea | ['Peter Flom'] | 2020-04-23 14:41:27.129000+00:00 | ['Bacon', 'Cooking', 'Food', 'Recipe', 'Cabbage'] |
When Mussolini was the Antichrist — Market Mad House | History has offered many candidates for the role of Antichrist, including Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, V.I. Lenin, Mao Zedong, Napoleon I, Ivan the Terrible, and Genghis Khan to name a few.
However, one name rarely associated with antichrist is Benito Mussolini. Yet there was a time when some intelligent Americans thought Mussolini was the antichrist and even said so to Il Duce’s face.
Who is the Antichrist?
In traditional Christian belief, the Antichrist is the Son of Satan, who will become history’s greatest tyrant in the End Times.
The best way to describe the Antichrist is as Jesus’s evil doppelganger. Jesus is gentle and dedicated to peace and love. The Antichrist is evil and violent and dedicated to war and hate. If Jesus is God in the flesh, the Antichrist is Satan in the Flesh, or pure evil.
The New Testament predicts that the Antichrist and his henchman the False Prophet will conquer the world and persecute Christians and Jews. Frighteningly, it is not clear if the Antichrist is one monster or several evil tyrants.
Thus, some Christians will argue that past tyrants such as Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, and Mao were Antichrists. However, almost no modern Christian will say Mussolini was the Antichrist.
Mussolini the Antichrist
In the 1920s, a group of American evangelical preachers and writers began calling Mussolini the Antichrist. As early as 1922 American evangelical Louis Bauman called Mussolini Antichrist.
Bauman decided that Mussolini was the Antichrist because the Italian Dictator announced the creation of a New Roman Empire, author Matthew Avery Sutton writes. To explain, many evangelicals think the Antichrist will reform the Roman Empire.*
In reality, Mussolini’s New Roman Empire was a grim joke; it comprised Libya and a few small colonies in East Africa. Italy was a third-rate power with a terrible army.
However, American evangelicals only paid attention to Mussolini’s arrogant rhetoric and ignored the sorry state of Italy’s army. Sutton writes that several leading American evangelical leaders proclaimed Mussolini the Antichrist and advised evangelicals to watch the Italian dictator.
Il Duce or Antichrist?
Yet evangelicals were so convinced Mussolini was Antichrist, two of them even told Il Duce himself their theory. Evangelists Frank and Edith Norton of the Belgium Gospel Mission dropped in on Mussolini in the early 1930s and told him the antichrist theory.
Sutton claims the Nortons showed Il Duce passages in the Book of Daniel to back their theory. However, Mussolini was apparently so ignorant of the scripture he found the Antichrist label flattering.
Sutton thinks Mussolini became convinced he was the future world dictator and architect of a new Roman Empire from the Nortons’ claims.* Whether the Nortons’ visit set Mussolini on his destructive course of world conquest is unknown. However, history shows that Mussolini was not the antichrist.
The simple fact that Mussolini let the Nortons leave Italy alive disproves their theory. If Mussolini had really been Antichrist, he would have quickly killed anybody who knew his true identity.
The idea Mussolini was Antichrist is ludicrous because one of Il Duce’s closest and most important allies was Pope Pius XI. Mussolini formalized the relationship between Italy and the Vatican and restored Catholic education to Italian schools. Author David I. Kertzer alleges that Mussolini worked closely with Mussolini for years.
I think His Holiness would have recognized the Antichrist and refused to help the Evil One. In addition, I cannot imagine the Antichrist helping the Church. Yet history reveals Mussolini strengthened the Church by increasing its role in Italian society.
Thus, Mussolini was a friend of the church who helped increase its power. Only bigoted Protestant extremists who view Catholics as Antichrists could buy the notion Il Duce was an enemy of the church.
I have to wonder if Mussolini ever discussed the Nortons’ claims with Pius. If he did, Il Duce probably received an interesting lecture on the meaning of Scripture from the Pope.
Moreover, there were better candidates for Antichrist in the 1930s. The most visible candidate was Stalin, a self-proclaimed atheist, who was waging a brutal war on the church, demolishing churches, and murdering millions. By the late 1930s, Mussolini’s friend Hitler was rivaling Stalin with his personality cult.
Benny the Moose as Antichrist
History, or God, had a cruel joke to play upon those who regarded Mussolini as the Antichrist.
In the 1930s and 1940s, events exposed Italy’s military as inept and incapable of waging a modern war. In fact, by 1941, Mussolini’s New Roman Empire had become a liability to its ally, the Third Reich.
On 28 October 1940, Mussolini became jealous of his friend Hitler’s successes and invaded Greece. Instead of blitzkrieg, the Greeks stopped the Italians just inside their territory. By January 1941, the Greeks were actually invading the Italian-held Albania.
By March 1941, British troops began arriving to help the Greeks. Hitler realized he had to act to rescue Mussolini and prevent the British from establishing a base on European soil.
German forces invaded Greece on 6 April 1941. It took German forces less than three weeks to defeat the Greek Army and overrun Greece. The Italian Army could not dislodge the Greeks with months of brutal combat, yet the Germans could crush the Greeks in a few weeks. When Greek troops finally surrendered on 20 April 1941, it was on the condition they did not have to surrender to the Italians.
Greece was just one of several Italian military debacles in 1940 and 1941. A handful of old British biplanes sank most of Italy’s battle fleet at Taranto and ended Mussolini’s hopes of controlling the Mediterranean. British forces easily liberated Mussolini’s African colony of Ethiopia and almost drove the Italians out of North Africa.
Yet Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and a small force of Germans almost defeated the British and conquered North Africa. The New Roman Empire could not wage war without German help. The Antichrist was nothing but Hitler’s stooge.
By 1941, nobody was calling Mussolini the Antichrist. Instead, British soldiers had a new nickname for Mussolini; “Benny the Moose.” Many German and Italian soldiers probably agreed with that assessment.
The end of Il Duce
By 1943 with North Africa lost to British and American forces and Allied troops invading Italy itself; King Vittorio Emanuele and Italy’s Grand Council fired Mussolini. The Italian government then imprisoned Mussolini.
Hitler, however, came to Mussolini’s rescue again and had German commandos rescue Il Duce. Mussolini became leader of a Nazi puppet government in northern Italy. By April 1945, Mussolini’s New Roman Empire comprised a few cities in Northern Italy.
On 25 April 1945, Mussolini learned that German forces in Northern Italy were about to surrender to the Allies. Fearing capture, Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci headed for the Swiss border in an Alfa Romeo.
On 27 April 1945, Italian partisans captured Il Duce, who was pretending to be a German airman. The Partisans shot Mussolini and Pettaci the next day. On 29 April 1945, partisans dumped the corpses of Mussolini, Petacci, and 14 fascists on the Piazzale Loreto, a public square in Milan.
The Strange Fate of Mussolini’s Corpse
Mobs of angry Italians soon appeared and began abusing and mutilating Mussolini’s corpse. Eventually, somebody hung Mussolini and Petacci’s bodies in a gas station so people could throw garbage at them.
Instead of rising from the grave like the Antichrist, Mussolini hung in the gas station all day. Finally, American troops ordered Italians to take the body down and take Il Duce to the morgue.
On 30 April 1945, they buried Mussolini in an unmarked grave in a Milan cemetery. In 1946, fascists dug up Mussolini’s body and took it to a monastery. They kept the supposed Antichrist’s bones in a Monastery cupboard for 11 years.
In 1957, Mussolini’s widow gave his body a formal burial in the family crypt. In 1966, the US government returned a piece of Mussolini’s brain; that surgeons had removed in a 1945 autopsy, to Il Duce’s family.
Today’ there’s no evidence that Mussolini has risen from the crypt in Predappio. Thus, Mussolini is not the Antichrist; whom the Bible calls the “Beast who will die and rise again” in a mockery of Jesus’s resurrection. However, fascists sometime come to honor their hero’s memory.
The story of Mussolini the Antichrist should be a lesson to all true believers. Today’s Antichrist is apt to become tomorrow’s grim joke.
* For an excellent description of American evangelicals’ strange beliefs about Mussolini See American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism by Matthew Avery Sutton pages 213–216.
Il Duce’s close relationship with the Pope is the subject of The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europeby David I. Kertzer. | https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/when-mussolini-was-the-antichrist-market-mad-house-43927b6f32e3 | ['Daniel G. Jennings'] | 2020-11-07 23:21:23.285000+00:00 | ['Horror', 'Prophecy', 'History', 'Fascism', 'Bible'] |
DFX Cofounder Forward-Looking Statements & EOY Remarks!🐉 | Website | Twitter | Telegram | Discord | Github | Medium
The DFX team spent 2021 building out the core AMM product and enabling efficient swaps between non-USD stablecoins. We’ve built a foundation that enables us to grow the ecosystem and provide utility to stablecoins of all currencies. 2022 will be the year of growth, integrations and expansion. We look forward to working with our community to make this possible. We are still very early in our journey and there are still so many things we want to build out for this ecosystem. We can’t wait to make 2022 the year of all stablecoins!
In 2022, we’ll have a particular focus on some of the following items. However, there is no guarantee any of these will pan out as the ecosystem moves and changes so rapidly, the plans laid out now can change in a few months as we adapt to the ever changing crypto environment. We hope the work below, shows how we’re thinking about DFX and where it will be heading in the future.
Innovation zone: Test out new concepts and enable DFX to experiment with new ideas without impacting the core product.
Exchange listings: DFX will be active in working with centralized exchanges in the new year. We want to work with strategic exchange partners to enlist not only DFX getting listed, but all the stablecoins we support in our ecosystem. This can be a massive win-win situation for CEXs and DFX.
Create more use cases for non-USD stablecoins: Work with ecosystem partners to develop lending/borrowing markets, leveraged products to get additional exposure to other currencies, and more! If you have an idea that builds on top of DFX, please let us know and we can definitely look into it.
Institutional grade product: Create a product that enables large institutions to move/trade/settle stablecoins cross-border 24/7. The product will leverage the core mechanics in the DFX AMM but will be tailored for institutional users and requirements.
On/off Ramp aggregator: One of the main advantages of using fiat-backed stablecoins is the natural on/off ramp they come with. We want to be able to aggregate and enable users to have a one stop shop to mint/redeem stablecoins as easily as possible. | https://medium.com/@dfxfinance/dfx-cofounder-forward-looking-statements-eoy-remarks-1126bf51ef9d | ['Dfx Finance'] | 2021-12-31 02:08:51.758000+00:00 | ['Forex', 'Defi', 'Finance', 'Ethereum', 'Bitcoin'] |
Debunking Charlie Kirk on California | Turning Point founder and president Charlie Kirk tweeted this about California on Feb. 12, 2019:
Let’s fact check these claims. And as we do we will see how Kirk works unethically with data.
46th in Education
Educational statistics are notoriously hard to make simple or excise down to one ranking. It depends on what set of data, what time period, and of course those rankings can and do change every year.
And in this case of Kirk’s tweet, we have no idea what set of data he is referring to.
Here are some guesses:
“ In EdWeek’s 2017 Quality Counts, California ranked 46th out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., spending $8,694 per student — $3,462 less than the national average of $12,156 per student.”
But as Edsource.org explains in the post I took the above quote from, it’s all in how you use the numbers: “Depending on how spending is calculated and how up-to-date the data are, the per-student amount differs by thousands of dollars, and the state’s ranking varies widely.”
One way to be unethical with data is to use old data without at least acknowledging new data. Trends over time are more ethical.
On that 46th rank, Edsource notes “this was based on data from 2013–14, the first year of California’s Local Control Funding Formula, the state’s financing system that provides additional money to districts based on enrollment of low-income students, foster children and English learners.”
Not surprisingly things changed since then. The state began to spend more on K-12. A more recent study — the NEA’s May 2016 Rankings and Estimates report, which revised that 46th rank — showed “California ranked 26th, with $10,329 in per-student spending, $1,017 less than the U.S. average of $11,346.”
15th in Crime
Another way to be unethical with data is choose the ranking system over the change in real numbers, here, in crime. And of course “crime” is one hell of a vague term.
First, the ranking as of October 2018: “California’s violent crime rate ranked 16th nationwide and was higher than the national rate of 394 per 100,000 residents.” [I could not find a 15th ranking.]
But that hides this trend: “California’s violent crime rate rose in 2017 — but it remains historically low.”
And as you might expect, in a state the size of California, “crime rates vary dramatically by region and category.”
And why does Kirk want to be vague and as broad as possible?
Consider this: “ The 25 counties that voted for Trump show high and worsening rates of violent deaths and violent, drug, and property crime, while younger people and nonwhites in the 33 mostly urban counties that voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton show enormous improvements in recent decades.”
To substitute part for the whole is also another way to be unethical with data.
Also I should comment on how this “15th” ranking stands out from the other claims Kirk makes — claims about top or bottom (or nearly bottom). Why is 15th rank in “crime” bad to Kirk? Who knows?
Highest Homeless Population
Another way to be unethical with data is to highlight raw numbers over rate.
A December 2017 report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress), described as “the most authoritative” resource on the topic by homeless advocates, includes “a state-by-state comparison of homeless populations based on a one-night count in each state in January 2017.”
That report does list “California’s total homeless population at 134,278,” at №1 with “New York was a distant second with 89,503 followed by Florida with 32,190” according to Politifact. But the state is third-highest in homeless rate “with 34 in every 10,000 people in the state experiencing homelessness.”
Yes, even one homeless person is too many. But including population as a context marker is key in counting people.
Highest Poverty Rate
Another way to be unethical with data is failing to define the parameters of your claim.
Politifact’s headline should suffice here: “California has the nation’s highest poverty rate, when factoring in cost-of-living.”
Here is Politifact’s explanation:
From 2013 to 2015, California had America’s 17th-highest poverty rate, 15 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Official Poverty Measure. That measure uses income levels to determine poverty, but does not consider differences in cost-of-living among states. It lists the official poverty threshold for a two-adult, two-child family at $24,036 in 2015. During the same period, California had the highest poverty rate, 20.6 percent, according to the census’ Supplemental Poverty Measure. That study does account for cost-of-living, including taxes, housing and medical costs, and is considered by researchers a more accurate reflection of poverty. For a two-adult, two-child family in California, the poverty threshold was an average of $30,000, depending on the region in the state, according to a 2014 analysis by Public Policy Institute of California.
Of course the poverty rate and homeless rate are largely driven by the skyrocketing price of housing in California, not necessarily any particularly Democratic policy. And while the more accurate way of determining poverty rate puts California at the top, that more accurate way also then introduces more complexities into why that rate is so high.
Worst Pollution
Here is one ranking in favor of Kirk’s claim:
Eight of the USA’s 10 most-polluted cities, in terms of ozone pollution, are in California, according to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report, released in April 2018.
But USA Today asked a key question about that ranking: “Since California is known for its strict environmental regulations, why are so many cities from the state typically on this list? It’s because the state would be far worse off without its strict laws on tailpipe pollution and eliminating coal-fired power plants. California has done more than any other state to counteract air pollution, the Lung Association said.”
Another way to say it is that Democratic-controlled California’s state government is doing well to counteract its population’s overuse of cars and coal plants.
Here are some rankings that rebuke Kirk’s claim:
“Based on an analysis of data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…” which measured “the average daily fine particulate matter (ug/m3) in the air” and “rates of cancer in these states, per the CDC”, the top “polluted states” are Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. California is not in the top 15.
If you rank “total environmental releases” (presumably into ground water and such), Alaska is N0. 1. If you rank “air releases” it’s Ohio. If you rank “water releases,” it’s Texas. If you rank “ozone depleting potential,” it’s Louisiana. Here are those rankings.
Most Illegals
Another way to be unethical with data is to ignore the other (GOP) states when you are trying to make a partisan point. Kirk thinks California is bad for this number and he blames Democrats. Of course these are estimates, but California is tops with 2.2 million out of the nation’s 10.7 million undocumented immigrants.
But “deep red” Texas is second with 1.6 million.
Nevada is tops with these “illegals” counting for 7.1% of state’s population. Texas and then California are at 5.7 and 5.6, second and third.
Holds Most Debt
Kirk surely is referring to personal, credit debt because the state’s debt of $27 billion has been erased since Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown took office in 2011. It had a surplus when he left in January 2019.
On the other hand, “Californians racked up more credit card debt among the most populated states in the U.S., according to a [2018] report released by the New York state comptroller’s office,” according to a local California news station. “California racked up $106.8 billion in credit card debt by the end of 2017. Texas took the second spot with $67.3 billion, followed by Florida with $59.2 billion and New York with $58.1 billion.”
Another way of saying is that the most populated states hold the most debt. That makes sense when one considers population. California is the most populous state with about 12.3% of the nation. Or as one expert explains: “So, these statistics don’t mean that Californians are playing fast and loose with their credit. There just happen to be more credit users there to generate more debt.”
Jail Time
These two claims here are old favorites for Kirk.
Politifact looked at the “misgendering” claim. It notes “violations of the bill could, under limited circumstances, be treated as a misdemeanor with punishment of up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.”
But the bar would be very high for prosecution and even then the fine would be first. Criminal charges would only follow “if the violation reached a level that was shown to cause the risk of death or serious physical harm, in accordance with state’s existing penalty structure for health and safety code violations at long-term care centers.” Though one conservative religious group in California disputes this.
Politifact’s conclusion: “While not without a sliver of truth, the claims by conservative groups clearly distort the penalty proposed for violating this part of the bill.”
On the HIV claim, Gov. Brown did sign a bill in 2017 “that lowers from a felony to a misdemeanor the crime of knowingly exposing a sexual partner to HIV without disclosing the infection.”
Kirk’s comparison here is a distortion because both crimes would now be considered misdemeanors. He is appalled at the jail time in the first but neglects the jail time in the second.
According to NBC News, the felony offense for the HIV law was “punishable by 3 to 8 years in prison.” But the new misdemeanor charge would carry a maximum of “a 6-month prison term — the same punishment as knowingly exposing someone to other communicable diseases.”
The Washington Post also points out that “the bill was also prompted, its sponsors say, by a 2015 report on combating HIV from the Obama White House, which cited studies showing that HIV exposure laws do little to influence behavior, and said that many ‘run counter to scientific evidence about routes of HIV transmission and effective measures of HIV prevention.’”
All Run by Democrats
Yes, all statewide officials in California and a super-majority of the legislature is Democratic.
But as we have pointed out, some of the stuff “run” by Democrats in Kirk’s words are not in reality overseen or affected by Democratic policies.
In the end, Kirk acts unethically with data to present a false picture of California. | https://medium.com/@mboedy/debunking-charlie-kirk-on-california-8855aac8f7ee | ['Matthew Boedy'] | 2019-02-13 16:35:46.221000+00:00 | ['California', 'Charlie Kirk', 'Turning Point Usa', 'Education', 'Facts'] |
When to Push for More And When to Aggressively Pursue Less | LIFE
When to Push for More And When to Aggressively Pursue Less
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
Striving for more is normal. It’s in our DNA. It’s as old as time.
The fittest during the hunter-gatherer age were those most likely to survive. And those most likely to survive were those who could secure food.
More food = greater chance of survival.
Less food = greater chance of dying young.
The definition of food has changed. Today we call food “resources.” And those with greater access to resources still have a greater chance of survival.
It seems like French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr was ahead of his time when he claimed that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
We still obsessively go after more. We still live in fear of being saddled with less.
Less feels unsafe. Less feels scary. Less dredges up our dreaded memories of pain.
Or as Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel would say, “To create competition, create scarcity.
The logical conclusion, therefore, becomes that more is safe. More is pleasure. More is always better.
Thus, more becomes our compass, our ultimate goal.
Aristotle said, “Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.”
When more is our goal. And goals give meaning. Then more becomes what gives us meaning. And when a thing gives us meaning, we are willing to live for it or die for it.
And so our journey unfolds, with a now familiar story.
More education. More work. More money. More attention. More power.
More — everything.
When More Becomes Your Meaning
A close colleague of mine back when I was in my twenties (and she was in her seventies) had survived a depression, a recession, and a civil war in her country. She would tell me story, after story of the sacrifices that she and her family used to make for food back in those days.
She was trying to explain. She wanted me to understand. To not judge her for the three huge overstuffed closets in her classroom. She had toys, books, scissors, glue, staplers — every classroom material possible that she had collected over the last twenty years as a teacher.
And yet every time there was a supplies distribution at work, she would be the first one in line. No line was ever too long. No box too heavy. No supplies tracking and reporting system too inconvenient.
And if ever there were supplies leftover, she would always go back for more.
More was her coping mechanism. Her survival story. It was how she had survived a recession, a depression, and a civil war. The pursuit of more had become her identity, and by extension — her meaning.
And yes, she was willing to live in a crowded classroom for it — or die on a supplies pick-up line for it.
Who Wants More?
Photo by Jeff Siepman on Unsplash
Most of us consistently strive for more. The “more” might be different — super-sized fries for some, super-sized yachts for others.
Feel free to define your own “more.” Know that, no, the definition doesn’t matter.
What matters is that the striving doesn’t change. And the meaning stays the same.
We sometimes pretend that only greedy people strive for more. That this pursuit is relegated to only millionaires and billionaires who never know when enough is enough.
This line of thinking comforts us. Like wine, it tastes like virtue signaling at its finest.
And in a drunken stupor, we put our heads together and manage to slur, “we may not be perfect but at least we’re not that bad.”
But if we were totally honest with ourselves, we would admit that we too strive for more. We like to dream big, think big, go big or go home.
Optimize for More Or Settle For Less?
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
After years and years of optimizing for more, the tide is starting to shift. We woke up one day to billboards shouting “less is more!”
The Tiny House Movement, The Fire Movement, and Minimalism were the first ones rushing through the door.
They all agreed to scream the theme.
“Keep it simple. Keep it small. Less is more.”
A friend of mine, heeding the call, jumped out the gate and with zero notice decided to become a minimalist.
One day we are out shopping and I say, “Hey, how about getting this cute pair of pants?” Instantly she replies, “no way. I already have a pair of pants. And I would need to figure out how to get rid of it in order to justify buying a second pair.”
Flabbergastered, I selfishly started to question what the mystery of minimalism would mean for our friendship. It didn’t take too long for me to find out.
Interaction A:
Me: “Wanna hang out?”
Madame Minimalist: “Yeah sure, but you would have to pick me up because I no longer have a car.”
Interaction B:
Me: “Wanna grab a bite?”
Madame Minimalist: “Sure. But you’re gonna have to spot me this time. I left my job. It no longer aligns with my minimalist values.”
And with that, the “less is more” movement was underway. The disciplined pursuit of less (even if for our loved ones it sometimes felt like more.)
So Which Is it? Is More Is More, Or Is Less More?
The big question remains. Do we optimize for more? Or do we aggressively cut back and learn to be satisfied with less?
The answer as I see it — is that there’s no universal answer.
When we stifle all of the noise from outside and we sit with ourselves, we give ourselves the opportunity to figure out where we want more, and where we need less.
And once we get to that point, we also get to ask ourselves the harder question — why?
Example A:
In my twenties and thirties, I wanted more. I actively pursued more degrees, more opportunities, more promotions, more real estate investments, more influence, more impact.
In my twenties and thirties, I also wanted less. I aggressively got rid of all bad debt. I saved on teabags. I saved on clothing. I saved on entertainment. I saved on almost all conveniences.
Why?
I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to deserve myself. I was afraid of failure. I didn’t want to let myself down. I didn’t want to let anyone who had sacrificed for me down. I believed in a mission bigger than myself, which I too consistently put before myself.
Example B:
In my forties, I still want more. More time alone. More time to read. More time to reflect. More time with loved ones. More autonomy. More freedom. More connections. More flow states. More “ahas.” More peace.
In my forties, I also want less. Less space. Less clutter. Less responsibility. Less fancy business ideas. Less drama. Fewer commitments. Fewer employees. Fewer interruptions.
Why?
I no longer need the external validation. It worked for a while until it didn’t.
My values have evolved and are more clear. I now embrace more of the internal; to feel-full and to ful-fill. So my mores and less(es) have shifted.
The TakeAways
When to push for more and when to aggressively pursue less is entirely up to you.
Sometimes more is more. Sometimes less is more.
Our current goals, values, motivation, and season will dictate when we pursue more, and when we pursue less.
For some, more may always feel better. The external trappings of success may lead to internal joy, increased time with their loved ones, and more joyful and meaningful experiences.
They may have all of the stuff — but it’s the people with whom they enjoy the stuff and the experiences that they build from it, that gives them meaning.
It works for them, it works for their tribe, it works for their goals.
For others, less may feel more natural. For them, simple is better. Simple = peace. Having fewer things (be it concrete or abstract) is the ultimate source of freedom.
And for all of us — we may go for more in some categories and be perfectly content with less in others.
“To thine own self be true,” says Polonius in Hamlet. And truer words have never been spoken.
Ultimately, asking the right questions is sometimes more important than the answers.
Is this working for me? How do I know?
Does this bring me joy? How do I know?
Does this serve me and the people and causes that I care about? How do I know?
If the answer is “yes” and the evidence lines up then, do you! Pursue more — or less as you continue to assess what’s best. And for as long as that continues to light you up, feel free to ignore the rest.
Like what you’re reading? You’ll love Buibui — Have you tried reading from there lately? Click here to learn more | https://byrslf.co/when-to-push-for-more-and-when-to-aggressively-pursue-less-7f3b28da38a3 | ['Nicole Bryan'] | 2020-12-21 15:07:03.435000+00:00 | ['Minimalism', 'Self Improvement', 'Life Lessons', 'Beyourself', 'Finance'] |
Strategy to score more in exams with less time: 8 Tips to study well | Points are taken from personal experience and backed by the book How to learn Authored by Benedict Carey.
1) Break the study sessions to small sessions I.e Majority of us have an attention span of 25-30mins, take a break of 5 mins and start another session.
Attention span can vary from person to person, find yours.
2) Test your fluency in the topic. Don't fall for the trap of fluency illusion during the exam.
3) Create a study space,the environment is stronger than will power. For the library induces me to read, bed induces me to sleep.
4) Study Actively, Don't just read the words. Try to imagine the concept and explain it to yourself, underline and highlight for active revision.
5) Take active notes, taking notes in our own words helps the brain to recall and revise fast.
6) Teach someone. Einstein acknowledged this fact.
7) Survey.Question.Read.Recite.Review (SQ3R) Survey the book by skimming through it, look for possible questions, read it again and link the content with possible questions, them recite and review your knowledge.
8) Use Mnemonics, acronyms helps us to keep the facts organised and easy to recall. | https://medium.com/@harishvenkatachalapathi/strategy-to-score-more-in-exams-with-less-time-8-tips-to-study-well-8b313e4d2ffb | ['Harish Venkatachalapathi'] | 2020-12-24 17:28:17.454000+00:00 | ['Exam', 'Self Improvement', 'Strategy', 'Book Recommendations'] |
moshi SnapTo Car mount review | MacSources | Convenient two-in-one Magnetic charger and Car Vent Mount from moshi
If you have not read my moshi Overture review, I would encourage you to check that out. The device provided a slim style case for my iPhone 11 Pro Max and a convenient additional wallet shell. The case had embedded magnetic/metal connections, which paired perfectly with other moshi SnapTo devices, such as the car mount. If you have a SnapTo style case, I would encourage you to read more about the moshi SnapTo Car Mount
The moshi SnapTo Car Mount with wireless Charging kit arrived in a 4 4/16 inches wide by 6 7/8 inches tall by 2 3/4 inches thick hanging retail package. Similar to the moshi overture iPhone 11 Pro Max case, the cover was divided into an upper eggshell section and a lower clean-white section. Along the top right of the cover, the company added a small copper “Only compatible with Moshi SnapTo cases.” The main focal point of the cover was the 3 3/4 inches tall by 3 1/2 inches wide image of the car mount and SnapTo case integration. Beneath this, you will find three icons detailing the “easy, one-handed mounting,” “360-degree adjustable angle,” and “Qi certified 100% safe” features of the case. Within the lower white section, you will find an eggshell square with the silver-leave moshi logo adjacent to the “SnapTo car mount with Wireless Charging” name. While reviewing the panel, my eye was drawn back to the main image. I loved the use of blue action lines to represent magnetic attraction, and the use of the SnapTo plates. Additionally, I was excited to gain both magnetic mounting and Qi Wireless charging. I do believe that the image provided more insight into the product than the remainder of the panel. The left panel provided a trilingual description of the product specifications (Input 5V/2A/9V/2A, Max Output 10W), and Materials (ABS/silicone/Stainless Steel SUS301 Ball bearing, Stainless Steel SUS301 HV vent clip, 3M VHB Y4608 adhesive).
The right panel provided an ink outline drawing of the magnetic car mount with vent/dashboard adaptor. It detailed the dual magnetic zones, the wireless charging zone, and the location of the multi-position stainless steel ball. The back panel proved to be a little busy by listing five tenets of the setup in three languages (Effortless one-handed car mount with built-in wireless charger, Fast wireless charging up to 10W, Easy to mount anywhere using car vent clip or dashboard adapter, USB-C to USB-A cable included (4ft/1.2m), Super strong magnets rated to hold 2.2 lb (~4 iPhones). Along the bottom of the panel, moshi included some information about the warranty and the ability to extend this to three years form the date of purchase. Lastly, the top panel had a clear plastic hanging tab, while the lower panel was left unadorned. Many of the product manufacturing labels were placed onto the left side panel and along the lower right corner of the top panel. The overall packaging design was well presented and quite educational. I felt that I understood the mount, the features, and the intended utility. If I had the option to change a single feature, I would add another image to the back panel to break up the text heavy surface.
I opened the bottom panel and removed the thin clear plastic blister case and the multi-lingual instruction manual (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, Russian). The first page of the instruction manual listed the package contents (SnapTo Car Mount, USB-C to USB-A cable, Two SnapTo Tabs, Quick Start Guide), and detailed the SnapTab and Vent mount installation process. If you have a SnapTo moshi case, you can remove the included plastic arcuate tabs, remove the adhesive liner from the metallic tab and then press the tab into place. To install the SnapTo Car Mount, remove the 51 inches long USB-A to USB-C cable from the plastic blister pack, then the 3.45 ounce vent mount. Insert the USB-C cable into the bottom of the mount and then the USB-A end into a standard USB car output port. The vent mount had a four-pronged, rubberized, vent adaptor, which was attached to a steel ball. I liked the design of the vent mount, as it meshed perfectly with all of the vents in my Nissan NV, Dodge Caravan, and Nissan Leaf. Similar to other vent mounts, the moshi device did not have a lower vent arm. When combined with the weight of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the overall weight caused my vents to sag. The 360-degree steel ball pivot allowed for proper positioning despite the vent sag. Despite the ability to enjoy a mount/charging option, you may lose out on optimal vent positioning for aeration. Additionally, the instruction manual recommended to turn off all airflow to the vent to protect the charger and your phone.
The 2 1/2 inches wide by 3 3/8 inches tall charger should fully accommodate all modern smartphones. When combined with the moshi SnapTo case, the magnet/metallic plates provide a firm attachment point, and the ball bearing allowed me to improve the viewing angle. While attached to the Qi charger, I was pleased to find that my phone increased by ~1% per minute. This was on par with most other 7.5W wireless charging options. A vent option may not be ideal for some users. Luckily, the moshi kit included a dashboard installation option. Following page two of the instruction manual, select a location on your dash, cleanse the surface of dust/debris, remove the adhesive backing, and then press the adaptor to the surface for thirty seconds. The angled base needs 24-hours to setup. You will notice that the internal adaptor port resembles the inner surface of an air vent. The adhesive provided a very sturdy option for mounting. When combined with a moshi SnapTo case, you gain a large degree of functionality from the wireless charging kit.
To summarize, I loved the rubberized charging surface, the design of the vent clip, the USB-A to USB-C cable, the included dash adaptor, and the included SnapTo clips. I did not like the lack of a lower vent arm, and the need to shut off one of my vents. Additionally, the $59.99 price, the need to only use moshi cases, and the need to add your own car adaptor may limit interest in the product. If you have a moshi SnapTo style case already, the moshi car mount kit is an essential upgrade for your phone. If not, look to other options to mount/charge your phone.
Learn more about the moshi SnapTo Car Mount.
Follow moshi on Facebook and Twitter. | https://medium.com/@macsources/moshi-snapto-car-mount-review-macsources-30b160443b73 | [] | 2020-05-05 18:47:43.859000+00:00 | ['Charger', 'Wireless Charging', 'Moshi', 'Snapto'] |
Big O Notation | Big O Notation
Arrays and their Built-in Methods
Photo by Oliver Schwendener on Unsplash
In my previous Big O Notation blogs, we discussed Time and Space Complexity and Objects. Now we are going to look at Big O and how it relates to arrays and their built-in methods.
An array is an ordered data structure and can be used to store data of any type. Or, in more technical terms, “When we initialize an array in a programming language, the language allocates space in memory for your array, and then points that starting variable to that address in memory. Then the program assigns a fixed amount of memory for each element” (Learn). Below is a simple example of an array with multiple data types.
const array = [ "a", {}, 7, [], false]
In terms of Big O, arrays are favorable when we need fast access to elements. In the example above, we can access each element by its index; array[0] = “a” and array[4] = false. Since the elements are indexed, our computers know exactly where the element is and can go directly to the element. Moreover, an array with 2 elements or 2,000 elements has the same time complexity, O(1), for accessing methods.
