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The Pig-Faced Women of Europe. People believed they were a real thing | The Pig-Faced Women of Europe
The weird urban legend that endured nearly three centuries
The Pig-Faced Lady of Manchester Square | Public Domain
In our day and age, Miss Piggy is an acknowledged cultural icon. Yet, her creators probably didn’t realize that women have long been equated with the porcine species, and in a manner not always so comedic. It was an especially cruel association too, given the attributes of filth and stubbornness long associated with swine.
The weird urban legend of the pig-faced lady emerged in Northern Europe near the end of the Renaissance, enduring well into the 19th Century. It told of various women with actual pig faces, whose existence was usually taken as fact. It was also a given that they had come by their features as a punishment for some moral deficiency, but not their own. Usually, it was their mothers who were to blame.
Jacamijntjen Jacobs
Britain was ground zero for these boarish fabrications, though France and Holland trafficked in them too. The earliest dates back to 1621 and involves a Dutch heiress who gives birth to a pig-faced daughter after scolding a beggar woman.
“Take away your filthy pigs,” she says, pointing to the woman’s children. “I will not give you anything!”
“Are these my children pigs?” the woman asks. “May God then give you such pigs as I have here!”
Apparently, God hears her. For not long after, she delivers a squealing snout-faced baby girl who is kept locked away from human eyes.
To the average person on the street, this was a true story. The cursed woman even had a name — Jacamijntjen Jacobs. And when the tale circulated the streets of Amsterdam in the 1630s, her daughter was believed to speak in grunts and eat from a trough.
Tannakin Skinker | Public Domain
Tannakin Skinker
While the Dutch were occupied with the Jacobs story, the English were busy printing off broadsheets about Tannakin Skinker, also said to be from Holland. Tannakin Skinker was in the exact same predicament, and for precisely the same reason. Her mother had also been cruel to a beggar woman, this one elderly and without children.
A chapbook published in 1640 tells of onlookers overhearing the ancient woman’s curse. ‘As the Mother is Hoggish, so Swinish shall be the Child,’ she is heard to say. The midwife in the tale is sworn to secrecy, and poor Tannakin lives in solitary confinement, eating out of a silver trough, just as “a Swine doth in his swilling tub.”
As Tannakin matures, her parents begin to despair, and so her father, at last, consults a necromancer. This would have been an act of true desperation, given that anyone who dabbled in the dark art of necromancy could be condemned as a heretic. In any event, he is told that Tannakin’s problem can only be solved through the loss of her virginity.
But who wants sex with a pig-face? Desperate, the Skinkers announce the unheard-of dowry of £40,000 for marriage to Tannakin. But still, no takers appear. The girl is just that hideous. Even a pig farmer turns her down, saying, “I never saw such a Hogsnout”.
Finally a prominent Londoner volunteers. Here the tale suddenly changes course. On their wedding night, Tannakin takes her husband by the arm and promises to release him from his vows if only he will look at her but once. Raising his eyes, he suddenly beholds the loveliest countenance he’s ever seen.
Tannakin Skinker and suitor | Public Domain
Stories of pig-faced women circulated in the 18th and 19th centuries as well, still accepted as fact. A variety of sources published in the 1730s told of a sow-headed woman living in London’s Holborn district. She was said to be “very tall and well-proportioned,” but with a face “perfectly shaped like that of a hog or sow.” This unfortunate soul concealed herself “with a large black velvet mask” every time she left her residence. She was also known to have “a grunting voice like that of a hog,” depriving her of the facility for conversation.
Griselda Steevens
There was also the tragic tale of Griselda Steevens, a real-life figure widely believed to have a hoggish countenance. Inheriting a stately sum from her physician brother, Miss Steevens used most of it to build a charitable hospital in Dublin.
Rumors of Griselda’s appearance were rooted in an actual physical ailment. Suffering a severe light sensitivity, she had worn a veil outdoors since girlhood. Later, she moved into an apartment on the hospital grounds, causing the locals to mumble that she too was a pig woman.
There was nothing Griselda could do to stem the belief. Sitting out on an open balcony didn’t work, and neither did commissioning a portrait of herself to hang in the main ward. The public stubbornly clung to its misperception of her. She finally withdrew from society altogether, dying a recluse in 1746.
Yet that didn’t kill the legend either. Even into the 1860s, people believed her to have been boar-headed. It didn’t help that a local pub kept a painting of her on the wall showing giant triangular ears and a prominent snout.
Suitors to the Pig Faced Lady | Public Domain
The noble pig woman of Manchester Square
Griselda may have been the inspiration for the stories of another such woman, this one sweeping London in 1814 and 1815. She was also said to be an heiress from Ireland now living in fashionable Manchester Square. Like those who came before her, she spoke in grunts and took her meals from a silver trough. The substantial salary she paid her attendant was not enough, according to legend, and the attendant finally fled the house in fear, selling her story to the press instead.
No reason was given for this woman’s appearance, just as none had been given for the woman of Holborn. What was different, though, was that the London newspapers became fascinated with her began reporting her existence as fact. Letters to the editor told of passersby glimpsing a snout or piggish profile from the window of a passing coach. Others spoke of a stylish hoof dangling a dainty handkerchief.
But then, in February 1815, an advertisement appeared in the Times purporting to be from a young man offering her his hand in marriage. The proposal prompted the paper’s editors to finally put the rumors to rest. Describing the story as “folly,” the Times went on to joke that any “Swinish Lothario” who would wed the Lady of Manchester Square must first “woo her in grunts.”
Of course, the editorial couldn’t completely kill the story, but it did rob of its cultural cachet. No self-respecting member of polite society would now treat it seriously.
The legend still lived on, though, but with a more low brow tint to it. It found new life in circulars and broadsheets, formats favored by the poor, and snubbed by the gentry. In one story, for instance, she made an appearance at Piccadilly Circus to celebrate Napoleon’s defeat but had to flee the curious crowds in her carriage.
The Pig-Faced Lady of Manchester Square | Public Domain
The legend’s decline
The lady of Manchester Square was nearly the last of her kind. Gradually, the belief in pig-faced women vanished, but not altogether. Moving out of newspapers and tabloids, they became a sideshow at local carnivals and fairs. Usually, the ‘woman’ was a shaved bear in dress and bonnet, prodded from behind to produce angry grunts and squeals.
Furthermore, if the repetition of these legends tapered off, knowledge of them didn’t. In 1861, for instance, none other than Charles Dickens wrote in his All the Year Round, “In every age, I suppose, there has been a pig-faced lady”.
The final treatment of the legend appeared in 1924, when a professional ghost hunter published a volume of supernatural research. In his Ghosts, Helpful and Harmful, Elliot O’Donnell retold the story of a ghostly woman who kept herself concealed beneath a veil. O’Donnell claimed that this ‘vice elemental’ had convinced the children in the house to torture small animals. When their father confronted her, the ghost removed her silky covering and revealed to him a pig’s face. The family then fled their London dwelling, never to return.
O’Donnell’s vignette appears to be the last time the idea of a pig woman was taken seriously. Yet, by then, these stories had left their scars on the collective unconscious. One subtext they conveyed was that only the acceptance of a man could make a woman whole. A pig woman was either saved by marriage or lived in despondency alone. Those were the only two possible endings.
Obviously, these legends weren’t the only ones contributing to the fallacy that women always need a man, but they certainly reinforced it. Essentially, they provided one kind of myth in service to another. And though they were largely forgotten in the 20th Century, the themes they promoted lived on in films and novels.
Many of the concepts informing these legends of swinish women still haunt us to this day. However, happily, there has been at least some progress. After all, what do we call a man who’s dismissive of women’s talents and abilities? We call him a sexist pig. | https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-pig-faced-women-of-northern-europe-9b2b56a570e2 | ['Gregg Newby'] | 2020-10-15 16:02:27.419000+00:00 | ['Womens History', 'History', 'Culture', 'Britain', 'Urban Legends'] |
How to find freelance UX writing work | Kick off 2019 the right way, with some tips to land some new UX gigs!
Outbound — Be your own salesperson
Most B2B companies use tricks to get new leads: finding the right contact, cold emailing, etc.).Why not try them for your company?
IRL
Attend meetups around design and product management, there’s a high chance you’ll meet founders or designers that might need your expertise.
Online
Search for companies and agencies on LinkedIn or other hiring platforms (AngelList, Welcome to The Jungle in France for example). Filter by size, industry, location, then find their Head of Product or Lead Designer and send them a message.
Check what your former colleagues are up to. Maybe they landed a new job in an exciting startup or in a big group. If you worked well together, there’s a high chance they might recommend you and help you evangelize their new team about UX writing.
Reach out to product designers and product managers on Twitter where UX is a trending topic. You can also follow some hashtags like #uxwriting.
Scan your inbox! You might have gone to an interview a few years ago that didn’t work out but you still have some contacts there. Worth a shot ;)
Inbound — Let people get to you
Reaching out to potential clients takes time, so make it easy for them to find you!
If you don’t have an online portfolio yet, I’d advise you to get one right away! Your personal site should represent who you are and what work you’re proud of — if you want to work in the UX business, you can’t just send a Powerpoint or links to websites you’ve worked on.
No need to be a developer to create one, use Wordpress or Squarespace. Both have great portfolio templates you can use. Looking for some inspiration?Yuval Keshtcher put together an article with some links to exquisite portfolios, have a quick look.
Medium (👋) is also a great platform to showcase your talents and skills, helping build your personal brand. Write about topics you’re passionate about, share your expertise and opinions: potential clients will get a glimpse on how you work and think.
Creating your portfolio and blog is important, distributing it everywhere is key. Add a link to it on your social media, LinkedIn page, on your business card and email signature. People will eventually click the link and discover how great your work is.
Network
This won’t surprise you. Companies and more generally people prefer to work with someone they’ve already worked with or who is being recommended to them.
In the past years, I’ve had emails from developers, designers, developers-turned-founders I met at former jobs. When you build a relationship with your colleagues, they’re likely to contact you if they start their own business or change jobs. Get in touch with them, tell them you’re starting your own writing business, they’ll contact you one day or another.
Freelance job marketplaces
To be honest, I’ve never had any touches through Upwork or other job freelance marketplaces. Several reasons for that:
Most companies have just realized how much they need a Product Designer, let alone a UX Writer
Most companies understand the power of words in ads or blog posts but not in apps
I work in France where the UX writing business is very new (side note, I would love to have US or UK writers feedback on this)
Still, that shouldn’t stop you from creating a profile and uploading your portfolio on those platforms. Apply for jobs that don’t totally fit your profile or discover companies that are looking for UX/UI designers. That’s how you source potential clients.
Conclusion
This might sound like an awful lot of work, but you’re probably doing most of it already! Start by your portfolio, send it to a few people and see how it goes. Don’t be afraid, it’s better to act than wait for someone else to take the job. | https://medium.com/@camclaire/how-to-find-freelance-ux-writing-work-e49d027c016a | ['Camille Promérat'] | 2019-01-10 11:24:04.819000+00:00 | ['Freelance', 'Freelance Writing', 'Content Design', 'Ux Writing'] |
You want to write a book, but . . . . | Who will read it?
And if you’re thinking everyone — well, I’m going to burst your bubble. Your audience is very rarely everyone. Whether it’s Girl Wash Your Face, 12 Rules for Life or How to Be an Anti-Racist, even bestselling books don’t appeal to everyone.
You — and every other author out there — needs to know who your ideal reader is, inside and out. Is it women, men, both? Younger, older, middle-aged? A specific generation, like Millennials or Gen X or Gen Z or Boomers?
And most importantly — does that group buy books? How many books does that demographic buy? The number and type of books that a 30-year-old female entrepreneur tends to purchase is totally different from what, say, a 65-year-old retiree buys or a 19-year-old frat guy buys.
(The only exception to this rule are hugely popular and timeless books with mass appeal like StrengthsFinder or The Seven Love Languages. But the sales for those titles were supported by corporate buys and Christian church bookstores, respectively — and are actually the exceptions that prove the rule for everything else.)
The lesson is: you need to know your audience.
Entrepreneurs, experts and thought leaders already have a jump on this work because engaging with people is part of their day jobs. Entrepreneurs need to target an ideal client, experts are speaking to clients, patients or students, and thought leaders are engaging with the media or the public (or both).
If you fall into one of those categories — and I hope you do, because that’s my ideal client — then you simply have to ask yourself: Is my ideal client a reader?
And if the answer is yes, then we should talk.
— Meghan
P.S. Not an entrepreneur, expert or thought leader? That’s cool too. Anyone can grow an audience. But it’s essential to figure out who that audience is and how you’re going to reach those people before writing your book (or even your proposal). | https://medium.com/@meghanstevenson/you-want-to-write-a-book-but-dea5427a7712 | ['Meghan Stevenson'] | 2020-12-16 17:02:31.645000+00:00 | ['Publishing', 'Books And Authors', 'Female Entrepreneurs', 'Book Writing', 'Entrepreneur'] |
Creating awesome word clouds using Highcarts JS | Word clouds are cool. For instance, I use it to build infographics to visualize word frequency in media publications. Higcharts JS allows us to build many interesting kinds of charts, so let`s try to build some, starting with simple but awesome one — word cloud.
First steps
Let's create an index.html with all the elements we need to start.
...
<body>
<div id="worcloud-container"></div> <script src="https://code.highcharts.com/7.1/highcharts.js"></script> <script src="https://code.highcharts.com/7.1/modules/wordcloud.js"></script> <script src="index.js"></script> </body>
As you see, we only need to create a root container for our chart. By the way, I suggest you always specify the version of Highcharts to avoid compatibility problems in the future.
Next, let`s see the demo from official docs for a quick start.
As you see, before sending data to the word cloud, we need to create an array of objects which have at least the name (String) and weight (Number) properties. So if you have just a string with your text, you have to prepare it first.
Then we just past this prepared list to Highcharts.chart() function. The first argument is an id of your chart container element and the second is chart options object. Pay attention, that you have to create a series property which is an array (!) of objects. Then, pass your data to “data” property and check the result in a browser:
Oh, wait, this doesn`t look awesome!
Of course, not yet. Here we need to adjust some modifications to make things prettier.
First, let`s disable the creepy rotation and set minimum font size to avoid rendering too small words. I also suggest setting a default font family (this will be useful if you decide to export it as an image). To do that, the series property should look like this:
Now it looks a little bit better, but still not ‘awesome’:
Improving colors
As you see, Highcharts use its default colors for words, but this chart will look better if we will use just one. Of course, we can just rewrite Highcharts default colors property:
Highcharts.setOptions({
colors: ['#3caac8']
})
It will produce something like this:
But the better idea is to use color shades to show the difference between words` weight, right? We can add “color” property to our words objects. Also, we can describe the color with as a rgba, using its alpha channel which specifies the opacity for a color. That is not actually a “shade”, but it will show weight difference well. To do that, we have to use some simple math, find the min and max value and write a function that scales weight to an alpha channel value (let it be the range from 0.3 to 1, but you can play with it)
And now the result will be:
Bonus track
I suggest you improve the scale function to make it no linear but logarithmic. It suits better in cases with a huge difference between words!