Arrays can also be fast in some insertion or removal methods. These types of methods have either an O(1) or O(n). The difference comes from where in the array elements are inserted or removed. If elements are inserted or removed from the end of an array, these methods have an O(1) because just the last indexed element is impacted. However, if elements are inserted or removed from the beginning of an array, all elements are impacted. For example, if we add an element to the beginning of the array, the added element takes over index 0, and the element that previously was in index 0 is now at index 1 and so forth. Since the number of operations grows with the number of elements in the array, these methods have an O(n).
Lastly, Arrays have an O(n) for searching methods. This is because the worst case scenario for a search method is checking every element in the array.
Array Built-in Methods
Arrays come with many different built-in methods, but the methods we will look at here are push, pop, shift, unshift, concat, slice, splice, sort, and map.
The first two methods push and pop involve adding or removing an element from the end of the array. As we mentioned earlier, these types of methods have an O(1) because they only impact the array’s last element.
Shift and unshift, involve adding or removing from the beginning of the array. As explained earlier, the run-time of these methods grow with the inputs or O(n) because they impact all indexes in the array.
Similar to shift and unshift, concat, slice, and splice have an O(n). Concat is used to combine two or more arrays into a new array. Moreover, as the number of inputs in each array that you are combining grows, so does the run-time in a linear fashion. Slice involves making a copy of an array and, also, has a run-time that grows in a linear fashion with inputs. Splice is a method that, “changes the contents of an array by removing the existing elements and/or adding new elements” (MDN). Although splice can remove/add elements from anywhere in the array it has an O(n) because, in the worst case scenario, all array inputs would be impacted.
Sorting methods have an O(n * log n) which is worse than O(n). This is because sorting methods require comparisons between the elements and elements may need to be visited more than once.
The last built-in method we will discuss for arrays is map. This method has an O(n) and works by creating, “…a new array populated with the results of calling a provided function on every element in the calling array” (MDN). The reason that this function has an O(n) is due to fact that it must interact with every element in the array at least once. So, the size of the array directly impacts the run-time.
See below for a summary of the method types and built-in methods discussed in this blog and how they relate to Big O Notation.
Summary Table based on lecture material presented in Colt Steele’s Udemy Course
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about arrays through the lens of Big O notation. This is the last blog in my Big O notation series, I hope you now understand the importation of Big O notation and can apply it as you write and interpret code.
Resources
Steele, C. (n.d.). JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass. Online Course.
Arrays Underneath. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2020, from https://learn.co/lessons/arrays-underneath
“Array.prototype.splice().” MDN Web Docs, developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Array/splice.
“Array.prototype.map().” MDN Web Docs, developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Array/map.
Gain Access to Expert View — Subscribe to DDI Intel | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/big-o-notation-14fa1e4538a1 | ['Matthew Sedlacek'] | 2020-11-07 16:32:51.102000+00:00 | ['Big O Notation', 'Software Engineering', 'Arrays', 'Algorithms', 'Data Science'] |
Bad Liar | Hi guys,
As you can check, I didn’t accomplish my challenge of writing while I was living in England.
I know. I am such a bad liar.
I have no excuse, but let me tell you I had the time of my life in there. Everything felt simpler because I had jumped off the highest cliff (my past responsibilities) and was enjoying the adrenaline of the falling. But, in a way, I knew that was going to ended up at some point and I can say leaving Nottingham was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
Back in Madrid, things are just the way they were before leaving. I am spending some time with my family because it’s Christmas and, you know, I am suppose to do so. But to be fair, I am enjoying it more than I thought. It keeps me distracted, although there’s still a strange feeling attached to me I could not describe properly. It happens when I look at the window and the sky is grey. Just like today, for example. Streets are empty and a bit frozen you can slip if you don’t watch out. It brings me back to that first floor’s window of the student’s hall where I waited for the rain to start falling and, sometimes, the sound of a nearby ambulance. Room number 5.
Suddenly, I don’t understand how things work anymore. I am at a point of my life where change is holding my hand more than anyone. Nothing looks easy. I wish every day things were just a little bit easier. There’s no path, just some mountains in the distance and me driving with no license.
I hope to get some good sleep tonight.
See you soon,
Marcos. | https://medium.com/@marcossb96/bad-liar-968d5ebf89cc | ['The Boy In Neon'] | 2020-01-03 10:30:50.349000+00:00 | ['Journal', 'Homesick', 'Diary', 'Life'] |
How to choose my career in Digital Marketing | Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash
First of all, you need to ask yourself whether you want your career in Digital Marketing or not? How would you do that? Where should you start? What does that mean? Don’t worry! I am going to answer all these questions here.
How To Know What I Want:
To get an answer to this question, you need to flashback your life, 1 year back. See, what are the things you like to do? Either it's uploading media on Social Media Channel, making videos, playing games, development, coding, cooking, running, talking, podcasts, what is that you like?
Still lost? Pay me to get you some answers.
Get in touch with me here. | https://medium.com/@masadofficial/how-to-choose-my-career-in-digital-marketing-4f9266abe756 | ['Muhammad Asad'] | 2020-12-16 00:56:26.627000+00:00 | ['Muhammad Asad', 'Social Media', 'Career Development', 'Ask Me Anything', 'Digital Marketing'] |
Vincent Desiderio — A Realist Painter Creating Thought-Provoking Art | Being a good realist painter doesn’t only mean to reflect reality in the most realistically accurate manner. There is something bigger behind the paintings demonstrating the bare reality. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a need for such a prolific art movement as Realism. What, though, captivates people’s minds when they see realistic paintings is the idea of the painter’s authenticity and originality, which almost always goes hand in hand with concrete reality.
Today, we want to dedicate our blog post to Vincent Desiderio, a skillful master of realism, whose thought-provoking paintings will tell you a story from the artist’s life and show you how vague the line between reality and art is.
Vincent Desiderio — a realist painter creating thought-provoking art
Vincent Desiderio is an award-winning American painter working in realism. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and History from Haverford College. After that, the talented realist painter attended the Academia di Belle Arti in Florence and later studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
As of today, Vincent Desiderio’s paintings and drawings are in numerous public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Apart from that, Vincent Desiderio has received lots of prestigious awards, from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant to Studio Award from the Institute for Art and Urban Resources at MoMa PS1.
Vincent Desiderio is best known for his realistic paintings that masterfully combine classical elements with contemporary straightforwardness. Through his works, the prominent realist painter narrates a story, the plot of which is often based on the personal life and tragedy of the artist.
Besides, you need to focus on how the painter plays with the warmth of color and the depth of shadow, which might give you a better understanding of the realist master’s genius. You just should take a peek into the magnetic world of art by Vincent Desiderio! | https://medium.com/@300magazine/vincent-desiderio-a-realist-painter-creating-thought-provoking-art-65f566b651f8 | [] | 2020-12-17 03:02:23.764000+00:00 | ['Artist', 'Contemporary Art', 'Realism', 'Art', 'Painting'] |
LA CONTAGION EMOTIONNELLE. “ Comment gérer se trop plein d’émotion… | 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/la-petite-librairie-de-la-collapsologie/la-contagion-%C3%A9motionnelle-cc235624a97f | ['Benoit Ferres'] | 2021-03-15 17:16:21.279000+00:00 | ['Environment', 'France', 'Livre', 'Ecologie', 'Effondrement'] |
“Should I tell the boss what they WANT to hear or what they NEED to hear?” | “Should I tell the boss what they WANT to hear or what they NEED to hear?”
Sparking a culture of speaking truth to power at work.
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
Sometimes it’s just easier to ‘keep the boss happy’ by only giving information they want to hear.
I’ve certainly done it. By avoiding specific details, we both got what we wanted: minimal discussion and no conflict. I convinced myself that the consequences were insignificant. I always felt a nagging doubt though. Had I acted with integrity by not sharing what I knew my supervisor needed to hear — the truth?
Even though it can be a rockier path, speaking truth to power at work leads to sustainable outcomes, strengthens professional relationships, is a greater service to the organisation, fulfils one’s professional responsibilities and improves workplace culture.
The concept is simple: share and be open to truth.
In reality we have colleagues with contrasting views and habits, deadlines, limited resources, known and unconscious biases, and sometimes a blurry line between truth and untruth.
If we have the fundamental aspiration, we can spark a culture of speaking truth to power at work.
Spark 1. Tell the truth.
Even the most reasonable supervisors can set unrealistic goals. They may not know your other commitments, that team members are on leave, or resources aren’t available to deliver an optimal result. After careful thought you conclude there will be problems if the supervisor’s directions are unconditionally accepted.
Rather than a confident ‘yes boss’ and anxiously hoping for a result while expecting failure, the alternative is to speak the truth. Concisely present them with options and expected outcomes along with your recommendations. For example, delivering by the deadline with current resources will result in 50% quality; extending for two weeks will enable full team strength and 100% quality; or adding temporary resources will ensure 100% quality by the deadline, which you recommend.
You raise awareness and support informed decision-making with minimal disruption. A competent supervisor will be open to the conversation and capable of rational thought to reach the best outcome.
Secondly, after receiving directions it’s good practice to identify any potential negative consequences. Parameters beyond your control could cause issues down the track. Use your expert judgement to determine what your supervisor needs to know. Perhaps you foresee a problem which your supervisor has not spotted. By highlighting it at the outset, with suggested remedies, you provide opportunity for your supervisor to be cognisant of risks and adjust the plan if necessary. Together you can avoid a crisis — one that you would most likely have to manage even if due to supervisory oversight. The bottom line: if you foresee a significant problem, share it along with your proposed solutions.
Spark 2. It’s your responsibility.
Presenting truth to superiors is easier than trying to predict what information fits their narrative. More importantly, you have a responsibility to the organisation and yourself to report truth. When your reporting focuses on your supervisor’s narrative you might inadvertently neglect a broader departmental or organisational value or strategy. Furthermore, your supervisor’s narrative can markedly differ from other superiors leaving you exposed to reputational risk. Partial reporting could be viewed as indicative of your professional standards. You might do your boss a favour by presenting information they want, but there’s a chance of harming your own credibility and professional progression.
Speaking truth to power is a responsibility to yourself, your colleagues and your employer.
Spark 3. Knowing when conduct is detrimental.
Ideally, your supervisor expects truth. You can report with the assurance they will listen and address the information — and you — in a rational manner.
However, if any of the following statements resonate, it may be time to tackle your supervisor’s conduct. If they aren’t open to accepting whole truth your work is impacted.
My supervisor expects only information that fits their narrative.
I prepare information my supervisor wants, rather than what I know they need.
I choose information that will minimise negative emotions in my supervisor.
When I present information that doesn’t fit their narrative I must prepare for my supervisor’s emotions.
I will experience retribution or other negative consequences if I present information that doesn’t fit my supervisor’s narrative.
My supervisor prohibits me from communicating with peers or superiors (out of concern for truth sharing, not confidentiality).
The above points apply to any colleagues. If you cherry-pick what you share with certain peers, it may be time to address their conduct.
Spark 4. How to break the cycle.
Colleagues who don’t appreciate whole truth have an interesting ability to move up the hierarchy. On closer inspection we see that they tend to find and stick with people who enable their conduct. For example, they might insist on taking enablers with them from job to job, such as a supporting manager. They create a micro-culture. When we enable and indirectly support their progression into leadership they can influence the broader workplace culture. New hires observe existing practices and quickly learn that it’s expected and acceptable to edit information and not speak truth to power.
Perhaps you have learnt how to handle a boss who doesn’t appreciate whole truth. You can usually choose the right information to keep them happy, making your day less problematic. This is an understandable tactic which I have subscribed to; it can be easier to tolerate rather than confront, particularly if you are junior or new. I urge you to reflect on whether you are promoting a healthy working environment. Is there merit in indulging one person ahead of responsibilities to yourself, colleagues, and the organisation?
Confronting a superior about their working style requires courage and sensitivity. I encourage personal intervention only if there is a high chance the individual will be open to feedback and if there is no concern about retribution.
Within your organisation there should be a confidential channel for feedback about employee conduct. Hopefully when the appropriate people are notified, they value workplace culture and truth and relevant steps are taken. The employee could be made aware of the impact of their conduct, counselled, participate in skills training, and/or be placed in a position better suited to their abilities.
If the process is substandard this might indicate a lack of emphasis the employer places on such matters. You may then wish to assess your future with that organisation.
Spark 5. Be open to the truth.
Are you open to receiving truth from colleagues? In a recent Gallup article Jane Smith suggested that if, as a leader, you can’t remember the last time someone who’s not your superior challenged you at work, you may subconsciously be surrounding yourself with ‘yes-people’ — colleagues reluctant or afraid to speak up.
We can all benefit from a self-check to make sure we are open to truth. Jane offers some practical ways to start leading by example and creating an environment for speaking truth to power.
Collecting feedback from colleagues can be helpful. A few months ago, a friend was surprised during a 360-degree feedback exercise. Her team commented on her desire to only hear good news and that they deliberately excluded her from discussions about impending issues. My friend considered herself to be open and welcoming and praised the team for their consistent productivity. Her perception was very different from their reality.
Fortunately, we can learn how to receive truth and put the lessons into action every day. My friend used the opportunity to reflect on her working style and better align intent with impact.
Spark 6. We can.
Regardless of position, function, grade or industry, we can all practice and promote speaking truth to power at work. We can have the courage and judgement to provide truth to superiors, peers and juniors in a timely and appropriate manner. We can learn how to receive truth from colleagues. We can be mindful of the impact our words and conduct have on others. We can be patient to support colleagues as they unlearn old habits.
Speaking truth to power works. That’s the truth.
Kristen Sadler is an independent advisor, speaker and author. She combines a scientific approach with leadership experience and a multi-local perspective to explore the interfaces of emerging tech, exponential thinking, knowledge, truth and potential futures. kristensadler.com | https://medium.com/the-innovation/should-i-tell-the-boss-what-they-want-to-hear-or-what-they-need-to-hear-cf503973a91f | ['Kristen Sadler'] | 2020-08-31 08:47:34.049000+00:00 | ['Workplace', 'Office Politics', 'Work', 'Truth', 'Professional Development'] |
The Right to Health: A Winding Road Toward Behavior Adaptation in Facing a Pandemic | “Yes, my role as a caseworker is to educate (participants) on the prevention of COVID-19. But when the people I educated contracted the virus and asked for help, I could never ignore it. There is a moral responsibility there.”
Moral Responsibility
Public health education activity is nothing new to Fajar. It has been almost five years since he got introduced to peer assistance program for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In 2018, he joined Kotex Mandiri Foundation and became increasingly convinced that social work is his calling. Thus, when Kotex asked him to carry out COVID-19 risk communication and prevention education for the PLWHA community in partnership with the Human Initiative, Fajar took the role eagerly.
Fajar, one of the LeaN On caseworkers in Jakarta who is working under Kotex Mandiri Foundation and the Human Initiative supervision.
Years of involvement in PLWHA peer assistance programs got Fajar used to the unpredictable nature of his work. Sometimes, he has to fetch the assisted peers from wherever they are to ensure they collect their ARVs on time. Receiving phone calls in the middle of the night from a peer who is in a critical situation or in need of help is not unusual for him. Fajar does not mind giving up his time to rest to ensure the peers receive the much-needed assistance.
Nonetheless, the new role as a LeaN On caseworker he recently took has unexpectedly brought him a peculiar experience. Fajar never imagined that one day he would be working at the forefront of a new pandemic; even helping evacuate people who contracted COVID-19. “I was lucky. I was very lucky because at that time I (actually) didn’t have a proper PPE with me. I only put on two layers of face mask, a face shield, and a pair of gloves while evacuating a family of three. But thankfully, my (rapid) test came out negative,” explained Fajar.
Fajar was surely aware that evacuating a program participant who is COVID-19 positive was not part of the job. So we asked his reason to take the risk of being exposed to the virus, and his reply was, “Yes, my role as a caseworker is to educate (participants) on the prevention of COVID-19. But when those I educated contracted the virus and asked for help, I could never ignore it. There is a moral responsibility there.” Out of the 330 participants he educated on COVID-19 risks, at least 10 people have contracted the novel virus. Five of those had Fajar involved in the evacuation and referral arrangements to health facilities.
Fajar shared the latest information related to COVID-19 to one of 330 LeaN On program participants he has been mentoring
Boy, a program participant whom Fajar evacuated along with his parents, joined us in the middle of the conversation. Showing up with a mask covering half of his face, Boy was looking fit following his recovery from COVID-19. As one of the peers who is currently taking ARV and still undergoing methadone therapy, Boy belongs to the highly-vulnerable group to severe COVID-19. So are his elderly parents. Aware of the risk, Boy took the initiative to contact Fajar when the COVID-19 symptoms became more pronounced.
“Initially, I isolated myself at home. But it got worse, so I contacted Fajar. I just didn’t know who else I could ask for help, our neighbors were all scared. But Fajar bravely fetched me; he actually went inside the house and took me to the health facility on his motorbike,” said Boy about the evacuation that Fajar had carried out alone. He added, “When they found out that we were contracted by COVID-19, people were scared to even walk in front of our house. The stigma was so strong.”
Boy, one of the program participants who received COVID-19 prevention education from Fajar.
COVID-19 Risk Perception
Prior to battling the COVID-19 themselves, Boy and his parents practiced the prevention protocols loosely. Like many others, his risk perception was distorted by various factors. The circulating stories with biased perspectives from survivors who had little to no symptoms or those who recovered in a relatively short period of time were just a few of many factors that raised his doubts on the risk level of COVID-19.
“Before it happened, I rarely put on face masks. Only after Fajar educated us on this matter, I understood a little more and started to put it on every now and then; still far from being disciplined. I only started to strictly put the mask on after experiencing the pain myself. Wow, that really hurt,” explained Boy about his process of adopting preventive behaviors.
In addition, rumors about ARVs’ ability to ward off the COVID-19 infection is another factor affecting the risk perceptions among PLWHA. “When the news appeared, a number of PLWHA reached out to me trying to verify it. Some even believed it’s true,” said Fajar. He continued, “This news was brought up by the media. Yet if you read them, there was a lack of details: which types of ARVs? To whom and where did the trials were conducted? How was the result? It has to be comprehensive. The risk is too big, you know, from misinformation like that. So yeah, the media was part of the problem too.”
Danu, a LeaN On program participant, immediately welcomed Fajar with questions regarding vaccination as soon as they met. Although the risk communication outreach has ended, Fajar is still the focal point for the COVID-19-related information for the PLWHA around him
It is interesting to observe the dynamics of risk perception among vulnerable groups. Seemingly, familiarity with prevention education on HIV/AIDS does not necessarily build the desired risk perception in the case of COVID-19. According to Fajar, PLWHA is relatively easy to reach because not only are they used to receiving similar health education, regular visits to health facilities have also exposed them to various COVID-19 prevention educational materials that are easily found in those facilities. However, intense exposure to information is apparently not enough to build an accurate risk perception, as well as the expected change in behavior.
The Winding Road towards Behavior Change
Even though he realized that behavior change is not easy to achieve, Fajar continued to exert his best efforts in educating the PLWHA communities about the risk of COVID-19. He believes that behavior change communication strategy has a lot in common with general marketing communication strategy. “I used to be a salesperson. The (marketing) knowledge is very useful for this outreach. Product knowledge, for example, is very important. If we don’t understand the product, how can we sell it? Basically, we are trying to make the participants willing to buy the behavior change, right?”
One of the health facilities where Fajar conducted the COVID-19 risk communication activities under LeaN On
Furthermore, Fajar highlighted the importance of persuasive communication, the use of appropriate language, the emotional approach, and the willingness to gather the latest information in conducting risk communication. “I often try to find out the participant’s hobbies first to build a conversation. This is the reason why behavior change education should be carried out by the community members themselves. Can you imagine if the caseworker has to educate strangers? It would be hard to persuade them because the trust has yet to be built.”
As Fajar repeatedly said, behaviour change takes time. Nevertheless, he was pleased to know that some of the program participants have started to practice the prevention protocols despite the varying levels of adherence. Fajar delightfully mentioned that a number of participants have started to wear face masks more diligently than before. Some even prepare spare masks when they are out and about, or begin to carry hand sanitizer in their bags. Fajar believed that these small changes should be seen as significant progress considering the limited outreach timing.
In addition to Fajar’s answer, Boy revealed that wearing a mask is the easiest behavior to adopt and it has been increasingly adopted by the PLWHA community members. The reason is that they have started to feel awkward or even embarrassed when the other members they are interacting with are wearing masks. In other words, a domino effect is taking place in the process of behavior change. Meanwhile, washing hands and maintaining a safe distance still seem hard to practice for most of the community members. | https://medium.com/@investdmleanon/the-right-to-health-a-winding-road-toward-behavior-adaptation-in-facing-a-pandemic-34b7db1f2d2b | ['Lean On Invest Dm - En'] | 2021-06-14 12:25:48.575000+00:00 | ['Behaviour Change', 'Risk Communications', 'Covid 19', 'Marginalized People', 'Community Engagement'] |
k-means Clustering Algorithm: Explained and Implemented | This article will help you understand another unsupervised ML algorithm to solve clustering problems. Let’s begin.
Introduction
k-means is one of the mildest unsupervised learning algorithms used to solve the well-known clustering problem. It is an iterative algorithm that tries to partition the dataset into a ‘k’ number of pre-defined distinct non-overlapping subgroups (clusters). The main idea is to define k centers, one for each cluster. These centers should be placed in a crafty way because of different location causes the different result. So, the better choice is to place them as much as possible far away from each other. The next step is to take each point belonging to a given data set and associate it to the nearest center.
When no point is pending, the first step is completed and an early group age is done. At this point, we need to re-calculate k new centroids as the barycenter of the clusters resulting from the previous step.
After we have these k new centroids, a new binding has to be done between the same data set points and the nearest new center. A loop has been generated. As a result of this loop, we may notice that the k centers change their location step by step until no more changes are done or in other words, centers do not move anymore. Finally, this algorithm aims at minimizing an objective function known as the squared error function given by:
‘ ||xi — vj|| ’ is the Euclidean distance between xi and vj .
’ is the Euclidean distance between and . ‘ ci ’ is the number of data points in the ith cluster.
’ is the number of data points in the ith cluster. ‘c’ is the number of cluster centers.
Clusters with blue centers.
Working of k-means
Let,
X = [x1,x2,x3,……..,xn] be the set of data points and
V = [v1,v2,…….,vc] be the set of centers.
Randomly select ‘c’ cluster centers. Calculate the distance between each data point and cluster centers. Assign the data point to the cluster center whose distance from the cluster center is the minimum of all the cluster centers. Recalculate the new cluster center using the below formula:
where ‘ci’ represents the number of data points in the ith cluster.
5. Recalculate the distance between each data point and new obtained cluster centers.
6. If no data point was reassigned then stop, otherwise repeat step 3.
We can also use the ‘elbow method’ to find the no. of clusters formed. (even if we already know it), this is just to validate it visually. Below is an example.
4 different lines show 4 possible clusters
Implementation
Implementing k-means using in GoogleColab (python) using sklearn.
Advantages
k-means algorithm is fast, robust, and easier to understand compared to several other clustering algorithms. It is relatively efficient: O(tknd), where n is no. of objects, k is no. of clusters, d is no. of dimensions of each object, and t is no of iterations. Normally, k, t, d << n. Gives the best result when data sets are distinct or well separated from each other.
Disadvantages
Euclidean distance measures can unequally weight underlying factors. The learning algorithm provides the local optima of the squared error function. Randomly choosing the cluster center cannot lead us to a fruitful result. Applicable, only when mean, is defined i.e. fails for categorical data. Unable to handle noisy data and outliers. The algorithm fails for a non-linear data set. The learning algorithm requires apriori specification of the number of cluster centers
Applications
K-means algorithms can be used in a variety of applications such as market segmentation, document clustering, image segmentation, and etc.
The goal usually when we undergo a cluster analysis is either:
Get a meaningful intuition of the structure of the data we’re dealing with. Cluster-then-predict where different models will be built for different subgroups if we believe there is a wide variation in the behaviors of different subgroups.
Conclusion
Kmeans clustering is one of the most popular clustering algorithms and usually, the first thing practitioners apply when solving clustering tasks to get an idea of the structure of the dataset. The goal of means is to group data points into distinct non-overlapping subgroups. However, it suffers as the geometric shapes of clusters deviate from shapes. Moreover, it also doesn’t learn the number of clusters from the data and requires it to be pre-defined. | https://medium.com/@immohann/k-means-clustering-algorithm-explained-and-implemented-307161adcc61 | ['Manmohan Dogra'] | 2021-01-27 08:09:40.530000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Clustering', 'Scikit Learn', 'K Means', 'Machine Learning'] |
Meet The Women of The Blockchain: Audrey Chaing, Founder of Blockchaing | I had the pleasure of interviewing Audrey Chaing, Founder of Blockchaing. Audrey is a cryptocurrency trader, developer, and blockchain analyst/consultant, and runs the news site blockchaing.org. She has been trading Bitcoin since 2013 and previously co-founded 2 companies. She has a decade of experience on Wall Street as an investor, trader, and research analyst at companies like Credit Suisse, Wells Fargo, and BlackRock. Audrey has a degree in Computer Science from MIT with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence, earned her MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and is a frequent speaker at events like Google International Women’s Day, Global Blockchain Forum, Crypto@Dropbox, LendIt/Blockfin, CryptoHQ, and OneWorld Blockchain at Davos. She created the MIT Applied Blockchain Series, helping founders get from idea to demo-able product.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?
I studied computer science at MIT and graduated during the 1.0 dotcom bust, so ended up on Wall Street for about a decade in investing, trading, and research. In 2013, I decided that I’d like to start my own companies so thought it would be a good idea to brush off the old programming skills. I took Stanford’s Startup Engineering MOOC, which happened to be taught by Balaji Srinivasan, who is now the CTO of Coinbase. Our final project was a Kickstarter clone and you moved up on the leader board by number of Tweets and Bitcoin funding. Friends and family wanted to support my project but had no idea what Bitcoin was, so I told them to tell me the amount they wanted to contribute in dollars and I’d trade the Bitcoin for them. This is how I first got involved in Bitcoin, realized the price is very volatile, and started playing around with trading it. In small amounts only unfortunately! People at work would make fun of my weird little hobby.
Can you tell me about the most interesting projects you are working on now?
I’m working on two large projects at the moment. The first is helping Precursor Ventures, a traditional early stage venture capital firm in San Francisco, structure and launch a cryptocurrency fund. The other is acting in a CTO capacity providing technical advice to create a new blockchain protocol.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My family has been a real driver and supporter of academic and career achievement. I really didn’t enjoy it at the time, but my mom would buy 5th grade textbooks and make me do extra homework from them in 3rd grade, for example. I understand girls, especially back then, were not necessarily encouraged to pursue math and science growing up in the US and this was simply not the case for me. I had better bring home straight As, particularly in math and science, or bad things would happen — this all came from a place of love and wanting to equip us with the right future tools. My aunt, who is a scientist at the National Institutes of Health, helped introduce me to real lab work and I interned at the National Eye Institute when I was 16, where I got to do things like run protein electrophoresis gels and contribute to cutting edge cataract research. This background helped lead me to MIT for college, where analytical thinking was ingrained into my thought processes. I have a horrible memory but can figure out most problems if given some time.
What are the 5 things that most excite you about blockchain and crypto? Why?
1) Not having to trust 3rd parties — Companies have a pretty dismal track record of being our stewards, from cybersecurity hacks leaking our sensitive information to companies selling or otherwise distributing our personal data without clear and explicit consent or compensation. It’s exciting that we now have the opportunity to transact directly with one another, without having to trust one another or some company/government in the middle.
2) Doing things we were never able to do before and can’t even imagine now — At the dawn of the internet, could anyone have imagined the resulting impact? E-commerce shopping is now commonplace, the amount of information available with a simple quick online search beats those of the most expensive encyclopedia sets, etc. Blockchain will enable us to do things we don’t know we can do or want to do — and that’s the exciting part.
3) Tokenomics, a brand new discipline. Crypto, a brand new asset class. Digital Assets, a brand new category of data — It’s not every day that we have entire new fields and asset classes created. Tokenomics examines the cross section of economics, incentives, and digital assets. How do I structure a system such that even if nobody has “control”, it is incentivizing behaviors we want? From an investor’s standpoint, blockchain and cryptocurrencies is a brand new asset class, and there is a lot of opportunity to build value and an ecosystem. An issue with digital objects and data in the past is it is really easy to copy and there was no good way to tell whether something was an original or authorized copy. Blockchain allows discrete digital assets, the most famous example probably being CryptoKitties. It’s not hard to see the potential for owning and controlling distribution/use of digital things, especially when digital assets can now own other digital assets, as in the case of a Crypto Kitty owning a hat — you own the cat but the cat owns the hat.
4) Increased Efficiency — In any case where we are able to do things faster or more cheaply, we can do more with the same resources. In a world of constrained resources, this matters. A simple example of cross border payments: it used to cost 5–10% of the amount you are sending and up to 10 days to send money via bank transfer or Western Union, and now we can do this at a fraction of the cost and almost instantly with cryptocurrency. Doing things more efficiently enables us to also bring products and services to people who were formerly unable to access these products and services, which brings us to the next point-
5) Inclusion/access and social change — Already we’re seeing some success in offering financial services to the unbanked and digital identities to refugees. Similar to how developing countries skipped right over landlines to mobile phones, blockchain tech has the possibility of providing access and a voice for millions of people who do not have that kind of access now. It’s no secret that power and wealth are concentrated today. Since this is a brand new field, we have the opportunity to shape the culture from the ground up, create a more distributed power structure, and dismantle some really un-useful stereotypes. It’s a worldwide movement and since it’s so new, anyone with an interest can get involved now and not be too late to the game. We can also use the characteristics of transparency, immutability, and decentralization to positively affect policy and governance. It becomes much harder to hide corruption, to censor, and to secretly advance private interests with these 3 characteristics in force. | https://medium.com/authority-magazine/meet-the-women-of-the-blockchain-audrey-chaing-founder-of-blockchaing-450d7ef8d9e9 | ['Yitzi Weiner'] | 2018-07-09 19:36:34.726000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Bitcoin', 'Founders'] |
The Romance of Food | *Content warning: This article mentions eating disorders*
Do you remember your first food love? Mine was chocolate spread, Nutella specifically. Every now and then as a child I would unwrap my cling-film-covered sandwiches at school and grin when the scent of hazelnuts, cocoa and sugar hit my nostrils. Today is a good day, I would think to myself before taking that first bite.
Our relationships with food are often complicated and mine is no different. Food is a difficult thing, after all. We must have it in our lives, whether we want to or not. There’s no getting away from it, no matter how hard one may try. This is why we so often talk about the ‘relationship’ between ourselves and food. How healthy or unhealthy it is. Because, like it or not, we all have one.
In her article, Our strained relationship with food, writer Kris Gage uses the same terms used in psychology for interpersonal attachment styles to describe eating habits — anxious-attached eaters, avoidant eaters, anxious-avoidant eaters and secure eaters. Reading through the descriptions Kris outlines, and looking back at my own checkered history with food, I can relate to almost all of them at some point.
Something I find missing from this narrative however is the romance. What about the spectacular moments you have with food? The impassioned arguments, the making up, the love and security it can give you if you let it?
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Strawberries in disguise, Sunday sweets and first love
My earliest memory of food was one of deceit. I was sitting at the dinner table, faced with any child’s nemesis — broccoli. My mum told me to close my eyes and imagine they were strawberries and cream. So I did. I closed my eyes, ate a piece and tried to taste the sharp tang of strawberry being soothed by cream. But alas, this was no strawberry — all I tasted was bitterness and disappointment.
Like most kids, I had a sweet tooth. This is biological, children are programmed to like sweet tastes because it “fills a biological need by pushing them towards energy sources,” according to Monell geneticist Danielle Reed, PhD. Sweet often means calorific, and calories are what we need to grow.
So of course, when my parents introduced ‘Sunday sweets’ to our family’s routine, I was beyond thrilled. One day a week where we could go to the shop and pick any pack of sweets we wanted (I favoured fizzy cola Chewits or Rolos). The ultimate treat.
Not all sweets were created equal of course. I vividly remember attending friends’ birthday parties and being presented with the classic pairing of ice cream and jelly. The ice cream was wonderful, a heavenly combination of sweetness and creaminess that I longed for often. But the jelly, with its menacing wobble, wasn’t to be trusted. When it slithered down my throat it made my entire body shudder with disgust. The taste itself was pleasant, but the texture made my skin crawl; it was the first food I remember outrightly refusing.
As beautiful as my relationship with sweet treats were, it wasn’t until I started my relationship with chocolate spread that I understood what true love was.
In those early days it was an on-and-off casual relationship, when I was lucky to see it once a week hiding between two slices of bread in my lunchbox.
As I grew older and moved onto secondary school, I gained more control over my diet and things got serious. Arriving home after a hard day of learning, I’d put a couple of pikelets into the toaster (a slightly thinner crumpet) and slather them with chocolate spread. Melting into the tiny holes, the spread found its way to my heart.
Which is why, I’m sure, it was the first snack to go when I became unwell.
Binned lunches, binged Rocky bars and breaking up with food
I was 13 when I first looked at food in a different light. Well, that’s not strictly true. It was when I first looked at myself in a different light. I was in German class, looking down and I happened to spot some cellulite on my crossed legs. Using my fingers to push and squeeze this new material, I was breathless with panic, silently screaming while trying to understand the foreign words being taught.
The truth is, I’d been feeling low for some time. Like I didn’t fit, like boys didn’t like me. Seeing this glimpse of cellulite felt like a message from above — this is the reason. This is why no one likes you. It was suddenly so obvious.
It was like my body had changed shape overnight and I needed to take immediate action. The first action I took was to say goodbye to my chocolate spread soaked pikelet snack. I loved it too much and now I was paying the price. The only solution, surely, was to go cold turkey. But of course, turkey was out of the picture too.
The turkey and tomato rolls I took for lunch each day found their way into bins as I slowly narrowed down my food intake. Shrinking myself became my sole objective and food, no matter how delicious, was now the enemy.
Photo by author
I looked at all food with disdain and yet it dominated my thoughts. I would imagine the pleasure of eating it, feel ashamed and then decide how to avoid that pleasure. Instead of food being the great love of my life, an aching hunger took its place. I welcomed hunger with open arms because hunger meant smaller.
There were days when food won me over though. I would be overcome with lust and binge-eat Rocky chocolate bars. After being together shame washed over me. Hiding the evidence I’d push their wrappers between armchair cushions, hoping the chair would somehow eat what I couldn’t.
The war between hunger and food, competing for my affection raged in my mind for what felt like an eternity but was, in reality, a handful of years.
Yoghurts, relapse and breaking up with hunger
After being marched to the doctor by worried parents, I started working with a therapist who diagnosed me with anorexia. I was poked, prodded, had blood taken (to decipher how much harm I’d done) and weighed with disturbing regularity.
I was asked to add a yoghurt into my daily eating routine. When my therapist said this, I remember thinking back to how much I used to love yoghurt. Trying my mum’s full-fat greek yoghurt, drizzled with honey and topped with berries, it was a taste I’ll never forget.
From that authentic nectar of the Gods to a humble Muller corner with chocolate balls, yoghurt was a food I always had fond feelings for. But now things were different. Yoghurt represented everything that frightened me. It represented my body changing, me losing control.
Over time, things changed. I left school and found a new freedom I hadn’t expected when starting college. Choosing my own clothes helped me see my body in a less harsh light. I settled into a group of friends, who ironically I was at school with but had never spent time with. I met my first boyfriend and fell in (human) love for the first time.
Anorexia faded into the background as I let myself taste again. Dipping mars bars into hot chocolate between lessons and biting burgers between kisses, I was flirting with food again and it felt great.
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Anyone who’s experienced an eating disorder will know however that recovery isn’t linear. In my first year at university I took full control of my diet for the first time and felt all at once exhilarated and terrified. With that first love done and dusted, I fell for a friend I knew I could never have (unless he was spectacularly drunk) and old demons came to the surface. It was like I could only take so much romantic pain. The loneliness I felt transformed into a desire to shrink.
This time though, I fought back. Arguing with my eating disorder every time it suggested I skipped a meal, I made a game out of my recovery. Whenever hunger gnawed at me, trying to seduce me with promises of a smaller, happier life, I told it no. I ate bowls of pasta mixed with cheese, frozen burger packs and Pizza-Go-Go.
Eventually anorexia grew tired of me and gave up. I made a promise then and there to break up with hunger. It no longer held an allure of thinness, but instead became what it should be — a sign to eat.
Dining out, international food and finding myself
After slowly acclimatising myself to eating again, I allowed myself to feel the romance of it all over again. Falling back in love with food as an adult opened up a whole new world for me — dining out. Of course I went to restaurants in my childhood and teen years, but these were often venues catered towards families, with menus to colour in and refillable drinks. As an adult I saw the dining world with fresh, hungry eyes.
Without fear peering over my shoulder I could read a menu without panic, choosing dishes based on flavour, not potential calorie content.
One of my favourite dining experiences took place in my mid-twenties. My partner at the time loved food as much as I did and happened to have a chef friend who could often get us free meals. One night a group of us went to Duck & Waffle, a fancy restaurant in London. Letting our chef friend take control, he ordered a range of dishes for us all to share.
The low lighting, flowing wine and new tastes felt like an awakening. A big part of romance is the peripherals. The slow music in the background and dancing candlelight before that first kiss in a movie. And the romance of food is no different. Often what’s happening around the food is just as important as the food itself.
This is why restaurants go to such efforts to create an ambiance. They know how much this impacts the eating experience. And here, at Duck & Waffle, with the person I thought I’d be with forever, I couldn’t have felt more in love.
Of course, just like our relationship with food, human relationships can change. After a while, no amount of meals out could salvage that relationship. We broke up and I set my sights on travel. I had, unbeknownst to me, shrunken myself a little in that relationship (metaphorically this time) and needed to do something to discover my full self again.
So I travelled. I visited Berlin with my mum first, eating cake, pastries and bratwurst to keep us warm. We drank glühwein under Christmas lights and ordered room service (pasta for her, the biggest burger I’ve ever met for me). I drowned my sorrows in new experiences and sugar.
Photo by Madison Inouye from Pexels
A couple of short months later I found myself in Dubai enjoying a birthday spent largely alone, with buffet lunches and leftover cheesecake for company before a decadent Thai meal out with a friend. This was where I started to feel more… full.
But I continued. A trip to Barcelona saw me sitting in a jamón shop, smiling, sipping wine and peeling strips of jamón ibérico off a fork with my teeth. And finally a trip to Costa Rica introduced me to fried plantain, really good iced coffee and the only time I’ve enjoyed drinking beer.
When I met my current partner, I was my full self.
Ramen stained T-shirts and life-long romance
On our second date we went to a Caribbean restaurant nestled at the top of a rather unhappy shopping outlet. The service was terrible and the food not much better, but thankfully the conversation sparkled enough for it not to leave a bad taste in our mouths.
I quickly learnt that food didn’t have quite as big a role in his life as it did mine, and I made it a secret mission of mine to change that. The more dates we had, the more we dined out. I asked him to take me to his favourite restaurant and we ended up in Ippudo in London, where we were presented with two steaming bowls of Ramen. Looking at the chopsticks and my white t-shirt, I smiled and wondered how I was going to do this.
As it turned out, I did it with zero grace and poise, dripping broth down my top between slurps (the sake didn’t help). I gave up before feeling totally satisfied because, quite frankly, I was a mess. But I loved that this was his happy place when it came to food. It was different, as unique as him.
He tells me now that he’s learnt to appreciate food more since being with me, no longer seeing it as fuel, but something to enjoy and be romanced by.
Five years later and as I write this, trips to restaurants feel like a faded dream. The pandemic has instead forced us to delight in home-cooking and marvel at the magic that is Deliveroo.
We cheer up dull working from home days by ordering tacos for lunch, or make it a date-night by ordering pizza and cookies. We’ve discovered recipes that comfort us and are slowly expanding our cooking repertoire, one dish at a time.
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
With optimism I now say my romance with food is a life-long one. I relish in the act of eating, letting fears and societal pressures fall by the wayside. I’m even filling my eyes with stories about food as my bookshelf heaves with food love stories. I want to take food in with every sense it seems — eyes, ears, mouth and mind.
It’s been a long road to get here and I won’t lie and say it’s always easy. Eating and living in this way, with no compromise on flavour and unreserved glee is unnerving to many. This is perhaps why I resonated so deeply with this passage in Tiny Moons by Nina Mingya Powels:
“It is tiring to be a woman who loves to eat in a society where hunger is something not to be satisfied but controlled. Where a long history of female hunger is associated with shame and madness. The body must be punished for every misstep; for every “indulgence” the balance of control must be restored. To enjoy food as a young woman, to opt out every day from the guilt expected of me, is a radical act, of love.”
It is tiring. But it is worth it. Having felt the sting of starvation, the way I shrunk when dancing with hunger, I know this is better. Keeping a pot of chocolate spread in the cupboard to dip my spoon into whenever the mood strikes, is better.
And so, as tiring as it may be, enjoying food and being swept up in the romance of it all is what I’ll continue to do.
Read more about me and my work at Blue Jay of Happiness. | https://medium.com/@katbluejay/the-romance-of-food-d793b3ce3ebe | ['Kat Nicholls'] | 2020-12-15 11:10:18.218000+00:00 | ['Recovery', 'Mental Health', 'Inspiration', 'Foodies', 'Life Lessons'] |
Shipping TV to India from USA | Content Source: Moving Back to India
Photo by Jens Kreuter on Unsplash
You will definitely find televisions cheaper in USA as compared to India. When you plan to move to India, one of the questions is “Shall we take our television back to India?”. Knowing that you will be needing TV in India, it is a good idea to save some money. Here I am discussing all points that you consider before shipping TV to India from USA.
There are things that one should consider:
Shipment Charges
There are many ways of shipping TV to India from USA.
1. Flight Check-in:
This is the fastest way to get your TV with you. You need to enquire with your airlines if they allow you to check-in TV. I know some airlines allow but up to 55″ TV size. Some airlines do not allow if the weight of the TV package is more than 32kg. This may be the cheapest option (for 55″ TV) depending upon which flight you are taking.
Here are snippets from airlines sites (covering only some of the cheapest options):
a) Emirates
b) Qatar
c) Etihad
2. Air Shipping
There are many agencies that do air shipping. It is usually a costly affair but fast and your TV will reach in India in 7–10 days. The cost depends upon the TV dimension and weight. There is a good difference in cost in sending 55″ or 75″ TV. I gather quotes from a couple of agencies, they all had similar rates, here is what I found:
55″ TV: $400
65″ TV: $550
75″ TV: $650
Note that the above rates include TV packaging, door-to-door shipping but do not include any customs duty.
3. Ocean Shipping
Ocean shipping is usually a preferred way of sending TV as it is much cheaper than any other option. However, this takes much longer, 3 to 4 months is a normal time. There is not much difference in cost if you are planning to ship a small or big TV. I took quotes from many agencies and checked rates online, here are the lowest rates that I found:
55″ TV: $250
65″ TV: $300
75″ TV: $350
Note that the above rates include TV packaging, door-to-door shipping with online tracking but do not include any customs duty.
Customs Duty & GST
There are mainly 2 types of costs involved, customs duty and GST (Goods and Services Tax).
Customs Duty:
The custom rates are provided at the CBIC website (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs). All televisions come under chapter 85.
Source: http://cbic.gov.in/resources/htdocs-cbec/customs/cst1920-311219/Chap%2085.pdf
The customs duty on TVs in India is currently 10% (as of Apr 2020)
GST:
The GST rates are also given at CBIC.
Source: https://cbic-gst.gov.in/gst-goods-services-rates.html
GST on TVs in India is 18% (as of Apr 2020, it got reduced from 28% to 18% in 2018).
Overall, you need to pay a total of 29.8% (10% + 18%) of the TV price as customs duty and GST.
Assessed Value:
Note that you need to pay 29.8% on the assessed value (calculated by customs) of TV being imported. The customs manage their own database and they will tell you the assessed value based upon how old is the TV and how much it costs in India currently. That means you have to pay less if you are bringing an old TV as compared to a new TV.
One important point to be noted here that if you are bringing a TV whose list price is higher in India (after conversion) then you need to pay duty on Indian price and not on the actual purchase price (USA).
Note: You need to carry the original receipt of the purchase of your TV to show customs that you are bringing an old TV.
TV Insurance
If using Air shipping or Ocean shipping, it is better to take TV insurance as TV is a fragile item and get damaged easily. Most shipping companies will provide insurance only if they pack your TV own their own. Usually, they pack in a wooden crate so it will increase the weight and size of the overall package and thus overall cost. The package and insurance vary from $125 to $200 depending upon the size of the TV. I would recommend taking the insurance if you have decided on the shipping method.
TV Compatibility
Couple of things to consider:
PAL — NTSC Compatibility:
This is what I found in TRAI site:
Source: https://main.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/finalreom5agust.pdf
The tuner of a TV set has a limited capacity of channel selection. This ultimately limits the number of TV channels a viewer can watch through his TV. The design of the TV tuner matches the TV standard adopted by a country. In India, the PAL B and PAL G systems have been adopted for the VHF and UHF bands respectively. A TV channel in the VHF band (30–300 MHz) requires a bandwidth of 7 MHz whereas in the UHF band (300 to 3000 MHz) it requires a bandwidth of 8 MHz.
In simple words, India uses PAL as a video transmission standard while USA uses NTSC. Some of the good brands’ TV support both (PAL and NTSC) but it is better to verify before bringing your TV to India. Alternatively, you can buy PAL to NTSC converter which can be used to convert PAL transmission to NTSC format. It is easily available in USA and India.
If you want to use TV only for receiving streaming services (Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime, etc.) then you do not have to worry about any compatibility.
Voltage Compatibility:
In USA, all electronic and electrical products are made to work with 110 volts however the standard in India is 220 volts. Some TVs are built to handle both types of voltages, you need to check this with your TV. Anyways, you can buy a step-down voltage transformer (from 220 volts to 110 volts) which is easily available in India. Make sure that the transformer’s output plug pins are the same as what is used in USA, this way you do not have to buy an additional plug pin converter.
Note: Running a 110 volt directly with 220 volts power line can damage your TV so better buy a step-down voltage transformer.
TV Warranty
Most likely you will lose the warranty on your TV once you bring to India as top brands Samsung, Sony, LG do not provide an international warranty. There are only a few brands that provide an international warranty.
Is it worth shipping your TV?
Let us take a few scenarios to understand if shipping TV to India from USA is a good choice or not.
Scenario 1:
TV Size: 55″
Condition: New (Top Brand)
TV purchased price in USA: $600 (₹45,000)
Shipping Mode: Flight check-in
Shipping Charges: $200 (₹15,000)
Price of same/similar TV in India: ₹85,000
Assessed price (by customs): ₹85,000 (New TV)
Custom Duty (including GST): ₹25,330
Total paid for TV: ₹15,000 + ₹25,330 = ₹40,330
Scenario 2:
TV Size: 55″
Condition: New (Low-cost Brand)
TV purchased price in USA: $475 (₹35,625)
Shipping Mode: Flight check-in
Shipping Charges: $200 (₹15,000)
Price of same/similar TV in India: ₹65,000
Assessed price (by customs): ₹65,000 (New TV)
Custom Duty (including GST): ₹19,370
Total paid for TV: ₹15,000 + ₹19,370 = ₹34,370
Scenario 3:
TV Size: 65″
Condition: 2 years old
TV purchased price in USA: $800 (₹60,000)
Shipping Mode: Ocean Shipping
Shipping Charges: $300 (₹22,500)
Price of same/similar TV in India: ₹1,15,000
Assessed price (by customs): ₹75,000 (2 years old TV)
Custom Duty (including GST): ₹22,350
Total paid for TV: ₹22,500 + ₹22,350 = ₹44,850
Scenario 4:
TV Size: 75″
Condition: 3 years old
TV purchased price in USA: $1100 (₹82,500)
Shipping Mode: Ocean Shipping
Shipping Charges: $350 (₹26,250)
Price of same/similar TV in India: ₹1,50,000
Assessed price (by customs): ₹85,000 (3 years old TV)
Custom Duty (including GST): ₹25,330
Total paid for TV: ₹26,250 + ₹25,330 = ₹51,580
Observations:
What I observe that if you are bringing an old TV then you can save a good amount on customs duty. Although you would be spending a hefty amount (shipping + customs) in bringing your TV but think of the other situation. Suppose you decide to sell off your old TV in USA, then you will lose some money (say $200 to $300 of actual purchase price). And if you want to buy the same TV in India then you need to pay the amount which is listed in the Indian market (much higher). So better bring your old and big TV to India.
It doesn’t make much sense to bring lost-cost TV with all hassles of shipping, customs, insurance, buying voltage stabilizer, etc. You may end up spending close to list price in India, if not higher. Moreover, you may lose TV warranty.
You can do similar calculations for your TV and assess yourself if it is worth shipping TV to India from USA. I hope the above calculations will help you.
Content Source: Moving Back to India | https://medium.com/@mona.govitrikar/shipping-tv-to-india-from-usa-67ff97849bba | ['Mona Govitrikar'] | 2020-04-23 06:01:34.437000+00:00 | ['Shipping', 'USA', 'India', 'Television'] |
How to Make Waves of Change this World Oceans Month | Now more than ever, do you find yourself needing a day to unwind, plant your feet in the warm sand and soak in some Vitamin Sea? A day (or, hey, even a week) of self-care by the water is long overdue in 2020 and I’ve curated a list of ways to invest in environmentally-conscious beach essentials just for you.
1. Purchase swimsuits made of recycled materials
Environmentally-conscious bathing suit lines, such as Aava Swim, are inspired by the health of our deep blue seas and the more than 20,000 species that inhabit them. This enterprise produces swimwear made from 78% ECONYL fibers, which are reclaimed ocean waste and recycled ocean plastics such as water bottle remnants or fishing nets left overboard that threaten the lives of marine environments.
Tallulah Bowknot One-Piece
As our waters are forced to welcome unwanted properties each day, Aava Swim combats the continued pollution of oceans without sacrificing a cent of style. Consumer favorites range from the popular Imogen Crossover One-Piece to the Dakota Bandeau Bikini, both of which are priced at $95 a piece. While the investment may seem steep, it is worth every penny to know your purchase is produced with sustainable partners. Aava Swim has eliminated single-use plastics in its supply chain and actively avoids the pits of fast fashion trends by striving to maintain a zero-waste production cycle each season.
Today, on World Oceans Day, I encourage you to do your research and check out up-and-coming swimwear lines created for the purpose of preserving our ocean waters. When recognizing you are due for a new suit or want a trendy one-piece for that upcoming beach trip, consider the impact you are making by buying from the ocean, for the ocean.
2. Utilize sustainable skincare you can trust
While it should remain top of mind to observe ocean-safe practices during the fast-approaching summer days, it is equally important to apply that same care to protect our skin barriers. Skincare company Supergoop! Sunscreen enables consumers to simultaneously do both!
This brand was the first ever to produce SPF sunscreen without the active ingredient of oxybenzone, which toxicology experts believe has the ability to absorb ultraviolet light through the skin. Oxybenzone and other harmful ingredients rank at the top of Supergoop!’s No List and will not be found in their formulas. By avoiding such additives, the company removes harsh and toxic chemicals from products while sustaining a clean and coral reef-safe production cycle.
Best of all, Supergoop! caters to different skin types with over 40 product offerings that would be a perfect addition to your skincare routine. Plus, each purchase goes on to support their Ounce by Ounce giving program that donates SPF to schools across America with the goal of educating students about the significance of sun safety and skin health.
Photo by C. Style Blog
As you get your daily dose of sunshine this summer, be sure to apply a sunscreen that not only fights hard to protect your skin barrier from sun damage but also works toward a healthier life for our oceans. You can also choose a plastic-free brand from Zero Waste Store or Package Free Shop.
3. Surf Clean with Your Environment’s Wax!
The beach is an especially sacred space for avid surfers and ocean addicts alike, including Hogan Peters, the Founder and Creator of YEW! Your Environment’s Wax. To those of you who know or are surfers, you understand how vital surf wax is to be able to grip your feet on a surfboard and perform well on the waves.
Traditional surf wax markets possess ingredients that undergo petroleum refinement processes. Meaning, when surfers paddle out after applying those waxes, micro-paraffins drip into the water and raise carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across oceans. YEW! addresses this problem and is the most eco-friendly surf wax on the market sourced and produced with the environment — both land and sea — in mind.
After testing upwards of 900 different formulas, Peters came to find the perfect fit. While most competitors utilize paraffin, which is a petroleum-based waxy substance, as their primary stick agent, YEW! uses beeswax. By establishing ethical partnerships with generational beekeepers across the United States, he buys from hives when they are overcrowding and exclusively works with bee aviaries that fight against the use of pesticide sprays. With the purchase of each bar of wax, consumers can rest assured they are not only playing a small role in the fight against bee colony collapse but also reducing unwarranted chemicals into our oceans.
YEW!’s slogan “Do It Clean” is more than just a motto, it is a lifestyle for the social enterprise and its team of loyal followers. I encourage you to buy a stick of wax for yourself or a friend before hitting the waves with surfboards in hand this summer. Most importantly, keep in mind a great piece of advice Hogan Peters shared with me over a phone interview.
“Every time we use the environment, it is there for us, but we need to be there for it, too.”
So, as you celebrate World Oceans Month this June, please be sure to balance your own buying habits to ensure you are aligning with the needs of our planet and the marine life that inhabits it. Hang loose and have a great, sustainable summer! | https://medium.com/toasting-good/how-to-make-waves-of-change-this-world-oceans-month-3100fa0f2e06 | ['Nicolette Harutunian'] | 2020-06-09 15:50:28.968000+00:00 | ['Style', 'Social Enterprise', 'Zero Waste', 'Oceans', 'Sustainability'] |
Address Verification: Fraud Defense, Customer Care and Growing Your Competitive Edge Today | by Marco Raye
Does your supply chain stick to best practices as market demands continuously shift? Some would say that’s easier said than done, but at EasyPost we disagree with that sentiment. It is possible to quickly pivot with market shifts, when you have the correct resources or “tool kit” to rely on while navigating your industry’s competitive landscape. Address verification (we’ll call it “AVS” for now,) is a process by which the address of intended recipients is verified before packages or other mail is sent. It’s an especially important service for customers who purchase high-dollar items. The United States Postal Service has to verify every address before they can be registered as an official receiving point for mail. AVS is done to ensure that a given address can receive mail and that any potential problems with delivery are known before any attempts at delivering important packages are made.
Advantages of Address Verification API
Here at EasyPost, our goal is to help you develop solid customer loyalty by giving you access to high quality, fit-for-purpose logistics solutions. Using our leading Address Verification API, we provide the following services to help enhance your customers’ experience with your brand:
Updating: Our Address Verification API is designed to regularly scan your mailing lists for potential out of date addresses. When a possible out of date address is detected, our systems automatically report it to you so that you can contact the customer and request current contact information, saving your business from an erroneous delivery nightmare.
Our Address Verification API is designed to regularly scan your mailing lists for potential out of date addresses. When a possible out of date address is detected, our systems automatically report it to you so that you can contact the customer and request current contact information, saving your business from an erroneous delivery nightmare. Standardization: Standardization makes addresses on your mailing list conform to a specific format. This makes your addresses easier to read and reduces errors. It means that the name of the recipient, street numbers, zip code and so on are always in the same part of every label.
Standardization makes addresses on your mailing list conform to a specific format. This makes your addresses easier to read and reduces errors. It means that the name of the recipient, street numbers, zip code and so on are always in the same part of every label. Verification of Accuracy & Completeness: Addresses that are not able to receive deliveries and those that do not or no longer exist will be deleted. Sometimes an incomplete address can cause it to be deleted, rather than corrected. For this reason, we allow the system to notify you of automated deletions.
How AVS Helps Your Business
Up to date AVS for your mailing lists should not be considered optional anymore. The USPS takes this so seriously that intentionally invalidating an address is considered a legal offense. AVS is important for all delivery types, but it’s especially important for those larger and more expensive deliveries. It gives you the certainty that a given address can be delivered to and has been delivered to in the past.
Effective AVS:
Protects against mail fraud.
Helps protect the customer from theft.
Gives you confidence in delivering to the correct address.
Helps protect your brand reputation.
Demonstrates quality customer service.
Fraud Defense
Today’s best fraudsters often try to escape payment by having a package sent to the wrong address. AVS makes this kind of behavior less likely to succeed and protects your customers from having their packages diverted to another location. Once an address is verified, business owners can rest in the certainty that products are sent to the right person in the right place.
Grow Your Brand Authority
Possibly the most important advantage of AVS is its effect on your brand authority. All it takes is one lost package for a customer to avoid ordering from your company ever again. To most people, it doesn’t matter if a failed delivery was even your fault. Once they have lost money and the item they ordered, they will forever attribute the loss with the company they bought it from.
For this reason alone, many online retailers have a policy of refunding the customer even if the package is lost by USPS. Retailers are not required to do that, but it’s worth it to them to keep the customer loyal and to encourage good word of mouth advertising.
Care About Your Customers
Finally, when you go through the trouble to verify an address yourself, it shows the customer that your brand takes successful delivery seriously. Customers do not want to feel abandoned after they make the final click confirming their order. They want to feel cared for and know that you’re standing behind the sale and quality of product 100%. Proactive AVS is a great way to communicate good customer service before servicing the account becomes necessary. Our Address Verification API shows your customers that you want them to enjoy their purchase.
Here at EasyPost, we’re all about boosting your customer loyalty. That’s why we take address verification so seriously. To learn more and talk to one of our many Logistics Experts about address verification and how it can supercharge your business, get in touch today. | https://medium.com/@EasyPost/address-verification-fraud-defense-customer-care-and-growing-your-competitive-edge-today-2bfa21375815 | [] | 2020-02-25 23:21:57.259000+00:00 | ['Shipping', 'Api Integration', 'Api Development', 'API', 'Logistics'] |
Starship Completes One Million Autonomous Deliveries | Starship Completes One Million Autonomous Deliveries
Today I’m proud to announce we have reached one million autonomous deliveries, more than 6 years after founding the company in 2014. We believe no other company in the world has completed this many autonomous deliveries — including self-driving taxi rides. We’ve also raised an additional $17m and added service to two new campuses — UCLA and Bridgewater State University (Massachusetts) in the US. This new investment brings Starship’s total funding to $102m to date.
We were unsure where the 1 millionth delivery was going to take place, as there are around 15–20 service areas open globally all with robots doing deliveries every minute. In the end it took place at Bowling Green, Ohio, to a student called Annika Keeton who is a freshman studying pre-health Biology at BGSU. Annika is now part of Starship’s history!
Annika Keeton, the recipient of our one millionth delivery in Bowling Green, Ohio
Six years ago we wouldn’t have believed we’d be hitting the 1m delivery in January 2021 — we’d have liked to hit it sooner! But it turns out getting delivery robots to operate at a high degree of autonomy in multiple countries, 24/7, doing thousands of deliveries per day and millions of miles per year is hard. Thankfully we have an incredibly talented team at Starship which I thank for making this milestone achievable. It may have taken 6 years for us to hit the first million deliveries, but we expect the next million to take only a matter of months!
Today we also launched UCLA, considered one of the top public schools in the US, and we’re delivering from restaurants including Blaze Pizza, Bruin Buzz, Lu Valle, and Southern Lights. Bridgewater State University (Massachusetts) is also now providing delivery from campus restaurants including Starbucks Cafe and Bears Den.
One of the first UCLA students to receive a Starship delivery
The additional funding comes at a time of increasing interest in the autonomous delivery industry. Contactless delivery has proved to be one of the most reliable ways to protect vulnerable populations and enable social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re proud to be providing contactless food and grocery deliveries at such a challenging time for so many people. Demand has increased 5x in neighborhoods since the beginning of the pandemic.
Starship robots lined up at Bridgewater State University
We’ve continued to see exponential growth since starting our first commercial delivery service in 2018. In the past year, Starship set several new delivery records within the company and expanded to more college campuses including Arizona State University (ASU), University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and UC Irvine. In addition to opening service in Mountain View, CA, we also began deliveries in Modesto, CA with our new partner, The Save Mart Companies.
If you’re interested in solving difficult challenges and want to have a positive impact on local communities, as well as the environment, we’d love to hear from you as we’re hiring for multiple roles right now. We’re planning to grow the Starship team by around 40–50% this year alone. Bring on 2021! | https://medium.com/starshiptechnologies/one-million-autonomous-deliveries-milestone-65fe56a41e4c | ['Ahti Heinla'] | 2021-01-27 12:56:42.534000+00:00 | ['Computer Vision', 'Robots', 'Delivery', 'Autonomous Driving'] |
How to Debate (and defeat) Conservatives. | Defining Goals:
Whether you know it or not, every argument achieves some combination of three goals: convincing, humiliating, or frustrating. Each of these goals apply best to different situations and require different tactics to achieve. In order to defeat conservative arguments, you need to be intentional about which goal you’re trying to achieve, and pursue it single-mindedly.
With that in mind, let’s go over each:
1) Convince:
It is easy to believe that every argument is had in good faith with the intention of bringing the other side around to your way of thinking. However, depending on the situation, this can be a naïve belief which conservatives are all too willing to take advantage of.
You should only try to convince a conservative when you are arguing without an audience, only if you believe they can/will engage with you in good faith (ie they won’t lie to you to win), and only if you are willing to make yourself vulnerable to cheap shots. Frankly, in the age of Trump and Q-Anon, the circumstances that allow for a debate like this are incredibly rare.
Pursue at your own risk.
2) Humiliate:
Though hardly a rosy way to argue, humiliation is the most common goal of conservative debaters, and must be adopted by leftists more frequently if we want to defeat them.
Humiliation is the best goal to adopt when arguing in front of an audience — once people are watching, you should focus on showing your opponent to be a cruel fraud (as all conservatives are), rather than allowing an ideology based in white supremacy and fiscal homicide to present itself as reasonable. If achieved, this goal will make conservatism look like an embarrassing and poorly-considered position to hold, and as a result, will make your audience more resistant to conservative talking points.
3) Frustrate:
Arguing with the goal of frustration is not about proving an opponent wrong, nor is it about showing their beliefs to be bad. It is about wasting their time, and frankly, making them feel uncertain about themselves such that they halt (however temporarily) their more harmful actions and rhetoric.
More often than not, arguments with conservatives happen in private and without any attempts to argue civilly. Whether an uncle at Thanksgiving or a Q-Anon Tweeter, these are conservatives whose hatred of the left is based on instinct and a fundamental rejection of reality. In all likelihood, they cannot be convinced, and if they can be, it will require a ruthless dismantling of their worldview to accomplish. Because of this, the best you can hope to do is waste their time and energy — the guerilla warfare of debate. | https://medium.com/politics-fast-and-slow/how-to-debate-and-defeat-conservatives-d753997a1b58 | ['Matthew Barad'] | 2020-10-16 00:28:55.738000+00:00 | ['Rhetoric', 'Politics', 'Conservatives', 'Debate', 'Democracy'] |
I Bought The Bikini | I Bought The Bikini
Photo by Monika Kozub on Unsplash
I am actually, really, truly, happy, for the first time in what feels like forever.
Maybe ever.
I am getting sane.
I am getting righted with the truth.
I am surrounded again by people who match my level of willingness and desire for intimacy.
This is no small thing.
I am honoring how fucking courageous I am for saying yes to new friendships. I am acknowledging how incredibly blessed and loved I feel, to find myself here, after the abuse, abandonment, and betrayal of the community of women I believed were my ride or die.
Note to self: Do not seek sexual healing from women in saggy diaper harem pants.
They do not embody sex. They do not have rightness with sexuality. They are wearing saggy diaper pants.
2nd Note to self: Do not stay anywhere that does not welcome all of you.
Even if they say they do, even if they did in the past, even if it will break your heart into a hundred pieces to go. There is no one who can mend your broken heart that calls any one piece ugly and wishes to throw it out.
3rd note to self: You are stronger than you know, and you know you are extraordinarily strong.
The Divine Interventionist on Facebook live called out your name last night. He said Mother Mary came through, and Mary Magdalene, to offer blessings to you. Divine feminine power. Pure love. Motherhood and sexuality — for you. All while you were staring at yourself in the mirror in your new bikini.
I bought this bathing suit before and returned it. I could not stand the way my postpartum body looked. Nothing was in the right place anymore, nothing the right size, the right tightness, the right curvature.
You looked at that body last night. Not much is different now than it was then, except for your eyes. Last night your eyes were looking with love. You looked with love at your same body.
I will not say I am grateful to look and see a round saggy belly or soft overflowing tits, or the cellulite that now lives on my ass,
but goddam it feels good to be alive, and to be a woman, and have a body that feels the warm skin of my husband in the bed at night.
I have a body that can smell my daughter's head and listen to her giggles. I have a body that knows. It knows when something is not right, or feelings go unspoken. It knows when it is time to slow down and my God, how this body tastes food and flavor and texture.
I used to look at a woman in a bikini with a belly hanging over and I would feel pity and disgust.
That is how I saw my own body after birth, disgusting. I do not want to look at any woman that way again. Most of all myself. I have the motherfucking divine feminine flowing through me. She who birthed, and fed. She who bled and swelled with the greatest power on earth — to bring forth life.
She did that. Me. I did that. I am done giving my time to wishing I looked as if I never had that power.
I bought the bikini again. I am allowing myself to enjoy it. There is nothing to earn by having the right body.
The only thing I need to wear a bikini is my own goddamn approval of me.
I get to feel good right now, and while I am finally celebrating this body in this bikini in the bathroom mirror, I have my new friends, who know what it means to back another woman’s wholeness, cheering on each bathroom selfie.
I’ve got Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene watching me from the heavens with pure love sent through a Facebook live at exactly the right moment because even the virgin mother knows that our sexuality is not just sacred.