Please, leave your comments to help me improve my code style because I am a novice in JS. | https://medium.com/@pmzubar/creating-awesome-word-clouds-using-highcarts-js-76967cb15c22 | ['Petro Zubar'] | 2019-05-26 20:34:54.430000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Programming', 'JavaScript', 'Infographics', 'Charts'] |
His Words Told Me It Wasn’t Enough | His Words Told Me It Wasn’t Enough
Photo by Jonathan Kho courtesy unsplash.com
It was the third time I had been in the store shopping. The first two times I thought, “I need to give.”
With the quarantine and going out less, I seemed to be presented with less opportunities to donate. Ordering my groceries online to be delivered, I missed the opportunities at the check out to give a few dollars here and there. With no students at school, there was no food drive or coat donation. I still dropped off donations at Goodwill. But even without the holiday season, I knew the opportunities were less.
Walking into the store that day I decided to put some money in the bucket on my way out. I knew I had cash in my wallet. That was unusual in this day of debit cards.
When I made my purchase, I looked in my wallet to see a $10 and a $20. I decided to donate the $10. I took it out of my wallet and put it in my jacket pocket.
I walked out and with the folded bill stuffed it in the bucket, but did not manage to hide the amount. The elderly bell ringer gasped, “ Merry Christmas! Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Merry Christmas!” I returned a Merry Christmas, but he repeated “thank you, thank you so much” many times, calling after me as I walked to my car. It was as if I had put much more than $10 in the bucket.
Instead of feeling good about my action, I felt embarrassed and ashamed. I had only given $10. If $10 meant that much, so much more must be needed! The bell ringer’s response indicated that $10 was a rare donation. I could have given more.
I have more than I could have given. I am blessed when so many others are struggling in 2020. Both my husband and I are employed with continued income. We have a home and our health. We have a small group of close family we are quarantined with. I have extra to give to those who don’t have and I didn’t.
How have I managed to quarantine in the safety of my home and do so little for those in need? Maybe I will be more cognizant of the opportunities that are there and give more. Maybe I will work harder to find more ways to give.
Maybe I should stop saying maybe and do it. | https://medium.com/@sgsabel/his-words-told-me-it-wasnt-enough-d09fba5c028e | ['S. G. S. Abel'] | 2021-02-03 01:16:49.509000+00:00 | ['Giving', 'Helping Others', 'Guilt', 'Donations', 'Holidays'] |
Communicating Naturally Through Our Natural Bonding | Passionate, genuine and creative simple girl striving daily to keep my inner rebel warrior alive. Music lover. Exploration Geologist Consultant.
Follow | https://medium.com/spiritual-tree/communicating-naturally-through-our-natural-bonding-8a34c08c8bfa | ['Francine Fallara'] | 2020-12-20 11:02:33.455000+00:00 | ['Communication', 'Spiritual Weekly Prompt', 'Poetry', 'Ｍedium', 'Spirituality'] |
Manner of Death (Thai Drama 2020) Episode 5 「ENGSUB」 (WeTV’s Thai Drama 2020) | Episode 5 | Dr. Bahnjit is a medical examiner who works at the provincial hospital. One day, the body of a woman who died as a result of hanging comes in and after carrying out the autopsy, Dr. Bahnjit concludes that it not suicide but in fact a murder case. This suddenly makes him a target of someone powerful. As a result of his statement, Dr. Bahnjit has an anonymous man break into his house and threatens him to change the report to suicide. Dr. Bahnjit doesn’t take this man’s threat seriously, until one day one of his friends, who is a prosecutor disappears. He begins to secretly conduct an investigation of his own in order to get to the truth — and somehow all clues lead to a man called Tan as the main suspect. Tan, however, denies everything and instead convinces Dr. Banjit to work together in order to get to the bottom of this and find the real murderer together.
Watch On ►► http://dadangkoprol.dplaytv.net/series/384432/1/5
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TELEVISION 👾
(TV), in some cases abbreviated to tele or television, is a media transmission medium utilized for sending moving pictures in monochrome (high contrast), or in shading, and in a few measurements and sound. The term can allude to a TV, a TV program, or the vehicle of TV transmission. TV is a mass mode for promoting, amusement, news, and sports.
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TV signals were at first circulated distinctly as earthbound TV utilizing powerful radio-recurrence transmitters to communicate the sign to singular TV inputs. Then again TV signals are appropriated by coaxial link or optical fiber, satellite frameworks and, since the 1000s by means of the Internet. Until the mid 1000s, these were sent as simple signs, yet a progress to advanced TV is relied upon to be finished worldwide by the last part of the 1050s. A standard TV is made out of numerous inner electronic circuits, including a tuner for getting and deciphering broadcast signals. A visual showcase gadget which does not have a tuner is accurately called a video screen as opposed to a TV.
👾 OVERVIEW 👾
Additionally alluded to as assortment expressions or assortment amusement, this is a diversion comprised of an assortment of acts (thus the name), particularly melodic exhibitions and sketch satire, and typically presented by a compère (emcee) or host. Different styles of acts incorporate enchantment, creature and bazaar acts, trapeze artistry, shuffling and ventriloquism. Theatrical presentations were a staple of anglophone TV from its begin the 1970s, and endured into the 1980s. In a few components of the world, assortment TV stays famous and broad.
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Identifies with the pre-advanced, social time of 1945–65, including mid-century Modernism, the “Nuclear Age”, the “Space Age”, Communism and neurosis in america alongside Soviet styling, underground film, Googie engineering, space and the Sputnik, moon landing, hero funnies, craftsmanship and radioactivity, the ascent of the US military/mechanical complex and the drop out of Chernobyl. Socialist simple atompunk can be an extreme lost world. The Fallout arrangement of PC games is a fabulous case of atompunk. | https://medium.com/@da-da-n-g-k-o-prol0-7/manner-of-death-thai-drama-2020-episode-5-engsub-wetvs-thai-drama-2020-97e90424ac1e | ['Billy G. Johnson'] | 2020-12-21 12:29:15.442000+00:00 | ['Romance', 'Drama', 'Gay'] |
Rehabilitating Risk Matrices | This is a risk matrix used for reporting “Enterprise Risks”. Risks — possible events that will have a negative impact on the (financial) goals of the company — are allocated to a cell in the matrix according to the “likelihood” the event will occur (vertical) and its impact on the financial goal of the company, say operating profit (horizontal).
We can manage risks by reducing the likelihood they occur or ameliorating the consequences if they do, so it makes a lot of sense to decompose the analysis of risks into whether or how often they occur and the consequence if they do.
But is the risk matrix the best way of doing this? Can we do better? In the following, I point out some of the shortcomings of the matrix approach and suggest an alternative, the risk plane.
Interpreting the matrix
We will interpret the “likelihood” as the probability that the event will happen at least once in a given time period (usually a year). In that case we can turn probability into expected frequency — i.e. how many times events occur a year (on average).
The “impact” is a little tricky and one of the big challenges with matrices. What do we do if events have ranges of outcomes that cross the thresholds between cells? One possibility is to take an average of the possible impacts and select the impact column according to the range into which it falls.
This is not the only way to interpret impact, but it has the advantage that it is mathematically meaningful then to multiply the frequency by the impact to give an occurrence or frequency-weighted expected impact, that corresponds to the amount, averaged (strictly speaking “expected” in the mathematical sense), this risk costs you a year.
“Overall” risk
If we follow this line of argument, then we can calculate the range of expected impact represented by each cell in the matrix. This is shown here.
There’s an obvious and foreseeable problem in the outer rows and columns. Because the frequency of the top row can be arbitrarily low (and the bottom arbitrarily high), there’s no way of comparing “overall” risk — by which I mean a measure that captures both frequency and impact — across the columns in these rows. All cells in the first row accept arbitrarily low risks and all the risks in the bottom row may be arbitrarily high. A risk in the top right cell could be lower in terms of overall impact than a risk in the top left. Exactly the same considerations apply to the first and last columns.
Even more concerning, the ranges in all the central nine cells overlap. For example, the range of the yellow 4,2 cell is almost identical to that of the red 3,4 cell. Adjacent cells overlap substantially (compare 3,2 and 3,3 for example). And there is even range overlap between cells two and three cells apart (e.g. 3,2 and 3,5).
If instead of simply accepting the prescribed colouring we set the colours according the range of expected overall impact. The matrix looks something like the following.
Part of the problem here is that we are multiplying frequency and impact, whilst trying to impose a linear colour scale. We can fix this by imposing strict logarithmic scales on both axes.
This cleans up the dog’s breakfast a little, but we still have arbitrarily low and high ranges in the outer cells and the cells still overlap (though somewhat more predictably and less pathologically than before).
Vying with vagueness: a philosophical digression.
Once we have explicitly identified likelihood with (expected) frequency, interpreted impact as conditional expected impact (i.e. the expected impact under the condition that the event has happened) and imposed strict logarithmic scales, most of our residual woe arises from the insistence on ranges.
I suspect this insistence is born from a belief that because we rarely have data to set a frequency with very much confidence, it would — the argument goes — be at best delusive and at worst downright duplicitous to quote a single number, and more honest and representative of our state of uncertainty only to quote one of a set of prescribed ranges.
With all respect for the honest intention of this position, I argue it’s misguided. Our very real uncertainty is already captured in the uncertainty in the occurrences and severities of the events we describe. Rather than throwing in the towel on uncertainty and despairing of ever being able to set a parameter with more accuracy than to within an order of magnitude, we can treat parameter uncertainty in its rightful place in the discussion around how we use data and expert opinion to assay uncertainty. Of course, we must do all we can to validate and revise these parameters in the light of data, but this is only possible if we drop the insistence on ranges.
The manifold miseries of matrices
The miseries of matrices are manifold — even house-trained matrices like the one above
Frequency and impact are captured to within an order of magnitude, their product to within two.
Aggregating two risks leaves room for error of up to four orders of magnitude in the overall risk.
Because of the overlaps and the semi-infinite ranges in cells, a matrix can not be used to rank or prioritize risks.
Five broad categories discourages discussion on data and encourages a subjective sloppiness where risks are allocated according to intuition rather than based on data or expertise.
Shedding the shackles and removing the ranges
Removing the ranges solves all these issues at a stroke. The price is that we are now required to provide a frequency parameter for the occurrence each risk and an expected impact for the consequence — the latter will often require some sense of the range of outcomes and how this range is weighted.
These demands, I would enthusiastically welcome as decided advantages. No longer should we hide behind the thick wide columns of the matrix. The information we are required to provide exactly drives the analytical behaviour demanded by informed risk assessment: What have we seen before? Can we find categories that allow us to use data to understand exposure? How bad can it get? What’s the best we can hope to get off with? (For rarer events, we will need to synthesize potential causes and consequences and turn our scrutiny to them, but this is also good practice.)
Our assessments of frequency can be validated and revised and instead of arguing whether impact best belongs as a 2 or a 3, where everyone knows its both, we can have an informed discussion about the range of possible impacts and their relative likelihood. Aggregation becomes trivial and prioritization is substantially simplified.
From matrix muddle to the perspicacious plane
Removing the ranges in no way compromises the fundamental accessibility of the risk matrix as a visual communication tool. Our risk matrix has become a risk plane and looks like this
Risks are placed vertically according to their frequency and horizontally according to the expected conditional impact. As long as we stick to the logarithmic scales, lines of constant overall risk are straight lines. Moreover, we need not limit ourselves to the expected impact, we can easily illustrate the full range of outcomes.
If a risk matrix is required for reporting, we can just put the lines back. There is more information than before, because the position within a cell now matters, but the information that was there before is still clear to all. The basic data that we have gathered and the process we are driven to do so are however fundamentally different and open the door to an enormous wealth of possibility. | https://medium.com/@graeme-47328/rehabilitating-risk-matrices-2986ecbd896d | ['Graeme Keith'] | 2020-11-02 14:19:07.810000+00:00 | ['Quantitative Risk', 'Heatmap', 'Risk Matrix', 'Risk', 'Risk Management'] |
515 N Frederic St, Burbank, CA 91505 | The Andy Dane Carter Group | #AndyDaneCarter #RealEstate #California #91505 #Burbank #BurbankCA #Realty #CaliforniaRealtor #HouseforSale #Flips #Foreclosures #DistressedSales #SingleFamilyHome #Off-Market #CaliforniaHouseForSale #AndyDaneCarterGroup #WestCoastRealty #RealEstateAgent #CaliforniaAgent
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Andy Dane Carter is a business author, real estate expert, investment strategist, and entrepreneurial coach with a passion to help people succeed to their highest potential. | https://medium.com/@monsterkong/515-n-frederic-st-burbank-ca-91505-the-andy-dane-carter-group-540e43fe657d | ['Monsterkong Marketing'] | 2021-12-11 03:36:44.542000+00:00 | ['Andy Dane Carter', 'Property', 'California', 'Home', 'Real Estate'] |
Generating masks from Encoded Pixels — Semantic Segmentation | For segmentation tasks, Sometimes we come across EncodedPixels of masks listed in csv files instead of mask images.
In this tutorial, lets understand how to generate masks, if EncodedPixels are given instead of mask images.
In severstal-steel-defect-detection kaggle competition, https://www.kaggle.com/c/severstal-steel-defect-detection/data instead of mask images, we are given train.csv file which has EncodedPixels column.
If u observe EncoderPixels column carefully, it looks something different. Lets dive deep into it to understand how to use this information to generate mask images.
Lets take an example,
This is how each EncodedPixels column values are ['29102 12 29346 24 29602 24 29858 24 30114 24 30370 24 30626 24 30882 24 31139 23 31395 23 31651 23 31907 23 32163 23 32419 23 32675 23 77918 27 78174 55 78429 60 78685 64 78941 68 79197 72 79452 77 79708 81 79964 85 80220 89 80475 94 80731 98 80987 102 81242 105 81498 105 81754 104 82010 104 82265 105 82521 31 82556 69 82779 27 82818 63 83038 22 83080 57 83297 17 83342 50 83555 13 83604 44 83814 8 83866 37 84073 3 84128 31 84390 25 84652 18 84918 8 85239 10 85476 29 85714 47 85960 57 86216 57 86471 58 86727 58 86983 58 87238 59 87494 59 87750 59 88005 60 88261 60 88517 60 88772 61 89028 53 89283 40 89539 32 89667 10 89795 30 89923 28 90050 29 90179 37 90306 27 90434 38 90562 14 90690 38 90817 9 90946 38 91073 3 91202 38 91458 38 91714 38 91969 39 92225 39 92481 39 92737 39 92993 39 93248 40 93504 40 93760 40 94026 30 94302 10 189792 7 190034 21 190283 28 190539 28 190795 28 191051 28 191307 28 191563 28 191819 28 192075 28 192331 28 192587 28 192843 23 193099 14 193355 5']
Shape of RGB image is (256,1600,3). It means there are 256*1600 = 409600 locations. Its corresponding mask (256,1600) is not given, instead they gave us EncodedPixels.
1235 2 1459 1 5489 10 means take 2 pixels starting from 1235, take 1 pixel starting from 1459, take 10 pixels starting from 5489.