Our sexuality is the whole fucking point. | https://medium.com/the-opening/i-bought-the-bikini-852b25c284ec | ['Kyla Kelley'] | 2021-03-31 18:15:15.874000+00:00 | ['Friendship', 'Sexuality And Religion', 'Postpartum', 'Body Image', 'Self Love'] |
I Look 10 Years Younger Thanks to This Diet | #1: I stay away from meat
I am a vegetarian who eats some types of fish. Vegetarianism benefits my health. It also empowers me to know that this diet choice is good for the environment. If you’re a meat lover, you can just lower the amount of meat you eat in a week.
#2: I avoid gluten
For the past few months, I also have had a gluten-free diet and I am healthier than ever. As a result, I’ve lost 11 pounds and become lean. My mental health improved and overall, I feel great.
#3: I drink plenty of water
It’s easy to forget to drink water when busy. That’s why I have a one liter, reusable bottle to keep track of my daily water intake. Hydration cleanses the body and gives the skin a healthy glow. Studies show that women should drink 2,1 liters a day and men should drink 2,6. I try to drink a pint of water as soon as I wake up to start the day refreshed.
#4: I eat breakfast after 10 a.m.
I always wait until 10 a.m. before having breakfast. I’ve always done that naturally since I’m 12. Call it intermittent fasting if you want.
For breakfast, I put two pieces of gluten-free bread in the oven and I add two sunny-side-up eggs to put on toast. So far, this meal has fiber, carbs, and protein. Avocado with lemon juice is a great option to spread on toast instead of butter. With that, add fruit and this is all that’s needed for a balanced breakfast.
#5: I have a light lunch
For my mid-day meal, I swap heavy carbs for a light dish. Couscous and quinoa are great choices, as they are nutritious and fill you up. I chop up cucumber, bell peppers, and celery and mix them into the couscous/quinoa. Adding a splash of avocado oil and a sprinkle of a herb enhances the flavor. Sometimes I make tuna avocado (a healthier tuna mayo option) and put that in too. This lunch is fun and simple and there are loads of routes to take it.
#6: I never skip dinner
Having a decent-sized dinner is key. It should keep you going until morning to avoid late-night snacking.
My staple dinner is a brown rice with tofu and vegetables. Tofu is often seen as flavorless, but marinating it in sesame dressing is delicious. For texture, I air-fry the tofu. The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. You don’t need to be a professional chef to experiment with it.
#7: Hot beverages and dark chocolate are the new desserts
I stay away from sugar. High levels of sugar increase the risk of age spots. A herbal tea fixes my desire for something sweet after each meal. I add a piece of 100% chocolate for my chocolate fix. My favorite brand is Island Shark Chocolate from Hawai'i. It’s ethical and doesn’t use child slavery. Cacao helps the brain make serotonin, a chemical that makes us happy.
#8: I recycle the leftovers
Last but not least, I always make more food for lunch and dinner than I know I’m going to eat. Making twice the amount of food I need for one meal creates leftovers. It’s nice to cook a big meal that I know I’ll love the next day. Plus, I don’t have to think so much about cooking! | https://medium.com/illumination/look-10-years-younger-diet-b10bdd44916c | ['Hakima T A N T R I K A'] | 2020-12-29 23:58:00.325000+00:00 | ['Self', 'Health', 'Diet', 'Weight Loss', 'Life Lessons'] |
My Personal Site Re-Write | This week, instead of learning one new thing, I got a little bit obsessed with re-writing my portfolio site. I decided to write a blog post about that process and the things I learned along the way instead of the typical article on one technology. I used three tools that I haven’t done a ton with in the past during this project: P5.js, CSS animations, and FlexBox.
Earlier this week, I noticed an animation that I liked on the Creative Coding Club’s website. The “Creative Coding Club” title moves dynamically on hover. I fired up a Code Pen and started trying to recreate it. I ended up with a pretty different animation where the letters fell and then returned to their original place after a few seconds. I originally had a CSS animation that ran on hover; however, the animation ended after you moved your mouse. I had to use JavaScript to add a class dynamically that would be removed when the animation finished.
This was my first time using keyframes and CSS animations, and it was surprisingly easy! The relevant code looks like this:
The top location changes depending on what percent of the animation has passed. All elements with the class name letter are selected, and the event handler is added to each element. Once the animation is complete, that class name is removed so that it doesn’t run again until you hover over the letter again.
My original Code Pen
I ended up really liking the animation, and I decided to run with it and redesign the rest of my site to match the rainbow name! I am not a trained designer by any means, and — though I probably should — I don’t usually wireframe my sites ahead of time or use any design software. I add a feature that I envision and then tweak it until it looks good on the page.
I also decided to use vanilla JavaScript (so no framework), my own CSS (again no framework),
I saw a couple cool Code Pens using p5.js recently — like these two:
I decided that I wanted to try and learn the library for this project. I just looked through the basic demos on the P5 site. I thought that it could be fun to draw a bunch of random shapes based on user input. Doing so was a pretty easy extension from the demos on the website.
Randomly sized, shaped, and colored items
The above P5.js code generated the effect above. The setup function runs as soon as the file is loaded — it initializes an HTML canvas. The mouseClicked function runs when the user clicks anywhere on the canvas. It runs a couple random number generations to get the size, color, and shape. I found it pretty straight forward to work with, and I would do so again in the future.
From there I had to move down the page and add sections for about, portfolio, and contact me. I’ve recently been moving on my FlexBox skills since I have used CSS libraries like Bootstrap and Materialize with builtin grids for most of my projects. I really enjoyed FlexBox Froggy for learning it — and CSS Grid Garden if you want to get ahead on CSS Grid! I used it for gridding out the two part bio section with my picture and my bio, and for the cards that display my different portfolio items. I still think I have some bugs in Safari and on really big screens, but I think I’m close to getting it all of the way there!
Overall, I had a lot of fun working on this full site rewrite and my traffic has increased pretty substantially (21,416.7% according to Google Analytics!). I’ve been taking a more minimalistic approach to using libraries, which reinforces knowing the standard JavaScript and CSS libraries. I do think React or Vue would have made some of the HTML more modular — the final HTML code is over 400 lines! I really like how fun and colorful the design is, even though it may break the three color design rule! If you want to check out the site, it is aspittel.github.io and the code is here: | https://medium.com/on-learning-new-things/my-personal-site-re-write-5663a26c6041 | ['Ali Spittel'] | 2017-11-17 20:39:56.983000+00:00 | ['Portfolio', 'JavaScript', 'Code', 'HTML', 'CSS'] |
Is Polymath (POLY) Your Ticket to the $10 Trillion Security Token Revolution? | Regulation is the big elephant in the room with cryptocurrencies. The ambiguity regarding what kind of a token is a security and what is not remains one of the main obstacles hindering the embrace of cryptocurrencies by mainstream financial institutions and more cautious investors. While regulatory bodies around the world are beginning to clarify their positions, it has been slow in coming. The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States for instance has recently concluded that neither Bitcoin nor Ethereum can be considered securities, but some projects built on the Ethereum network may indeed qualify as securities, and thus be subject to SEC regulation. As we’ll cover in this article, security tokens are set to explode in the next few years, and there is a need for safe, legal ways to create and trade them. This is exactly the problem that the team behind Polymath, our next Coin of the Week, has set out to solve.
What Polymath is, and How it Works
We are slowly transitioning from the “Wild West” phase of the crypto space into one with greater regulatory clarity. ICOs have raised billions of dollars in recent years, and when you’re dealing with that kind of money, it was only a matter of time before regulators began zeroing in on this new, innovative form of financing.
It is difficult, however, for ICOs and security tokens built on blockchain technology like Ethereum to comply with existing regulations. This is because the Ethereum network operates globally with no regard for borders or regulatory frameworks within states, and does not discriminate on who can participate. With utility tokens, this is not a problem, but with anything that can be classified as a security token, this is clearly asking for trouble. Polymath’s solution is to create a new blockchain ecosystem, specifically designed as a security tokens platform on which regulation-compliant tokens can be built and traded.
Polymath has its own protocol (ST-20) as well as rules that require investors to verify their identities (ensuring KYC/AML compliance) and status as accredited investors before taking part in a Security Token Offering or “STO”. Polymath also functions as a network where investors can post their ideas for new security tokens, and development teams can bid to win the contract to build them.
There is also a “Create A Security Token Wizard” that can be used to create a new security token in just a few minutes.
Anyone can purchase the Polymath token (POLY) itself, since POLY is considered a utility token used for for internal transactions with in the network. But in order to purchase the security tokens built on the platform, you need to become a verified member of the Polymath network.
In essence, Polymath aims to facilitate the launching of security token ICOs and trading of security tokens in a 100% legal manner — something that is desperately needed for governments and institutional investors to feel more comfortable with ICOs and cryptocurrencies in general.
Performance So Far
Polymath reached an all-time high of around $1.35 USD in January, and has undergone a correction since then along with most other tokens. Currently, it sits at around $0.36.
So why should you care about Polymath? This project has a solid team behind it, a clear vision of what, exactly, they are trying to accomplish, and is offering a solution to a real world problem. Security tokens represent one the most exciting opportunities in the history of cryptocurrencies. Theoretically, any type of investment can be linked to a security token, including commodities, stocks, and more. In the team’s own words, security tokens represent the next major “mega trend” in the cryptocurrency space. Some sources in have estimated that STOs could grow to $10 trillion in just the next few years. Even if you don’t purchase the security tokens launched with Polymath, buying POLY tokens offers you the opportunity to potentially get a piece of that pie.
Source: Money Morning
The bottom line is that there is a growing demand for security tokens. People and companies with deep pockets want to be able to launch and trade them WITHOUT breaking the law, and if Polymath can streamline this process, it is a safe bet that this project could have a bright future ahead of it.
The Best Way to Buy Polymath (POLY)
These low crypto prices are not going to last forever, and if you want to take a position in Polymath, this is probably going to be the best time to do so this year.
The best way to buy Polymath is to link your hardware or software wallet with Faast. With one simple tool, you can trade BTC, ETH or over 100 different tokens for POLY in seconds, all without ever putting them on a centralized exchange first. Your POLY goes straight to your wallet — no fuss, stress, or nonsense required. Just a frictionless user experience. | https://medium.com/faast/is-polymath-poly-your-ticket-to-the-10-trillion-security-token-revolution-ddab56926874 | [] | 2019-02-05 11:39:06.047000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'ICO', 'Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Security Tokens'] |
Cost Inflation Index — Detailed Explanation | Prices of goods keep on increasing timely, thus resulting in the fall in the purchasing power of money. Let’s take an example: If 2 units of goods are bought today at a price of INR 100; tomorrow only 1 unit will be available for INR 100 due to increasing inflation. Talking about this, the Cost Inflation Index or CII is used for the calculation of the estimated increase in the prices of goods & assets yearly due to inflation.
What is the Need for the Calculation?
CII is calculated to match up the prices to the inflation rate. To simplify, an increase in the inflation rate over a certain time-period will lead to an increase in the prices.
Who Notifies the CII?
The Central Government specifies the CII by notifying in the official gazette.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
How is CII used in Income Tax?
Long-term Capital Assets are calculated at cost price. Despite increased inflation, they exist at the cost price & cannot be re-valued. When these are sold out, the profit amount remains high due to the high price as compared to purchase price, thus, leading to a higher income-tax. Turning beneficial to tax-payers, CII benefit is applied to long-term capital assets; due to which purchase cost increases, thus, resulting in lesser profits & lesser taxes.
The Concept of Base Year in CII?
The base years are referred to as the first year of CII & have index value as INR 100. Index of other years is compared to base year just to see the increase in the percentage of inflation.
For any capital asset purchased before the base year of CII, tax-payers can take the purchase price as higher of the — Fair Market Value or actual cost as on 1st day of the base year. Also, the indexation benefit is applied to the purchase price so calculated.
Points to Think About
Here:
Index benefit is not allowed in case of debentures or bonds except sovereign gold bonds or indexation bonds issued by RBI.
Ignore the improvement cost incurred before — 1st April 2001.
If the property has received in the will, CII must be taken for the year wherein the property is received. NOTE: The actual purchase year of the property must be ignored.
“Are you looking to invest? How about opening your account with Gulaq & start investing in Direct Mutual Funds? Get in touch.”
Source: https://www.gulaq.com/cost-inflation-index-detailed-explanation/ | https://medium.com/@gulaqfintech/cost-inflation-index-detailed-explanation-b225938ac20a | [] | 2020-03-03 03:40:59.705000+00:00 | ['Investors', 'Invest', 'Investing', 'Investment', 'Education'] |
Growth hacks | Just a guy on twitter. Comments are not financial guidance. | https://medium.com/@getensemble/growth-hacks-5e59021511b7 | [] | 2020-12-02 22:39:32.824000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Growth Hacking'] |
Scaling Up Smart: 4 key tips on successfully using cloud-native technology to scale your infrastructure | In this post, I’d like to share some high-level takeaways for engineering managers and backend teams to help them successfully scale their operations while avoiding some of the most common pitfalls and short-sighted decisions.
This article follows up on a first post published by Jordan Pittier, lead backend engineer at Streamroot, and a presentation of our journey at HighLoad Moscow this past November. These shared our experience and the challenges we faced throughout the process of moving from a VM-based to a container-based architecture and migrating our infrastructure to Kubernetes running on Google Cloud.
Introduction and Context
Let me start by giving you a little bit of context about Streamroot and why we take the time to tune our kubernetes Engine architecture not only to scale but also to make our architecture more resilient.
Streamroot is a technology provider that serves major content owners — media groups, television networks, and video platforms. Our peer-to-peer video delivery solution offers broadcasters improved quality and lower costs, and works in tandem with their existing CDN infrastructure.
One of our (and our customers’) biggest challenges last year was scaling to the record-breaking audiences of the FIFA World Cup. The 2018 World Cup proved to be the largest live event of all time, with Akamai registering 22 Tbps on peak and more than doubling the previous traffic record set by the Super Bowl (1).
Streamroot delivered the World Cup for TF1, the largest private broadcaster in France, as well as national television networks in South America. To be able to serve our customers at this scale, we needed to scale our own Kubernetes engines and be able to scale faster. We needed to:
Handle massive traffic, with hundreds of thousands of requests per minute to our backend
Scale to huge spikes in minutes, at the beginning of each World Cup game
Ensure a 100% fail-proof, entirely resilient, robust backend able to withstand any failure. As a sports lover, I know that it is completely unacceptable to have even two minutes of downtime during live sports…
And last but not least, we had to do all of this with a startup scale team of only a few backend engineers…
If you are interested in our scaling journey over the past few months and you wish to dig more into the technical details, you can have a look at our talk at the HighLoad++ conference in Moscow made by Jordan Pittier and Nikolay Rodionov and our slides here.
Takeaway # 1: New things are not always good things: Tread lightly with cloud-native technology.
Kubernetes has seen exponential growth since joining the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and there is increasing interest in this complex solution, which is a combination of open-source cloud-native technologies. Last December, The CNCF’s KubeCon+CloudNativeCon gathered more than 8,000 attendees from all over the world in Seattle.
Figure: CNCF Annual Report 2018 [2]
Kubernetes is one of the Cloud Native technology components. Many other components also exist, some part of the CNCF foundation (https://landscape.cncf.io/) and some outside the foundation, such as Istio.
Cloud native technology is still young, and there are various new components springing up in a different field every month: storage, security, service discovery, package management, etc.
Our advice: use these new components with caution, and keep it simple (, stupid). These technologies are new, sometimes still rough around the edges, and are evolving at an incredible pace. There is no point in trying to use all the latest shiny technologies, especially in production, unless these are motivated by a real need. Even if you have a large team of talented engineers, you need to take into consideration the cost (in resources and time) to maintain, operate and debug these new technologies which can sometimes lack stability.
As a manager and CNCF ambassador, I recommend following the CNCF classification (https://www.cncf.io/projects/ ) to select the native components having a sufficient maturity level. The CNCF-defined criteria include a rate of adoption, longevity and whether the open-source project can be relied upon to build production tools. Today Streamroot harnesses only 3 projects (Kubernetes, Prometheus and Envoy), which are at these maturity levels and have “graduated” according to the CNCF foundation. A large number of the components out there are still at the incubating or sandbox stages. You can still use these, but keep in mind that you will face some risks: stability, bugs, limited community, learning curve, etc.
Most importantly, understand that even if there may be widespread confidence that all native projects in the incubating or the sandbox stage may be able to fill in the blanks and become mature for production, it is also a question of not multiplying the complexity of your architecture. Make sure to ask yourself the following before adding any new components from the CNCF or outside the CNCF:
Do I really need this component?
Am I solving a real problem in my infrastructure?
Are my engineers going to be able to handle it now and in the long run?
Figure: CNCF Project Maturity Levels [2]
Takeaway # 2: Control your costs
When starting a significant project like moving your service from a VM-based to a container-based architecture supported by Kubernetes, your primary focus is likely not cost but having a successful migration. While the cost of your backend may not be an immediate or medium-term concern, it is something to take into account from day one. I highly recommend that you track as early as possible your Kubernetes Engine scaling costs for the following reasons:
To have a clear vision of your resource usage and the efficiency of your software. A backend team’s primary concern is delivery, and it is often difficult from a management perspective to relay the importance of efficient software and resource usage.
To discover room for improvement in your architecture. Triangulating the information from monitoring and cost progression helped us identify improvements in our architecture. In particular, we were able to reduce our costs by 22% by simply better adapting our instances to our usage, and understand better how the resources are used and consumed.
To take advantage of volume-based cost savings. Most cloud providers, including Google Cloud and Amazon AWS, offer interesting discounts for commited instances. Don’t hesitate to use infrastructure cost accounting (and reduction) to your benefit. Once you reach a certain spend, even a 10% cost reduction can add a few thousand, or even dozens of thousands of dollars back into your budget, which can be used to send your teams to conferences, or even hire a new resource to build your product faster!
To illustrate my third point, GCP provides a sustained use discounts option that offers significant discounts for long term committed instances. For example, if you commit a resource for an entire year, you get a flat 30% discount (for once, it’s actually nice to see the bill at the end of the month!). Those discounts can run up to 57% (!) for a 3-year commitment. Of course, I suggest waiting at least 6 months before committing anything, in order to identify the average CPU & RAM resources you are using at minimum.
Don’t fear! You do not need to be an expert in corporate finance or billing to track your costs effectively. For example, you can enable cost alerting per project by default if you would like to track your monthly usage, and then use the CSV export to feed into your favorite spreadsheet tool. Alternatively, on GCP, you can enable the Bigquery Billing Export option for a daily export of all of the details of your resource consumption. Then, take a few minutes to build a simple dashboard with an SQL export or Excel (do not forget to ask your engineers to set the resource labels correctly in order to identify the different lines).
Takeaway # 3: Isolate and keep your production safe
Many blogs and articles recommend that you use only one K8s cluster but use different namespaces for your different environments (Dev, Staging & Production for instance). Namespaces are a very powerful feature that can help you organize your Kubernetes resources and increase the velocity of your teams. But that kind of setup doesn’t come easily: you need to make sure to have a polished CI/CD environment in place, to avoid any interferences between your staging & prod environments, as well as “stupid” mistakes like deploying the wrong component in the wrong namespace. When reading this, you might think: “sure, but we have a super smart team, so we’ll be able to handle it.” Stop right there: everyone makes stupid mistakes, and the more stupid the mistake is, the more chance it has to happen… So unless you want to spend your most stressful days extinguishing fires in production because you pushed a staging build there, you MUST spend a few weeks building a top notch CI/CD workflow if go with the namespaces option.
On our side, we chose another option to keep our environments separated: we decided to create fully autonomous clusters for our staging and production environments. This eliminates all risks of human error and security failure propagation, as both clusters are completely isolated. The downside of this approach is that it increases your fixed costs: you need more machines to keep both clusters up and running. But the safety and peace of mind it brings is more than worth it for us.
Moreover, you can mitigate the cost overhead by using ephemeral instances with GCP, which are 80% less expensive than normal instances. Of course this comes with a catch: those instances can get shut down at any time if Google Cloud needs them for another customer. But as we use them for our staging environment only, losing one machine doesn’t really impact us, and we even learned to use it at our advantage. It is for us the perfect test to see how our architecture reacts to a random failure of one of our components: a sort of perfectly unpredictable red team trying to destroy the system, given you for free by Google Cloud.
Takeaway # 4: Unify and automate your workflow from the start
When you start a new project, the last thing you want to think about is how you will be sharing your code with other developers, or how you will be pushing your builds between production and staging when you need to do an emergency rollback. It’s normal and very wise: there’s no need to over-optimise before you have actually built anything that you can show to the world. But on the other hand, it’s a common mistake to let these questions sit latent for eternity because you don’t have time and need to release the next feature that is going to make your product finally cross the chasm and magically bring millions of users. My advice on this would be to take the time to create a simple and efficient workflow as early as possible.
First, as soon as you start collaborating with other people, you should take a step back to create a unified and easily transferable development environment. 10 years ago, that wasn’t an easy feat: you needed to configure special VMs on everyone’s computers, or hack together conversions between your Mac & Windows users. It was a real nightmare and caused a lot of unnecessary and undebuggable issues. Today, thanks to containerization tools like Docker, it can be done in less than a few days, so why not implement it from the start? This will greatly simplify the lives of all your developers and make the onboarding of new employees easy and straightforward. It’s a very small investment for all the weeks of debugging and setting up that you will save.
Second, as soon as you have production traffic, you should think about creating a simple but efficient QA/CI/CD workflow. No need to over engineer too early, but we are very lucky to live in the golden age of automation & CI tools that give you the possibility to implement an automated first class CI & CD without trouble. The list is long of tool CI compliant with kubernetes API, example in version 10.1 GitLab introduced integration with Kubernetes or Jenkins X. Most of those companies offer low cost plans for small scale projects, and free plans for open-source projects, so you really don’t have any excuse not to use them! It’s not rocket science, and will save you both time, energy, and numerous headaches, and make your developers’ life a lot easier!
Summing it all up
Kubernetes and Cloud Native offer great technologies that bring simplicity and support to build a scalable and resilient solution on the cloud. It won’t be long until we take Kubernetes for granted as a ubiquitous part of the cloud technology as we do technologies like Linux and TCP/IP today.
Thanks to our successful migration to these services, we were able to durably scale our infrastructure to World Cup audiences and beyond. During the biggest sporting event in history, we delivered more than 1.2 Tbps of traffic with zero minutes of downtime — and all of this with a team of only two backend engineers. We are now able to handle video streams with millions of viewers, with tens of thousands of new requests arriving per second on peak.
Thanks to the best practices that I have discussed in this article, we were not only able to achieve our short-term delivery goals but also the long-term scalability of our infrastructure from an architecture, cost and resource perspective. To sum up our key takeaways:
Use Kubernetes and cloud native carefully and pragmatically, when the tool corresponds to a real need.
Think about the future today, whether it comes to cost, separating environments or putting in place automated workflows. The more effectively these challenges are incorporated into your project from day one, the less time and fewer resources you will waste adjusting later on when these considerations become mission critical.
As a startup, we are always striving to keep on improving our tech and workflows, and after all the lessons learned during our scaling journey, we are looking forward to tackling our next challenge: building a multi-cloud architecture! Check back soon to learn more, and if you are interested in taking part in these exciting challenges, check out streamroot.io/careers.
[1] Akamai measured a peak volume of over 22 Tbps. That’s 3 times the peak they saw in the 2014 edition.
[2] CNCF Annual Report 2018 : https://www.cncf.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CNCF_Annual_Report_2018.pdf | https://medium.com/streamroot-developers-blog/scaling-up-smart-4-key-tips-on-successfully-using-cloud-native-technology-to-scale-your-e4b521003f94 | ['Reda Benzair'] | 2019-03-08 10:34:40.126000+00:00 | ['Cloud Native', 'Cncf', 'Backend Development', 'Docker', 'Kubernetes'] |
Semi-Charmed Kind of Life (part one): Who kids are…and what kids need from us | SpeEdChange.at.Medium
Complete Attention — problem solving is how humans learn
I’ve lived a long time and experienced a lot of things. There are the lived experiences of myself and my friends as children. There’s my time as a cop in New York City. There is the quarter century in education.
I’ve looked into the eyes of thousands of children and adolescents, and finally I think I might have boiled down what kids need from us to four basic concepts: Acceptance, Access, Attention, and Abundance. The alliteration is a happy accident I suppose.
Isn’t joy a critical measure? Do you count the smiles in your school?
For most of my life I’ve thought and said, “I don’t understand the things people do to children.” Because I don’t. I don’t understand a nation that doesn’t value parental time with every child (shorter work weeks, living wages, guaranteed vacation time). I don’t understand a society where one major political party doesn’t think kids and their parents need healthcare. I don’t understand people who abuse children and I don’t understand those who let that happen. I don’t understand adults who ignore or neglect children. I don’t understand parents/adults who prioritize their jobs, their pleasures, or even their egos over the things children truly need.
Nor do I understand those who essentially lock their kids up, blocking the vital experiences and risks of childhood and adolescence. Nor do I understand those who prioritize traditions — school schedules, school designs, school grading, and yes, homework — over the ways I think we must respond to children whose needs change daily.
The Soap Box Derby in Waynesboro, Virginia. Making things is what kids do…
And finally I have never understood adults who view children as either savages or the enemy, and like to make rules — from lining up to walk down a hall, to bathroom passes, to cellphone bans — that deny the humanity, the talents, the learning capabilities of kids.
I just don’t. Maybe I remember being a kid more than many. Maybe art schools and police work taught me different ways of seeing. I’m not sure why…
But what do kids need from us? What are the things we can do that are most likely to help kids become healthy, happy, successful adults? That’s our job as adults in a society, right?
Drawing — art in general — music, sports, engineering, et al… must not be“lesser things” in school
Children of a Lesser God
But first — I need to say this. As obvious as this must be, it requires constant repetition … the ‘traditional school’ brutalizes children. And the further a child is from the mythical ‘Leave it to Beaver’ “norm,” the worse the brutality is. If we do not understand this, if we do not commit to changing that, we can never really give kids what they need.
This is simply not who we are… and… this is not any “golden age”
The first brutality is an attack on the child’s identity. Because school success is usually built on being a middle class suburban white — preferably Protestant — child (and preferably female in primary grades, but shifting to male in the secondary experience), who is “normally abled" and neurotypical, who gets lots of parent-paid extracurricular activities, whose mom drives the kid to school, packs the good lunch, helps with or does the homework, comes to inconveniently scheduled conferences, and makes cookies for the PTO bake sale.
Any deviation, being Black, being Latino, being dyslexic, or being ADHD, being poor, having parents who both work, or not having two parents, etc, etc, means you are “less than" in most schools. When the film Children of a Lesser God appeared in 1986 it gave me a new phrase that seemed appropriate — I’m not sure better or worse than my previous “if I’m made in God’s image, we have one f---ed up God.”
But… what I wish… oh what I wish, is that — my current description for myself and all others — leading “A Semi-Charmed Kind of Life" (from the very dark but upbeat rhythm Third Eye Blind 1997 song), could be replaced with something far more positive. See, I have struggled for years to learn that I was not “born wrong,” or, if not “born wrong” then ‘Semi-Charmed’ — a kind of magical good mixed with all the crap.
Lots of kids feel that way, yes they do. We are different — and difference is the core of human development, it must not be a problem, especially… it must not be a problem in any classroom.
The way you make children — all children — ok, and safe, is to commit yourself, your classroom, your school, your school district, to these four “As.”
Acceptance, Access, Attention, and Abundance.
Acceptance means that every child is fully accepted for who they are. It doesn’t matter if they’re left-handed, or severely-multiply-impaired, doesn’t matter if they read slowly or if they climb well, doesn’t matter if they like to work in noisy, active environments or if they’d rather crawl under a table. They are all kids, and we owe every child the right to be accepted for who they are.
Access means all students can fully access the learning and the opportunities they need. Full access. If they can’t read via alphabetical code you still need to get them what’s inside the books they want. If they can’t sit still in your classroom you still need to make them comfortable in a way that allows them to stay and be fully involved. If they can’t do your ‘math facts worksheet’ but want to compute their batting average, you need to find a way that allows them to do that. When access — to books, or math, or art, or recess — is denied to a child you are making them second class citizens.
Attention means you accept — no, that you are firmly committed to — the idea that children have important things to say, about school stuff and not school stuff, and that we need to hear them, see them, and understand them. Kids need our attention, and they will do whatever they must do to get that attention, good or bad. If we are in education one of the most essential things we do is giving children our attention. When we don’t, we silence them, and that cannot be good.
Let kids follow their passions and do things their way
Abundance represents what we hope surrounds every child. That doesn’t mean things — it means primarily what we can give without any financial strain. I remember this image from when we first gave one-to-one computers to our high school kids, it was just a time between classes, and I was at the bottom of a big central staircase in the middle of our ‘most challenged’ high school. A tall freshman came dancing down the stairs, holding his laptop, with headphones on, singing to himself. That’s abundance — we could have given kids more limited computers with fewer choices and limits on downloading, we could have had rules about behaviors in corridors and on stairs, we could have created a school culture where this kind of ninth-grader self-expression wasn’t really accepted — but we made other choices. Abundance is about giving kids time, and slack when they need it, and opportunities, and second-third-fourth-fifth chances. And its about making sure that we give kids all of the above.
The principal of that high school once said, when asked why he called his students “children,” “My kids don’t get to be children when they go home. They work, take care of siblings, take care of parents. When they come here I them to get to be children.” That’s abundance.
See Part Two — a deeper dive into the four As. See Part Three — Identity and Abundance | https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/semi-charmed-kind-of-life-part-1-who-kids-are-and-what-kids-need-from-us-dcb7dd8a02c4 | ['Ira David Socol'] | 2019-11-19 21:06:28.366000+00:00 | ['Disability', 'Schools', 'Children', 'Education', 'Learning'] |
The 28 ICOs Opening This Week | Below are the 20 ICOs opening this week, including four presales and 16 crowdsales. Read our Momentum Pick of the week and red flags, here. Let us know if we’ve missed any in our Telegram forum.
Dadi (DADI)
Documentation
Forum
Presale open date: Jan. 22
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 29
Hard cap: 27.5M USD
Dadi is a cloud platform for the provision of web services for digital product developers.
Experty (EXY)
Documentation
Forum
Presale open date: Jan. 25
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 31
Hard cap: 9,000 ETH
Experty is an app for calls powered by cryptocurrencies for those in the blockchain space. A use case it outlines in its white paper is for blockchain developers and advisors to monetize their time in paid consultations via the phone through the Experty app.
Debitum Network (DEB)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: 20,000 ETH
Debitum Network is a product to aid fiat investments in small-to-medium businesses.
MarkSpace (MRK)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 23
Hard cap: 35M USD
MarkSpace is a virtual reality platform compatible with any VR headset to access social networks, e-commerce experiences and entertainment.
Play2Live (LUC)
Documentation
Forum
Presale open date: Jan. 25
Crowdsale open date: Feb. 12
Hard cap: 30M USD
Play2Live is a streaming platform for gamers and esports viewers.
Arbidex (ABX)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 23
Hard cap: 10M USD
Arbidex is a UK-based trading platform specializing in automatic crypto arbitrage.
Circle (CRC)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 28
Hard cap: N/A
Circle is a financial services platform that allows members to refer other investors and earn commission from their investments on the service.
All Public Art (APA)
Documentation
Forum
Presale open date: Jan. 29
Crowdsale open date: Feb. 7
Hard cap: 30M USD
The All Public Art token and API aims to aid in trading art by tracking the history of artwork to minimize counterfeit works and improve trade services.
Dimensions Network (STC)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 24
Hard cap: 150,000 ETH
Dimensions Network is a cryptocurrency trading network that is launching with a “derivative trading platform” that supports coin pair trading, options contracts and futures contracts. Dimensions Network promises 15 percent of the platform’s trading fees to token holders’ Ethereum addresses.
BitCar (CAR)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: 20M USD
BitCar is a peer-to-peer network for fractional luxury car ownership via crypto.
Sudan Gold Coin (SGC)
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 24
Hard cap: 16.5M USD
Sudan Gold Coin is a gold mining business in the Sudan, operated by an all-Russian team.
Serenity Financial (SERENITY)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: 84M USD
Serenity Financial is an escrow platform for trading CFDs and futures for crypto.
Librium (EQL)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: 18M USD
Librium is a labor market for freelance digital work with a reputation system and native wallet for the exchange of Librium as well as use within the platform.
GN Compass (GNCT)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 28
Hard cap: N/A
GN Compass is a platform for cryptocurrency-backed loans.
Aworker (WORK)
Documentation
Forum
Presale open date: Jan. 26
Crowdsale open date: May 26
Hard cap: 21.6M USD
Aworker is a job recruitment platform powered by its native WORK token.
Obizcoin (OBZ)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 29
Hard cap: 15M USD
Obizcoin is a business process management system for small-to-medium businesses.
Simdaq (SMQ)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: 7M USD
Simdaq is a cryptotrading platform for trading newbies using historical data.
Movement (MOVE)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 27
Hard cap: N/A
Movement is a health app on which users’ moves are transferred into tokens, with the idea that someone’s physical activity can earn them cryptocurrency. Users can set goals and spend their coins in the app’s store to purchase sportswear, fitness classes and nutritional supplements, among other things.
Galactikka Phase 1 (GALA)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 29
Hard cap: 67M USD
Galactikka is a content monetization platform on which creatives such as bloggers, writers, photographers and musicians can use the GALA token to target a specific audience and earn more tokens.