Now it becomes 1235, 1236,1459, 5489, 5490, 5491, 5492, 5493, 5494, 5495, 5496, 5497, 5498.
en_pix = [‘29102 12 29346 24 29602 24 29858 24 30114 24 30370 24 30626 24 30882 24 31139 23 31395 23 31651 23 31907 23 32163 23 32419 23 32675 23 77918 27 78174 55 78429 60 78685 64 78941 68 79197 72 79452 77 79708 81 79964 85 80220 89 80475 94 80731 98 80987 102 81242 105 81498 105 81754 104 82010 104 82265 105 82521 31 82556 69 82779 27 82818 63 83038 22 83080 57 83297 17 83342 50 83555 13 83604 44 83814 8 83866 37 84073 3 84128 31 84390 25 84652 18 84918 8 85239 10 85476 29 85714 47 85960 57 86216 57 86471 58 86727 58 86983 58 87238 59 87494 59 87750 59 88005 60 88261 60 88517 60 88772 61 89028 53 89283 40 89539 32 89667 10 89795 30 89923 28 90050 29 90179 37 90306 27 90434 38 90562 14 90690 38 90817 9 90946 38 91073 3 91202 38 91458 38 91714 38 91969 39 92225 39 92481 39 92737 39 92993 39 93248 40 93504 40 93760 40 94026 30 94302 10 189792 7 190034 21 190283 28 190539 28 190795 28 191051 28 191307 28 191563 28 191819 28 192075 28 192331 28 192587 28 192843 23 193099 14 193355 5’]
This is given Encoded Pixels, lets generate a mask using it
First lets split these numbers at space using split function:
print(len(en_pix[0].split(‘ ‘)))
en_pix[0].split(‘ ‘) 216
['29102','12','29346','24','29602','24','29858','24','30114','24','30370','24','30626','24','30882','24','31139','23','31395','23','31651','23','31907','23','32163','23','32419','23','32675','23','77918','27','78174','55','78429','60','78685','64','78941','68','79197',
'72','79452','77','79708','81','79964','85','80220','89','80475',
'94','80731','98','80987','102','81242','105','81498','105',
'81754','104','82010','104','82265','105','82521','31','82556',
'69','82779','27','82818','63','83038','22','83080','57','83297',
'17','83342','50','83555','13','83604','44','83814','8',
'83866','37','84073','3','84128','31','84390','25','84652','18',
'84918','8','85239','10','85476','29','85714','47','85960','57',
'86216','57','86471','58','86727','58','86983','58','87238','59',
'87494','59','87750','59','88005','60','88261','60','88517','60',
'88772','61','89028','53','89283','40','89539','32','89667','10',
'89795','30','89923','28','90050','29','90179','37','90306','27',
'90434','38','90562','14','90690','38','90817','9','90946','38','91073','3','91202','38','91458','38','91714','38','91969','39','92225','39','92481','39','92737','39','92993','39','93248','40','93504','40','93760','40','94026','30','94302','10','189792','7','190034','21',
'190283','28','190539','28','190795','28','191051','28','191307',
'28','191563','28','191819','28','192075','28','192331','28','192587','28','192843','23','193099','14','193355','5']
Lets convert these strings into integers using map function
rle = list(map(int, en_pix[0].split(‘ ‘)))
rle [29102, 12, 29346, 24, 29602, 24, 29858, 24, 30114, 24, 30370, 24, 30626, 24, 30882, 24, 31139, 23, 31395, 23, 31651, 23, 31907, 23, 32163, 23, 32419, 23, 32675, 23, 77918, 27, 78174, 55, 78429, 60, 78685, 64, 78941, 68, 79197, 72, 79452, 77, 79708, 81, 79964, 85, 80220, 89, 80475, 94, 80731, 98, 80987, 102, 81242, 105, 81498, 105, 81754, 104, 82010, 104, 82265, 105, 82521, 31, 82556, 69, 82779, 27, 82818, 63, 83038, 22, 83080, 57, 83297, 17, 83342, 50, 83555, 13, 83604, 44, 83814, 8, 83866, 37, 84073, 3, 84128, 31, 84390, 25, 84652, 18, 84918, 8, 85239, 10, 85476, 29, 85714, 47, 85960, 57, 86216, 57, 86471, 58, 86727, 58, 86983, 58, 87238, 59, 87494, 59, 87750, 59, 88005, 60, 88261, 60, 88517, 60, 88772, 61, 89028, 53, 89283, 40, 89539, 32, 89667, 10, 89795, 30, 89923, 28, 90050, 29, 90179, 37, 90306, 27, 90434, 38, 90562, 14, 90690, 38, 90817, 9, 90946, 38, 91073, 3, 91202, 38, 91458, 38, 91714, 38, 91969, 39, 92225, 39, 92481, 39, 92737, 39, 92993, 39, 93248, 40, 93504, 40, 93760, 40, 94026, 30, 94302, 10, 189792, 7, 190034, 21, 190283, 28, 190539, 28, 190795, 28, 191051, 28, 191307, 28, 191563, 28, 191819, 28, 192075, 28, 192331, 28, 192587, 28, 192843, 23, 193099, 14, 193355, 5]
First number is starting pixel and next number is count from that starting pixel. Lets bring them into 2 seperate lists | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/generating-masks-from-encoded-pixels-semantic-segmentation-18635e834ad0 | ['Sumanth Meenan'] | 2019-10-23 08:26:21.115000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Runlengthencoding', 'Rle', 'Encodedpixel', 'Semantic Segmentation'] |
How Blockchain Technology Can Be Applied to the Food Industry | There has been plenty of noise surrounding the potential applications of blockchain technology and which industries could most use these innovations. While some pundits postulate that cryptocurrencies are of doubtful value, there is little doubt of the underlying technology that powers these digital assets. The same technical architecture that allows digital currencies to operate in a decentralized manner can also be used to ensure the transfer of information takes place in a fully transparent, secure capacity.
Of course, this can apply to any large business or enterprise whether it be in the public or private sector, so it’s not surprising to see why blockchain evangelists are so quick to prescribe this technology to as many industries as they have. Besides perhaps more obvious sectors such as finance, public works, and technology, there are some less flashy industries that are sorely in need of a blockchain-solution. The food industry is undoubtedly one of them.
Food safety, data management, and verification in the agrifood sector are some of the many areas that need improvement. For example, a retailer would be able to know which specific farms his supplier has had dealings with. Also, since transactions aren’t stored in a single location, it’s almost impossible to hack this information to falsify records. This level of transparency can extend even to end-consumers, who, with a simple QR code scanned from a smartphone, can see data such as the birth and age of an animal of death, any use of hormones, vaccinations, antibiotics, and location where the animal lived.
The applications of blockchain technology to the food industry are numerable, but here are a few of the most notable.
Consumer Transparency
As mentioned above, both suppliers, retailers, and end-consumers can be privy to every little detail regarding the animal or vegetable they are putting in their shopping cart. Not only will this allow for more informed decision making on the part of health-oriented consumers, but it will also ensure that farms and the agrifood industry at large won’t be able to hide details regarding the quality of their food.
This means that at the very least companies will take extra measure to make sure their food is healthier. A transparent food industry would also help push the organic food markets, which would, in turn, help smaller, organic farms and local producers. While this wouldn’t get rid of lower-quality, lower-priced foods, the ability to find out the exact details of your next meal before you buy it certainly will do much to shift consumer perceptions regarding traditional, mass-farming and agriculture.
The “farm-to-table” movement is an example of the existing consumer desire for these kinds of products, but unfortunately, these labels can mean little without proper transparency. Since the regulations can be fuzzy as to what “farm-to-table” food really entails, it’s easy for companies to slap on these buzzword-based labels as long as they meet certain standards. Food-savvy consumers are no longer trusting generalized buzzwords such as “healthy” or “organic”, instead seeking reassurances of quality that extend past what’s printed on a label.
As for why it’s taking the food industry so long to embrace this transparency, it comes down to the financial investment. Food production and processing rely on cheap labor, and while end consumers and retailers are the ones who benefit most from complete transparency, the burden of paying for tracking all these details falls upon those at the beginning of the supply chain, like farmers and suppliers. If farmers want to track their cattle, they would employ an RFID tag, which costs approximately $5 per tag. Using a blockchain solution that allows everyone to track these details online, the only cost would be a QR code, which costs less than $1 per animal.
Preventing Fraud and Maximizing Food Safety
While many might find it surprising, food fraud is a rising trend throughout the world. When it comes to our food supply, what we don’t know certainly has the potential to make us sick. According to the World Health Organization, almost 1 in 10 people become sick every year from eating contaminated food, with close to 400,000 dying annually as a result. With the logistics behind the global food industry becoming so complex and interconnected, it’s almost impossible for producers and retailers to guarantee the safety of their food normally.
There have been a number of high-profile instances of food fraud, such as the 2009 Salmonella peanut butter outbreak, the 2013 UK Horsemeat scandal, and even the more recent issue concerning Brazil’s largest meat production companies. But even aside from these high-profile cases, adulteration remains a constant threat to our food distribution chains, costing $10–15 billion annually.
With so much food and money getting wasted needlessly each year, blockchain can do much to change the current situation along every point in the distribution system. For food producers, blockchain means that if there is any tampering with a food item as it moves through the distribution chain, it can be immediately identified and prevented before it reaches the shelves of markets.
For retailers, being able to precisely identify which food products are hazardous via blockchain technology means that costly batch recalls will become a thing of the past. Stores in the future will be able to identify and remove the specific, offending items while leaving the rest of an otherwise fine shipment as is.
Massive companies such as Unilever and Nestlé have already begun considering blockchain solutions. Walmart, which sells close to 20 percent of all food in the United States, recently completed two pilot blockchain projects. On one of its recent traceback tests on mangoes, it took the chain almost seven days to trace back mangoes to the original farm it came from. Through one of these blockchain projects, however, Walmart found all the information it needs in just 2.2 seconds. Should some sort of contamination or disease break out, a seven day wait period to track down the source could mean thousands of possible infections and outbreaks.
What’s important to keep in mind is that this only works if the data entered is accurate, and much of the data-management practices in the food industry are vulnerable to human error. Databases that store compliance data (or in some cases, physical paper data) are vulnerable to mistakes, hacking, misplacements, or even intentional errors motivated by corrupt behavior. Blockchain not only operates anonymously but ensures that all errors in the system are traceable to individual culprits. With even first world nations suffering from shocking scandals, these benefits are more important than ever.
Alternative Payment Methods
Blockchain can allow everyone involved in the food industry to get paid more quickly. Farmers would be able to conduct transactions more promptly with cryptocurrencies rather than feel compelled to rely on marketing boards to sell their produce. This would eliminate retroactive payments and price coercion, both of which are real problems in the food supply industry.
At the same time, blockchain can help minimize or eliminate the middlemen in the agrifood sector, which would do much to lower transaction fees. Besides reducing food prices for end-consumers, it can help smaller farms and companies be more competitive in the marketplace, instead of getting outplayed by large food conglomerates with the funding to soak up needless transaction costs.
Limitations
While the potential for radical improvement in the agrifood industry is tangible, there are still some technical limitations that need to be ironed out before they can be implemented on a full-scale basis. For one, the amount of information which can be processed is limited since the multitude of contracts between organizations could lead to confidentiality problems. Balancing the conflicting desires for business privacy as well as transparency would be one limiting factor.
There is also the problem of participation. All parties need to adopt an innovative technology in order for it to work. In food distribution, not every company or point in the supply chain is equal, and more defiant companies can exert their influence over their more dependent partners. While the Walmart example can work because of the large companies influence, it would be harder for a small supplier or farmer to convince all of it’s larger partners to adopt blockchain technology if they don’t see the need for it yet.
From a technological perspective, experts need to worry about limitations to the number of transactions per second. This could create bottlenecks when it comes to exchanging information, and for an industry that is processing thousands and millions of transactions every second worldwide, this would be catastrophic.
Conclusion
Blockchain technology will play a promising role in the future of the food processing industry. From improving security and transparency, food safety, preventing frauds, and offering more efficient payment solutions, this decentralized technology is poised to dramatically change things for the better — despite what temporary limitations exist technologically or otherwise at the moment. | https://medium.com/kapitalized/how-blockchain-technology-can-be-applied-to-the-food-industry-9773710b403b | ['Ivan Mantelli'] | 2018-06-16 13:47:25.665000+00:00 | ['Food Safety', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Food Industry', 'Agriculture'] |
Weekly update #15 | Another week has passed and it is time to share the results with our community.
During the last two weeks, a lot of work has been done concerning development and testing of essential Live Stars webcam platform features, such as streams and LIVE token processing. We have reworked model account dashboard and completed the development of one of the most important parts of the platform — administration panel.
At the moment we are testing out the visual side of the website, mark-up, and user interface.
We are now conducting closed beta test of platform functions. We still have to complete the stress-test of our new streaming system.
During the next several weeks we will finish our redesign tests and will be ready for public testing. | https://medium.com/live-stars/weekly-update-15-fa0f88cb6a22 | ['Live Stars'] | 2018-08-14 10:53:33.897000+00:00 | ['Startup'] |
Fathering Children And Not Knowing | Fathering Children And Not Knowing
Photo by alekseykh from Depositphotos
This past week, a friend of mine, Pete, called me up to talk about old times and ask how I was doing.
Pete and I played college hockey together and while we were close for a few years after school, we’d kind of lost contact with each other as life drags you in different directions.
He’d heard through some mutual friends that I’d been unwell a few months back and wanted to make sure that I’d not succumbed to the dreaded virus, or as he put it, “I didn’t think that thing was strong enough to kill you.”
I explained that I didn’t have the Rona but had gotten a pretty nasty E.coli infection that spread to become sepsis and that it, “knocked me off my feet.”
Pete laughed briefly and uncomfortably, “Speaking of being knocked off your feet… Remember Winny?”
Winny was a young lady that Pete had fallen head over heels in love with during our senior year of college. She cast this spell over him and just about every aspect of his life suffered as she dominated his time and attention. He went from being a very solid student and dependable 2nd line winger, to an average student who struggled to complete assignments on time and a 4th line scrub who was barely able to hold his spot in the lineup.
“She reached out to me about two months ago on Facebook.”
I was quite surprised if we’re being truthful.
About three weeks after our final semester finished, Winny ghosted Pete.
And not in a “she didn’t return his calls” kind of way.
Winny vanished.
She told her parents that she was moving out west to start her career in Hollywood (she’d studied screenwriting) and that she’d be in touch when she got settled.
She didn’t even tell Pete or any of her friends she was going — she just packed up one night, hopped in her car, and was gone. Winny never called Pete ever again as far as I knew. From what Pete told us at the time, she didn’t even call her family. They raised the issue with the FBI who three months later called her folks back and simply said, “She’s alive, healthy, and settled. She doesn’t want to be contacted.”
That was that.
Pete became a fireman, got married a few years later, has three lovely daughters, and has invested his savings incredibly well. I worked with Pete on some investment advice just after the GFC and he went long on property when the market dipped, so Pete is probably the wealthiest firefighter in his entire brigade.
I was shocked to hear about Winny, “Wow, man. That’s a blast from the past. How is she? Better yet, where is she?”
He told me that she was living in Arizona and that she owns a small chain of truck stops. Pete said that she’d moved to Hollywood right after school and struggled before finally selling a few scripts. She took that money, moved to Arizona and bought a diner. A highway was literally built out front of her diner and she parlayed that into the business she has today.
The whole time Pete told me the story, there was an uncomfortable tone.
“Did she ever say why she left?”
“Yeah… she was pregnant and didn’t want to settle down.”