Wawllet (WIN)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 29
Hard cap: N/A
Wawllet is a multi-asset wallet and personal financial services platform.
Remechain (IRMC)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: N/A
Remechain is an ecosystem for buyers and suppliers of secondary metals.
Plancoin (PLAN)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 24
Hard cap: N/A
Plancoin is a cryptocurrency that is being developed to be used in e-commerce payments and online trading.
BlockEx (DAXT)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 27
Hard cap: 37.5M EUR
London-based fintech company BlockEx is minting a cryptocurrency DAXT to facilitate a marketplace for digital assets.
BitBliss (BIBC)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 29
Hard cap: N/A
BitBliss is a payments token for investments and retail transactions. It is launching an “altcoin bookstore” on which users can publish short books and educational material on altcoins and earn a profit. BIBC can also be mined on CPUs.
Vestopia (VTP)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 24
Hard cap: 10M USD
Vestopia is building a peer-to-peer wealth management and investment system.
Whitestone Coin (WHS)
Documentation
Forum
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 25
Hard cap: N/A
Whitestone Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Japan that is holding an ICO to raise funds for its online art auction system.
Labo (LABO)
Documentation
Presale open date: Jan. 25
Crowdsale open date: Jan. 26
Hard cap: N/A
Labo is a mobile interface for smartphone users to access DApps on their phones.
GoHelpFund (HELP)
Documentation
Presale open date: Jan. 26
Crowdsale open date: Feb. 24
Hard cap: 10M USD
GoHelpFund is a platform for social fundraising for NGOs and individuals. | https://medium.com/tokenreport/the-20-icos-opening-this-week-8d548d3eead | ['Seline Jung'] | 2018-01-23 19:04:26.799000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'ICO', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Blockchain'] |
Shark Quest: Are the World’s Most Endangered Rays Living in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea? | [Note: this commentary, which was originally published at The Revelator, is the sixth and final essay in a series by researchers with WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) during Shark Week documenting challenges and successes in shark and ray conservation today.]
“We saw two swimming past our canoe the other day as we came to shore!”
“Yes, we saw one over towards the mangroves not so long ago…”
“There was one in our net near the big river…”
Scientists love having a mystery to solve and gathering clues to find out if something is real or not. Since January 2019 my organization, the Wildlife Conservation Society, has been collecting evidence to confirm whether highly endangered sawfish and their relatives — the wedgefish, guitarfish and giant guitarfish (collectively and affectionately known as “ rhino rays “) — live in the coastal waters of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea.
Sawfish and their rhino ray relatives — all cousins of sharks — are some of the most threatened species on Earth due to their slow growth, vulnerability to capture in fisheries, and high value in international trade. Recent studies indicate that Papua New Guinea is (together with northern Australia and the southeastern United States) one of the last few strongholds for sawfish populations, making the country a global priority for shark and ray conservation.
Currently sawfish and rhino rays have been well documented along the southern shores and adjacent river systems of Papua New Guinea, and also in the Sepik River, which drains into the Bismarck Sea on the northern coast of the mainland. Sawfish have also been documented in several other provinces in the country, yet no official records exist in New Ireland Province.
Until now.
Papua New Guinea occupies the western half of New Guinea and is the largest of the South Pacific Island nations. The uplifted reefs, limestone terrain and adjacent islands that form New Ireland Province comprise the north-easterly region of Papua New Guinea. From January 2019 to March 2020, fisher key informant surveys were conducted in coastal communities in western New Ireland Province to determine whether sawfish and rhino rays were observed within the customary waters of each community. A total of 144 sightings were made, including 85 wedgefish (blue), 36 guitarfish and giant guitarfish (green) and 23 sawfish (red) sightings. Source: WCS.
The southwestern Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea is known for its renowned biodiversity, much of which lives nowhere else in the world. But that amazing animal and plant life is often both understudied and under threat.
This holds true in New Ireland.
The many islands of New Ireland Province, located in the Bismarck Archipelago, support coral reefs, mangroves, estuaries and tidal lagoons — typical habitats for rhino rays and sawfish. Some 77 percent of New Ireland’s human population also lives in the coastal zone, where they’re highly reliant on fish and other marine resources for food, livelihoods and traditional practices. Local communities also own most of this coastal zone through customary tenure systems, which may have been in place for centuries.
Human pressure, including population growth, could threaten potential sawfish and rhino ray populations unless sufficient management is in place — but local cooperation will be key to such action.
Over the past year and a half, WCS has conducted interviews in New Ireland’s coastal areas. Part of the interviews involved showing images of each sawfish, wedgefish and guitarfish species, allowing respondents to identify what they saw. To date residents from 49 communities reported that they had seen sawfish and rhino rays in their local waters. There were 144 separate sightings reported by 111 respondents, which comprised 23 sawfish, 85 wedgefish and 36 guitarfish and giant guitarfish. Roughly half the respondents stated they had seen sawfish or rhino rays either often or sometimes.
Wedgefish in New Ireland Province: documented by BRUVS during the FinPrint project (left) and by scuba divers (Dorian Borcherds, Scuba Ventures) (right)
When asked if the animals were targeted by local fishers, more than half the respondents said no: The animals were mostly caught accidentally. Only 9% of the sighted sawfish and rhino rays were reported to have been purposefully caught.
Respondents also provided information on where, and in what condition, they had seen the animals: 77% were seen alive, 10% at the market and 2% entangled in nets.
The results suggest that while sawfish and rhino rays are in the region, they are not a key fishery commodity, which is promising news for developing conservation approaches.
Large-tooth sawfish (Pristis pristis) rostrum, beside a ruler, which was harvested by local community fishers from the Tigak Islands that lie to the west of mainland New Ireland. This rostrum measured nearly 30 inches in length. Photo: Elizah Nagombi/WCS.
While physical and objective data has been lacking — I’m still waiting to see one of these animals in the water, myself — we have confirmed evidence of two large-tooth sawfish ( Pristis pristis) in the region (two sawfish beaks, also known as rostra, have been found in community villages since this study began), and we’ve received reports of additional sightings.
WCS also conducted baited remote underwater video surveys (BRUVS) in 14 locations in the region in 2019–20, following a 2017 BURVS deployment by FinPrint in western New Ireland Province.
Collectively the BRUVS documented 13 species of sharks and rays, including wedgefish (which have also been photographed by local dive operators), but no sawfish.
But with that success, we’re expanding our search. Over the next 12 months, a further 100 BRUVS will be deployed in areas with a sandy seafloor, where wedgefish and giant guitarfish often rest. Because sawfish typically live in estuaries — where water is often murky — BRUVS will not work due to the poor visibility of the water. In these areas gillnets that have been carefully positioned in river outlets by trained local community members will be monitored for sawfish that may be present. If any sawfish are present in the nets, they will be documented and carefully released.
Example of education and outreach materials produced by the WCS team. This poster presents management methods that can be used by community residents to help manage sawfish and rhino ray populations in their customary waters.
Despite the vulnerability of sawfish and rhino rays — with five of the ten documented species in Papua New Guinea classified as critically endangered — there are currently no protection laws in place. However, since 2017, WCS has worked with over 100 communities in New Ireland Province to establish the country’s largest network of marine protected areas.
The MPAs have been developed through a community-first approach, with extensive local outreach, engagement and education. In that way WCS has been actively informing local residents about the biology, threats and management opportunities for sawfish and rhino rays. We anticipate that new laws to protect and manage these endangered animals will be incorporated into the management rules for the new MPAs.
While the mystery as to whether sawfish and rhino ray populations are alive and well in PNG has largely been solved, they are still rare and in need of additional conservation efforts. We hope that this work will help bring awareness and conservation action to these highly threatened species — and make sure they don’t become mythical creatures of the past.
Jonathan Booth is Marine Conservation Advisor with the Papua New Guinea Program at WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Read the other pieces in this WCS series for Shark Week here:
Making Our Marine Environment Safe for Future Shark Weeks
Ground Realities of Shark Fisheries in India
Ocean Guardians Pave the Way to Save Threatened Sharks and Rays in Bangladesh
The Informal Blue Economy: East Africa’s Silent Shark Killer
First Signs of Hope for Critically Endangered Wedgefish and Giant Guitarfish in Indonesia | https://medium.com/wcs-marine-conservation-program/shark-quest-are-the-worlds-most-endangered-rays-living-in-new-ireland-province-papua-new-guinea-bfa048c79224 | ['Wildlife Conservation Society'] | 2020-08-29 21:07:38.782000+00:00 | ['Environment', 'Papua New Guinea', 'Sharks', 'Oceans', 'Conservation'] |
Derivative the Gradient Descent of Linear and Logistic Regression | Linear Regression and Logistic Regression are most useful models in Machine Learning field. We need to fit these models to predicting, forecasting, classification or reducing error. This why it is very essential to calculate gradient descent, cost function. I am don’t writing this blog to elaborate on the Linear and Logistic Regression. I will explain the derivate of the cost function for gradient descent. Let’s start,
We know,
Linear equation:
Let’s derivate gradient descent of the logistic regression.
Finally, we got our simplified formula to doing derivation.
Linear equation: | https://medium.com/@jacknayeem/derivative-the-gradient-descent-of-linear-and-logistic-regression-6162685cb333 | ['Abu Nayem'] | 2020-08-18 17:17:31.379000+00:00 | ['Cost Function', 'Logistic Regression', 'Derivatives', 'Linear Regression', 'Gradient Descent'] |
I’m inclined to see actually doing something for constituents and targeting pragmatic measurable… | I’m inclined to see actually doing something for constituents and targeting pragmatic measurable goals in the interest of constituents vs. pandering and ideological people pleasing attempts as a bigger factor in re-election than where someone is on the “left — right” scale. There are centralist Democrats that kept their seats — but my inclination would be to believe in those cases their victories reflected results and tangible outcomes that their constituents were after not whether they were centrist or far left. If it is a issue that the constituents are for it might be that it’s not left or right or a perfect fit into an idealogical or conceptual box at all — it just is a specific deliverable that has popular support. | https://medium.com/@shermanmoore/im-inclined-to-see-actually-doing-something-for-constituents-and-targeting-pragmatic-measurable-7039729ba358 | ['Sherman Moore'] | 2020-11-09 01:10:11.248000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Democratic Party', 'Pragmatism'] |
Samsung is bringing AirPlay 2 and room calibration to its 2021 soundbar lineup | Samsung is bringing AirPlay 2 and room calibration to its 2021 soundbar lineup Lisa Feb 2·3 min read
Get ready for a new way to cast audio to Samsung soundbars, with the manufacturer announcing that Apple’s AirPlay 2 protocol is slated to arrive in its 2021 soundbar lineup. Also coming soon from Samsung: built-in room calibration and a high-end, 11.1.4-channel soundbar with Dolby Atmos support.
Interested in Samsung's TV news? Click here.
Related product Samsung HW-Q70R soundbar Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $799.99See it During an online, pre-CES presentation on Wednesday, Samsung announced that AirPlay 2 support is coming to “select” Samsung 2021 soundbar models, perfect for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users looking to cast audio from their devices. Built-in Alexa, which Samsung first introduced in its 2020 soundbar lineup, will carry over into Samsung’s higher-end 2021 soundbars.
Also new for Samsung’s 2021 Q-series soundbars will be room calibration, although it’s a feature that will only be supported if you pair your soundbar with one of Samsung’s Q-series TVs.
[ Further reading: The best soundbars ]The “Q-Calibration” feature detects the acoustics of the room using a small microphone in the center of the TV, which then sends the data down to the soundbar so it can adjust its audio “clarity” and surround effects.
Separately, some Samsung 2021 soundbars will be getting a “Space EQ” feature that fine-tunes the soundbar’s bass response with help from a microphone built into the subwoofer.
Samsung Samsung is adding AirPlay 2 support and room calibration to select models of its 2021 soundbars.
Besides support for AirPlay 2 and room calibration, Samsung also said it would release a top-of-the-line Q-series soundbar with a whopping 11.1.4 channels, or two channels more than Samsung’s current high-end soundbar, the 9.1.4-channel HT-Q950T.
The HW-Q950A will arrive with a 7.1.2-channel main soundbar unit (including two height channels for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content) and a 4.0.2-channel wireless speaker package, with the surround speakers equipped with side-firing drivers in addition to the standard front- and up-firing drivers.
Samsung didn’t reveal a release date or pricing for the upcoming 11.1.4-channel soundbar, although given the initial $1,800 price tag for the 9.1.4-channel HT-Q950T (later reduced to $1,600), it’ll be pricey.
Samsung also announced a 2.0.2 add-on wireless surround kit for “select” Q-series soundbars, good for adding true surround sound to Samsung soundbars that lack wireless surround speakers. Among the Samsung 2021 soundbars that will be compatible with the wireless surround kit is the upcoming HW-Q800A, a 3.1.2-channel soundbar with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support.
Other new Samsung soundbar features include an Active Voice Amplifier, which detects changes in the ambient noise and boosts the dialog channel to compensate, while a Bass Boost feature kicks up the soundbar’s low-frequency effects by 2dB. Also, Samsung is pledging to increase the wattage of its new entry-level soundbars by 90 watts or more.
Finally, Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature, which allows Q-series soundbars to work in unison with the speakers of a Q-series Samsung TV, will work with additional Samsung TVs this year, including the A80A, Q70A, A60A, and AU8000 lines.
Don't miss Samsung's TV news: Click here.
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/@lisa54533239/samsung-is-bringing-airplay-2-and-room-calibration-to-its-2021-soundbar-lineup-978906b6125a | [] | 2021-02-02 12:33:21.320000+00:00 | ['Home Tech', 'Mobile Accessories'] |
Senate Passes SESTA, Awaits Trump’s Signature | A bill regarding sex trafficking after a clean approval from the Senate is headed over to Trump. The bill termed Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act (SESTA) was approved by the Senate on Wednesday after voting, as it passed with 97-to-2 votes, due to a culmination of huge efforts of republicans and democrats to make the internet safer. It allows law enforcement officials to tighten their grip on websites that facilitate sex trafficking, like Backpage.com. This bill would also help hold internet companies responsible for the content on their sites and face the subsequent consequences.
The bill was created because of Silicon Valley companies and its relations with sex trafficking. Though they have remained out of reach for a long time after the bill signing by Trump, every internet forum and big tech companies with hosting facilities for sex trafficking would be securitized for their content and would face future implementations of the laws and legislation regarding the passed bill. The shield by the law of 1996 that frees them from the liability of illegal content on their websites is soon to be a thing of the past. According to Senator John Thune of South Dakota the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, “it’s a wakeup call” for all and no more offenses would be accepted and or tolerated regarding this issue. It was also clarified that the bill would not create any ripple for tech companies or internet forums who are not involved in this matter. | https://medium.com/bvity/senate-passes-sesta-awaits-trumps-signature-20cb93085b96 | [] | 2018-04-09 03:57:01.172000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Senate', 'Bills', 'News'] |
A Marriage Alternative: How Considering a Shift to Temporary Marriage Might Benefit Your Relationship | A Marriage Alternative: How Considering a Shift to Temporary Marriage Might Benefit Your Relationship
What people need to succeed in marriage is philosophical alignment.
Photo credit: iStockPhoto
By Matthew Fray
My brain and gut recoiled in disgust at the two words: Temporary Marriage.
They were hyperlinked in my email to an article I was certain I would disagree with—A Temporary Marriage Makes More Sense than Marriage for Life.
But then I read it.
I’m a lot a better at admitting when I’m wrong and checking my biases at the door today than I used to be, since doing it the other way is literally the reason me and so many others are divorced despite wishing we were not.
…
Whenever a philosophical conversation is happening about The Way Things Should Be (politics and religion, in a nutshell), there are two things to consider:
The best idea in an ideal world under optimum conditions. The best idea based on its implications in the world we actually live in.
Which isn’t a small thing. The worst events and conditions in human history usually begin with two people or two groups with opposing opinions regarding this nebulous concept of The Way Things Should Be.
I was surprised at how unoffended I was by author Vicki Larson’s article championing the idea of temporary marriages.
Like a pro athlete’s contract. Something designed to last maybe two to five years, before the terms of the agreement are revisited and renegotiated.
A marital arrangement where neither the husband nor wife OWES their spouse any type of support emotionally, financially, or sexually beyond the length of the marriage contract if one or both of them should choose at that time to NOT renew their marriage agreement.
Like most things in life, there are pros and cons to the idea itself, and THEN, on top of that debate, there’s all the fine print no one is reading or paying attention to.
The Pros of Temporary Marriage
It’s not all bad.
People would never feel too trapped in a horrible marriage. People who WANTED to stay married would be more motivated to behave accordingly, and less inclined to take their spouse for granted.
People who are super-into variety and novelty would have it.
What people want in their 20s is often different than what they want in their 60s. A partner who is awesome while you’re in your 20s but who WON’T be awesome in your retirement years, won’t be an unpleasant surprise later. You’ll both see it coming and NOT renew your marriage contract once the time is up.
Shitty husbandry? At least the way I often characterize it? You’re in a contract year, fellas! Better play your ass off if you want to keep her!
Let’s not underestimate the power of deadlines and a fundamental shift in human psychology RE: positively impacting how people behave within their relationships and marriages.
I honestly believe a lot of measurable good would occur in a Temporary Marriage arrangement in which both married partners fully accepted the terms of the arrangement heading in, and WANTED them, and had the support of their families and social networks.
The Cons of Temporary Marriage
According to the most recent U.S. Census data I could find (2012), there are about 115 million households in the United States. A ‘household’ is defined as everyone (even just one person) living in a housing unit.
Of those 115 million households, more than 76 million of them are “Family households,” which doesn’t take into account people who USED to be in family households (divorced parents, widows/widowers, empty-nesters, etc.)
That’s the bureaucratic way of saying MANY people like to have sex and/or have babies and raise children.
There’s a debate to be had about the merits of reproducing little, ungrateful parasitic humans, but I’m totally glad we do. I’m in the Pro-Human Race Continuing to Exist camp, so it’s neat that babies are a thing. I’m happy I was born, so I’m grateful to my parents. And I’m the father of a rapidly growing little man in grade school and he is the center of my universe. I didn’t even know it was possible to love something the way I do my son.
It’s not a math equation. You can’t measure that. Parents don’t love OTHER children as much as their own children. Most parents would do UNTHINKABLE things to protect their kids, or in an effort to provide them a means of living a good life.
Larson barely mentions children in her article, saying only that the idea was INTENDED for people who did not have children, and planned on NOT having them.
I’m glad, too, because in my estimation, a “temporary marriage” could ONLY work effectively without the introduction of children to the equation.
One group of people won’t put a lot of stock in how children are impacted, because they don’t have any. Makes sense. Seems tone-deaf, but makes sense.
And the OTHER group will stop at nothing to protect their children.
Because of this, I don’t think this is a debate that’s ever going to gain much traction, culturally.
The Fine Print
Larson is proposing an idea. As someone who loves thinking about and proposing ideas that challenge the status quo, I’m inclined to cut Larson a little slack for glossing over the fine print in her short article. I’m sure she and co-author Susan Pease Gadoua go into much greater depth in their book The New I Do: Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels.
Here’s the fine print:
Statistically speaking (just in the United States, but these numbers hold up throughout most of the world), 95 out of 100 people will get married, or are planning to.
Why?
Because we all grow up—and even if our parents are divorced (mine were)—it seems like EVERY adult is married, or dating with the intention of getting married, and that all of our friends are planning to get married one day.
We all know someone in the 5 percent. The “I’m never getting married!” people. And what do we think of them—even if it’s bullshit and unfair? We think they’re weirdos. Or, that they’ll sell out and get married anyway (which is pretty common, because—95 percent).
We have that reaction for the same reason that I thought I was going to get all pissed off and self-righteous about this Temporary Marriage article and idea.
We BELIEVE THINGS. All of us. We believe things.
Sometimes what we believe is pretty innocuous, like which team will win the football game, or how many ‘S’s are in the name Mississippi, or who is responsible for leaving those presents under the Christmas tree on December 25.
Other times, what we believe carries more weight. You know—the scary stuff. God. Climate. War. Afterlife. The value of an unborn human. The value of people who live in other parts of the world. The value of people who don’t believe what we believe. The value of people who don’t look like us.
What we choose to do with THOSE beliefs determines the fate of the world on a macro scale, and on a micro scale, determines the fate of our personal lives.
I used to believe that everything I was taught and believed was TRUTH. All caps. Truth. And that anyone who believed other things was wrong.
You know who else uses that same logic to make important life decisions and justify doing or saying things that might hurt others? Mass murderers and terrorists.
When I finally realized that much too late into my adulthood, I pledged to stop.
Here’s why this is important to marriage—temporary or otherwise.
BILLIONS of people believe marriage is more than just a government-sponsored contract. They believe it’s SPIRITUAL. Divinely influenced by an all-powerful creator. By God, essentially, even though many of those people believe radically different things about God.
Various religious groups have been trying to convince OTHER religious groups that their beliefs are WRONG for—well—a really long time. Humans have only been writing things down for about 5,200 years, so it’s tough to know just how far back religious arguments between people or groups actually go, but I’m pretty sure in 5,200 years, there is no documented evidence of THAT practice working out well for all involved.
Don’t Be So Quick to Dismiss it Just Because it Looks Different
The concept of “temporary marriage” flies in the face of so-called “traditional marriage,” which is a trash term, but we all know what it means.
It’s a trash term because so few people honor what it ACTUALLY MEANS to enter a traditional marriage, and that includes myself back in 2004.
I was 25 years old. I was a moron. And worse, I was a moron who BELIEVED myself to be smart.
Those are the scariest people.
Here’s my quick and dirty take on marriage (leaving spirituality out of it, because that’s super-personal to everyone and well above my pay grade):
What people need to succeed in marriage is PHILOSOPHICAL ALIGNMENT. It helps to believe the same things, want the same things, share the same goals, and speak the same language. (Metaphorically, I mean – you need to be able to accurately interpret what the other person is saying to you. Most people suck at this, which is why couples always have the same fight.)
I think almost ANY belief system can work, but it’s so important in a life-long committed partnership that BOTH people share it. Differing beliefs create conflict. Conflict creates negative emotions. Negative emotions provoke shitty marriage behaviors and all-around bad feelings.
And then toxic marriage and/or divorce happens. All the traditionalism in the world can’t stop that from being true.
I don’t think “temporary marriage” is super-practical, but it’s damn sure a superior option to toxic marriage and divorce.
I’m not likely to become a “temporary marriage” advocate any time soon, but I think the POSITIVES of a mutually agreed-to temporary commitment to one’s life partner can’t be dismissed.
Because near as I can tell, THAT would solve so much of what I believe ails modern marriage.
So, I guess if you’re unable or unwilling to have children, and brave enough to tell everyone who thinks they know what’s best for you far more than you do to piss off, check it out.
Thinking and asking questions never hurt anyone who wasn’t being violently oppressed.
So think.
Ask questions.
And maybe stop doing things simply because someone without any skin in the game told you that you should. | https://medium.com/hello-love/a-marriage-alternative-how-considering-a-shift-to-temporary-marriage-might-benefit-your-546fe823770e | ['The Good Men Project'] | 2020-12-28 02:32:20.277000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Love', 'Marriage', 'Advice', 'Divorce'] |
HOW I CREATED AN AMAZING SUSPENSE FOR A WEEKEND | Tired of Facebook group, Whatsapp conversation, Messenger polls… I wanted to do something new and make this weekend special, a weekend we will never forget.
My friend Baptiste had a brilliant idea a couple months ago. He brought his friends to a surprise destination: only he knew the place just until the last minute. He called this concept a DUNK (Destination UNKnown).
He organized everything by himself. Even when they arrived at the destination airport (Olbia in Sardegna), some of his friends still didn’t know where they were!
So… Let’s DUNK! I will bring them to a secret destination. What if the experience before and during the weekend was extraordinary? What if my friends thought they were part of a real game?
Game on!
Let’s start!
I sent the participants (the DUNKIES) a SMS from DUNK to start the game!
In order to stay anonymous, I did not want to use Whatsapp or Messenger which would reveal my identity. Sendinblue, a marketing tool, was my next best option. It would give my friends the experience of suspense.
Fortunately, no one responded STOP
Translation french to english :
Hi DUNKIE,
You have been selected to participate to DUNK.
Here are the rules :
- The destination is unknown
- The DUNKER has full authority
- The DUNKER chooses the next DUNKER
More instructions soon.
DUNK
As soon they received this message, our whatsapp conversation was on fire! The experience has began. The DUNK was on.
Mystery invitation
DUNK SMS are nice gimmicks but I needed something more classy, more impactful, with a touch of mystery… something official. I remembered a scene in the movie The Social Network when Andrew Garfield received an invitation from the Phœnix S.K. Club. The sound when the letter slipped under the door… WOW.
I had to do the same. I designed a personal invitation on Figma, bought black envelops and a white pencil at a paper mill, created custom stamps on the public mail website… I put same energy as I put for my wedding save-the-date cards!
Emmanuel Macron, the french president, is a close friend
When they received it, the experience went to another dimension. Unfortunately I can’t show you the content of the invitation, it is a secret…
Clues, puzzles, tidbits
I always had curiosity about thrillers and suspense movies. Hitchcock is a master and the North By Northwest’s crop-duster scene is one the best suspense scene I ever watched. Why do we feel some much tension?
It’s an emotion response from our brain: hope or fear that a situation happens. Any suspense codes and standards I can rely on to give the same sence of tension to my DUNKIES?
Every week I sent them clues via DUNK SMS to increase the tension and highten the pressure before the DUNK.
First clue : Leonardo DiCaprio.
Leonardo, who finally got an Oscar
Tips: never underestimate your friends’ imagination. Believe me. With this picture, one of my friends discovered the final destination…
One week after, second clue.
I used deep and machine learning methods to create this circle
This circle represents a perimeter of 80 kms. The destination is inside…
Last clue.
I succeeded removing “STOP”
Translation :
Hi DUNKIE,
Last clue: this animal can have two colors depending on his local habitat.
DUNK.
DiCaprio, 80km from Paris, a bicolor animal… Any idea where we were?
Let’s play during the weekend
Having a great experience during the weekend will make you a real game master. Let’s make the game last the whole weekend.
I heard about the Killer game and I knew my friends would like it: a basic prank game!
He actually did it
The rules are simple :
everyone has a mission to fulfill during the weekend
if you succeed and don’t get spotted, you take your target’s mission
the last one, ie who doesn’t get “killed”, wins the game
My target was Adrien. How can I convince him to prepare these cocktails? He can’t even cook pastas…
In these games, you can play different roles: manipulation, threat, kindness, naivety…
Manipulation mixed with kindness is the perfect mix! At 7pm on Saturday night, Adrien showed up in the living room, fresh and ready. I pretended to be very excited about a new cocktail… “Dude, apparently, Jay Z and Puff Daddy want to market it. Let’s try it” (Make sure you accidentally buy all the ingredients).
I told him “I’ll give you the recipe and you make them!”. 30 minutes after, everybody had a delectable cocktail. We called it The DUNK Cocktail.
Recipe: secret.
Clue: squid ink.
And by the way, I fulfilled my mission.
THE REVEAL
I chose a meeting point in Paris at a specific hour. Once all the DUNKIES arrived, I launched a timer for 10 seconds… You have no idea how much I enjoyed the last 10 seconds!
I know it’s not a 10 seconds timer
AND… BOOM : everyone one got a small personalized card that indicated his roomate, his mission and… finally the destination!
He thought it was New York, sorry for him
May the DUNK never ends
All good things do come to an end, except for a DUNK. It must have a second edition… Imagine a Netflix series that ends after the first episode. No way.
I must continue the DUNK. I must pass the relay to another DUNKER. The image is powerful and nobody wants to let down a relay, it is a sign of team spirit. I definitely should have a DUNK relay baton.
So I bought a black relay baton and “printed” the DUNK logo. Ok, I admit it looks really cheap.
Saturday night I organized a vote to choose the next DUNKER. Everybody had a speech that told why he would be the best DUNKER. The guy who was the most convincing earned the privilege to organize the next DUNK.
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late”
Secret destination
By the way, where did we go?
We went to Nemours, a small and cute city near Paris. I got you: the destination isn’t sexy as you thought? Maybe. But, since this mystery weekend DUNK, all of my friends want to do it again and talked about the next DUNK. | https://medium.com/@leopoldadam/how-i-created-an-amazing-suspense-for-a-weekend-90c760474eec | ['Léopold Adam'] | 2020-11-10 13:57:10.368000+00:00 | ['Product Management', 'Organization', 'Weekend', 'Gaming', 'Suspense'] |
Laptops: picking made simpler… and more difficult. | Laptops: picking made simpler… and more difficult.
Photo by Michał Kubalczyk on Unsplash
This is a complicated topic so let’s douse it in the simplest way possible.
Laptops have several different key components which give them their overall computing power, software included. These components have to meet certain specifications to operate certain software.
In general the more powerful and modern a laptop’s software and hardware is, the more powerful programs it can run, and the faster it can run them. Let’s get started.
Operating system. This is the software that runs your computer.
Most people have some version of Windows, a paid OS which is the worlds most common, most compatible, and by default, the least secure.
Some people have Mac OS in one version or another. This software is paid for as well, tends to be very secure, is somewhat less compatible than Windows by volume, and because Apple desires it to be that way. This has improved a lot in recent years. Software for Apple computers tends to cost more than equivalent programs for Windows or Linux.
Linux is the worlds primary FREE operating system. Many Linux programs are also free, if not most of them. The downside to Linux is that it’s an advanced users operating system. This has improved a lot on late versions, but sometimes Linux has issues Mac or Windows users don’t. Linux primary advantages are security, system stability and customization compatibility. So much so, that some of the worlds leading security experts and programmers prefer it above all others. As you can see, I’m biased, and I run Linux Mint Ulyana XFCE. Actually, I have Linux and Windows on “Dual boot”… But let’s digress.
It is best to keep in mind that certain programs only run on one operating system or another. Many programs and games these days have cross compatibility with one or more OS. Also, some software has more than one version, so you can select the version designed to run on your OS of choice.
Also, each program has an earliest or latest version it will run on. For new software this will be an earliest hardware version, but older software might not run past a certain version. This is called a program’s “OS requirements”.
Here are the core pieces of hardware that affect computing power.
Storage
Processor
Graphics
RAM
Each of these parts must meet minimum specifications to operate certain software effectively.
It is best to check the most powerful software you desire to run, and similar software you may decide to run, and see what the hardware requirements are. These will be in a “requirements” list for the given program, game, or operating system. (if an operating system comes installed on a computer, you do not have to worry about whether it will run correctly.) When you do this, write down the highest hardware specs needed for each piece of software, and use this as your minimum requirements list. Then go laptop shopping.
Storage There are 3 types. Hard Disc Drive (HDD) Solid State Drive (SSD) and Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVME)
HDD is the slowest, least expensive per Gigabyte of storage, and actually the longest lived.
SSD does not last as many cycles of writing and deleting data, BUT, it’s plenty long lived, and it does read, write and transfer data much faster than HDD. SSD is also more compact, so a lot more storage will go in the same area. In general I recommend SSD for almost everything.
NVME is the most expensive of all 3, lasts as long as SSD, and is MUCH faster and more compact.
NVME is replacing SSD, even while SSD is still replacing HDD for most tasks. NVME uses a different hardware slot, but if it comes pre-installed you have nothing to worry about.
Let me sum up. For cheap, bulk storage and maximum shelf life go HDD, for shock resistant usage, higher performance, and good all around use, go SSD, and for maximum performance go NVME.
Processors are a bit of a funk. You see, there is no universal standard for measuring processing power. Lots of people will tell you it’s measured in Gigahertz, but this isn’t entirely true. There is also bus width, data packets, thread count, bus width of thread count, digital process routing boosters, and actual turbo boost. Assuming I got all that correct! (don’t rely on it) FORGET THAT! What you need to know, is that processors are listed as minimum requirements on software. So check software and get a processor listed as at least that powerful, preferably more so, to ensure near future compatibility with updates and upgrades, or a change of software. This is called “future proofing”. Just don’t go overboard with that, because it gets very expensive to do so. The heaviest digital lifting your laptop is likely to do, involves professional video editing, and second to that, gaming, audio editing, or multiple small programs simultaneously. I believe running certain complex simulations can actually max out a lot of modern computers, but if you are a scientist you probably know more about computers than I do.
Graphics cards, or “graphics processors” (same thing), are similar to regular processors. The only difference is, graphics handle graphics, while processors handle everything else. In fact, most processors have a graphics card of sorts built in. The thing is, if you plan do to heavy gaming, or run video editing software, you likely need an additional graphics card that plugs into it’s own slot internally. These tend to be pre-installed in many more expensive computers, especially gaming computers.
Any software should list minimum specs, and you can reference those, or consult gaming/editing communities if you get confused.