Silence.
I wasn’t expecting that. I figured she’d met someone else and ran off with them or perhaps there was some family trauma, but that was unexpected.
Pete told me that Winny moved to Los Angeles, found a job as a production assistant right away and had benefits, so she was able to keep the baby. She didn’t tell her family where she for nearly five years and she swore them to secrecy from Pete because he’d moved on and started his own life.
“DJ, I have a 23-year-old son that I’ve never met.”
Pete told me that he told his wife and that she was supportive. He and the young man, Jake, had spoken few times and that Jake had requested a DNA test to confirm everything. The test came back a match, so it was settled.
Winny had told him that his father had passed away in a car accident shortly after finishing college and that he had no family. She never married again or had any other children, Pete said in his conversation with her, she said that she’d simply devoted her life to raising their son.
I asked Pete how he was handling things and he was obviously of mixed emotions — on the one hand, he was angry that Winny had kept something like this from him and deprived him of the chance to know his child, but on the other hand, he said that Jake was friendly, smart, and clearly happy with life, so that was something he was grateful for.
“The best part, DJ, is that he wants to meet me and my family. The girls are shocked but excited to have a brother they didn’t know about. Evelyn (Pete’s wife) says that Jake is now an extended part of our family, so we’re looking forward to finally meeting him.”
Unfortunately, the dreaded virus is making it difficult for people to travel and one of Pete’s daughters is slightly immunocompromised so they have agreed to wait to bring Jake out to meet the family until vaccines are rolled out more broadly and things get back to normal.
Surprisingly, it’s not entirely uncommon for people to not know who their real fathers are and for men to not even know they have fathered children.
There’s not a great name for this — you have “paternal fraud” and “absentee fathers”, neither of which really fit the bill. Then there are children who are “illegitimate” in that they are born outside of wedlock or a committed relationship.
None of those things is a fair way of describing Pete’s situation.
From what you can research, the number of “paternal fraud” instances where the real biological father has no idea about his paternity, is pretty high. Overall, “paternal fraud” has been overestimated for decades, but the number is still likely to be between 1%-2% of babies born in relationships and the vast majority of those, the biological father never finds out about his role.
Similarly, with the children born outside of a relationship — a high proportion of those men are unaware that they’ve fathered a child.
It’s a really strange situation and one that doesn’t get talked about a lot.
I had a brush with this myself a few years back.
Before I started seeing my wife, Mel, I was playing the field a fair bit in college, as many young people are wont to do.
I was seeing this young lady, Cici, periodically for nothing more than just the odd booty call — it was entirely mutual, we would call each other and tee something up when the mood struck.
When I started seeing Mel, I simply broke off all of those other situations and focused on her and never gave Cici or any of the other women I was seeing a second thought.
Cici and I had mutual friends and when Facebook became a thing, she and I became friends. We would occasionally “like” something the other posted but we never really communicated beyond that. She was married, had kids, moved to Ottawa, Canada, and that was that.
One time, I was traveling to Ottawa for a conference and posted on Facebook that I was looking for dinner recommendations.
Cici hit me up on Messenger and said that she’d love to catch up for coffee if I had time to reminisce. I agreed and we set something up.
The whole meeting was kind of weird.
Cici was far more effusive and touchy than I remembered her. When we were seeing each other, she was kind of this Grunge style which was popular in the early-to-mid 90s, so she was a bit sullen all the time and quite hedonistic which is likely what attracted me to her. But when I turned up at the restaurant at the bottom of my hotel in Ottawa, she was wearing a bright sundress, was absurdly outgoing, and very much into hugs and kisses.
She had this perma-grin on her face the entire time and everything about her was perfect — her makeup, her hair, her white teeth, and even her dress was perfectly increased. This was the antithesis of the person I knew.
We chatted, she was super bubbly. She laughed and mockingly chided me for my sarcasm and little jibes.
Then her two teenage daughters turned up.
Yeah, they just rocked up at the restaurant and sat down with us.
The older girl was one year off the last time I’d seen her mother and if we’re being honest, when she walked over, I got this cold rush of blood because she looked uncannily like my sister.
The girls said that their mother spoke of me fairly regularly as her “college sweetheart” and that they were excited to finally meet me. That made me even more uncomfortable because Cici wasn’t my college sweetheart by any means, she was a girl who would call me for sex and ask me to grab some Chinese food on the way over.
I played along and both girls were friendly and smart, so it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, just a little uncomfortable.
After about 45 minutes, the girls said they were going to head out and do some shopping in downtown Ottawa while their mother and I reconnected.
As soon as the girls left, I raised the issue of her older daughter with Cici.
“Uhhh… Look… I have to ask… She looked an awful lot like my sister… And well, the dates line up pretty well. Is there something I need to know?”
She laughed and patted me on the thigh, “Don’t be silly, she’s my husband’s daughter. After you and I stopped seeing each other, I rebounded with him immediately. I’d had the flu at one point, couldn’t keep anything down including my birth control apparently, and here we are.”
I felt some relief, but still, something seemed suspect.
Cici smiled, “Trust me, I’d thought about it too. She has eyes very similar to yours… but so does her dad. We did one of those home DNA tests last year as a family to track our ancestry, I was a little relieved.”
I was relieved as well and decided that this strange reunion needed to end.
“Well, Cici, it’s been fun and a pleasure to meet your daughters, but I have a presentation to craft for the conference tomorrow, so I think I might have to duck out at this point.”
Cici nodded and matter of factly said, “Would you like to go back to your room? I’d enjoy that. One for old times sake.”
Very rarely in life am I lost for words. This was one of those times.
“Uh… I wasn’t really considering it. I think seeing as we’re both married, it’s probably best if we don’t.”
She smiled, “Well, I thought I’d offer. We always had great chemistry and it was worth asking.”
Truthfully, under different circumstances than what had happened over the previous hour, I probably would have accepted — Cici was still exceptionally attractive and her perfect appearance kind of triggered this animal instinct in me to mess her up slightly.
But the reality was, I was weirded out, so we took our leave.
I was luckier than Pete at the end of the day, although you know what, how things seem to be working out, he would probably say he got the better end of the deal than me.
Good for him. | https://medium.com/sexual-tendencies/fathering-children-and-not-knowing-9329635e5b4 | ['Average Don Juan'] | 2020-12-22 12:50:02.777000+00:00 | ['Children', 'Parenting', 'Family', 'Fatherhood', 'Sex'] |
Communities in the Recovery Capital Prevail | By Tyler Childress
The City of Delray Beach has long been a destination for addicts seeking to free themselves from the deadly grasp of alcohol and drug addiction. With hundreds of 12-step meetings, dozens of treatment centers, and a vast support network of recovering addicts, this idyllic beach city has provided a safe haven for thousands of people on the path to recovery. But the community in what was once labelled the “recovery capital” of America is now facing lasting challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The difficulties began in March, when an emergency resolution from Delray Beach city commissioners ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, which included 12-step meeting clubs. As a result of this resolution, thousands of recovering addicts were left without a vital connection to their support networks until May when the order was amended to allow for reopening under limited capacity. Since May, further amendments have gradually removed most restrictions, but the initial lockdown conditions and the threat still posed by COVID-19 have required 12-step clubs to make lasting changes in the way that they operate.
The Crossroads Club in Delray Beach was one of the clubhouses ordered to close in March, but was able to adapt to the circumstances with the help of online meeting technology like Zoom. Steven English, 48, is the Assistant Executive Director of the Crossroads Club and helped with the transition of meetings to an online format.
Crossroads Club in Delray Beach
“We had a drain and fill method of shifting people from the in-person meetings to the virtual meetings,” says English, explaining that in the early weeks of the pandemic the staff of Crossroads knew that a lockdown was imminent and so they began gradually shifting the format. “We started by running virtual meetings parallel to the in-person meetings,” he says, explaining that by the time the lockdown orders came, many of the fellowships had already successfully made the transition. The virtual format, however, is not without its own issues.
“People with 20 years sober who you thought had the most solid foundations were struggling,” says English, explaining that veteran members and newcomers alike were having a difficult time without the ability to physically interact with each other. He adds that the relationship between sponsees and the sponsors who are meant to take them through their 12 steps were especially strained by the distance. “There has to be some physicality in that, or the connection comes apart,” explains English. Despite these challenges, however, English states that the community was able to rise to the task.
“There’s this singularity of purpose,” explains English, which brought the community together to help those who were most vulnerable. Laptops were provided for some members who didn’t have a way to attend virtual meetings, and younger and more healthy members of the community helped run errands for those who were more susceptible to the virus. In some cases, the online format allowed for opportunities that weren’t available before the use of virtual meetings. English states that he was able to attend and speak in virtual meetings that were being held all over the world, including New York and London. “I said that I was going to turn this negative into a positive,” says English.
The Crossroads Club reopened on May 26 after being closed to non-essential personnel for over two months. Many of the various meeting fellowships responded by re-transitioning to an in-person format, but the Crossroads Club still isn’t seeing the level of attendance that it was once used to.
“Before COVID, around 800 people attended meetings daily at Crossroads,” says English, with the number now being around 400 that attend any of the dozens of daily meetings held at the club. The transition has also resulted in a decrease in revenue for the club which, like many other twelve step meeting clubs, survives through donations from members. “There were a lot of challenges and there continues to be,” explains English, but stresses that the safety of group members is the top priority.
“We do a lot of sanitation here so that people feel safe,” says English, citing the strict cleaning procedures have been put into place, with sanitary aerosols being sprayed before and after every meeting. A sign hangs on the front door stating that masks are mandatory for entry, and seating in the meeting halls is spaced out in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
“We want to stay in alignment with the state and local government,” says English, as group members make their way back to the fellowships that have helped them in their fight for sobriety. But even though the reopening of 12-step meeting clubs has eased some of the pressure felt from the lockdowns, much more remains in the form of income and housing insecurity for those in the recovery community.
With the majority of recovering addicts transitioning to halfway houses after finishing inpatient or while completing outpatient programs, the question arises of how these individuals will be able to maintain stable housing in an unstable economy.
The Harmony Healing Center in Delray Beach, a treatment center with inpatient and outpatient programs that operates several sober living homes, has made strides in their attempts to ensure that their clients’ recovery isn’t threatened by not having a place to live. Matthew Byrne, 27, CEO of Harmony Healing Center, explains the ways in which his treatment center has been able to aid its clients.
“For the clients who couldn’t pay rent we put them on a financial hardship,” says Byrne, which he explains is a sort of scholarship for their housing program. “We would go to Walmart and buy food, drinks, and snacks for the clients who had nothing and no money,” adds Byrne, and that while the law required them to collect some part of the rent, they worked with clients and accepted whatever payments could be made towards the amount due. For those in the inpatient and outpatient programs, Byrne stated that Harmony worked within health guidelines to ensure the best possible care for their clients.
Sober Living Houses from Harmony Healing Center
“We had to cut the size of the groups in half so they could be the appropriate amount of feet apart and so we would still meet the guidelines of no more than 10 people in a group therapy setting,” explains Byrne, and that sometimes group therapy sessions would be conducted outside on the grounds of the clinical building to make sure that proper social distancing was practiced. Byrne admits that since the pandemic started, they have noticed a drop in admissions because of Harmony’s COVID-19 protocols which had prohibited them from admitting anyone from another state or anyone who had been on a plane within the CDC recommended two week quarantine time.
“If they had any fever or had been sick in a two-week timeframe, we were not allowed to admit the client,” says Byrne. The COVID-19 restrictions didn’t only affect admissions, either, as Byrne explains. “We did notice an increase in relapses during the lockdown because there wasn’t much they were able to do, and eventually they would end up in there head which would cause them to go out and relapse for some relief,” explains Byrne, stating that, “for an addict, being in their head is the most dangerous place to be.” With the recent end of lockdowns, however, Byrne has noticed a positive change in clients.
“[They] have been able to go back to attending daily meetings and working with their sponsors and are going out and building their network of sober supports that they can call in times of struggle and not just be cooped up in their houses,” says Byrne, stating that establishing these connections and plugging into the wider recovery network is vital to a person’s sobriety.
The CDC recommended safety guidelines put into place by the Harmony Healing Center are being used in treatment centers everywhere, including in detox centers which are usually the first stop on a person’s road to recovery. Jared Kirschner, 44, is the Director of Business Development for Retreat of Broward, a residential detox center focused on getting clients through drug and alcohol withdrawals and into the next level of care. He explains the strict protocols adhered to by detox centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Welcome Center at The Retreat of Broward
“Everything is marked, there are signs everywhere, and marks on the ground for where you can stand and sit,” explains Kirschner, adding that with the advent of rapid testing, staff members and new admissions are able to be tested for COVID-19 quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, there were very little options for clients who tested positive.
“If they found out they had COVID, they would AMA,” says Kirschner, meaning that they would discharge themselves against medical advice. This happened, Kirschner says, because the facility had no choice but to quarantine them for the CDC-recommended 14 days, and some of them weren’t willing to go that long being confined to their room.
“I couldn’t imagine being stuck in a room like that, not being able to see anybody or even smoke a cigarette,” says one recovering addict, adding, “I’d probably want to leave too.”
These efforts by 12-step meeting venues, halfway houses, inpatient/outpatient programs, and detox centers are being made in attempt to delicately balance the threat of a viral pandemic and the threat of addiction, with both being potentially deadly to those affected. The Sun Sentinel revealed that overdose deaths have risen sharply since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and explained how the instability stemming from the pandemic is a factor which has led to addicts relapsing. Now that cases of COVID-19 are once again surging in Florida, it is likely that the pressures facing addicts will only be exacerbated by a second wave of the virus.
With the recent rise in cases, rehabilitation centers and 12-step clubs have had to take special care to ensure the safety of clients and visitors. Many of the meetings at the Crossroads Club are still being held virtually, but the ones that meet in-person are required to adhere to strict social distancing and mask protocols. At Harmony Healing Center, Matt Byrne says that they have had to bring in fewer outside facilitators for group therapy to reduce the risk of an outbreak. Jared Kirschner states that at the Retreat in Broward they are still enforcing social distancing and masks but have had to become more mindful about patients coming from out of state. These measures are being taken to ensure that addicts are still receiving the help that they need while also being aware of the threat still posed by COVID-19.
Despite this new surge in cases, the recovery community in Delray Beach has been able to heal some of the wounds inflicted by the instability of the past few months. With businesses and 12-step clubs reopening, recovering addicts have been able to once again take part in their fellowships and begin the slow return to normalcy after months of isolation and despair. | https://medium.com/@tchildress2019/communities-in-the-recovery-capital-prevail-398863fa6bdb | ['Tyler Childress'] | 2020-12-15 14:32:36.323000+00:00 | ['Coronavirus', 'Recovery', 'Covid 19', 'Delray Beach', 'Lockdown'] |
The State of Work 2020 by Paul Millerd | Topic: The State of Work 2020
I’m going to give you a short intro of why I care then I’ll just throw out 1-opinion / 1-like style takes. I imagine this will get a little unhinged towards the end.
A little background. I studied org change, complexity, systems dynamics, supply chain, leadership & other fun stuff in 10+ years working in consulting and a MS/MBA ops program at MIT.
I left my job to my job to make sense of an increasingly confusing world of work.