I would like to add (at my brother’s recommendation) it’s worth paying close attention and a second look at processing power. Perhaps familiarize yourself on YouTube. Why? Salesman, Websites, and advertisements will often try to sell you a better sounding processer that’s actually WORSE but cost more $$. With the really modern Intel processors for instance, some of the quad core I5s are actually superior to some of the same generation dual core Intel I7s! This is a great way to get fooled into paying more for an inferior I7 model. Also, a retailer may attempt to charge more for an older I7 than a newer I5. The newer I5 is likely superior. There are multiple gen and model I5s and I7s as you can see. In any case, the modern AMD processors tend to offer you more for your dollar than Intel, who’s business practices, offerings, and technology have been lagging lately. (That’s being polite)
RAM is like a mother trying to remember everything on her grocery list while shopping, and also keep track of the kids and car keys. Random Access Memory is the temporary memory for stuff only tracked while programs are running, or the data is relevant. Once you close programs or turn off the computer, RAM pretty much wipes itself. This means more powerful programs which have a lot of stuff going on, like that mother, are going to need a really good memory. Fact is, people used to worry about tabs, and a couple small programs. These days most comps are so good that RAM can handle pretty much all the tabs you want to. It’s video games, photo/video editing, and multiple medium to larger programs you have to worry about. Even my beloved and ancient Lenovo T430 has been upgraded to 16 gigabytes of RAM, and handles tabs like a champ.
At the end of the day, you can run “benchmark” tests on your laptop on or offline, to get an idea what your current device is capable off, or look through it’s specs. And you can do the same with laptops you are looking at online. Of course you have to look up the benchmark tests for them, but plenty of people run those, including well known websites. Finally, you can pull up YouTube and familiarize yourself with any aspect of a laptop that confuses you, or glean understanding of a given models performance. I highly recommend Linus Tech Tips, with whom I am not currently affiliated in any way.
Connection ports are critical to operating any laptop, and I feel like these are among the most underrated aspects of a laptop. Most laptops do not have enough ports for my liking, and the vast majority no longer have CD players, or even blue Ray. Still, with streaming services, flash drives, and externally plugged storage drives or USB CD players, it seems manageable. All the more reason to have lots of modern USB ports. HDMI seems to be the new standard in throwing video to a screen. I think the old VGA was primarily for projectors, and they have all the modern trimmings of a Flintstones car. In any case, if you require any special or unusual ports, you might want to double check those, and their compatibility before buying. You could also see if USB ports can be accessorized with converting devices to allow a given function from something older or specialized.
There are different standards of Bluetooth in much the same way USB ports have upgraded standards over the years, so keep this in mind when looking at new computer gear. It would be disappointing to have relied on transferring now outdated accessories over. I believe 5.0 is the current new Bluetooth standard, but many prior gen accessories should be compatible with the newer computers, and USB conversion dongles are available as well.
A holdout for me, is my 3.5 mm audio jack. It’s stupendous how much cheaper corded audio accessories are, for a given audio quality. I love my Bluetooth earbuds, but I’ll be darned If I can’t drop $15 and get perfectly good full earmuffs, and no need to pay $25 to $75 for the same thing in Bluetooth. That’s a no brainer, and I feel like new laptops, phones, and MP3 players that do NOT allow 3.5 mm audio jacks are deliberately ripping people off in cahoots with Bluetooth device manufacturers. (In Samsung and Apple’s case, they are pushing their own highly over-priced devices, and thus not including the audio jacks in their new phones) Just remember to check every single port on your potential purchase to verify which types of ports you will have, how many of each, and which exact version each port is. This can affect device compatibility and transfer speed. The main issues I usually encounter are insufficient high speed USB ports to operate everything simultaneously. In fact some laptops have only 0 through 2! I think 6 sounds great! But hey, my T430 is running a decent 4 USB total.
Battery life is pretty self explanatory. Key points. More $$ equals more battery life for a given processor, screen size, brightness setting, and usage level. More powerful processors, larger screens, brighter settings, and heavier usage equals shorter battery life. So max battery life is low usage, weak hardware, small screen, and large battery. Lowest battery life usually comes from gaming laptops with powerful processors, massive RAM, and huge fans for adequate cooling while gaming. This is because to support all this for several hours would require massive batteries, and that is usually dropped in favor of massive chargers. Gamers like to be settled into their spots anyway, and like to have drinks, snacks, power sources, desks, and free time to hand. This usually works out well. Whereas the downside is, if you simply desire a powerful office computer on the fly, you will need extra batteries.
Screens are usually quite adequate on most models, and I pay little attention to them. My primary concerns would be brightness and size. If you require unusually high quality color, resolution, extreme viewing angles, or brightness, you may need to seek a laptop more carefully.
Frames are my pet peeve. I dislike plastic, and it’s basically all there is inside of a few thousand dollars. 2 or 3 grand will usually net you a metal or carbon fiber frame, but still often fails to eliminate the external plastic look and feel. At least solid frames (shout out to my T430 magnesium alloy!) eliminate a lot of flex, and add durability.
Keyboards are a point of contention among avid fans. I love thicker, old style keyboards that have more surface texture and shape, and depress further with a distinct plunger feel to them. Modern chiclet island keys bother me, and I type much slower on them. It seems far too easy to accidentally press keys that way, and to hit the wrong keys as well. Laptops invariably ship with shallow chiclet keyboards now, and have no ability to swap up, so any preference otherwise, and you will have to pursue a high end gaming laptop, or plug in an external. You see, Gamers can be very partial about their equipment, and for this aspect, I have a bit of respect. Humans have come to except bland as the norm, and ill designed as the acceptable. I feel that is suicide to individuality and quality.
Touchpads are surprisingly good these days. If anyone misses the ancient Dell Latitudes for their funky self actuating, and glitchy touchpads, they would be very much alone. Still, have a look! They come in various sizes, textures, and sensitivities to movement (largely dictated by their size) but also adjustable in settings. You may just find one you like.
I didn’t cover motherboards, despite their central importance as the part to which all others connect, or were designed around. I ignored them for one reason. Motherboards are designed to work with all supplied components, and unless you are a geek like me, who tends to self upgrade a variety of things, then motherboards will be of little interest or consequence to you. The only thing this really affects (assuming the laptop was well designed) is the number, type, size, and series of parts you can connect into the internals for the sake of upgrades. Most recent manufacture laptops are not designed to be upgrade-able, unlike tower computers, so you will gain little here.
A few last notes. I would like to describe some preferences, and point some helpful things out.
Some laptops are easier to work on than others. Notably many Lenovos, but I’m sure the YouTube geeks would be up on that data. If you keep and repair your laptop for a long time, then ease of self repair will be important to you, and could also impact costs down the road if you pay for laptop repairs. Certain parts are more common, less expensive, or just way easier to access than on some brands or models.
I prefer thicker laptops. Why? Rigid laptops are less prone to damage, more prone to stay put while typing, and usually have side venting instead of bottom venting. This is great if you plan to set laptops on your LAP. Can’t believe manufacturers don’t understand this.
You can Dual Boot laptops if you have 2 storage modules. If you require different Operating Systems, or prefer say, Linux at home, but require Mac OS at work, you could dual boot. What is dual boot? It’s having 2 different storage modules (say SSD) in your laptop, and having one operating system on one, and another on the other. A geek has to set this up so on startup a menu shows up, and you select which operating system to use. Not all processors can be dual booted, neither do all laptops have dual storage options. 1 form of storage can be partitioned creating a digital division into 2 hard drives, but at least have a professional or qualified geek do this, that way you don’t mess up your existing storage.
Don’t buy Chromebooks! Why not? They suck! There is basically nothing but a browser on Chromebooks. There is almost no storage, little computing power, and nothing practical that can be done offline. Chromebooks and their ilk are a massive waste of dollars better spent on a refurbished laptop than a minimalist’s idea of “cloud only” computing. A cellphone with Bluetooth keyboard, internet, and a micro-SD card has more to offer.
Do consider professionally refurbished modern laptops. Often this is a way to vastly increase your computing power per dollar. To my knowledge Amazon and Best Buy online are great places to do this, but there are others.
DO back up everything on your old and new laptops. Nothing is forever despite my best and most fervent wishes.
Do plan extra $$ for any accessories you may need, including mice, keyboards, speakers, headphones, thumb drives, external drives, laptop bags, cleaning spray, spare charger or battery, and laptop insurance (if you feel like you’ll need that).
Finally DO consider modern professional Linux installs as a valid option if work does not require you to use Windows or Mac. Linux is a smaller, lighter program, and runs using less resources, including processing power, RAM, and storage. This allows Linux to operate faster on a given computer. Windows is known to invade privacy, plague you with regular and extended updates, is more vulnerable to viruses, and has no inherent benefits outside of slightly better ease of use, and greatly increased game and program compatibility. In other words if you don’t game or use Windows/Mac exclusive programs, you may save money, and avoid privacy invasion with Linux OS. At least have a look. | https://medium.com/@elementsoffire/laptops-picking-made-simpler-and-more-difficult-9fcd1cc077e3 | ['Aaron Wells'] | 2020-12-21 19:47:36.094000+00:00 | ['Laptop', 'Computers', 'Office', 'Notebook', 'Electronics'] |
Rebranding in 2018: benefits, risks & everything in between | Story contributed by Natasha Lane
If your brand identity isn’t capturing the customers and conversions you want, rebranding could give your business a new lease on life. 77% of consumers are likely to buy from a brand name, while 91% prefer to purchase from an authentic, honest brand. A rebrand can breathe fresh air into your company, and it can extend your reach by attracting new audiences.
However, there are things you should keep an eye on while executing a rebrand, as a poorly executed one could hurt your bottom line. Here are some best practices to keep in mind.
What is a brand?
Let’s start with the basics — what is a brand? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Brands are centered on the consumer: what they want, need, think and feel. A brand identity is portrayed through a company’s name, logo, tagline, services & products, advertisements, marketing campaigns and more.
It follows, then, that rebranding means reevaluating that identity and updating visuals to fit the wants & needs of your target audience in order to capture customers and improve sales.
When to rebrand?
How do you know when it’s time to rebrand? Here are a couple of questions that might help you decide. If the answer to one or more of these is yes, the time is now.
Is your business image outdated?
Just because you’ve been in the game a long time doesn’t mean your brand will automatically be interesting to new audiences. You need to think about whether the brand’s image is still relevant. If your target audience is Gen Z, research how your brand is currently perceived and what you can do to improve that perception.
Old Spice is a great example of a brand that reinvented itself despite its rich history in order to appeal to younger audiences. Its promotional videos with Isaiah Mustafa and Terry Crews brought new life to the brand, captured a fresh demographic, and increased sales.
Do you want to reach new demographics?
Rebranding is an excellent way to attract new audiences from demographics you might not have focused on before. The digital age makes this easier to achieve.
A refreshed brand identity can inform a strong social media strategy, which is a low-cost way to boost brand awareness. According to SproutSocial, 83% of women and 75% of men use Facebook regularly, while one-third of users regularly engage with brands. A cohesive rebrand combined with strategic social media targeting can bring in new fans.
Are you in sync with the latest market trends?
Considering how almost every business depends on market trends, you should be aware of them and adjust your brand when necessary. This doesn’t mean you should blindly follow the trend any time a new design element becomes popular. But, it is important to keep your brand modern, versatile and timeless.
CoverGirl recently rebranded with a modern, minimal visual identity. Their designs incorporate a sans-serif font, plenty of white space, and relevant messaging. While it is riding a design trend (minimalism), the concept is classic and can remain relevant for many years to come. The brand design is versatile and used effectively in the logo, packaging and video advertisements. Consistency is crucial, as 75% of consumers want a consistent brand experience across every platform.
Have you already achieved old goals?
Rebranding might be necessary if your business was focused on a singular goal that it has now achieved. This will help fuel future growth in a new direction.
Donal Daly, CEO of Altify, explained this need for change on his blog. Originally, his company found success by helping other companies’ sales teams. However, once Altify reached its goal, the company expanded its services, offering business consultation and assistance in areas outside of sales. Rebranding the company gave them a way to showcase that transition visually.
Rebranding elements
Once you’ve decided to rebrand your business, it’s time to take a look at some of the elements you can change and what benefits they bring. We’ll also warn you about the possible dangers of rebranding and how to avoid them.
Name
Name is the first and most recognizable brand element. Rebranding doesn’t always involve a name change, but it can be a powerful strategy — especially if the company is looking for a fresh start. Did you know that the infamous Philip Morris company changed its name to Altria to disassociate itself from bad press and controversy? Considering how a number of journalists reported on the obvious change, it’s hard to say whether it was successful, but only time will tell.
One more thing to consider is the possibility of alienating or losing older clients with a name change. A fresh start is a double-edged sword, so make sure you’re ready to give up your established legacy in favor of a new brand identity.
Tagline
Slogans & taglines often go hand-in-hand with a brand’s name. Usually, a tagline is a catchy sentence that summarizes your business and is easy to remember. If you decide to change your name, you should do the same with your tagline — especially if the business has changed. Over the years, FedEx has had several long and unmemorable taglines, so it changed to “Relax, It’s FedEx” in 2004 and “The World on Time” in 2009, both of which are simple and effective.
Logo
Since people are visual thinkers, rebranding is rarely acknowledged without a logo change. Why is it good, or even necessary, to change your logo design? Simply put, it’s the easiest way to demonstrate change to your audience.
As for the logo design, you have to follow (and subvert) trends if you want to appear fresh. But, be careful with it. You don’t want to drift too far away from the original logo unless you’re trying to conceal your past. You want people to acknowledge the change but also recognize the company’s continuity. Pepsi is a great example of a brand that’s updated its logo over the years in a way that always preserves its trademark colors and shapes.
Content
Finally, we come down to the content. A new name and visual identity mean nothing if you haven’t changed something about the way you do business. [Click to tweet]
It could be new services, new strategies, a new vision, etc. But before you implement any changes, research the market and find out exactly where you want to land. These findings should influence your content, helping your brand expand its horizons and break new ground.
Key takeaway
In the end, keep one thing in mind: A brand that doesn’t change is destined to fail. You need to ask yourself periodically whether the brand is still relevant or has something new to offer. Sometimes, even a small change can make all the difference in public perception.
Author Bio
Natasha Lane is a content writer for DesignRush, specializing in logo design, insights & trends. You can connect with Natasha on LinkedIn. | https://medium.com/lucidpress/rebranding-in-2018-benefits-risks-everything-in-between-70559b63934b | ['Kendra Madsen'] | 2018-07-12 17:57:09.719000+00:00 | ['Brand Marketing', 'Branding', 'Brand Strategy', 'Branding Strategy', 'Rebranding'] |
Be Yourself And The Right People Will Find You | Be Yourself And The Right People Will Find You
Cheers to the beauty of staying in your own lane! When it comes to surrounding yourself with the right people, the best thing you can do is let people come to you. Rather than trying to focus on getting “in” with a certain crowd or fitting into a certain lifestyle you strive for, focus on putting in hard work.
Why chase people, when you can chase your goals? Put in effort every day toward becoming the best version of yourself, and you’re sure to attract people who are doing the same.
Whether you’re looking to start your own business, run a full marathon, or write a novel — the best way to get there is to put in effort day by day. Along the way, you’ll discover people who are doing the same (or who have reached the level you’re reaching for!)
These people are part of your tribe. Learn what you can from them, share your own wisdom, and grow together! It’s much better than simply looking the part.
Remember that the most important part of success is the journey you take to get there. There are no shortcuts in this; you’re in it for the long haul. Let go of the idea that you need to know certain people or be part of a certain crowd to reach success. Connections are important, of course, but they should feel genuine. That can only happen when you’re genuinely on the same level as those you feel the need to chase.
So work hard, every day. Set SMART goals for your personal success, and take a step toward reaching them. Don’t worry about other people; if they’re meant for you, they’ll find you — and stay. | https://medium.com/@incitecoaching/be-yourself-and-the-right-people-will-find-you-c41fcadb593c | ['Incite Coaching'] | 2020-12-22 14:13:44.119000+00:00 | ['Connection', 'Wisdom', 'Strive', 'Right People', 'Focus'] |
Meeting the love of your life for the first time… | My girlfriend left me,I can’t move on. I thought she would always be here but I abused her emotionally and mentally.
I had a great life before her,I was happy and content with life. I wasn’t working the career I envisioned but it was good. I was 27 the first time we met and she was 20 something (I guess). She was studying to be a nurse,her salary greatly outweighed (still probably does) but that didn’t matter,she was a mess when she met me but that didn’t stress me.
We met at a retail store,she didn’t have a weave or a R100 haircut just a couple of tatooes and a smile that caught my eye a mile away. We exchanged numbers and spoke frequently over social media,our conversations would take hours on end with emojis and smiley faces. This was the perfect match for Cupid but I don’t know why now I feel so stupid. She was Kelly and I her Nelly, little did I know it would end so terribly.
I couldn’t let this angel go and I couldn’t let my player lifestyle go. I had just recently broke up with my ex and she was the rebound so I cheated on her. We moved in together,well it was her apartment anyways. Three months later I invited a girl over our new apartment(her apartment) a couple of hours passed a couple of bangs later I felt like a boss (an alpha male to be exact) Just like a womanizer would feel… | https://medium.com/@phindintokozontshingila/meeting-the-love-of-your-life-for-the-first-time-720cfbe7c8d8 | ['Phindintokozo Ntshingila'] | 2021-05-08 23:55:41.332000+00:00 | ['Lovestory', 'Heartbreak', 'Foolishness', 'Love Letters', 'Heartbreakissue'] |
Spotlight: Surgical robotics | Q: Tell us a little bit about life in Boston, what you’re doing there and how it came about?
A: I commenced an exchange at Harvard Medical School in February. It’s exciting to be at one of the world’s top research-oriented medical schools, in a city that is arguably the world’s most active robotics hub. The experience and opportunity to learn is just humungous. How did it come about? Short answer: I’m a big believer in the power of positivity. I wanted to do an exchange as part of my PhD, so I cold-called — well actually, ‘cold emailed’ — my current supervisor, Nobuhiko Hata. He’s a Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and leads the Surgical Navigation and Robotics Laboratory at the HMS-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He gets hundreds of CVs every day, but he came back to me because he was interested in the fact I had experience working on the Da Vinci Surgical System at Imperial College London. I completed my Masters of Research there, at the Hamlyn Centre, before joining the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision. The big thing for me though — and getting back to my point on the power of positivity — is that Professor Hata was also interested in what makes me tick, and what I like to do in my free time.
Dr Nobuhiko Hata, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), with Artur Banach who explores surgical robotics with the QUT Centre for Robotics.
Q: So, what made Professor Hata interested in your personality?
A: Well, I was very impressed with his outlook and being interested in the essence of what makes someone tick as opposed to just their research capabilities. I think that’s a sign of a great leader. I told him I’m a very social person and I have this drive to contribute to the happiness quotient of the world. I mean, what’s our purpose here if we’re not helping others and making a positive difference.
Q: Does robotics research also make you happy?
A: I’m actually on the edge of two disciplines — robotics and medicine. This can be challenging because it’s hard to be an expert in multiple things. My focus is to become an expert in surgical robotics. My PhD focuses on the challenges of robotic-assisted and image-guided intervention to increase the safety of minimally invasive procedures. That in itself, no matter how challenging, brings me great happiness because the end result is all about reducing patient suffering and improving quality of life. In the future, I hope to be able to help less fortunate people living in developing countries, opening the way to better medical and healthcare services. But in order to make an impact, I need to first understand robotics, the medical world and make connections with people across the two fields. I also like working in hospital environments around like-minded people, and I love working with surgeons. The beauty about this is that if you want to introduce a new system, you have to make sure it is robust and the surgeons are comfortable using it. You see, if a robotic system passes the surgeons’ test, then you know the technology is truly useful.
Q: How difficult is it for robots to operate inside the human body?
A: I often explain what I’m doing is like SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping) inside the body. Imagine you’re in a room with white walls, trying to navigate inside that room. Tissue inside our body is homogenous, a bit like being surrounded by white walls, which makes it difficult to know where you are. In surgical procedures — key-hole surgery, whether inside joints (knee, shoulder) or in the abdominal cavity or brain — poor vision is not the only challenge. There’s also blood, smoke (from burned tissue), water and surgical tools that obstruct a clear view — not forgetting that everyone’s body is slightly different. Environments inside our bodies are so unpredictable. You could compare surgical robotics challenges to those affecting the future operation of autonomous cars.
Q: Why’s that? What do autonomous cars and robots designed to navigate inside your body have in common?
A: They face a similar problem when it comes to successfully navigating unexpected scenarios. For autonomous cars on our roads, there are challenges like poor weather conditions, unexpected road works, other drivers or potential hazards like animals or pedestrians to avoid. In both cases (surgical robotics and autonomous cars), mistakes can be life-threatening.
Q: As a kid, did you dream of a career in robotics?
A: Actually, I thought I’d go to the Olympics. I’m from Poland. When I was still in high school, I was selected for the Polish National Team in Olympic Windsurfing Class. Unfortunately, they can only send one person to the Olympics. I was on the national squad for two years but didn’t compete at an Olympic Games.
Q: What brought you to Australia?
A: A big part of that is the adventurous spirit my parents instilled in me. I always wanted to travel! After graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering in Automatic Control and Robotics from Poznan University of Technology, in Poland, I spent four months at Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena, in Spain, as part of the Erasmus exchange program. I then spent time completing my Masters at Imperial College London, and after that went backpacking around Southeast Asia for three months. I came across an opportunity at the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision on LinkedIn and literally spent one day in Brisbane for an interview. The rest is history. I moved from London to join the Centre in 2018.
Q: What do you love most about the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision?
A: It wasn’t until I came to the Centre that my eyes were truly opened up to the ‘big picture’ of robotics and how robots able to see and understand can help make the world a better place for all. I’m talking robots that operate underwater; helping to protect coral reefs; flying robots or UAVs; self-driving cars; social robots; underground robots; and, of course, medical robotics. The Centre is just so inter-disciplinary. This is what makes it unique. There are so many opinions shared, points of view and expertise in the one place. It’s helped me broaden my context in robotics and engineering in general. I’ve also made some life-long friends and met so many interesting people who have helped me connect the dots in understanding how the different fields connect.
Q: You’ve been in Boston since February. What do you love most about the city? And, what do you miss most about Brisbane?
It was very cold when I arrived! The change from Queensland’s summer to Boston’s winter has been hard! But the weather is getting milder and I am getting more used to it. Boston is great in terms of meeting smart and cool people from the best universities in the world. Harvard is like Hogwarts (yes, I’m a big Harry Potter fan). It’s such an incredible place; strolling around its ‘castles’ is like being in another world. Longwood Medical Area, where all the biggest hospitals and Harvard Medical School are based, is enormous. Maybe close to the size of Brisbane CBD. I definitely miss Brisbane for quick trips to the beach, my great friends there and my wonderful supervisors. But, hey! I’m coming back next year. | https://medium.com/thelabs/spotlight-surgical-robotics-47dfbdd1aa28 | ['Qut Science'] | 2020-08-31 23:03:58.658000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Research', 'Robotics', 'Engineering', 'Medicine'] |
Why is Trump and idiot. | Why is Trump and idiot.
Lets start with the moral reasons why Trump is an idiot
He is racist, i have seen so many people saying he is not but the amount of circunstances i can give you when he was giving racist is to long, here are some though:
Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign with a speech in which he spoke about Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists (we should clarify here that he has been accused of beig a rapist so…) . And some, I assume, are good people.” He said that a judge with “Mexican heritage” should be disqualified from deciding cases against him. He retweeted false statistics claiming that African Americans are responsible for the majority of murders of white Americans, and in some speeches he has repeatedly linked African Americans and Hispanics with violent crime. During the campaign, Trump used the fears of the white working class voters, and created the impression of global danger of groups that are deemed to pose a challenge to the nation.
Testers from the New York City Human Rights Division had found that prospective Black renters at Trump buildings were told there were no apartments available, while prospective White renters were offered apartments at the same buildings. During the investigation four of Trump’s agents admitted to using a “C” or “9” code to label Black applicants and stated that they were told their company “discouraged rental to blacks” or that they were “not allowed to rent to black tenants,” and that prospective Black renters should be sent to the central office while White renters could have their applications accepted on site. Three doormen testified to being told to discourage prospective Black renters by lying about the rental prices or claiming no vacancies were available.A settlement was reached in 1975 where Trump agreed to familiarize himself with the Fair Housing Act, take out ads stating that Black renters were welcome, give a list of vacancies to the Urban League on a weekly basis, and allow the Urban League to present qualified candidates for 20% of vacancies in properties that were less than 10% non-White.
You can find more than 50 other circustances and this are not fake.
2. Weird behaviour with his own daughter.
Here are a couple of weird and creepy things Trump has said about Ivanka, his daughter.
#1 I like golf. We both like sex
When asked what he and his daughter both consider their favorite things, Trump answered, “I was going to say sex, but I can relate to [golf and real estate].”
There is no excuse for that one c’mon.
#2: Would Ivanka make a great Playmate?
“Ivanka posing for Playboy would be really disappointing… not really. But it would depend on what was inside the magazine…I don’t think Ivanka would [do a nude shoot] inside the magazine, Although she does have a very nice figure. I’ve said that if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”
That is one of the creepiest things i have ever read on my entire life.
#3: She has the ‘best body’ — and I created her
“You know who’s one of the great beauties of the world, according to everybody? And I helped create her. Ivanka. My daughter, Ivanka. She’s 6 feet tall, she’s got the best body.
I have to admit, maybe this one could be a little bit of a father trying to be nice to his daughter, but if we consider the other things he has said then it its creepy
#2: ‘If I weren’t her father’
“Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father….”
WHAT THE F!!!!!
Anyways, he has also been accusated of another weird things like trafficating children but that is a long theme , i can make a whole story about it, if you want it right now you can check anonymus twitter or youtube.
Here are some opinions i got from random people on the internet, make your own conclusions.
Antonio said: Our President is a disgrace to our nation. His values and ethics are poor. His skills as a leader are poor. His orator skills are poor. His ability to unify and act as a leader for our nation is nonexistent. It’s so blatantly obvious to everyone he doesn’t have the slightest desire to be a public servant it’s frightening. The scary thing is smart men and women in the Republican party are in support of this person regardless of his actions. When will this stop? Forget about being a Republican, forget about being a Democrat and follow the basic guidelines of being a decent person. His actions to many people in his own administration and in his supporting agencies is appalling. These are the people and departments that are in place to guide our nation in crisis and in times leading to crisis, or avoiding crisis. There are doctors with degrees in viral medicine that are terminated or reassigned for what appears to be speaking the truth, or for voicing ideas driven by fact and experience that are in contrast to the president’s ideas. Our president doesn’t appreciate their professionalism in any way. That’s simply wrong. For those of you that support Mr. Trump ask yourself if he is a decent man doing a decent job? If you can honestly say “yes” to those questions I would be surprised. Trump supporters are becoming increasingly emboldened by this questionably unstable president. This is very dangerous. Trump supporters, be mindful that the popular vote was for Mrs. Clinton, not our current president. He was awarded the presidency by a system wrought with questionable ideals and outcomes. Regardless, I concede it is our current system and we must abide by it. Let’s use it to put this dark time in the rear-view mirror!
Posted by an anonymus person: Donald trump is an incompetent, idiotic, and corrupt leader, who does nothing but fulfill his own needs in the presidency. He’s done such a terrible job in his 4 years of office, that I don’t think we’ve had a worse modern president. He’s done a terrible job handling the virus, he’s done a terrible job at helping our territories (IE: Puerto Rico, which isn’t a state, so it can’t fend for itself) and recently, is refusing to send aid to Michigan because he “Doesn’t support in-mail voting”. Like, wow. Imagine if you were from a state that had a catastrophic disaster, and the president simply refuses because he doesn’t like something. That is so childish, and I don’t think any president in recent history would do that. Herbert Hoover is probably the only exception to this, as he’s a staunch constitutionalist, and he wanted the states to be independent. (Which is unfortunate, as he was the president when the Great Depression started) However, Donald Trump hasn’t even read the constitution, so there’s a hug difference between the two for where ideologies go. He’s taking a drug that doctors have proven that doesn’t work against the virus, and he’s taking it anyways. Why? Because he wants to one-up everyone who’s right it seems, whether it be politicians, states, the people, doctors, everyone. I don’t understand how anyone could like a president who’s literally evaded taxes, and has had 11 sexual allegations during his campaign compared to Biden’s one. I don’t get why anyone would support such a man who literally orders the feds to seize equipment for hospitals, as directly and legally bought by the states. We’re not a socialist economy, he shouldn’t be legally allowed to seize any of the stuff the states buy. Why are people so idiotically protesting, spreading the virus, supporting a man that’s cheated his way through the past 4 years so he can avoid going to jail. He doesn’t care about America, he is not a true American, and anyone who supports him should feel shame for letting a man so corrupt have a single chance at winning another 4 more years, as he’s a man who knows nothing, knows no god, knows no politics, knows no public speaking skills besides waving his hands around and talking shit to everybody he wants.
Posted by WN: I think very soon Trump will claim himself to be the 2nd most powerful entity in the Universe. Just a little tiny bit behind the God, because there is one thing in common — Trump saved mankind from Covid-19. Don’t ask why, just believe !
Posted by Keegan Taylor: I voted for Trump because I was afraid of the blatant corruption of Hilary Clinton, but now I see that Trump is far more corrupt than Hilary would have ever been. Trump has enacted a great many laws and policies that give help to the rich and continue to take from the poor. He has brought hell on those who speak their mind, as is their right, because he didn’t like what they had to say about him. He has even gone so far as to construct and nearly implement ways to get his political rivals jailed. But all that pales in comparison to what he is doing today with his handling of COVID-19
He has outright failed the country in his ability to prevent, contain, or even somewhat control the spread of the Corona Virus, and now he is refusing to work with local or foreign authorities to find a way to stop it, all because he is afraid of being outvoted. He claims that the massive numbers of Americans who have come down with the virus are due to his organization testing so very much, which, as any medical professional could tell you, is not how that works in the slightest. He continues to deny the damage and the lives that are being lost as we speak because of his failures to provide even the most basic modicum of a sound strategy during this crisis. I’ve never feared that our country would fall apart due to corruption and incompetent leadership, but seeing how this has all played out, I can assuredly say that I am afraid. Terrified, more like it, because I cannot see a world where his transgressions are allowed to continue unimpeded come out on the other side undamaged. A world where he has free reign to continue to destroy the lives of Americans while the rest of his followers look on in amazement and scream “This is right!”. This must change and his actions must be accounted for.
Posted by Ivy Tamwood: Well, I used to be a Republican. I can’t see that I will be returning to that party any time in the near future…they have all been drinking some suspicious koolaid. Anyway, Trump needs to shut the hell up before he kills us all. It will be months, maybe years before we can go back to normal, if ever. Meanwhile, until we feel safe, we will not be going to restaurants, shopping, etc. And with people not wearing masks and not social distancing (which is what the president wants) it will take even longer. His precious economy will not come back as long as we don’t feel safe When you consider most Americans are immunocompromised in some way (obesity, diabetes, asthma, age, illness, etc.), we will not feel safe as long as people aren’t wearing masks or. Social distancing. This should not be a political issue but the Republicans insist on making it one.
Posted by Dennis Johnson: Four more years of Trump and America will not be America. Both Trump and the United States are the laughing stock of the world and now the US is to be pitied because it cannot, and could not respond to a crisis that could have easily resulted in far fewer deaths. Trump’s level of incompetence, lying, cheating, mismanagement and dereliction of duty is catastrophic. No human being has ever been so stupid and self serving. America was great once………..but not anymore and never will be again, unless Trump is out of the White House. There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how bad this man is, including those who do his bidding.
Posted by Brandon: America needs Trump, somebody who has been in the inner circles of the elite to help expose their corrupt nature. Sexual Occult practices related to Jeffrey Epstein are real. It is part of a J**ish occult ritual that was depicted in the Tal-mud. Satanism is rampant in the world, and it is disguised right in front of your faces through art and religious symbolism. Trump may have participated, but, that is the kind of person you need. Somebody who has the experience to say it like it is. Just like Ronald Bernard did, the Swiss Banker who confessed his job was to move money around for terrorist and government organizations which he acquired by invitation to a Secret Society of satanic ritualism.
They are trying to convince you Donald Trump is a fascist racist because he’s reversing the unfair Tax system that TAKES YOUR MONEY. Democrats want to raise your taxes to fight “climate change”, while trump slashed your taxes so you can have more money and so the Elite can take LESS OF YOUR MONEY. The Agenda was to siphon capital out of citizens hands and drive them directly into foreign relations pockets to fund certain ongoing wars.
You do the research, I’m sick and tired of people cussing at Donald Trump because he does not support radical left socialist ideologies. You democrats cry for more rights…rights, rights, rights,. You all sound like babies crying for your milk that was spilled from your mothers tits.
(Brandon seems like a disgusting person)
Posted by Michael Park: People have let the media brainwash them. Democrats want to destroy america and our freedoms. Wake up people.
Posted by Robert Bridges: This man is the most ignorant president this country has ever seen! He shows is stupidity by not wearing a mask. This guy could not organize a two-year-olds’ birthday party much less run this country!!!
There are a lot more if you want to gather some more here is the website from where i got it: https://va.org/poll/do-you-think-donald-trump-is-helping-or-hurting-america/
Thats it for today, thanks for reading. | https://medium.com/@loritoros/why-is-trump-and-idiot-9307ef470435 | [] | 2020-07-19 18:49:54.079000+00:00 | ['White House', 'Republicans', 'Trump', 'United States', 'Donald Trump'] |
All I Need to Know About User-Centered Design I Learned One Summer at Apple | All I Need to Know About User-Centered Design I Learned One Summer at Apple Kristy Knabe Follow May 14 · 3 min read
I loved the old rainbow Apple. Looked great on a t-shirt!