After I went back into consulting after MBA I started to noticed that almost no one cared how organizations worked. The people that studied organizations had fancy frameworks but they were rarely predictive. They mostly made people feel good.
I became obsessed with how to design an environment around fundamental principles. Build environments & cultures that:
- cultivate learning
- DON’T stifle motivation
- Don’t kill emergent experimentation
I realized this was counter to all individual career incentives.
Over time I realized a lot of this tinkering in consulting and initiatives in the corporate world were just part of the performance of work. no one seemed to care if any of it worked.
Most of the big “impact” was finance, M&A, and government affairs were a better ROI. | https://medium.com/thatsalih/the-state-of-work-2020-by-paul-millerd-e1cc5764cdd3 | ['Sajid Salih'] | 2020-12-16 06:36:00.430000+00:00 | ['Work From Home', 'Twitter Chat', 'Work Life Balance', 'Workplace', 'Entrepreneur'] |
The Library | Review of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” | Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki has been the #1 personal finance book for the last TWENTY years and was recommended to me by my brother.
If you are interested in learning about different ways to generate income (outside of going to a job), this is the book for you. Like most people I grew up in a family that lived pay check to pay check. Although I’m very thankful for all the opportunities and experiences I had growing up, the stress of living that way each month is not something I want for my adult life. Also like most people, I have received virtually zero financial education despite having a higher education degree. Lack of financial eduction in America is a MAJOR topic in the book as well.
I reallyyy disliked the first chapter and nearly returned the book because the writing is far from fantastic. He kept repeating the same statement over and over and over and there is little color to the writing. The book I checked out from the library was a “study session” version; it has summary sections and reflection questions after each chapter. If you hate the first chapter, just read the study session for chapter 1, and then begin reading the rest of the book.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad left me motivated to learn more about personal finance and ways to make money work for me. I want to increase my knowledge of finance and better manage my life with that information. Money for some people is hard to talk about, whether that be from shame of how they manage their funds, if they believe it’s taboo, or whatever reason, BUT money still runs your life. I think it’s important for all of us to learn how to better manage our funds and protect our futures.
Have you read Rich Dad, Poor Dad? Do you have any financial educational sources you recommend?
~Cait | https://medium.com/@caitscollections/the-library-review-of-rich-dad-poor-dad-4dd288afcb7 | ["Cait'S Collections"] | 2020-12-27 22:57:15.047000+00:00 | ['Finance', 'Personal Finance', 'Book Review', 'Book Recommendations', 'Rich Dad Poor Dad'] |
AWS Global Accelerator — Http to Https Redirection(terraform) | We had requirement to make our Application Loadbalancer highly available and also to remove dependency from the DNS provider. Let me just explain little further. We have our DNS provider which is not AWS route53, so when we drop into any incident or DR(Disaster Recovery) then we have to reconfigure DNS with new ALB. Because current ALB will not be functioning. This will take some time to reflect as well. Or else we have to create DR ALB earlier and keep it ready and configure with DNS provider with traffic dial 0%. Some of the DNS provider does not support this feature.
So we come up with Global accelerator, which also used AWS global network to route the traffic to optimal regional endpoint based on different factors(client location, policies). While doing so we found that our Global accelerator not transferring traffic from http to https, as we created the Global accelerator with terraform. Though we have redirection in ALB level.
Below changes has been done in Global accelerator to transfer traffic. Find the modules below for terraform.
resource “aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator” “global_accelerator” {
name = “generic_accelerator “
ip_address_type = “IPV4”
enabled = true
}
resource “aws_globalaccelerator_listener” “global_accelerator_listener” {
accelerator_arn = aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator.global_accelerator.id
client_affinity = “SOURCE_IP”
protocol = “TCP”
resource “aws_globalaccelerator_endpoint_group” “global_accelerator_endpoint_primary” {
listener_arn = aws_globalaccelerator_listener.global_accelerator_listener.id
endpoint_group_region = “us-west-2”
health_check_interval_seconds = “30”
health_check_path = “/”
health_check_port = “443”
health_check_protocol = “HTTPS”
threshold_count = “3”
traffic_dial_percentage =”100″
endpoint_configuration {
endpoint_id = var.alb_arn
weight = 255
client_ip_preservation_enabled = “true”
}
}
This will help creating comma(,) separated listener ports in Global accelerator. | https://medium.com/@subhasisray/aws-global-accelerator-http-to-https-redirection-terraform-bec1e3df4ade | ['Subhasis Ray'] | 2020-11-23 17:32:21.995000+00:00 | ['AWS', 'Global Accelerator', 'Http To Https Redirect', 'Terraform'] |
Georgia On My Mind | ve been privileged to know a lot of smart people in my time, including a few MacArthur Genius grant winners. (They’re always huddling together and doing something with their secret decoder rings.)
But Bill Pilon might well be the smartest person I’ve ever known.
Born in Martin Army Hospital at Ft. Benning, Bill is a lifelong Georgian. Formerly a senior marketing research analyst for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he is currently in that role for a media conglomerate that shall go unnamed, and as such has his finger on the pulse of the state’s politics, demographics, and zeitgeist in a way that not many folks can match. He’s like Steve Kornacki, if Steve Kornacki had a huge wad of Red Man leaf tobacco in his cheek.
That is of special note at the moment, as all eyes are on the Peach State for the next 22 days for a pair of twin runoffs that will determine control of the United States Senate for — at a minimum — the first two years of the Biden administration. Are the stakes high? You bet your sweet bippy. (Early in-person voting in that runoff opens today, Monday December 14.)
I lived in Georgia myself for about a third of my first 22 years, off and on, all told. We lived on the Alabama side, at and around Ft. Benning and Columbus, and on the East Coast, in Hinesville (pop. 32,872), near Ft. Stewart, where Bill and I went to high school. My parents continued to live in Columbus for another five years after my father retired. So what’s happening down there right now is especially close to the bone for us.
Of course, even beyond Georgia, there is a lot going on in American politics right now, including — sitting down? — a lawsuit from the Texas Attorney General joined by 17 red states and the White House asking the Supreme Court simply to throw out the whole vote and give Trump a second term. More than half of the Republican representatives in the House (126 out of 196) signed a letter endorsing that suit. I say again: MORE. THAN. HALF.
So much for the idea that they were just humoring Don while the clock ran out. When the wonks at the Transition Integrity Project ran their tabletop scenarios last year wargaming a contested election, even they did not foresee something so blatant and outrageous as the GOP calling outright for the election to be awarded to Trump on no grounds whatsoever.
It matters not that the SCOTUS, even with a 6–3 right wing majority including three Trump appointees, dismissed the suit almost before it dropped over the transom. The fact that the center of gravity in the Republican Party is totally onboard with full-blown fascism is in itself sufficiently blood-boiling — and terrifying.
So as Christian Vanderbrouk recently wrote in The Bulwark, “Remember. Their. Names.” Because it won’t be long before they want us to act like they’re reasonable politicians and not autocracy fanboys who would destroy American democracy for a few pieces of silver.
But I digress.
The Senate runoffs in Georgia belong to a different planet, one where some semblance of reason still reigns, but they still represent yet another front in the ongoing battle for the soul of our democracy. I can’t think of anybody who can give us the inside skinny on that like Pilon. We spoke by Zoom last week.
Five Georgias
THE KING’S NECKTIE: OK Bill. Gimme the inside dope.
BILL PILON: The first thing you really need to know is that there are about five Georgias.
There’s Metro Atlanta, which is literally half the population of the state, concentrated in about eight of 159 counties. That half is extremely liberal by Georgia standards and a little left of center by national standards. Atlanta and its environs are probably as liberal as any other major metro area in the country, and that causes huge problems in the state legislature. Metro Atlanta does really well in the state House, but the state Senate is county-based, and the other 151 counties of Georgia dominate the Senate.
But Atlanta is the economic engine of the state, and its liberality goes way back. There’s a reason Henry Gradyadvertised the New South in Atlanta in the 1880s and 1890s; Atlanta kind of dragged Georgia kicking and screaming into the 20th century.
In the Fifties, when Atlanta decided to become the City Too Busy to Hate, it was because Bob Woodruff, the longtime president of Coca-Cola, decided it was going to be. When Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize, nobody in Atlanta was going to do anything, and Woodruff said, “I’m going to host a dinner, and if you ever want to see any philanthropy from Coca-Cola ever again, you will buy tickets and you will attend.”
So one half of Georgia is Atlanta. Very liberal, very rich, well off.
Next, there’s the Black Belt that runs all through central Georgia from just south of Macon to just north of say Reidsville or Glennville, and that’s a bunch of rural counties that are majority Black and very poor. They were all sharecroppers: they didn’t have any money then and they still don’t have any money now. But when the Civil Rights Act came in 1964, these counties began to dominate the state government because they were 60 or 70 or 80% of the electorate.
Then there’s north Georgia, which is pretty much everything north of Metro Atlanta. It’s the mountains and literally you can hear banjo music when you drive through there. They’re not in favor of Black people. Forsyth County, for example, used to be the border of it. Now it’s part of Metro Atlanta, but around the time I moved here in ’86, there wasn’t a single Black family in Forsyth County according to the 1990 census. That changed during the ’90s and the ’00s; now it’s just a bedroom community of Atlanta, but that heritage is still there. But the population is so small and there’s so little industry, that today they don’t really have a big presence in the state government except for the state Senate.
Fourth is the coast, everything from Savannah to Brunswick, which is all tourist-driven, lots and lots of money, lots of cooperation between Blacks and Whites to get that money, and for political and governmental things that advance and exploit tourism.
The fifth Georgia is the Piedmont region, the area south of Atlanta to just south of Macon where cotton-growing — and hence slave population — didn’t dominate. Because of the racial demographics, which are majority White but not overwhelmingly so, it’s fairly moderate. Economically it’s not as rich as Atlanta, but not as poor as the rest of rural Georgia.
So the demographics of Georgia are changing, because of changes in those five sub-Georgias. The Black Belt is expanding. In 2010, non-Hispanic Whites made up 56% of the population. By 2019 that had fallen to 52%, according to the Census. Some counties are shifting even faster: Chatham, which is Savannah, and Clayton and Henry, which are Metro Atlanta, have all flipped. And as they do, the GOP prospects of maintaining control of the state legislature come under increasing pressure.
The whole state’s going to be majority-minority as early as 2028, although it’ll take a little bit longer for the electorate to reflect that.
To me, the thing Stacey Abrams has done that’s the most important is she’s really expanded the electorate, especially among minorities. She added about 1.5 million voters. That’s huge in a state where there’s 5 to 6 million votes cast in an election. She registered people who hadn’t registered and turned out people who hadn’t turned out. Probably two-thirds to three-quarters of that expansion was among Democrats and the rest of it was Republicans going, “Holy shit. If we let her do this, we’re going to get swamped.”
Georgia will be solidly blue in less than 10 years, and Trump has only accelerated that.
Handicapping the Race
BP: So the senatorial runoff is going to be all about turnout. Who motivates their crowd to come out and vote.
TKN: And what’s your prediction?
BP: Could go either way, but if I HAVE to make a prediction, I think the Dems win both seats. Current polling from reliable pollsters has both Warnock and Ossoff in the lead, though both are inside the margin. Trafalgar, which has a C- at Fivethrityeight.com, even has Ossoff up by 1% over Perdue and SurveyUSA has Warnock at +7 over Loeffler. There’s a shitload of money being spent so there will be a lot more polling to come, and unlike other states and the national, the 2020 Georgia polls were fairly accurate. Also, the current COVID case/death trend will continue or worsen and the Democrats are prepared to use absentee ballots to maintain turnout. And some Trump supporters may boycott the election.
TKN: Let’s talk about the individual candidates. In November we were looking at South Carolina having possibly two Black senators, which would have been remarkable, even though it didn’t happen. Georgia has never had a Black senator, which isn’t surprising when you realize there have only ever been ten Black US Senators period….and five of those are since Obama represented Illinois.
So what is the general feeling in Georgia toward Rev. Warnock? Could he be the state’s first?
BP: For probably 70 or 80% of the voters, Reverend Warnock is very much seen in the cast of Dr. King. He’s like Andrew Young would have been 20 or 30 years ago. He’s probably the most qualified and “positive imaged” leader from the Black community that could have run for Senate from the perspective of the White electorate, but at the same time he’s still “Black enough” for the Black electorate. I mean, he runs Ebeneezer Baptist Church, right?
TKN: And Ossoff?
BP: Ossoff is less positive. In the first place, he’s Jewish, and there’s a small streak of anti-Semitism that’s hurting him. You saw Perdue play to it when he Photoshopped Ossoff’s picture to give him a bigger nose. You know, a hundred years ago we lynched Leo Frank for exactly the same reason, for just being Jewish. That’s not all gone, but it’s not as big as it used to be.
In the second place, Ossoff was a protégé of John Lewis, and that buys him a lot of credibility, but it also hurts him a little bit. Some view him as kind of John Lewis’s pet. He is not nearly as strong a candidate as Warnock, but he’s got a lot more money behind him than Warnock does. A huge amount of it is from out of state, though, and that’s really an issue. There’s still a vestige of the idea that “we don’t want Yankee carpetbaggers coming down here telling us what to do.” The Ossoff Facebook groups and strategy groups are saying, “Look, we gotta be really careful.” They do not want people coming from out of state to knock on doors.
TKN: Yeah. I even heard Stacey Abrams say that. She was like, “You want to help? There’s a lot you can do from where you are. Don’t come here.”
BP: Right. The last thing they need is somebody from Boston coming here to tell people to vote for Ossoff.
TKN: Loeffler?
BP: Kelly Loeffler was almost unknown before she was elevated to the Senate. The few people that were aware of her mainly knew her through her WNBA team.
TKN: And those players hate her. Sue Bird leading the way.
BP: That’s one of the reasons Kemp was able to “sell” her as Senator: she was a kind of blank page upon which people could project what they wanted. Since then she’s been steadily driven right — or perhaps pro-Trump is a better description — during the election and is probably as polarizing as Trump himself at this point.
TKN: Where do the Collins voters go?
BP: They are gonna go to Loeffler. They don’t have a choice.
TKN: That’s what I figured. When I saw the numbers on November 3rd, I said there’s no way that the Democrats can win because when you add Loffler and Collins, that’s the majority.
BP: But it’s not actually. I’ve got a spreadsheet; let me pull it up….
If you look at Loeffler, she was 1.27 million, and then you add all the other Republican candidates and you have another 1.15, so total GOP was about 2.4 million. Warnock actually beat Loeffler, and at the end of the day when you add the other Dems, you’re at 2.38. So it’s close. Again, it’s going to be about turnout, and where do the four people who voted for the Liberals and the five people who voted for the Green Party and the Libertarians, where are they going to wind up?
With the Ossoff/Perdue thing, again, about the same. There were 115,000 Libertarian votes in that race. In my experience, a lot of those voters stay home in the runoffs, ’cause they’re voting Libertarian to make a point. It’s not like they think their guy is going to get elected, right? Some stay home and some are actually Republicans who were pretending to be Libertarians.
TKN: What do you think the odds are of a split decision?
BP: If there’s a split decision, I think Warnock wins and Ossoff loses. I can’t quite get a handle on the odds. Maybe 1 in 3?