In 1991, I was in grad school at Carnegie Mellon and I got a summer internship at Apple Computer. Little did I know this would be a life-changing summer. My internship was with Apple’s fledgling User-Aided Design team, a team started by a small segment of people who worked in the Instructional Products group who were responsible for writing Apple’s user manuals. Back then Apple shipped products with beautiful 4-color manuals. I wish I had a few of those today — they would be on my coffee table.
Personal computing was an emerging technology in 1991 and most people were pretty intimidated by the thought of having a computer on their desk. So the manuals had to explain everything from unpacking the box (which is how the Set Up Poster originated) to how to turn on the computer. Even the desktop metaphor was new — so usability testing was critical to product success. Did the illustrations make sense? Was the packaging organized so the user could figure out what to do first, what to do next? Did the first steps in an online tutorial (Macromedia!) make sense to even the most novice user? Only the users could really tell us how the hardware, software, packaging and documentation came together to form an integrated product.
That summer I learned the think-aloud protocol. I learned how to give users instructions about usability research and how to have them sign an NDA. I learned to run elaborate soundboards and recording equipment in a test lab. I learned to interact with users through one-way glass and find ways to make them comfortable even when the test protocols could be pretty intimidating. I learned how to write tasks from a user’s point of view and watch users without saying much at all. I learned to ask “what would you expect” and “what do you think” more than I could ever imagine! I learned to analyze users’ comments, questions and actions. I learned to edit video on very difficult video editing equipment to create those few critical highlights for the stakeholders and management team. I was with the group who were organizing the Usability Professionals Association’s (UPA) first annual conference in Orem, Utah so I learned the value of meeting with other people who were dedicated to improving usability. I also was fortunate to learn what went into organizing a professional conference. Those were exciting times.
I was hired full-time at Apple in January 1992 and worked there throughout the 90s. Those were challenging years at Apple but the User-Aided Design group grew and usability was a main focus of product design. I saw some products succeed and many more fail. But the “failures” always led to better products, experiences and designs. So Apple’s bad years in the 90s led to some very (very!) good years down the line. And a lot of the user research informed product designs.
I have spent almost 30 years in the User-Centered Design field. Somewhere along the way, we became UX Researchers, UX Strategists, UXers. The UPA became the UXPA. I have worked in many different industries, on marketing teams, engineering teams, product design teams and in innovation and ideation labs. It has been a great career that I continue to love.
And some things have changed. There are no labs with fancy equipment and one-way mirrors anymore. The video editing takes hours and not weeks. Recruiting users is much easier and incentives cost much less. But most of what I learned that summer in 1991 at Apple I still use every day. Or at least every week. The basics of User-Centered Design have stood the test of time — watch users, don’t just ask; define primary users and tasks and support them in design; iterative testing is the most effective so test early and test often; and decide key product design decisions in the lab (virtual now) and not the conference room.
The summer of 1991 changed my life. And a few products changed too thanks to the skills I learned. | https://medium.com/marketade/all-i-need-to-know-about-user-centered-design-i-learned-one-summer-at-apple-89df72bc7ae | ['Kristy Knabe'] | 2020-05-14 16:29:24.196000+00:00 | ['User Experience', 'UX', 'Apple', 'User Research'] |
4 Stylish Outfits to Wear With Short Hair | 4 Stylish Outfits to Wear With Short Hair
Undergoing change is frightening and with it comes risks (lots of them!). Going out of our comfort zone (fashion-wise) is undeniably the best thing because it’s only through actual trial-and-error that we discover what styles best suit us.
Contrary to popular belief, maintaining short hair is not as difficult as people make it out to be. Although having more than three inches of your hair cut off in one sitting can be daunting, especially if you are accustomed to having long locks frame your face, the after-feeling is the most liberating thing. A win-win for you, your bank account and the planet — you end up using less bath and styling products, take less time in the shower, and don’t have to purchase products as frequently.
With a new ‘do comes a different set of challenges to face on the daily: finding the right outfits to complement your new cut (and of course, ending up with a hair style that works well with your face shape!). In the event that things go south with your new look, remind yourself that it’s only temporary! In a few weeks, it will grow back to a length that’ll be more comfortable for you.
Nevertheless, having short hair should not deter women from sporting outfits that will make them feel beautiful and confident. If it’s your first time to sport short hair, here are some outfit ideas that will put your mind at ease when it comes to choosing what to wear.
1. Puff Sleeves
Everyone has their off days — yes, your hair dresser included. No matter how familiar he or she may be with your facial features, there can be instances wherein your desired haircut won’t turn out as expected. As frustrating as it may be, it does happen; and for sure, everyone’s experienced it at least once (if that’s any consolation!).
Keeping that scenario in mind, the best thing you can do is to use your outfit as a distraction in order to prevent people from staring at your botched haircut. If you feel like your hair turned out to be shorter than expected, pair it with a more feminine top to balance it out — such as a puff sleeve top or an off-shoulder blouse for example.
2. Little Black Dress | https://thread.zalora.com.ph/4-stylish-outfits-to-wear-with-short-hair-8dc36c54ecd | ['Maria Daniella Alessandra Katigbak'] | 2019-10-08 08:25:50.781000+00:00 | ['Style', 'Outfits', 'Fashion', 'Hair', 'Influencers'] |
Bitcoin Bull Market Diaries Volume 1 with Hodlonaut | Hodlonaut is a long time friend and ardent Bitcoiner whom many of you know as the legendary Space Cat! Hodlonaut was the very first Bitcoin Bear Market Diary, so I thought it would only be fitting that he kick off the Bitcoin Bull Market Diaries series. Best known for his work on creating the viral sensation of passing the Lightning Torch, Hodlonaut’s perspective and insight is something everyone can learn from.
Name: Hodlonaut
Country: Norway
How do people know you?
Probably from my twitter account @hodlonaut.
How long have you been into Bitcoin?
I discovered Bitcoin in 2013
Best Bitcoin experience?
The whole LNTrustChain experience and the overwhelming love and support I received after CSW went after me. Both really drove home how strong and supportive the bitcoin community is. Yes, I know some people claim there isn’t a thing called the bitcoin community. To me this is mere semantics and word splitting, as I have clearly experienced its existence.
Worst Bitcoin experience?
Getting legally harassed and threatened in the crypto space.
What do you think is Bitcoin’s biggest threat?
I still believe the social attack vector is the biggest threat. Fortunately we now have an army of supremely motivated toxic plebs to keep this threat at bay. It seems we have actually learned from history and bad actors are called out ruthlessly.
What are your thoughts on the various Bitcoin forks?
None of them are founded on honest intentions. They are attacks. Failed attacks that ended up strengthening the Honeybadger’s armor.
What are you optimistic about in this space?
I am extremely optimistic about Bitcoin. I am humbled on a daily basis by the smart, cool, hard working and principled people working to push Bitcoin forward. It really feels like a once in a lifetime chance to profoundly change the world, and I believe it’s actually happening in front of our eyes.
Slowly. Then all at once.
Biggest regret during the last Bear market and what did you learn?
I don’t really do regrets, but it was stupid to buy alts in an attempt to get more btc back in early 2018.
What is the biggest fail you observed during the last bear market?
People abandoning every shred of their credibility and integrity by shilling various forks.
What do you think helped turn things around to the current Bull market?
Part of it is just the market cycle. But behind that, every fundamental metric has improved. Hashrate is now 5x what it was when price reached ATH in December 2017. Lightning Network has been proven, and its ecosystem grown and matured. Regulatory uncertainty much improved, custody solutions, institutional on-ramps etc etc.. This bull market will be epic.
Who are the heroes of the last Bear market?
All the people that just kept building.
All the people that just kept hodling.
All the people that just kept educating.
Why do you think alt-coins are still struggling?
Death of altcoin use case narratives, combined with constantly more obvious and proven Bitcoin use cases.
Throughout the bear market the influx of new people was lower, toxic bitcoiners managed to keep the scams at bay. When this bull market heats up and we get some euphoria and hordes of new people, we will see if alts make a (temporary) comeback.
What do you have to say to those who claim alt-season is coming?
You may be right. But at this point I doubt it will be strong, nor long lasting.
Do you hold any alts? If not, why?
Back in early 2018 I got greedy and loaded up some alt bags. The market was very irrational at that point, and I thought I could increase my BTC stack. That didn’t happen, and I ended up decreasing my stack instead.
I still hold one of those bags as a pet and reminder to not buy alts.
What do you think about the upcoming Bitcoin halving and what it will do to the price of Bitcoin?
I think the impact of only 900BTC being mined per day, combined with steadily increasing demand will kickstart an acellerated virtuous cycle of higher price — more demand — higher price. The reality of how scarce bitcoin really is will start to make itself shown.
What do you think makes Bitcoin superior to anything else out there?
It had years to grow roots in obscurity, making it a truly decentralized phenomenon that has already survived several heavy handed attacks. All the brightest, most motivated and most principled people in crypto are working on Bitcoin. Comparing it to anything else is ridiculous in my opinion.
Do you think central banks are or will be accumulating Bitcoin?
I don’t think they are. I definitely think they will.
How do you feel about the current state and future of lightning network?
LN is extremely exciting technology. Some of the brightest heads on the planet is working hard every day to move it forward. Instant microtransactions, in essence streaming payments, is so disruptive it’s hard to grasp. I think LN will be how the world transacts, while the base layer is for settlements and store of value.
What are your thoughts on HODLing Bitcoin?
Hodling is the conviction layer of Bitcoin. You cannot understand the promise of bitcoin and not hodl. It is the natural destination for every person entering the bitcoin rabbit hole. Hodlers of last resort form the bedrock of bitcoin valuation. To hodl strong you must master low time preference, so it is character building. Hard to master — then as easy as breathing.
What are your thoughts on Bitcoin Maximalism?
I don’t think everyone agrees what Bitcoin Maximalism entails. I’m not sure myself. But if we understand it as rejecting other crypto projects and believing Bitcoin will be the only one left standing, based on true decentralization and immutability, I think it’s something that most people in crypto inevitably will end up as. Bitcoin Maximalism is natural, rational and healthy for the space. I don’t subscribe to the «everything else than Bitcoin is a scam» narrative though.
Thoughts on the notion of bitcoinization now?
I definitely think hyperbitcoinization will happen. The world desperately needs true, scarce value and immutable truth to build on. Bitcoin is a black hole, there is no escape for inferior money.
What do you think Bitcoin dominance will do as the price increases?
My guess is Bitcoin dominance will increase until we reach ATH, then have a slight and temporary correction as new people come flocking in to the space and fall prey for alt narratives.
What will someone have to do to prove they are the real Satoshi Nakamoto?
Personally, I wouldn’t even take signing with the genesis block as definitive proof, but that would be as close as possible I guess. The real Satoshi Nakamoto will never try to prove who he is.
What Bitcoin startups are you excited about?
I think Lolli is really great for adoption and stacking sats. Also, as a Norwegian, I’m looking forward to Norwegian Block Exchange launching this year.
What “crypto influencers” do you think get it wrong and why?
Everyone who shills Bcash, BSV, Ripple or Etherium. For obvious reasons.
What “crypto influencers” do you think get it right and why?
There are so many great voices out there, so it’s hard to pick. But Pierre Rochard gets it consistently right. He is a toxic bitcoin scholar and a gentleman.
Where do you envision the market heading in the next 5 years?
To the moon. Possibly beyond the moon.
Best tips for storing Bitcoin?
A hardware wallet like Trezor or Coldcard wallet. Then have a good solution for storing the seed securely.
Any tips you want to give to people new to Bitcoin?
Keep learning, keep stacking sats. This will happen on its own though. The Bitcoin rabbit hole doesn’t let anyone out and schools everyone in the end.
Name some of your favorite information sources and/or podcasts in the space.
Bitcoin Twitter is the MVP for me in regards to being and information source.
There are some great podcasts out there. My favorites are The Stephan Livera Podcast, Tales From The Crypt and What Bitcoin Did.
Some lesser known Bitcoin podcasts that are top quality and deserve more listeners are “Bottomshelf Bitcoin”, “Fun With Crypto”, “Citizen Bitcoin” and “Bitcoin and..”.
I have huge respect for all these content providers, who do very important work to continously improve our collective maps and understanding of everything Bitcoin.
What is your fascination with Tacos?
I’ve loved tacos since I was a kid. I especially like the fact that they are spicy and that the best ones are sold by street vendors. If you try too hard when you make tacos they won’t be as tasty. You can put everything you want in them and they are best enjoyed with friends and family. Any last words of wisdom?
I’ll let Marcus Aurelius round this off.
“If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.” | https://medium.com/hackernoon/bitcoin-bull-market-diaries-volume-1-with-hodlonaut-972ba806aead | ['Pirate Beachbum'] | 2019-08-23 00:01:50.367000+00:00 | ['Investing', 'Hodlonaut', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin'] |
The Denon Home series of wireless speakers will soon answer to Alexa | The Denon Home series of wireless speakers will soon answer to Alexa Jonathan Jan 16·3 min read
Denon Home wireless speakers are about to get smart, with an upcoming firmware update that will add Alexa to support. The Home series is part of Denon’s HEOS multi-room audio ecosystem. Alongside the Alexa news, Denon is unveiling the Home Sound Bar 550, an all-in-one Dolby Atmos soundbar that’s also in the HEOS family.
Related products Denon DHT-S216H Read TechHive's reviewSee it Denon says that a firmware update coming this spring will add Alexa support for its wireless Home speakers, including the 150, 250, 350, and new 550 models. Each of those speakers and soundbars already come equipped with built-in microphones, which have been dormant up to this point.
After installing the update, users will have the option to enable Alexa, and once they do, their Home speakers will act just like standard Echo speakers, complete with the ability to play music, adjust the speaker volume, answer questions, and control smart home devices, all via voice command.
[ Further reading: The best soundbars ]The built-in microphones in Denon’s Home speakers won’t be activated unless they’re manually enabled, and users can choose not to enable Alexa if they wish, Denon said.
The firmware update will essentially turn Denon’s Home speakers, which are capable of decoding high-resolution audio—including DSD files—into full-on smart speakers, making them poised to compete with the likes of the Amazon Echo, the Google Nest Audio, and the Sonos One (which comes with both Alexa and Google Assistant on board, although only one can be active at a time).
Meanwhile, Denon has just unveiled the Home Sound Bar 550, an all-in-one soundbar that supports immersive Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio. You can read more about those home theater audio formats in this story.
Slated to ship in February for $599, the Home Sound Bar 550 will come equipped with a fabric-covered front panel, complete with controls that light when built-in proximity sensors detect an approaching hand.
The Sound Bar 550’s six-driver array includes four two-inch full-range drivers and two 0.19-inch tweeters, while two passive radiators provide low-frequency effects.
You can upgrade the HEOS-enabled Sound Bar 550 by adding a pair of smaller Home speakers as surrounds and Denon’s wireless DSW-1H subwoofer, although doing so would push the overall price well north of $1,000.
Denon You can upgrade the sound of the all-in-one Denon Home Sound Bar 550 by adding a pair of smaller Home speakers as surrounds and Denon’s DSW-1H subwoofer.
While the Home Sound Bar 550 supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, it lacks upfiring drivers that bounce the required height cues off the ceiling. Instead, the Sound Bar 550 uses virtualization to achieve its height effects, an increasingly common (and often effective) solution to delivering 3D audio without upfiring drivers or in-ceiling speakers.
As for inputs and outputs, the Sound Bar 550 comes with two HDMI ports: an HDMI-ARC port that supports eARC, an “enhanced” version of ARC that can handle lossless audio, and a standard HDMI input with 4K video passthrough. There’s also an optical (Toslink) port, a 3.5mm jack, a USB port that supports music playback on a thumbdrive (including FLAC, WAV, ALAC, and DSD files up to 24-bit/192kHz), and an ethernet port.
Besides its upcoming Alexa support, the Home Sound Bar 550 is a Roku TV Ready soundbar, which means users will get on-screen setup instructions and settings when using the soundbar with a Roku TV.
The Sound Bar 550 also supports Apple’s AirPlay 2, as well as direct streaming from subscription music services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music HD, and Tidal. Even better, smart home enthusiasts will be able to take advantage of the soundbar’s included software drivers for Control4, Crestron, URC, and Elan smart platforms.
We’ll have a full review of the Home Sound Bar 550 once we spend some time with a sample unit.
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/@jonatha96406315/the-denon-home-series-of-wireless-speakers-will-soon-answer-to-alexa-fb04fbe0c199 | [] | 2021-01-16 00:39:35.230000+00:00 | ['Audio', 'Security Cameras', 'Music', 'Streaming'] |
React app with authentication with hooks and redux-toolkit. | I was inspired to write this article when I saw the redux-toolkit https://redux-toolkit.js.org/ and how we can use it to reduce the effort of writing lot of many lines of codes for action and constants in redux.
The application will have a basic authentication from a mock api and listing of data from https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/. The article will cover how to implement React in Typescript , how to wire redux-toolkit and hooks in a React application.
Initially create a login form and on submit , call the function/actions in the slice.
Here is a sample slice for login. The beauty and simplicity of redux-toolkit is we don’t need any separate files for action , enums and reducers. Everything can come from a single authentication slice.
User listing from external API — https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users.Intially create a user listing template using ANTD and its interface.
Now create a user slice where we have the function to call the external API’s and update the state of the application. Bind the corresponding user slice to the central store of the application
Here is the GitHub link for the reference code — https://github.com/jkrrishac/redux-toolkit-hooks-authentication | https://medium.com/@j.krrishchandran/react-app-with-authentication-and-basic-listing-using-typescript-hooks-and-redux-toolkit-307314d2733d | [] | 2021-09-13 05:17:06.565000+00:00 | ['Redux Toolkit', 'React Hook', 'Reactjs'] |
What’s In My Kitchen Pantry | What’s In My Kitchen Pantry
Essential Seasonings for Everyday French Cooking
If someone asked me what I would take from my pantry if I knew I was going to be shipwrecked, I would probably answer just 3 things: sea salt, Espelette pepper, and herbes de Provence. Well, 4, if you include a glass of wine, which I personally consider central to French living and almost as important as any of the seasonings I listed above. For me, those three things are indispensable for everyday French home cooking. Though if my wife overheard this, she would promptly burst out laughing before opening my cabinets and exposing all my lies.
Pantry photo by Artem Kostelnyuk on unsplash.com
Pantries are easily filled with items you only use for one recipe before relegating them to the back corners of your cabinet. So, I will start with the basics and provide hints where you could keep going if you were so inclined.
Let’s begin with the basic seasonings.
The Holy Trinity of Salts
At home, I use 3 different kinds of sea salt, each with a specific purpose.
Adobe stock photo
La Baleine brand fine sea salt comes from the Mediterranean, and you will find it in every single French home. This is our everyday, all-purpose salt. Think of it as the Morton salt of France. It’s a naturally white sea salt dried using only the power of the sun and wind. It has a fantastic clean flavor that won’t overpower subtle flavors.
Fleur de sel (flower of salt) is made by evaporating seawater, then hand-harvesting the large crystals that float to the surface. It’s a crunchy finishing salt that I love to sprinkle over grilled steaks or lamb chops at the last minute. Try using it with caramelized sweets and even chocolate mousse.
Try my Apple Beignet with Salted Caramel Recipe
Sel gris (gray salt) is a damp, mineral-rich, coarse sea salt from the famed Guérande region of France. Whereas fleur de sel is harvested off the top, sel gris is found in the bottom of the evaporation pits. It is a perfect salt for making duck confit and dishes that need to cook longer.
Herbs and Spices
Adobe stock photo
I remember the small window herb box that surprisingly survived the brutally harsh Chicago winters in my mother’s warm and cozy kitchen. It provided a burst of bright, fresh flavor to all the French dishes that we cooked at home.
We grew copious quantities of thyme, tarragon, parsley, chives, and rosemary. And in the summertime, we added basil to our garden mix. As you explore the following recipes, you undoubtedly will see the practicality of having your own kitchen herb box.
Espelette pepper is a mildly hot chile pepper that is dried, then ground into a powder. Its characteristic smoky-sweet flavor adds the perfect balance of mild heat to any dish. It has largely replaced black pepper in my kitchen and is essential for Basque dishes like pipérade and Basque chicken.
photo by Francois de Melogue
Though traditionally from the Basque region, Espelette can now be found growing all over the world. One of my favorite producers, Piment d’Ville, grows over 10 percent of the world’s production in Boonville, California, and can easily be found online. You can substitute sweet paprika for Espelette pepper, but I recommend adding this flavorful pepper to your pantry. You’ll be glad you did.
Try my Piment d’Ville Donuts with Moroccan Hot Chocolate
photo by Francois de Melogue
Herbes de Provence is a highly useful dried herb blend that usually includes savory, fennel, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, and thyme. For some strange reason, most American versions add lavender. It’s probably because most people associate Provence with the vast lavender fields of the Valensole plateau.
Try my simple roast chicken with 39 cloves of garlic
Bouquet Garnis, photo by Francois de Melogue
Bouquet garni is a bundle of fragrant herbs tied together with a string and used to flavor stocks, soups, and most braises. Tie a sprig of thyme, fresh parsley, and a bay leaf together and, voilà, you just made your first bouquet garni. Feel free to add any herbs that you are growing in your own garden or that you are particularly fond of. I love both summer and winter savory and tend to use one of them as much as I do thyme in a bouquet garni.
Try Paul Bocuse’s Famous Beef Bourguignon
My go-to spices are nutmeg for creamy potato gratin and an incredible French-style macaroni and cheese gratin; star anise and stick cinnamon for bastions of home cooking like lentil salad and the quintessential Sunday lunch pot-au-feu; indispensable saffron for the bouillabaisse. Finally, white and black pepper. French chefs are very opinionated about which pepper they prefer. I use both.
The 3 Fats of France
The American journalist Waverley Root wrote an interesting book entitled, The Foods of France. In it, he argued that French food could be divided into sections based principally upon the fat they cooked with: butter, oil, or lard (animal fat).
Largely, I would have to agree that all are very central to the regional cuisines they represent. Though I would caution the overeager reader that while this may be true, not one single relative of mine has them all. In fact, most just use one single fat.
Animal fats like duck and goose fat and pork lard are irreplaceable in French country cooking. It is hard to imagine the cooking of Southwest France with its hearty cassoulet, duck confit, and pork rillettes without it.
Try this insane Pork Rillette Croque Monsieur!
As you build your French pantry, I would suggest making what I call a “super fat.” All year long, I save rendered pork and duck fat in quart-sized containers in my freezer. Each time I cook my Crispy Duck Confit, I strain the remaining fat and refreeze it. The flavor keeps getting more intense and makes everything cooked in it more delicious. I have had my current batch of super fat for 5 years.
Butter is, by far, the fat most commonly associated with the French. French butter is golden-hued and contains far less water than typical American butter. Do yourself a favor and invest in a grass-fed French or Irish butter. It may cost a bit more, but the flavor and texture are vastly superior to what we all grew up with. It is perfect for everything from nibbling on crunchy radishes dipped in fleur de sel to quick pan sauces. I only use unsalted butter and will add fleur de sel by hand if I need salted butter.
I have noticed that, during the summer months, the amount of animal fat and butter I use considerably decreases, while my consumption of olive oil increases. I like to joke that my stomach goes to Provence every summer, where the cooking style is much more vegetable-based and simple grilled meats and fish rule the table.
As a self-proclaimed olive oil addict, I can tell you with no uncertainty that I usually have 5 or 6 different extra-virgin olive oils with flavor profiles ranging from tropical bananas to sharper, more peppery notes. I also have a less expensive every day cooking olive oil on hand.
Tucked away in the far reaches of my pantry is a bottle of walnut oil; I only use it in certain salads like my blue cheese, toasted walnut, and endive salad, but life would be incomplete without it.
If you only own one kind of vinegar, it should be a real red wine vinegar; I use a considerable amount of it for my daily simple green salad. If you want a larger vinegar selection, I would suggest adding tarragon vinegar, a necessary component of a rich bearnaise sauce (tarragon flavored hollandaise), and a welcome splash to my favorite chicken with tarragon and mustard recipe. I use sherry vinegar sparingly and the occasional splash of older balsamic on salads.
People may question why those two make the French pantry list. France is a small country that shares its borders with many other nations, and ingredients are not so good at staying within their confines. The culinary borders between Italy and Provence, Spain and the Basque region, Germany and Alsace, are blurs.
Mustards
Not a day passes that my family does not use copious amounts of Dijon mustard in our cooking. In fact, we use so much that I am surprised that my favorite mustard company, Fallot, does not wonder why sales plummet when we are on vacation.
Fallot is the last independent, family-run mustard mill in Burgundy and makes the best mustard in France. I use their traditional Dijon and coarse-ground mustards; both are fantastic in sauces and salad dressings and as an accompaniment to charcuterie.
Try my recipe for creamy Dijon chicken.
Purple Mustard
One of my favorites, as well as being among the most unique mustards around, is Moutarde Violette de Brive, which horribly translates online as “purple condiment.” It is a purple mustard made with the grape must leftover from winemaking. I have savored countless grilled steaks dressed in nothing more than a few flakes of sea salt and a big spoonful of violette mustard.
Staple Fruit and Vegetables
The French are one of the thriftiest nations in the world. Absolutely nothing goes to waste. Dried orange zest is used to liven up a daube of beef or bouillabaisse with a bright citrusy undertone.
Every time I eat an orange, I trim the peel off and hang it in a dry, well-ventilated spot for about 5 days. I collect all of my dried peels and store them in a jar in my pantry for future use.
Drying orange peels, photo by Francois de Melogue
I like to stock plenty of lemons. They make a welcome addition to simple roast chicken or when squeezed over a fresh piece of fish. I like lemon zest grated over my asparagus and even sautéed mushrooms. The use of citrus is vital in balancing flavor and mouthfeel.
No self-respecting French kitchen would be considered complete without shallots, garlic, onions, celery, carrots, and leeks. If you can find the famous French fingerling potato known as a Ratte at your farmers’ market, then include it, too. They are incredibly delicious cooked in a spoonful of golden duck fat and crisped with slivers of garlic and chopped fresh thyme.
Disclaimer
A lot of people have asked me what essential kitchen tools and seasonings I recommend. I prepared a list of my fundamental kitchen tools every serious home cook should have.
Essential Kitchen Tools: https://kit.co/cheffrancois/kitchen-essentials-must-have-tools
Essential Kitchen Spices: https://kit.co/cheffrancois/kitchen-essentials-must-have-kitchen-seasonings
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate marketing program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When you click an affiliate link I earn a small percentage at no extra fee to you. Thank you for choosing my link.
This story came from my cookbook French Cooking For Beginner’s which is available online at Amazon. 75+ Classic Recipes to Help You Cook Like a Parisian. | https://pistouandpastis.medium.com/whats-in-my-kitchen-pantry-a2ddd32b6c2a | ['Francois De Melogue'] | 2020-09-01 13:07:00.189000+00:00 | ['Kitchen Essentials', 'Spices', 'French Cooking', 'Kitchen Pantry', 'Pantry'] |
An Army of Bacteria Protects Vaginal Health | An Army of Bacteria Protects Vaginal Health
Highly specialized bacterial probiotics maintain balance
Photo by Daily Nouri on Unsplash
Years ago I was a “specimen” in a research study. I drank the fermented water of pap each day for several weeks. Then, I was given a stick to swab around my vaginal surface. Microbiological tests were performed on the swab stick to check for the presence and quantity of the probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). Of course, the probiotic was observed in sufficient quantity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defined probiotics as live microorganisms that have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body in adequate amounts.
Probiotics are dietary supplements containing beneficial microorganisms especially bacteria and yeast. Probiotics can also be obtained from foods prepared by bacterial fermentation. Examples of such food include yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso, pickles, and some type of cheese, not forgetting the fermented water of pap.
Photo by Cristiano Pinto on Unsplash
Our bodies have good and bad bacteria
Our body are filled with healthy bacteria, but also can be exposed to harmful bacteria. Probiotics are known as good, friendly, and healthy bacteria. Antibiotics kill bacteria both good and bad bacteria. Probiotics, therefore, help to restore the good bacteria lost to lost frequent or prolonged use of anti-bacterial medication.
A highly specialized army of bacteria exists in the vagina. These bacteria are always at work keeping the vagina pH balanced, healthy, and in good order. These bacteria fight hostile and unhealthy bacteria.
However, antibiotics use can disrupt this balance. Also, an overgrowth of other microorganisms like bacteria and yeast can cause an imbalance and lead to infections. Hence, the need for probiotics. Some medications used to treat these infections also contain some amount of probiotics to restore the normal flora of the vagina.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most common strain of probiotics in the series of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) for maintaining a healthy vaginal balance and promoting vaginal health.
There is also Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus reuteri. A study published in the Clinical Microbiology and Infection Journal indicate these strains stick to vaginal epithelial surfaces thereby making it more difficult for hostile bacteria to grow. Thus, vaginal balance is maintained. Hydrogen peroxide, lactic acid, and bacteriocins are produced by the Lactobacillus spp which inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria that cause bacterial vaginosis (a bacterial infection in the vagina).
Capsules, vaginal suppositories, or probiotic foods can help prevent and treat distorted vaginal pH and promote vaginal health. A 2014 study carried out showed that oral consumption, as well as vaginal administration of probiotics, help in the prevention and treatment of bacterial vaginosis and an overall improvement in vaginal health.
Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash
Experts prefer whole foods to supplement as sources of probiotics. Yogurt containing live cultures has been proven to be one of the best sources of lactobacilli.
Consumption of probiotic-containing foods in a healthy woman, like me, has potential benefits with no known risks. You may want to ask how I felt after taking the probiotics for that period of time. The good bacteria multiplied, stuck to my vaginal epithelial surface, and made it more difficult for hostile bacteria to grow. My vagina was happy and healthy, and so was I! | https://medium.com/beingwell/probiotics-and-vaginal-health-7bc651aa87d4 | ['Deborah Agbakwuru'] | 2020-05-27 01:30:13.535000+00:00 | ['Womens Health', 'Medication', 'Health', 'Health Foods', 'Supplements'] |
Four Things to Do Before You Publish That Will Help Your Book Sell | 1. Get a good cover
This is the single most important selling tool your book is going to have. If you can only afford to pay for one thing to market your book, get a good cover.
So what is a good cover?
A good cover is genre-specific. I get it, you don’t want your book-baby to look like all the other books in the store. Your work needs to stand out. It’s a piece of art, right? Wrong. Your book cover is packaging, not art. Your book cover has one job — get the attention of your reader.
Readers of all genres know what they like, and they know what that looks like. Remember, you’re trying to sell your book in an online store with literally millions of other books. If a reader happens upon your book, all they will see in the first instance is a tiny thumbnail image of your cover. That cover has to catch their eye, which is scanning for something their brain already has pre-programmed — what their favorite books look like. If yours is too different their eye will skip right past.
You have about two seconds to catch a potential reader’s eye with your cover. Don’t waste those two seconds. I learned this the hard way. My first books went through three cover iterations before I finally got covers that sell. And the difference in sales was amazing.
If you want to sell books, a good cover is essential. I highly recommend enlisting the services of a professional cover designer for this step. | https://writingcooperative.com/four-things-to-do-before-you-publish-that-will-help-your-book-sell-9ce349eea683 | ['Catherine Lee'] | 2020-12-24 18:03:56.363000+00:00 | ['Writing Tips', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Writing', 'Self Publishing', 'Authors'] |
Impeach Now — Part 2 — Diplomatic Ignorance | I’m going to spell out why I believe Donald Trump needs to be impeached immediately.
Taiwan
This one I noticed due to part of my family that was living in Taiwan at the time.
Taiwan is an interesting country politically. When the communist takeover of China occurred, the existing government fled to the island of Taiwan. My understanding is that they exist there as the Republic of China after losing the mainland.
From the perspective of the People’s Republic of China (mainland) however, Taiwan is part of their country. Since Nixon’s visit to China, that has been US policy as well.
Nixon: …Principle one. There is one China, and Taiwan is a part of China. There will be no more statements made — if I can control our bureaucracy — to the effect that the status of Taiwan is undetermined. …Second, we have not and will not support any Taiwan independence movement. Third, we will, to the extent we are able, use our influence to discourage Japan from moving into Taiwan as our presence becomes less, and also discourage Japan from supporting a Taiwan independence movement… The fourth point is that we will support any peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue that can be worked out. And related to that point, we will not support any military attempts by the Government on Taiwan to resort to a military return to the Mainland. Finally, we seek the normalization of relations with the People’s Republic. We know that the issue of Taiwan is a barrier to complete normalization, but within the framework I have previously described we seek normalization and we will work toward that goal and will try to achieve it.
There has been a tenuous peace where we trade with both countries but pretend that Taiwan isn’t self-ruled.
And then we elected a man who is dangerously unaware.
My uncle uprooted his family and moved back to the US, because the future of Taiwan is too uncertain. | https://medium.com/@gregory.boyce/impeach-now-part-2-b638b4b2b49c | ['Gregory Boyce'] | 2019-07-22 18:24:08.465000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Taiwan', 'China', 'Impeachment'] |
COVID-19 Racial Disparities; How White Privilege Still Exist In America Today | By Grace Ralstin
As a college student majoring in political science, I’ve been fascinated by American politics more than ever before. I always try to stay open-minded and always use facts as the foundation for my opinion; which brings me to what I will be discussing in this article. During the world pandemic, I’ve heard a lot of conversation about how COVID-19 has been approached by the Trump Administration. I’ve heard even more about inequality and racism, which has also been a political controversy during the year 2020. With that being stated, many Americans debate about whether or not white privilege still exists in this country today, and I’ll be analyzing the facts to debunk this controversial topic.
Many Americans acknowledge how the United States has a significant amount of COVID-19 cases compared to any other country, along with how the United States has the highest COVID-19 death rate in the world. As of December 16th, 2020, the United States has reached 311,073 deaths (Elflein). It is evident that COVID-19 is a serious issue in America, but are we paying attention to which Americans are struggling the most? Many individuals don’t want to acknowledge how the coronavirus is striking minorities the hardest, specifically the black community. According to amfAR, the foundation for Aids Research, research indicates that “22% of U.S. counties are disproportionately black, and those counties account for 52% of COVID-19 cases and 58% of COVID-19 deaths” (Zarefsky). It is not a coincidence how minority communities are impacted much more fatally compared to white communities; structural racism is a tactic our government engrains into public policy, explaining why minorities are struggling far worse than whites. According to a non-profit organization called Erase Racism, the term structural racism is defined as “The historical and ongoing racial discrimination and segregation of African-Americans/blacks in particular, which is typically instigated or sanctioned by government” (INFOGRAPHIC Structural Racism).
The U.S. unemployment rates don’t necessarily impact the COVID-19 cases in a community. According to an article called The Persistent Black-White Unemployment Gap Is Built Into the Labor Market, it states “Many economists find it promising that the U.S. unemployment rate fell from a high of 14.7 percent in April 2020 to 8.4 percent in August 2020… Significantly, however, unemployment rates have not fallen for everyone: The Black unemployment rate reached a high of 16.6 percent in May 2020, and as of August 2020, it was still at 13.2 percent. Conversely, the white unemployment rate fell to 6.9 percent in August 2020 from a high of 12.8 percent in April, or nearly half of the Black unemployment rate” (Ajilore). Statistically, African-Americans have a 2:1 ratio unemployment rate compared to white Americans. Quite often, I’ll hear white Americans say how African-Americans should be fortunate about how they have higher unemployment rates compared to whites, which supposedly means they’re much less likely to contract COVID-19 by not working. However, this assumption is simply not true because even though African-Americans have twice as high unemployment rates compared to whites, African-Americans are also twice as likely to die from COVID-19 compared to whites.
The unemployment rates are not a correlating factor that contributes to the cases of COVID-19, but one’s job sector most definitely determines the risk of an individual contracting the virus. According to an article, it explains, “This was due in part to the prevalence of workers in essential jobs — which are disproportionately held by African Americans and other people of color — Essential jobs, however, are often in the low-earnings sector, do not offer hazard pay, and put workers at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus” (Ajilore). The black community and other individuals of color are not in favor of continuing to work at their jobs that expose them to the public, increasing their chances of contracting COVID-19.
Essentially, many minorities are cycled through the ins and outs of structural racism that the government influences, which is why COVID-19 spreads so quickly in minority communities. The cycle starts with housing discrimination, according to an article published by Vox, it states, “Discriminatory housing policies like redlining have made it harder to maintain social distance. Unequal education and job opportunities have compelled people to take on higher-risk work. Worse healthcare access has bred more underlying medical conditions” (Samuel). When people of color live in neighborhoods with residential segregation, this leads to unequal education opportunities. Individuals who have less access to educational resources tend to be frontline workers, having more exposure to the public which makes these workers more likely to contract COVID-19. Therefore, the cycle of racial discrimination is the biggest influence as to why the coronavirus has spread so vigorously throughout minority communities in the United States. White communities don’t have to face the hardships that come from the cycle of structural racism, which is a clear-cut example of white privilege.
Many individuals of color, specifically the black community, are aware of the bias that the American healthcare system has upheld for decades. Their position on this issue is that all they want is equal treatment at hospitals and testing centers that white Americans receive. According to an article, the author states, “Furthering the problem, some hospitals have turned black residents away, only for them to die, despite their showing the same symptoms as white people who receive testing and treatment. This suggests that bias is playing a role. If cities were to test all residents, treatment would not depend on any preconceived notions about who is deserving of care and who is not” (Summers). During the world pandemic, many African-Americans have experienced racial discrimination through the healthcare system, which contributes to why the black community is the racial group experiencing the highest death rate in the United States. When one is not treated by the healthcare professionals when ill or is completely unaware that they even have COVID-19, this is concerning for all communities, regardless of one’s skin color. The racial bias displayed in the American healthcare is a prime example of how white privilege does exist because one’s race determines their outcome on whether or not they’ll receive medical attention from healthcare professionals, or perhaps even have their lives valued. Many white individuals don’t understand how their race puts them in a position to be ahead of people of color in multiple instances. Although race is a social construct and it should seem irrelevant when it comes to helping patients, statistics demonstrate how white communities have been helped far more than communities of color.
Overall, I’ve used the global pandemic as an example to help me explain how white privilege still exists in the United States today. The disproportionate rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths between whites and people of color convey inequality. The government and most people in power distinguish an individual or a communities’ importance based on race, a social construct that shouldn’t determine anyone’s value. Everyone should acknowledge how racial discrimination has been a huge issue during these difficult times, and how white privilege should be abolished.
References
Ajilore, Olugbenga. “The Persistent Black-White Unemployment Gap Is Built Into the Labor Market.” Center for American Progress, 28 Sep. 2020. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2020/09/28/490702/persistent-black-white-unemployment-gap-built-labor-market/?gclid=CjwKCAiAnvj9BRA4EiwAuUMDf8hrz13ZLdFdXZ-J96Vlk_miwtPjO12z65ObxQ0-Lt18kJOVFXIz2RoCyfAQAvD_BwE#Ca=3%23Or=1%23Pr=7%23IA=R
Elflein, John. “COVID-19 deaths worldwide as of December 16, 2020, by country.” Statista,16 Dec. 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093256/novel-coronavirus-2019ncov-deaths-worldwide-by-country/
“INFOGRAPHIC Structural Racism at a Glance: COVID-19.” Erase Racism, Accessed 8 Dec. 2020. http://www.eraseracismny.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=891:infographic-structural-racism-at-a-glance-covid-19&catid=17:teaching-tool
Samuel, Sigal. “Should people of color get access to the Covid-19 vaccine before others?” Vox, 28 Oct. 2020. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/10/2/21493933/covid-19-vaccine-black-latino-priority-access
Summers, Brandi T. “What Black America Knows About Quarantine.” The New York Times, 15 May 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-ahmaud-arbery-race.html?auth=login-email&login=email
Zarefsky, Marc. “Why African American communities are being hit hard by COVID-19.” American Medical Association, Accessed 8 Dec. 2020. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/population-care/why-african-american-communities-are-being-hit-hard-covid-19 | https://medium.com/@gracieralstin/covid-19-racial-disparities-how-white-privilege-still-exist-in-america-today-41149481e505 | [] | 2020-12-21 03:07:41.344000+00:00 | ['White Privilege', 'Equality', 'Racism', 'Covid 19', 'BlackLivesMatter'] |
Of the loneliest kinds of lonely | Us
I traced the palm of your hand with my fingertips, asking you to give me love, did you hear me — did you feel my love for you? Reading the book of you — as I touched your life lines and love lines from left palm to right — I never once read my name in any of your chapters.
Still, you would say…
I’ll hold you when you’re afraid, until the fear is no longer there — like smoke dissipating through the atmosphere.
Your palms were always a little moist, maybe from the remnants of escaped — lonely teardrops. Like water through your fingertips, you couldn’t hold onto us — not even for a little while.
You became the smoke dissipating as I gazed at the sky, the fear and the irony of it all — is what remained. | https://dabboh76.medium.com/what-is-the-loneliest-kind-of-lonely-48253f58ff30 | ['D Abboh'] | 2018-08-06 11:45:29.087000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Life', 'Prose', 'This Happened To Me', 'Loneliness'] |
What Makes You An Entrepreneur | I was at a dinner at a friend’s house, when someone said referring to a person we know from school: “Well, she’s not really an entrepreneur, because she doesn’t live off her startup…”
Hearing that kind of touched my feelings. I founded a startup, and work on it every day, after work. Yes, I work full-time in a company, because my startup does not makes money yet. So the question came spontaneously “Shall I stop considering myself an entrepreneur?”
The term entrepreneur
So in order to answer that question, I went back to the origin of the term entrepreneur. I googled the etymology and found this on Investopedia:
Basically, according to the etymology of the word entrepreneur the essence of one is to be someone who undertakes something and who is keen to start an adventure. When I read this, I totally relate. I’m sure you do too!
But to be more scientific, I also went to check up the definition of the word Entrepreneur, because I felt that just relying on the etymology would have been too archaic. Always on Investopedia, I read:
This definition is simple and pretty accurate. But as I keep reading, I come across this:
And here is the issue. Because of this common association that we all have been fed with about what an entrepreneur is, we have a hard time believing we can actually be one, because we are not experiencing instant money, game and growth and we are probably facing a lot of challenges (to use an euphemism!). If that’s the definition of what an entrepreneur is, then yes, we are failing at it. Greatly.
Except, we are not.
Figuring out how to do things and how to move forward makes you an entrepreneur.
I believe it is high time we changed the definition of what an entrepreneur is, because entrepreneurs need it.
Being an entrepreneur means so many things, and I think that is pretty much related to the stage you are in. If you are at the very beginning, there are tons of things you must figure out and the learning curve can be very long and painful. If you are just starting, there are tons of things you will have to do that you don’t want to because you do not have enough resources yet. What mostly demotivates entrepreneurs is the mistake of comparing their backstage with the front-stage of some profitable business owner who’s probably been through hell herself. Because that’s a fact: every entrepreneur has gone through tough times, overwhelm, panic and “I quit” moments before they finally ‘made it”.
Your full-time job can be an asset
Many founders of now well-known companies started their business on the side, for the simple reason that they could not afford a living otherwise. Not every entrepreneur is born rich or willing to crash on some friend’s couch, so not every entrepreneur can instantly decide to quit their job and start their “experiment” full-time. That’s the case of Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith, founders of Hotmail, who were both working full-time when they started and spent all of the time on weekends and evening building their product. It’s not a sin to have a job to pay your bills.
When working on your business, you need clarity
Actually, having job while working on your startup can definitely have a positive impact on your initial growth. A job provides you with financial stability which is crucial for you to think clearly. If you decide to focus completely to your startup, but have a very short runaway, you might find yourself making important choices for the wrong reason, aka the fear of being broke.
You are not less of entrepreneur if you still haven’t quit your job
When you are working on your business, you don’t want to feel the pressure of being broke, because that will take you out of focus. When working on your business, you need clarity and make the important decisions because you have thought things through, not because your landlord will soon kick you out of your flat. If you have a job that gives you peace of mind from a financial standpoint, it is smart to keep it until your business starts paying for itself.
You are not less of entrepreneur for being prudent or for not taking all the risk from day one. You are not less of entrepreneur if you still haven’t quit your job and you are not making millions after a couple of years. You are not less of entrepreneur if you are struggling or feel demotivated.
So, what makes you an entrepreneur?
If you have an idea and you work relentlessly to make it happen, you are an entrepreneur. If you dedicate the free time you dispose of — it can be an hour a day or a week — to your business, you still are an entrepreur. If you decide to navigate overwhelm because things aren’t working out so far, you still are an entrepreneur. If you are willing to figure out the resources you need — not only the money but also less tangible ones like connections, motivation, lessons learnt, experience — you still are an entrepreneur. If you are willing to move forward in order to serve your people, heck yeah, you are an entrepreneur.
Just stop trying to fit in one definition and comparing yourself to others’ people journey. Start making the most out of where you are right now, instead. | https://medium.com/the-innovation/what-makes-you-an-entrepreneur-fcaa723df110 | ['Chiara Chianese'] | 2020-11-12 22:32:23.698000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneur', 'Motivation', 'Startup', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Startup Life'] |
Everything You Need To Know About Deep Teeth Cleaning | Has your dentist ever recommended you for deep teeth cleaning?
Did you question him WHY?
A dental deep cleaning also known as gum therapy is highly recommended when a patient experiences some sort of gum disease.
Do you know ignorance of gum/periodontal disease may lead to heart disease, risk of stroke, pregnancy complications, or any other respiratory problems? It is therefore imperative to always see your family Dental Surgeon for deep dental cleaning treatment.
This is a non-surgical treatment that cleans your teeth along with some part of the root, maintains oral hygiene around the gum line, and sides of the teeth, and at the same time facilitates gum building and teeth strengthening.
But, how do I know I require deep dental cleaning?
Answer these questions and you will realize whether you require deep dental cleaning treatment or not-
• Are you feeling pain while chewing?
• Are your gums getting tender, red, or swollen?
• Suffering from persistent bad breath?
• Do you find blood in your gums right after flossing or brushing?
• Are your teeth getting loose?
If the answer to any one of these questions is YES, then you require Deep Cleaning of teeth or even more advanced gum treatment.
Can I skip Deep teeth cleaning for some time?
Gum disease happens because of bacterial infection inside your gum tissue or any sort of inflammatory reason. Many times, when you don’t clean your teeth properly, a small amount of food particles get lodged in your teeth and gums which leads to irritation. You may try to pick that out but when the tiniest micro particle still stays deep into your teeth, it causes plaque.
You can remove plaque by maintaining proper oral hygiene — brushing and flossing but still, some of the remaining traces of plaque can eventually get hardened into Calculus also called Tartar. This leads to an excessive accumulation of bacteria beneath the Tartar. These bacteria in turn release toxic elements that can cause tooth decay and inflame your gums too.
So, if you find early signs of gum disease, immediately see your dentists and undergo a professional deep dental cleaning.
Deep teeth cleaning VS Regular teeth cleaning:
Regular teeth cleaning is followed for maintaining healthy gums and teeth. This treatment will remove the plaque that builds on your teeth every day with proper cleaning, brushing, and flossing.
However, if you don’t follow regular teeth cleaning, the plaque gets converted into hard Tartar , which gradually extends beneath the gums. Such teeth show signs of swollen and tender gums resulting in periodontal disease and an eventual tooth loss.
Deep cleaning comes into the picture when there is a large amount of tartar or bacteria build-up. Unlike regular teeth cleaning, it requires more than one sitting for cleaning the gums and teeth depending on the extensiveness of the cleaning required.
Book an appointment now at your nearest best dental clinic for professional deep dental cleaning services! | https://medium.com/@ritikaroy741/everything-you-need-to-know-about-deep-teeth-cleaning-8b849e8a2d35 | [] | 2021-12-29 06:17:42.486000+00:00 | ['Dentistry', 'Dental Health', 'Teeth Cleaning', 'Deepteethcleaning', 'Dentistnearme'] |
House Sales Predictor Using Deep Learning | Housing prices are an important reflection of the economy, and housing price ranges are of great interest for both buyers and sellers. In this project, house prices will be predicted given explanatory variables that cover many aspects of residential houses. The goal of this project is to create a regression model that are able to accurately estimate the price of the house given the features.
Acquiring data
The data for this project is available on kaggle. The main objective is to predict the price of a given house based upon the previous available data. The dataset is available here: https://www.kaggle.com/harlfoxem/housesalesprediction
Checking out the data
As we can see there are 21 different features upon which the price of the house is dependent. Not all of these features have a high correlation with the price so, we will only be looking at those features having a high correaltion.
Since this is quite a large dataset we have to check for missing values and fortunately there are none!
Exploratory data analysis
Now we have to visualize the relationship between the price and various features present in our dataset.
Majority of houses are in the one million dollars mark.
As is evident from the figure most of the houses have 3- 4 bedrooms.
There are several other features such as the year in which the house was built, number of floors in each house, the square feet of living space available and many more. Each of these features have a very high correlation with the price.
Based off these features alone we can predict the price of a house but the most important feature is the location of the house, which is discussed next.
Geographical Plotting
As is clear from the heatmap the majority of pricey houses are present along the waterfront which is also clear from the actual map of King County, USA. It is quite understandable as better the view from the house, the more expensive it would be.
Feature Extraction & Engineering
There are a lot of columns present in our dataset which are of absolutely no use to us. So it is quite beneficial to us if we simply drop these columns from our dataset. It is also better for us if the date column which is initially an object be converted to datetime.
Creating the model
First we do the train-test split on our dataset and scale the data using MinMaxScaler.
The second step is to actually create a neural network using tensorflow having keras API.
Model Evaluation
We will be evaluating our model using the various metrics available to us through scikit-learn.
So we get an accuracy score of around 0.8 and a mean absolute error of around 1,00,000. This means our predictor will be off by a value of a hundred thousand dollars on a 2–3 million dollar house, which seems to be doing a good job. | https://medium.com/swlh/house-sales-predictor-using-deep-learning-18b6139c3401 | ['Umair Ayub'] | 2020-09-25 08:05:42.983000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Deep Learning', 'Exploratory Data Analysis', 'Neural Networks'] |
How to Invest in Cooperatives (Part 2) | Photo by Precondo CA on Unsplash
This post is the second in a two-part series on investing in cooperatively-owned businesses.
Part 1: Provides context on why cooperatives need outside financing, the emergence of co-op loan funds, an understanding of where undercapitalization has slowed growth of cooperative ownership, and a recap of recent innovations in co-op financing.
Part 2: Provides a more hands-on look at the specific terms of what investing in cooperatives looks like, how investors are repaid, typical investor shares and voting rights, and how investors can connect to co-op investment funds.
Different ownership creates different incentives
As we talked about in Part 1, while the need for financing in a cooperatively owned business is very much the same as a traditional businesses, investment can look really different.
When investing in a cooperative, the biggest difference is that investor repayment generally has to happen out of company revenue or profit, not an increase in the share price. To understand why, we need to look more closely at what has to happen to make a share appreciate in price and why it often isn’t the right fit for cooperative ownership.
In any business, there are generally* only three ways for investors or lenders earn a return on their investment:
1.The company’s share price goes up
2. The company pays back investors out of revenue
3.The company pays back investors out of profit or dividends
(*To keep things simple, we’re ignoring refinancing which can function as another source of investor repayment.)
People are generally most familiar with #1, because that’s how the stock market works and where gains in a typical retail investor’s portfolio come from. You buy a share of stock in a publicly listed company and then later sell that stock to someone else. In doing so, you are exiting your position, in what is called a secondary market, such as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ.
Investors, like angel investors and venture capital funds, who typically invest in early-stage, non-public companies, also hope the value of their investment — the position they take in the company — will increase. However, very few secondary markets exist for companies that are not publicly traded. So these investors are looking to exit via slightly different strategies: a) the company goes public, b) the company is acquired, or c) the shares can be resold to another investor.
“Who can I sell this company to?”
Early-stage investors want to make sure they can get their money back by selling or liquidating their share. So right from the very start when they evaluate an investment opportunity, they are asking themselves “who can I sell my share of company ownership to?” And some of these investors — specifically equity funds — need to harvest returns within the 10-year period of most funds, in order to repay their investors within the agreed upon timeline. As a result, there is immense pressure on the companies backed by these investors to go fast, go big, and sell the company or IPO within 10 years of the initial investment.
Who benefits financially in this scenario? The small group of people who invested early (and who had the economic privilege to invest in the first place).
Now, consider, on the other hand, the very different financial incentives of cooperatives, who are explicitly trying to create long-term ownership and wealth within a much broader community, whether that community be workers, or black farmers, or musicians.
Cooperatives are built for long-term purpose and profit
Perhaps that is why the first cooperative in the US, a consumer-owned mutual insurance company founded in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin, is still in operation today. And the second oldest continuously running cooperative in the country is the Associated Press, whose members are 6000 radio, newspaper and TV stations.
Like most cooperatives, these organizations were built for long-term growth, which makes them poor investments for investors looking for a quick exit by acquisition or public offering. So it rarely* makes sense for cooperative investors to expect their repayment to come from an appreciated share price via an exit. (*While co-op share prices generally don’t appreciate, there are always exceptions such as when a company sells, converts to non-cooperative ownership, or if a secondary market could be created)
Cooperatives pay investors out of company revenue
If investors don’t expect to see returns on their investment via an increased share price at an exit, how do cooperatives pay back equity investors? In some respects, the answer is far less speculative: cooperatives pay back their investors from money generated by the business: either an allocation of revenue or profit. This approach aligns both investors and entrepreneurs around a focus on the growth of top line company revenue and bottom line profit.
The following three repayment options have all been used to invest in cooperatives and to generate returns to investors. Jason Weiner has published a more exhaustive list here. Which repayment option makes the most sense for entrepreneurs and investors may vary based on the specific stage, business model, values, and state of each company.
Revenue share: As investors buy shares in the company, the company allocates a small percentage of revenue to pay back those investors at a predetermined multiple, anywhere from say 1.2x to 4x of the initial investment. With this “structured exit” model, investors can receive regular payments without waiting years for an “exit” or “liquidity event”.(This repayment model is sometimes referred to as Revenue Based Financing, and can be done as either debt or equity.) For those worried about capturing additional upside, see the indie.vc term sheet for a creative solution that provides upside using revenue based financing. Profit share: As investors buys shares in the company, in return the company distributes an agreed upon allocation of profits among eligible investors on a proportional “pro rata” basis. Dividend share: As documented in our Equal Exchange case study, investors buy shares in each company. Each share purchased offers a pre-determined yearly 4–9% “target dividend” per share. Yearly dividend distributions are approved by the company’s board and are paid out of company profits.
(The main difference between profit share and a dividend share being that the profit share repayment is based on what percentage ownership each investor has out of the total investor share class, while the dividend share repayments are calculated based upon a pre-negotiated 4–9% target dividend percentage per share.)
Since both profits and dividends come out of top line company revenue, we would argue that in one form or another, ultimately all cooperatives repay investors out of revenue. Therefore it is incredibly important that if a cooperative does choose to take on outside investment, it should be tied to a plan to build revenue and sales that both the cooperative and investors can believe in.
What percentage of company ownership can investors hold?
As we discussed in Part 1, cooperatives can authorize an outside investor class that sits alongside their patron member class. Many people worry that by opening up a cooperative to outside investors, the cooperative might be giving up control of their business. But with just a tiny bit of creativity, we can also design co-op friendly terms.
The primary design consideration is that patron members always need to control the majority of the cooperative’s ownership. Unless otherwise approved by the members, investors in a cooperative can not receive the majority of financial gain, nor can investors occupy a majority of company board seats. Cooperatives can theoretically allocate up to 49% of the total company equity and still be considered a cooperative but that is an extreme. In order to avoid giving away too much, cooperatives often choose to start to allocate an initial 5- 10% to investors in order to raise the smallest capital they need. And often the shares can be repurchased by the cooperative in order to make sure they still retain control.
What kind of stock? Common vs preferred
Common stock in cooperatives is reserved for patron class member-owners, so investor in cooperatives almost always receive preferred stock. Is this unusual? Many well known companies including Berkshire Hathaway and Google offer non-voting preferred stock, and they offer it for the exact same reason that cooperatives do: they want to provide a financial return to investors, while still retaining majority control of the company.
Liquidation preferences?
In a cooperative, much like any other typical business, if the business were sold, liquidated, or forced to close, the order of liquidation would generally be creditors and lenders first; then preferred stockholders, and finally common stockholders.
Voting and governance rights?
In terms of board representation and governance rights, in order to protect member interests and control, many cooperatives choose to have all investor shares be non-voting shares. However other cooperatives provide investors with board observer rights, or designate a small number of board seats which the investor class can elect.
Each cooperative can choose which of the following governance options to provide to their investor share class:
Non-voting shares
Non-voting shares with a designated board seat or board observer rights
Voting shares that are represent a minority of the votes/board seats
In practice, a lot of investors we meet don’t ever want control or a board seat, frankly they don’t have the time. What they want is to invest in cooperative businesses that offer both a financial return and ESG impact. | https://medium.com/start-coop/how-to-invest-in-cooperatives-part-two-9597ca506d7c | ['Greg Brodsky'] | 2021-08-31 18:47:49.553000+00:00 | ['New Economy', 'Cooperatives', 'Investing', 'Impact Investing', 'Solidarity Economy'] |
Setting Up Ubuntu in GPU Server | Environment
OS: Ubuntu 20.04
GPU: GeForce RTX 3090
Install Nvidia Driver
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install ubuntu-drivers-common
$ ubuntu-drivers devices
== /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:03.2/0000:0d:00.0 ==
modalias : pci:v000010DEd00002204sv00001462sd00003881bc03sc00i00
vendor : NVIDIA Corporation
driver : nvidia-driver-460 - distro non-free recommended
driver : nvidia-driver-460-server - distro non-free
driver : xserver-xorg-video-nouveau - distro free builtin
$ sudo apt install nvidia-driver-460
$ sudo reboot
Reboot after installation is complete,use the nvidia-smi command to confirm whether the installation is complete.
$ nvidia-smi
$ sudo apt remove gdm3
Install CUDA
https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-downloads
$ wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2004/x86_64/cuda-ubuntu2004.pin
$ sudo mv cuda-ubuntu2004.pin /etc/apt/preferences.d/cuda-repository-pin-600
$ sudo apt-key adv --fetch-keys https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2004/x86_64/7fa2af80.pub
$ sudo add-apt-repository "deb https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2004/x86_64/ /"
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get -y install cuda
Add the following lines to the ~/.bashrc
# cuda
export PATH=/usr/local/cuda-11.2/bin${PATH:+:${PATH}}
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/cuda-11.2/lib64\
${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:+:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}}
Reload ~/.bashrc
$ source ~/.bashrc
Test whether the installation is complete
$ nvcc -V nvcc: NVIDIA (R) Cuda compiler driver Copyright (c) 2005-2021 NVIDIA Corporation Built on Thu_Jan_28_19:32:09_PST_2021 Cuda compilation tools, release 11.2, V11.2.142 Build cuda_11.2.r11.2/compiler.29558016_0
Official documents
Install cuDNN
$ cudnn_version=8.1.0.77
$ cuda_version=cuda11.2
$ OS=ubuntu2004
Enable the repository
$ wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/${OS}/x86_64/cuda-${OS}.pin
$ sudo mv cuda-${OS}.pin /etc/apt/preferences.d/cuda-repository-pin-600
$ sudo apt-key adv --fetch-keys https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/${OS}/x86_64/7fa2af80.pub
$ sudo add-apt-repository "deb https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/${OS}/x86_64/ /"
$ sudo apt-get update
Install the cuDNN library
$ sudo apt-get install libcudnn8=${cudnn_version}-1+${cuda_version}
$ sudo apt-get install libcudnn8-dev=${cudnn_version}-1+${cuda_version}
Install Docker
Update the apt package index and install packages to allow apt to use a repository over HTTPS
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install \
apt-transport-https \
ca-certificates \
curl \
gnupg
Add Docker’s official GPG key
$ curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg — dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg
Use the following command to set up the stable repository
$ echo \
"deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
$(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
Install docker engine
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io
Manage Docker as a non-root user
$ sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
Verify that you can run docker commands without sudo
$ docker run hello-world
Install Nvidia Docker
$ curl -s -L https://nvidia.github.io/nvidia-docker/gpgkey | \
sudo apt-key add -
$ distribution=$(. /etc/os-release;echo $ID$VERSION_ID)
$ curl -s -L https://nvidia.github.io/nvidia-docker/$distribution/nvidia-docker.list | \
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nvidia-docker.list
$ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt install -y nvidia-container-toolkit
$ sudo reboot
Official documents
https://nvidia.github.io/nvidia-docker/
https://github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-docker/wiki/Installation-(Native-GPU-Support) | https://medium.com/@sungyihsun/setting-up-ubuntu-in-gpu-server-670724ec62aa | ['Eason Sung'] | 2021-04-13 09:20:35.180000+00:00 | ['Ubuntu 20 04', 'Ubuntu', 'Cuda', 'Nvidia Docker', 'Cudnn'] |
Can Pardon Power Change? | Terry H. Schwadron
Dec. 26, 2020
We know that the Constitution gives presidents nearly unlimited powers to offer clemency and pardons, as a tool to blunt harsh sentences that sometimes emerge from prosecutions.
As demonstrated in the 50 pardons of the last week, we also know that Donald Trump’s version of using pardons to allow family, friends and political allies — and maybe himself — off the hook for federal crimes is abusive and a reflection of personal, partisan politics to an amazing degree. Even by comparison with excessive individual pardons from Bill Clinton and the Bushes, Trump has set a new low for using the pardon power for his own gain. Some pardons, as that for Charles Kushner, are simply incomprehensible; they defy American values, as well as crowning anew regal powers to an elected, temporal custodian of the Oval Office.
There appears to be no abridgment of law, no excessive punishment, no change of heart about what we say as a society that we want to prosecute. We want fraud punished, as well as illegal use of money by public officials, as well as murder of civilians. We don’t want pardons used towards rewarding political friends.
That Trump’s pardon actions are disheartening is clear. Even Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska has been willing to stand up to call it “rotten to the core” for Trump to dismiss charges against those prosecuted as part of the Mueller investigation, three congressmen who used illegal money for personal gain, contractors who murdered Iraqi civilians and the criminal slumlord who is his daughter’s father-in-law.
But this abuse of office has been a logical outgrowth of Republican leadership in Congress looking the other way at Trump’s performance in office and shielding him from impeachment and oversight.
The point is, we have known for months what was coming, and now that it is here, it is upsetting all over again.
How Bad?
Ruth Marcus argues in The Washington Post that “No president has ever misused the pardon power as thoroughly as Trump has — not to rectify wrongs and dispense mercy but to reward political allies, excuse corruption and erase, as completely as possible, the work of the special counsel who plagued his years in office.”
An article in the Daily Kos provides a fresh angle on all of this, kicking off additional thinking: It argues that Trump’s latest pardons are moves to corrupt laws that he stands accused of breaking himself.
The article argues that there are “no non-corrupt justifications for Donald Trump’s latest batch of pardons. None. There’s no nuance to them” other than being straight political gifts meant to reward loyalty or to further insulate Trump from attacks.
Robert Goodman, New York University School of Law professor, told CNN on Thursday that Trump’s pardons could open him up to new criminal prosecution for obstruction of justice — if they are construed as a payment in return for non-cooperation with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of all-things-Russia. The final report said outright that communications between Trump’s lawyers and those for Paul Manafort for non-cooperation in return for a pardon would be obstruction of justice. Now, we have that pardon in hand — and a record of non-cooperation on the part of Manafort. Hmmm indeed.
The Daily Kos outline is different. It argues that by clearing George Papadopoulos, the Trump campaign adviser who bragged to an alarmed Australian official that Russia was offering help to the campaign, and then lied to investigators, Trump actually is seeking to undercut all federal prosecutions about lying. This president certainly has such a public record, and may have lied to Mueller’s written questions to him.
In other words, Trump is not only immunizing himself from future testimony as well as rewriting history, he is attacking the power of the law itself.
In clearing charges from the convicted Republican congress members, all three of whom used taxpayer or campaign finance money for their own personal use, Trump is laying the grounds for similar charges against himself. Trump likely violated campaign laws to hide affairs, a crime to which his former lawyer Michael Cohen pled guilty , implicating Trump as “Candidate 1.” Trump and family are accused of misusing donated inauguration funds, just as Trump is now known to have pocketed funds from his self-named charity.
Abusing the Military
In the case of pardoning killers of Iraqi civilians, Trump not only is helping political allies — Erik Prince, head of the Blackwater contracting group that employed the former military members involved is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos — but addressing the idea that the White House can do whatever it wants militarily. That may well cover using military troops to tear-gas crowds outside the White House to allow for a photo op stunt holding a Bible, for example, or misusing military funds for Wall building on the border.
“It will get worse,” warns Daily Kos. Trump “will almost certainly pardon his family, a blanket pardon that does not recognize the charges of Russian cooperation but which nonetheless immunizes all involved from that investigation and from every financial crime, real or suspected, any ever engaged in. He will include himself. He may yet issue more pardons directed specifically at the violent far right, pardons aimed at encouraging actual terrorism on his behalf.”
Inevitably, all this raises the question of revisiting presidential pardon power. After all, recent disclosure in a federal court case of heavily redacted documents outlining how a pay-for-pardon scheme might work underscored how the system can be ripe for corruption. The White House has denied any connection to that matter, but the potential is there.
In the platform this year, Democrats called for the establishment of an independent clemency board with members from outside the Justice Department who would make recommendations directly to the president. Congress has limited power to force an administration’s hand on clemency, absent a constitutional amendment.
One issue involved the secrecy of the current parole review in the Justice Department, but in the end, these pardons are dependent on the morality sought by the president.
Add pardon re-thinking to Joe Biden’s already too-long list of things that need to be addressed.
##
www.terryschwadron.wordpress.com | https://medium.com/@terryschwadron/can-pardon-power-change-689affed70d | ['Terry Schwadron'] | 2020-12-26 11:57:59.117000+00:00 | ['Power', 'Joe Biden', 'Pardon', 'President'] |
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