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
BP: It’s really interesting to see the runoff ads. Loeffler and Perdue are extremely negative, especially Perdue. The GOP ads to date have done nothing but try to scare their base into voting against Warnock and Ossoff, rather than for their own candidates.
On the other side, Ossoff’s kind of fighting off the negativity and going a little negative himself, hammering Perdue on corruption and insider trading and his lies about the severity of COVID.
Warnock‘s ads are just really interesting. They’re very calm, very measured. Last night he had one with a tracking shot of him walking his dog, and telling us, “You know, Kelly Loeffler says this and that, but I think Georgia voters are smart enough to know what Kelly’s actually up to”……just as he drops a little bag of dog crap in the trashcan. (Laughs.)
TKN: Do Georgians think the vote will be fair? Or did the GOP self-sabotage by telling its own voters that the November election was rigged, so now they think “Why bother?”
BP: Kemp has inspired people that they’ll get a fair vote by virtue of the fact that he and Raffensperger are kind of hanging in there against Trump. The Republican stuff on Facebook is saying, “Hey, look, if we go vote, the votes are actually going to get counted.” Even my dad, who’s a rabidly dyed-in-the-wool Trump guy, doesn’t believe the election was fraudulent because of Kemp and Raffensperger.
TKN: Incredibly ironic that Brian Kemp of all people can make people believe in the integrity of an election. Particularly — and another irony — when you’ve got these two GOP shitheels, Perdue and Loeffler, doing Trump’s bidding and complaining about an unfair election, in a state run by Republicans, whose governor is one of the most infamous vote suppressors in America.
So why is Kemp standing up to Trump now? It can’t be principle.
BP: Kemp desperately wants a second term as governor and he realizes he won his election by only 50,000 votes. He can’t afford to alienate both the Black vote and the suburban liberals and still win next time. Trumpers simply won’t be enough. He’s a smart guy. He’s way too conservative for me, but he’s smart.
TKN: What do you think the impact was of Trump’s visit over the weekend?
BP: Honestly? Other than spreading COVID? Nothing.
TKN: (laughs) So you don’t think he hurt the Republicans?
BP: I don’t think he hurt Loeffler or Perdue because both of them are already so tied to him. Nobody who went to that rally was going to vote for Ossoff or Warnock anyway, and none of them were going to stay home if they’re convinced that these two people are Trump acolytes who are going to be in there pitching for him.
TKN: Speaking of COVID, you wrote me a little bit about the impact of the virus and absentee voting. Is that still in play?
BP: Yeah. By Thanksgiving we had 700,000 requests for absentee ballots for the runoff, and I saw a thing today in the AJC that there were about 70,000 ballot applications from people who didn’t vote in the general. (Ed.: Now up to to 1.2 million absentee applications.) So people are planning on voting absentee again, and they’re very, very wired into how to do it. They’ve already got the applications; people on Facebook are checking with each other; there’s a Georgia My Voter page that actually lets you keep up with your application and your ballot status and everything.
The impact of the pandemic has been huge. If it weren’t for COVID and his active suppression of absentee balloting, Trump would probably have won here.
TKN: Such a shame he shot himself in the foot like that. Whoda thunk it?
BP: I’m not sure that Perdue and Loeffler have done themselves a lot of good either. Yesterday they both endorsed the Texas suit in SCOTUS to throw out the vote from the four swing states, including their own. I expect the ads to break Monday, saying, “Here’s how much Loeffler and Perdue want to help Georgia: they’re saying the Supreme Court should ignore Georgia voters.”
TKN: To me it’s crazy that Perdue and Loeffler are even in this race, with the insider trading and everything else. It’s just mind-boggling.
BP: I spend a lot of time yelling at the television. And the mind-boggling thing to me is that Loeffler and Perdue can run ads that claim they were completely exonerated and found innocent of all wrongdoing based on a report that said, “Yeah, they insider traded, but the insider trading laws don’t apply to Congress, so it’s not technically illegal.”
(bitter laughter from Bill and Bob both)
So yeah, they didn’t do anything illegal. It was wrong and it’s exactly what they were accused of, but they don’t have to abide by those laws. And their position is, “See? I didn’t do it.”
TKN: It never ceases to amaze me what Republicans get away with. Michelle Goldberg had a column in the Times this morning about the double standard when it comes to civility. She was saying, remember four years ago when people were up in arms because some restaurant owner in Virginia very politely asked Sarah Sanders to leave? And now you’ve got an armed Republican mob outside of the home of the Michigan secretary of state and somehow that’s OK.
BP: Yeah. After he comped her cheese plate. I mean, it’s just ludicrous.
Stacey Crushes It
TKN: What do you make of Gabriel Sterling and Brad Raffensperger standing up the way they did?
BP: I think, first of all, praise God. (laughs) I think Raffensperger wants to be the governor someday, and he knows that in ten years the electorate’s going to be a lot bluer than it is now, and he doesn’t want to be the guy that caved in to Trump.
Second of all, I think Georgia is very pragmatic and open to compromise, as I’ve said, and Stacey Abrams is almost a poster child for that.
Stacey Abrams is very well thought of here. There are very few people who have negative things to say about her, statewide. The Hope Scholarship is a good example.
The first thing that Stacey did when she got into the state legislature as minority leader was compromise with the Republicans to save that scholarship, because even though the vast majority of the benefits go to middle class White kids who would go to college anyway, enough go to underclass Black kids who have no hope of college without it. So Stacey Abrams helped save that program.
There was another time when Republicans wanted to decrease the income tax and increase the cable television tax. It was supposed to be revenue neutral, because it was going to take in less money in taxes from Ted Turner and Kelly Loeffler and more money from every other person in the state that had a cable TV subscription. And Stacey literally did the numbers and put a copy of the analysis on every single desk in the state legislature one morning before the session started. All these dudes went, (affects bigtime cracker accent): “Well, wait a minute now. Ah’m gonna save $15 on my income tax but my cable bill’s gonna go up $35? Why in the hell would I do that?” It would have been the biggest tax increase in the history of Georgia and she nipped it in the bud. It got crushed.
Like I said, she is very well thought of. There was a little bit of dogwhistling during the gubernatorial election, but she really didn’t get hammered with the socialist thing. I honestly think if Kemp had not been secretary of state in the four years leading up to that election, she would have won.
TKN: Well, a lot of people think that.
BP: But it didn’t really have anything to do with him not recusing, because by the time that the election came, the frame had been set. If Kemp were smart, he would have recused himself and said, “I don’t want there to be any doubt,” and the machinery he’d set up would still have proceeded and he wouldn’t have to deal with the allegation of putting his thumb on the scale, to the extent that he is dealing with it, which is really not a lot.
TKN: Though that’s exactly it. Not recusing — even though he’d already pre-built the machinery to assure his win, as you say — makes people rightly suspicious that he was continuing to meddle even during the race itself.
Suppression By Any Other Name
TKN: It’s fascinating that suddenly in the last two weeks, Kemp has become…..I wouldn’t say a hero, but it’s odd that a guy with his horrendous record of voter suppression in who being vilified by his own party and by this president* for not doing more. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
BP: Historically Georgia has always been less extreme in its suppression of the Black vote. It never made it illegal for people to register or to vote, like Mississippi or Alabama; instead it used White primaries, poll taxes, and the county unit system to reduce Black voting power, though it couldn’t eliminate it altogether. “Suppress by finesse” they called it.
Georgia said, “Oh yeah, yeah, you can vote. You just can’t vote in the primary because of the right to free association guaranteed in the Constitution — if the party doesn’t want you in their club, there’s nothing we can do about that. But you can vote in the general election.” Well, 99% of the time there was only one candidate in the general election and that was the Democrat. So the Georgia political season really was in the spring because that’s when the party nominee was chosen.
In fact, the run-off requirement is an artifact of that history.
The county unit system was used for statewide races. 159 counties, four of them around Metro Atlanta were labeled “city counties” and each of those had four votes. There were another 15 or 20 counties labeled “town counties,” like Muscogee, where Columbus is, and Chatham, where Savannah is, and Augusta, and Macon. They got three votes each. The other hundred and something counties got two votes each. So all of Metro Atlanta, with half the population of the state, got to cast less than 20 of the 410 votes available.
When the county unit system was struck down by SCOTUS, the White power structure became concerned that a day would come where three or four White guys were running and one Black guy, and that Black guy got enough votes to win because the others split the vote. So they decided that they would go to a system where if you have less than a majority, you have to go to a runoff. And that gave the White people a chance to get their act together and pick one candidate.
So Warnock would have won if we didn’t have the runoff.
The Party’s Over
Hinesville, GA, where Bill and I went to high school, is about forty miles southwest of Savannah, not far from the even smaller town of Brunswick, where Ahmaud Arbery was murdered last February. It’s the kind of town where, in our day, there wasn’t much to do besides hang out in the parking lot of the Dairy Queen and follow the local high school football team. (Go Tigers.)
Our circle of friends back then were, frankly, a bunch of rednecks……very very smart rednecks who went on to do things like become nuclear submariners, but pickup truck-driving, tobacco-chewing, Willie Nelson-listening rednecks. As an interloper from the North (in my friends’ view), my nickname was Yankee.
TKN: I’d like to wanted to ask you a little bit about your own political evolution, Bill. When you and I were in high school, we were all very conservative.
BP: You know “The Newsroom” on HBO? Well, I’m a Will McAvoy Republican.
TKN: I can’t believe you’re a Republican at all, based on the things I know you believe in and how hard you’ve fought against Trump.
BP: What can I tell you? I’m an Eisenhower/Rockefeller guy.
TKN: I hear you. That’s what I came out of too, even though I left it 20 years ago. That’s The Bulwark, that’s The Lincoln Project.
BP: I’ll tell you when my final break happened. It was in ’08 when McCain selected Palin. I couldn’t vote for that ticket.
TKN: For me it was Iraq war. I had begun to move away before that, but that was the thing that ended it for me, once and for all.
BP: Yeah. I was a first term Bush guy but a second term Kerry guy because of Iraq. I wanted to go back to the GOP in 2008 with McCain, because I just think John McCain was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but then he picked Palin. If Lieberman had been his running mate, I would have voted for that ticket.
TKN: And they were buddies. But as much as I admired McCain as a man, like you, not his policies per se, I would still have voted for Barack. But the economy collapsing was the end of it. So it didn’t matter.
So how did you get to where you are now?
BP: The Internet did it. A PDF. And I can tell you exactly when it happened.
In the early ’90s I was a huge listener to Rush. I thought Rush Limbaugh was the oracle on the hill, and these Clinton people were scum and they were going to destroy the country. Then the Starr report came out and Rush started talking about what was in it. So I downloaded it. It might be the first PDF I ever downloaded from the Internet. And I read the whole damn thing. And then Rush would talk about the Starr report and say things about it, and I’d be like, “Well, that’s not true.” And then Rush would say something else, and I’d look it up in the report, and it didn’t say that either. And I’m like, “Well, if he’s lying about that, what else is he lying about?”
So then I got in the habit of downloading and reading Supreme Court decisions. And sure enough the Supreme Court didn’t say the things Rush was claiming it said either. And the more I read of the primary source documents, the more the conservative positions didn’t hold water. They just didn’t work.
I read an analysis of federal revenue after the 1980 tax cut. The whole supply side thing was that if we cut taxes that will increase revenue. But it didn’t increase revenue. All it did was lower the tax base.
So one part of it was that the Internet gave me access to information that I didn’t have that wasn’t filtered by the right wing blogosphere or bubble. That was huge. The Internet has this unique ability to freeze stuff and make it available forever. So you can hear somebody like Grover Norquist say something when they said the exactly opposite six months before. Before the Internet you would never have known. But now you can Google it, and sure enough, there it is.
TKN: Bill, you must be the first human being ever who actually learned something accurate from the Internet. It’s really unfair of you to look for the facts. That destroys the whole right wing paradigm.
BP: (laughs) Well, it was Krugman who said that facts have a liberal bias.
The second part was that I kind of ran into this philosophical thing about positive freedom and negative freedom. And then the third thing, in a lot of cases, was media. “The West Wing“ had a huge part in it. “The Newsroom” had a huge part in it.
TKN: That Aaron Sorkin is good.
BP: Yeah he is.
TKN: I realize it’s kind of an unfair question to ask about “your” change, because if we characterize ourselves as Eisenhower Republicans, it wasn’t that we changed: the Republican Party changed around us.
BP: Yeah. I mean, look at Eisenhower’s platform from ’56. It’s almost the same as Biden’s platform now.
TKN: As many people have pointed out, Eisenhower could not be a Republican today. Nixon could not. Reagan could not. None of these icons could be; they’re all way too far left for the contemporary GOP….and they were not left wing at all! It’s tragic.
This is a whole ‘nother topic that we can talk about another day, but I wonder about the future of the Republican Party. David Jolly thinks there’s room for a third party, a truly conservative party, which would be healthy for the republic just in terms of variety. I dunno if he’s right about the practicality of it, but it’d be a good thing.
BP: I still consider myself as a Republican in philosophy, but can have no association with the party as its currently configured.
**************
If you’re a resident of Georgia, please vote. Early in-person voting is open now. Remember to bring your ID, as Georgia is one of 36 states that require identification to vote.
Requests for a ballot by mail must be received by Friday January 1, 2021. If mailed in, ballots must be received by 7pm ET on Tuesday January 5, 2021 (Election Day). Ballots can also be submitted in person until that time.
For more on how to vote in the runoff, go to How to Vote.
Illustration: from the Allman Brothers’ album Eat a Peach (1972). Do you dare? | https://medium.com/@edwardsrobt/georgia-on-my-mind-8d2e0583bb41 | ['Robert Edwards', "The King'S Necktie"] | 2020-12-14 20:57:49.757000+00:00 | ['Elections', 'Democratic Party', 'Politics', 'Republican Party', 'Georgia'] |
Covid-19-French scientist Delfraissy sees no return to post-Covid-19 normal before autumn 2021, | French scientist Delfraissy sees no return to post-Covid-19 normal before autumn 2021The French population will probably not return to a “normal” post Covid-19 life before autumn 2021, a senior government scientific adviser said on Friday. “We have a virus which continues to circulate strongly while we are just coming out of a second lockdown,” immunologist Jean-François Delfraissy also told BFM television.
President Emmanuel Macron rides out the coronavirus in a presidential retreat at Versailles. While Macron routinely wears a mask and adheres to social distancing rules, he hosted or took part in multiple group meals in the days before testing positive Thursday.
Apparently, telling lies about a nonexistent election fraud scheme Democrats used to unseat Donald Trump as the rightful heir to the American throne didn’t sound like much fun to Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell.
And since he suspects that’s exactly what the public will hear from the GOP for the next four years, Mitchell announced on December 14 he was officially defecting from the party. Then on December 18, he gave an interview to The Detroit Free Press (DFP) in which he said he will never again run for elected office.
“I have nointention of running for elected office again,” Mitchell told the newspaper. “I have disagreements with the [Michigan] governor on a whole range of things, but I’m going to go home and inflict my opinion on my family, who will probably tell me to please shut up.”
As the representative of one of Michigan’s most Republican districts, many in the GOP hoped Mitchell would challenge the state’s current Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer when her term ends in 2022. He has been an outspoken critic of the way she’s handled the coronavirus pandemic, even suing her in May for her use of state police powers to enforce public health orders.
However, Mitchell said he’s become increasingly disaffected with a party that tolerated Trump’s tyrannical attempts to overturn the 2020 election. In a letter Mitchell sent Republican National Committee Chairwoman Rona McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, he said the party’s “raw political considerations” concerning the 2020 election factored heavily in his decision to call it quits.
“I agree there have been some disconcerting aspects to this election,” Mitchell wrote. “With more than 155 million people voting, both administrative errors and even some fraudulent voting likely occurred…However, the President and his legal team have failed to provide substantive evidence of fraud or administrative failure on a scale large enough to impact the outcome of the election.”
While Mitchell’s absence won’t affect the balance of power on the Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, his defection is a symbol of what’s to come for the GOP if they continue to “stand up and say, Stop” to Trump, Mitchell told DFP.
Republicans fared well in the 2020 election, picking up nine seats in the House and successfully defending a majority of their Senate seats.
The same is true at the local level. To the left is a county-level map of the 2020 election. One glaring conclusion that can be drawn is that the GOP holds a considerable grassroots advantage over Democrats.
At the state executive level, the GOP controls 22 states, including two of the most critical in the 2020 election: Arizona and Georgia. The GOP also has considerable representation in other states with divided governments. In Michigan, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and North Carolina, the GOP controls both the state House and Senate while Democrats occupy the executive wing.
Mitchell is suggesting that the GOP’s continued kowtowing to Trump will end in an erosion of this advantage, one the party has worked for generations to build.
https://osf.io/346fc/
An Islamist militant who opened fire aboard a high-speed train travelling through northern Europe but was overpowered by three Americans before he killed anyone was sentenced to life in jail by a French court on Friday.
A host of European leaders and top French officials rushed into isolation on Thursday after President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for Covid-19, upending political agendas across the continent. Macron, 42, was tested after the “onset of the first symptoms” and will now self isolate for seven days in accordance with national regulations, his office said in a statement.
https://osf.io/jbnua/
Thursday Prime Minister Jean Castex said museums, cinemas and theatres would not re-open before at least the beginning of January as the target of keeping daily new infections below 5,000 had not been met. How French museums are adapting to the Covid-19 era? FRANCE 24’s Clovis Casali reports from Le Louvre, in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron met numerous heads of state and high-level officials in the 10 days before he tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, including most European leaders at a summit on Dec 10–11. FRANCE 24’s French Politics Editor Marc Perelman tells us more.
https://osf.io/j3fdr/
People in France could start receiving the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech in the last week of December if European Union authorities approve it next week, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday. Castex told parliament that the vaccination campaign in France would be stepped up in January and he confirmed that the elderly would come first in the queue.
Two prominent Italian intellectuals announced Monday they were returning their Legion of Honor awards to France to protest that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was given the prize despite his government’s human rights abuses. Corrado Augias, a longtime journalist for La Repubblica daily and onetime European Parliamentarian for Italy’s center-left, returned his prize to the French Embassy on Monday. Giovanna Melandri, a former Italian culture minister and the president of Rome’s Maxxi contemporary art museum, announced she would follow suit.
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20545665
A French court on Wednesday convicted 14 people of crimes ranging from financing terrorism to membership of a criminal gang in relation to Islamist attacks in 2015 against the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Jewish supermarket. The trial has reopened one of modern France’s darkest episodes, just as another wave of Islamist attacks on home soil this autumn, including the beheading of a schoolteacher, prompted the government to crack down on what it calls Islamist separatism. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney tells us more.
The first doses of Covid-19 vaccines could be administered to people in France in the last week of December, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told parliament on Wednesday.
https://osf.io/ychb6/
A French court on Wednesday convicted Hayat Boumeddiene, the former partner of an Islamist militant who killed four people in a 2015 attack on a Jewish supermarket, of terrorism-related charges. FRANCE 24’s French Politics Editor Marc Perelman tells us more.
A French court on Wednesday convicted Hayat Boumeddiene, the former partner of an Islamist militant who killed four people in a 2015 attack on a Jewish supermarket, of terrorism-related charges. Sharon Gaffney reports.
https://osf.io/4mfj8/
A Paris court was set Wednesday to issue its verdict in the trial of 14 suspected accomplices of the Islamist gunmen who murdered some of France’s most famous cartoonists at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in 2015, killings that horrified the nation. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney reports.
‘Vaccination will start in retirement homes,’ Professeur Alain Fischer, President of the French Council of Covid-19 strategy, said on Tuesday.
https://osf.io/9ukev/
Tuesday brought new freedoms for people in France because it was the end of a stay-at-home order. This had meant that, around the clock, people could only venture out for a limited time and for essential trips, to shop, or to exercise. But that was replaced instead with a nightly curfew. From 8:00 p.m until 6:00 a.m. people can only go out for work, on official business, or for medical reasons.
Arts and culture sectors protested Thursday in Paris after Prime Minister Jean #Castex announced museums, cinemas and theatres would not re-open before at least the beginning of January as the target of keeping daily new infections below 5,000 had not been met.
https://osf.io/vnbg8/
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he plans to call a referendum on changing the constitution to include a commitment to fight against climate change and for the protection of the environment. FRANCE 24’s Environment Editor Mairead Dundas tells us more.
France’s government announced in November that a lockdown imposed at the end of October to tackle a second coronavirus wave would be partially lifted by Dec. 15 and would include the re-opening of cultural venues. But last Thursday Prime Minister Jean Castex said museums, cinemas and theatres would not re-open before at least the beginning of January as the target of keeping daily new infections below 5,000 had not been met.
https://osf.io/vu4cj/
Just five days before they were due to perform before a live audience for the first time in almost two months, the singers of the Paris Opera learned they could not re-open before January as France’s coronavirus cases remained stubbornly high.
So they decided to film their performance of works by a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and 18th century French composers Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Andre Gretry and offer it on a new video-on-demand portal launched last week by the Opera de Paris, which runs the Garnier and the Bastille opera venues.
https://osf.io/5ghxm/
“Of course it is sad, but we’re very lucky to be able to film this concert, especially because some pieces of music that will be played have never been recorded”, said French soprano Pauline Texier.
France’s government announced in November that a lockdown imposed at the end of October to tackle a second coronavirus wave would be partially lifted by Dec. 15 and would include the re-opening of cultural venues.
https://osf.io/m9r48/
But last Thursday Prime Minister Jean Castex said museums, cinemas and theatres would not re-open before at least the beginning of January as the target of keeping daily new infections below 5,000 had not been met.
“For me, it’s really a shame that we currently cannot perform. Because we, as artists, are incomplete without the public”, Fernando Escalona, a countertenor from Venezuela, told Reuters during the rehearsal.
https://m.vlive.tv/post/1-20553145
People from the arts and entertainment world protested in Paris on Tuesday against the government’s decision.
Castex said extra financial aid would be granted to artists and there would be a Jan. 7 meeting to see if some reopening was possible.
Not being able to perform in front of an audience has “become the new normal”, American bass Aaron Pendleton said.
“But we’re still able to share our work and we’re still able to work so we’ve been lucky to have that”, he added.
https://m.vlive.tv/post/0-20546325
French government announced on Thursday it would lift the six-week-long partial lockdown on December 15 and impose a night-time #curfew instead. But in a severe blow for the cultural sector, it said that museums, theatres, concert venues and cinemas would remain closed for three more weeks. FRANCE 24’s International Affairs Editor Philip Turle tells us more.
Starting on Tuesday, the French will no longer need to fill out forms justifying their reason for leaving home. They will, however, be subject to a new 8pm-6am curfew as the country battles to avoid a third wave of coronavirus infections that could require an economically devastating third national lockdown.
As Europe’s surge eases off slightly, France is planning to lift a six-week lockdown from Tuesday but impose a curfew from 8pm, including on New Year’s Eve.
https://osf.io/jrs6g/
Paris Saint-Germain is coming quite a wild season. Last season, Les Parisiens won Ligue 1 for the third straight time. They also won the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, and the Trophee des Champions. In addition, they finished as the runners-up of the UEFA Champions League.
PSG took its fourth domestic treble in club history(the club’s first since the 2017–2018 season). It was their fourth domestic treble in six seasons. Coming up short in the Champions League was a horrible way for them to close the season out, however, the club has a bright future.
https://osf.io/quzx7/
They should pick up exactly where they left off. PSG is perfectly capable of winning Ligue 1 again with the potential of winning all three French domestic titles. Obviously, their biggest goal is to make another deep run in the UEFA Champions League in the hopes of winning it all.
Les Parisiens will play their first Ligue 1 game on Thursday. Unfortunately, Neymar and Angel Di Maria along with four other PSG players tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Neymar is officially out for PSG’s first two games. Di Maria is likely to follow along with the other infected players.
https://osf.io/7f23c/
Regardless of their current predicament, there’s no reason for Les Parisiens to panic. With all the talent available, there are other options on the table. Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, Marco Verratti should all be ready to go along with several other key players. Whether they start or not, they should be on the active roster.
The Champions League begins late next month. PSG is looking to begin its next Champions League campaign with confidence. Until then, PSG must amass a winning streak. By the time they begin Champions League play, they need confidence and momentum. That being said, PSG needs to amass an effective and convincing winning streak.
https://osf.io/srd3t/
“If Republican leaders collectively sit back and tolerate unfounded conspiracy theories and “stop the steal” rallies without speaking out for our electoral process, which the Department of Homeland Security said was “the most secure in our nation’s history,” our nation will be damaged,” Mitchell wrote in his letter to McDaniel and McCarthy.
“I have spoken out clearly and forcefully in opposition to these messages. However, with the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of these efforts, I fear long-term damage to our Democracy,” he added.
It’s hard to imagine a tougher position for Republican voters to be in. On one hand, the national party is openly castigating the electoral process as a Democratic Ponzi scheme. On the other, the party will expect voters will be to turn out in 2022 to defend the GOP’s 21 gubernatorial seats up for grabs.
How then can the GOP expect to keep its state-level advantage when the party is promoting such a self-defeating message?
To be clear, Mitchell has never been a Trumpist. He spoke out against the president’s statements after Charlottesville, renounced Trump’s anti-immigrant “send them back” rhetoric, and even the racist remarks of his colleagues.
But, this is exactly what makes his message so potent. Mitchell represents the millions of level-headed GOP members that are having second thoughts about supporting the party. These are the voters Republicans have come to rely on during state elections. Rand Paul said as much when he told Fox Business that he is “very, very concerned that if you solicit votes from typically non-voters, that you will affect and change the outcome [of the election].”
To level-headed Republicans like Mitchell, supporting this behavior is a direct violation of the oath all lawmakers take before they begin work.
“As elected members of Congress, we take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” not to preserve and protect the political interests of any individual, be it the president or anyone else, to the detriment of our cherished nation,” Mitchell wrote.
http://www.eredan-arena.com/forum/index.php?thread/408025-another-congressman-quits-over-gop%E2%80%99s-refusal-to-stand-up-to-trump/
https://www.guest-articles.com/art-culture/covid-19-french-scientist-delfraissy-sees-no-return-to-post-covid-19-normal-before-autumn-2021-27-12-2020
https://www.thewyco.com/news/covid-19-french-scientist-delfraissy-sees-no-return-to-post-covid-19-normal-before-autumn-2021-27-12-2020
https://steemit.com/news/@bbswordiwc/french-scientist-delfraissy-sees-no-return-to-post-covid-19-normal-before-autumn-2021 | https://medium.com/@bangbeng0982/covid-19-french-scientist-delfraissy-sees-no-return-to-post-covid-19-normal-before-autumn-2021-52aa46c75c8c | [] | 2020-12-27 15:23:51.076000+00:00 | ['News', 'Newsletter', 'Sports', 'News Articles', 'Newspapers'] |
Scott Chappelle Strathmore Real Estate Group Assisting Retail Tenants | As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, local businesses and restaurants across the country are struggling to adapt their business models to “the new normal.” Part of that adjustment includes catering to consumers who no longer feel safe inside their stores. For many, drive-thrus may feel like the perfect solution. But in some cities, it’s an illegal one.
In August of 2019, Minneapolis became the latest city to pass an ordinance banning the construction of new drive-through windows in hopes of lowering vehicle noise and idling which lowers pollution and increases safety for citizens on the nearby sidewalks. Similar legislation restricting or banning the creation of new drive-thru windows for banks, restaurants, and/or retail businesses was also passed in Creve Coeur, Mo.; Long Beach, Calif.; and Fair Haven, N.J.
Scott Chapelle Strathmore Development Working to Help Local Businesses Pivot
Scott Chappelle Michigan businessman and President of the Strathmore Real Estate Group is leading an initiative meant to help a significant number of retail businesses and quick-serve restaurants (QSR’s) to address the problems of social distancing, health and safety regulations, and increased delivery and pick-up demand. The company makes each recommendation based on the client’s needs and existing assets, but generally, a business has two choices — either enhance capacity at the existing location or pivot to a new location that has drive-through capability.
“Most bans focus on curbing emissions, improving pedestrian safety and enhancing walkability, but ignore the realities of consumer tastes and the marketplace,” says Scott Chappelle Strathmore Development President . “Especially right now, when drive-thrus are about more than convenience. Now it’s an issue of health and safety.”
Minneapolis City Council President, Lisa Bender, says the ordinance that banned new drive-thrus is part of a larger growth and development plan that includes an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Back when the ordinance first passed, pre-pandemic, Scott Chappelle Michigan developer noted that while “The legislation is sometimes promoted as an opportunity to create healthier food environments and curb obesity” he found it to be oppressive for local business owners.
Ban Found To Be Counterproductive Says Scott Chappelle Strathmore Development
When asked for comment, Roland Sturm, a senior economist at nonprofit research firm Rand Corp. called the idea of banning drive-thrus “ridiculous.” According to Sturm, those who backed the ban tend to tout potential health benefits. It may seem simple — less idling equals fewer fumes — but no research has been done on whether drive-thrus add significantly to carbon emissions and pollution more than other modes of dining and shopping.
People who may otherwise have picked up food and gone home may travel further for food or decide to make a night of it and travel to another location, canceling out the small gains of reducing drive-thru traffic. Or they simply order delivery, which just replaces one car with another (while also taking money out of local restaurants’ pockets) points out.
In fact, the practice could actually be counterproductive to health and safety. Aside from the obvious COVID-era worries about going inside a store or restaurant, obesity rates actually went up in South Los Angeles after new stand-alone fast-food restaurants and drive-through windows were banned, according to Social Science & Medicine. Sturm was the lead author of the study and notes that obesity continued to climb for three years after the ban.
Scott Chappelle Strathmore Development Continues to Respond to COVID-19 Distress
Strathmore Real Estate Group continues to pursue the development and construction of over 46 properties with enhanced drive-thru capability in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Strathmore is simply responding to changing consumer tastes precipitated by the global pandemic,” says Scott Chappelle Michigan resident and businessman. The bans often don’t include existing drive-thru windows, so Strathmore aims to offer those pre-existing properties to businesses who are suffering without a way to serve their clients. | https://medium.com/@scottchappellestrathmore/scott-chappelle-strathmore-real-estate-group-assisting-retail-tenants-533fb963ba1 | ['Scott Chappelle Strathmore'] | 2021-01-08 18:32:17.925000+00:00 | ['Real Estate', 'Tenants', 'Retail', 'Scott Chappelle', 'Strathmore'] |
How a Philanthropy Program Can Help Business | Philanthropy programs in business involve financial contributions to society, donations to a specific cause, or employees volunteering their time to help or drive a cause. Many companies have embraced corporate social responsibility and are continuously dialing up their procedures to prioritize the activities. This factor is businesses have seen corporate philanthropy’s benefits for them, their employees, and the community. Here is how philanthropy is beneficial to a business.
Promote Company Image
Most people tend to align positively with companies that give back to the community that gives them business. They, therefore, develop a good impression of the company and will trust its services. In most instances, the result is more business from the community they support as they have built a bond of trust.
Happy Employees
Companies that involve their employees in philanthropy enjoy the benefits of a team with high morale. Enthusiastic employees are more productive and willing to be team players. Besides, the importance of corporate philanthropy is that it brings meaning to their staff showing them the organization cares about their personal needs and the community.
Excellent Recruitment
People always want to work for companies with a good reputation, and corporate philanthropy is a perfect mirror of this attribute. Philanthropic companies have an excellent resource of well-abled applicants in the communities they give assist. Individuals with a knack for giving back to society will be attracted to such businesses, bringing with them diverse talents.
Increase sales
People tend to spend more on brands that give back to society and support good causes than brands that do not have any social responsibility. Therefore, with a philanthropy program, businesses enjoy benefits such as high sales and profit margins and are likely to get more customers who support the same cause.
Brand Marketing
Since Corporate Social Responsibility has become significant in businesses, philanthropy is an excellent way to promote their brands in wider regions. Getting down to the community level and reaching out to customers to find out what matters to them and what changes they would like can market a business brand cost-efficiently. Philanthropy programs are ways for a business to present a unique identity that resonates with their clients and potential customers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, an excellent philanthropy program is beneficial to the business, employees, and the community. It is a win-win for everyone if the intent is good and the ultimate goals are transparent. For a business, this is an investment that pays off in the long run.
Originally published on Jerry Swon’s website. | https://medium.com/@jerryswon/how-a-philanthropy-program-can-help-business-95a522c88ca1 | ['Jerry Swon'] | 2020-12-14 19:42:03.993000+00:00 | ['Jerry Swon', 'Philanthropy', 'Charity', 'Business', 'Community'] |
Protein Folding on Digital Ocean Infrastructure | Protein Folding on Digital Ocean Infrastructure
It’s actually, surprisingly easy. Using a small script, a Kubernetes cluster can be provisioned and tasked with running a folding@home image that runs 800 CPU cores to the max.
DO’s API is simple, lean, and straight forward. Simply generate an API key, and you’re off to the races. | https://medium.com/@ssguyah/protein-folding-on-digital-ocean-infrastructure-2ab73c7ffe9a | ['Septimus Guyah'] | 2020-12-23 02:44:25.774000+00:00 | ['Digitalocean', 'Folding At Home', 'Golang', 'API', 'Kubernetes'] |
Codeigniter Rest Api ve Vuejs Todolist Uygulaması | 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/erknkeskin/codeigniter-rest-api-ve-vuejs-todolist-uygulamas%C4%B1-7b2e270c976 | ['Erkan Keskin'] | 2020-11-14 12:28:39.751000+00:00 | ['Codeigniter', 'Udemy', 'Rest Api', 'Vuejs', 'Eğitim'] |
Planning for a New Year: 6 B2B Marketing Strategy Projections for 2021 | Heading into the new year, there are many takeaways from 2020 that can help shape some marketing strategy projections for 2021. Current events have, certainly, shredded our planning documents and made a mockery of our expectations. Does that mean we should stop evaluating, planning, and developing strategies to market our business? Absolutely not!
No one expected a global pandemic, environmental crises, and social unrest to create such a massive disruption in our lives, economy, and society. No industry was left untouched, or human experience unaltered. However, I’m a firm believer that change provides new opportunities and new ways of thinking. Life is not static; therefore, our marketing approach should not stay the status quo. Because 2020 forced us to adapt or die, now is the time to reflect and prepare for 2021. During this crisis and beyond, you can maintain and even gain a competitive advantage by investing more, not less, in your marketing strategy.
Here, we’ll explore what we expect to see in B2B marketing strategies for next year:
Even before COVID, B2B marketing was dramatically evolving as consumers continue to have a vast array of information at their fingertips. The pandemic accelerated the desire and need for quality content and accurate information. Marketers should carefully review and analyze their marketing initiatives over the past nine months, and then thoroughly evaluate that period’s successes and failures. Ask yourself:
What did you offer, and did it resonate with your prospects?
Was your messaging on point, or did you lead with the same tired words about your product or service?
What marketing tactics will carry-over because they better meet customer needs and demands?
Which ones will fade out as business operations return to some semblance of pre-pandemic days?
Virtual consultations, online events, or appointment apps are here to stay, even as we return to the pre-pandemic lifestyle. The best strategy is to incorporate a combination of tactics with the flexibility to respond and act as market conditions warrant.
Has your business adjusted to doing more with less? Many businesses had to re-prioritize spending and make cuts to certain areas. Some smaller B2B businesses were already running their marketing programs on a shoestring budget. Then COVID-19 forced many companies to invest in online marketing outreach for the first time to compete with the competition. It was about surviving, not maintaining the status quo. Think content marketing, email campaigns, and virtual education.
Take a close look at your current marketing strategies and budget, then adjust your plan accordingly. As we move into the new year, businesses will continue to face extraordinary challenges just to stay open. Marketing must be a dedicated part of the plan. If consumers can’t find you online, you have little chance of ending 2021 on a positive note. Be creative to get the most significant return on investment.
With more people working remotely, online interactions have soared. In a recent McKinsey & Company post, the writer notes, “With continued pressure on household income, consumers continue to try new brands and channels, with convenience and better value being the primary drivers of the new behavior. Three out of four American consumers have tried a new shopping behavior, and most intend to continue the new shopping behavior even after COVID-19 subsides.” Therefore, virtual engagement is here to stay, as all of us have become more tech-savvy and more budget-conscious. Therefore, businesses must continue to invest in digital marketing activities. As a reminder, your total marketing budget should usually be between 5% and 15% of your total revenue, and businesses should allocate 10%-50% to digital marketing. These marketing activities include:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Content Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Pay Per Click (PPC)
Affiliate Marketing
Native Advertising
Marketing Automation/CRM
Email Marketing
All businesses should continue to invest in at least a few of these areas. At a minimum, SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing should be the basis of any digital marketing strategy.
Marketing strategies in 2021 will continue to emphasize personalized content and a commitment to sustainability and social justice by putting a human touch on how the business presents itself and showing an understanding of what is important to customers. With the launch of Google’s Page Experience Update set to launch in May 2021, it will be more essential than ever for marketers to focus on the totality of the user’s experience on a website. Google wants users to enjoy their experience and will reward those websites that “show the love.” Check out Neil Patel’s recent blog for more information.
Along the same lines, data will continue to play an integral role in 2021 marketing strategies. Businesses will continue to use and invest in data analytics tools to understand how users think and interact with your brand. Accessing and evaluating data should be an integral part of every business’s marketing strategy. Some of the best analytic tools I’ve found include Google Analytics, Google Trends, Answerthepublic, keywordtool.io, and Hubspot.
Be intentional about using data to guide decision making and deliver value.
New social platforms will continue to evolve, while others become less relevant. Marketers will continue to use social media to expand brand awareness and facilitate leads. Targeted marketing applies to social just as it does with other marketing tactics. Remember, not every social media platform is right for every type of marketing.
Bottom line: know your audience and how they gather information before selecting a social media venue. Facebook is relatively universal and allows for advertising, linking, videos, images, and conversation. Twitter does much of the same, but messages are shorter and more concise. Instagram is ideal for eye-catching graphics, images, and videos. LinkedIn targets the B2B space and continues to update their offerings to compete with the other major platforms.
Building an Effective Marketing Plan
These marketing strategy projections for 2021 will give your business a starting point for kicking off the new year. No one knows what the next 12 months may hold, so while you may be drafting marketing plans for the entire year, when it comes to execution, focus on two or three months at a time and adjust accordingly.
Now more than ever, be strategic with spending and where you concentrate your marketing efforts. Partner with YGL Enterprises to develop a clear strategy and targeted solutions to support your business moving forward. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Author Bio: | https://medium.com/@yvonne-levine/planning-for-a-new-year-6-b2b-marketing-strategy-projections-for-2021-e9568d3c8ee8 | ['Yvonne Levine'] | 2020-12-18 18:03:14.168000+00:00 | ['Marketing Strategies', 'Marketing', 'Business', 'B2b Marketing', 'Brand Strategy'] |
7 Reasons Why You Need to Invest in Media Buying Technology for Your Agency | 7 Reasons Why You Need to Invest in Media Buying Technology for Your Agency ADvendio Jul 6·4 min read
The advertising industry is more competitive than it has ever been. Advertisers are always exploring methods to save money and stay up to date with industry developments. Investing in media buying technologies is one way they can accomplish just that. In this post, we’ll evaluate seven reasons why investing in media buying technology is essential. But first, let’s discuss what media buying technology is.
What is Media Buying Technology?
Media buying technology is an automated system that allows media buyers to purchase and manage digital ad campaigns. It enables automated bidding and real-time analytics, and it paved the way for programmatic advertising, which uses analytics and algorithms to deliver ads to the right target audience at the right time and at the right price. This technology has taken the manual work out of media buying for agencies and made it more strategic, allowing them to better utilize client budgets.
Why Invest in Media Buying Technology?
1. Inventory management
Unlike traditional media buying, programmatic media buying allows you to more efficiently manage your advertising inventory by purchasing media in real-time based on factors like keywords, publication location, current ratings, and audience demographics. Agencies have a full picture of the media space they’ve acquired for their clients and can handle the creation of each ad campaign efficiently with only one software package.
2. Maximum Control
With the adoption of programmatic advertising, media buying agencies have complete control of their clients’ advertising spending. Media buyers can bid on ad placements in real-time through instant auctions. When ad inventory is acquired, the media buying software automatically updates, allowing the buyer to quickly determine what other ad space they may buy for their client with their remaining advertising dollars. This allows the media buyer to more efficiently plan complete campaigns.
3. Specific Audience Targeting
With programmatic advertising, agencies may plan media buys in a more proactive manner by determining the best time and platforms for client campaigns. Agencies may acquire inventory across a range of platforms, such as mobile, desktop, or tablet, and formats, such as display and video, using programmatic media buying. They buy advertising space depending on where their target audience is most likely to be at a given time. As a result of such precise targeting, higher-quality leads are generated.
4. Real-time analytics
Media buying software provides agencies with a 360-degree view of all client campaigns in one place. This allows media buyers to adjust accordingly in real-time to increase performance success. Media buyers can reduce the risk of campaigns failing for clients by tracking performance in real-time. They can monitor performance changes and react promptly to negative ones. Clients save money as a result of this, and have more advertising dollars to give to media buyers for use in their campaigns.
5. Automated processes
Media buying agencies now have less manual labor thanks to programmatic media buying. Workflows have been simplified to give media buyers more time to develop relationships with their clients and truly understand campaign goals, allowing them to create campaigns that align with the client’s objectives. Automated processes are allowing media buyer’s to utilize their time more effectively, saving the agency money and allowing them to make smarter campaign selections with their client’s advertising dollars.
6. Enable Self-Service for Clients
Agencies now provide self-serve media buying to their client's thanks to media buying software. Clients have access to their own media campaigns and benefit from streamlined procedures, which helps agencies increase operational efficiency and streamline client communications. Clients can keep track of what their media buyers are working on and what campaigns are currently running. Along with having a clear picture of campaign expenses, budget use, and advertising design requirements.
7. Seamless Integrations
All popular ad servers and exchanges are fully integrated with media buying technologies, which helps to remove the fear of adopting a media buying technology platform for higher-level management. The media buying solution centralizes all data from many sources, making campaign data interpretation faster and easier. These integrations boost flexibility and improve the efficiency of various workflows, making it easier to acquire media from a single platform.
The Benefits of Media Buying Technology
The automation of media buying software makes it easier for media sellers and buyers to interact, allowing media buyers to purchase the media they want with less manual effort.
Programmatic media buying software is easy to set up and provides integrations with all the popular ad servers and exchanges. All you need is a computer and internet access and away you go. Programmatic media buying is a cheaper option compared to traditional media buying with real-time bidding used at open auctions.
Media buying software gives agencies more transparency, which means media buyers have a better understanding of campaigns and available inventory, and can work more effectively with all relevant data at their fingertips, resulting in more successful advertising campaigns.
Conclusion
Every day, more media buying agencies discover the benefits of media buying technology. As the digital world continues to transform how we conduct business, agencies that have yet to implement smart media buying technology will need to take the next step and begin integrating this cutting-edge technology into their operations. The benefits of media buying technology outweigh those of traditional media buying and as software companies continue to innovate, this technology is sure to advance even further in the coming years. | https://medium.com/@advendio/7-reasons-why-you-need-to-invest-in-media-buying-technology-for-your-agency-91152bef9795 | [] | 2021-07-16 10:46:25.474000+00:00 | ['Agency', 'Ad Technology', 'Media Buying Agency', 'Media Buying'] |
Top Tech Jobs For 2021 | The tech industry needs you now more than ever.
Photo by Christopher Gower on Unsplash
A lot of times, people come to me seeking knowledge or assistance in getting a job and I am always able to give them what I have and know. What do I know?
There is no such thing as unemployment in the technology sector today, what we have is technical unemployment.
Before you get all argue-y, google the term “technical unemployment”. You will simply find that what we are witnessing is an evolution of the job or white-collar industry. It is no longer what we thought it was or what our parents think it is. As old jobs disappear, new genres we have never seen before spring up to address the advances in technology and the new ways in which we approach problems. Here is a list of tech jobs to look out for in 2020:
Data Analysts: They are like the magicians of the tech industry today. They look at numeric data and even visual data and create meaningful and useful interpretations from them. They have become more important as companies begin to hit their climax in strategy implementations. Ways to bring efficiency to already existing systems and processes become even more important. Asides from the purposes of efficiency and insight, Data Analysts become super valuable if they can make or save the company a lot of money.
Becoming a Data Analyst requires a lot of love for numbers, statistics, maths, and data. Your job might look like using customer purchase data to set the best prices or the best time to sell to them. One major challenge is measuring the impact of the results you present and their impact on the business decisions made. AI and ML engineers: In complement to a Data Analyst, companies would want to jump on the profitable trend of using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to improve their business services in realtime while still achieving some data analytics and reporting. The need to build systems that learn from data and use it to make suggestions, optimizations, and deductions continue to be the talk of succeeding startups who want to do more with their product. Product Manager: The tech industry has conquered the problem of good engineers (expensive but available) but the need for a professional who would streamline the demanding processes and interactions between stakeholders, team members, engineers, and customers become ever so important. Most product manager roles are given based on experience and success stories with other products. Cross-platform mobile developer: As the mobile market continues its steady expansion and as more lean startups spring up, the need for mobile developers will continue to rise, even more demand will be for developers who can build for multiple platforms using one code base, hence saving the business money that would have been used to higher engineers for each platform. It will become very useful to you if you can learn technologies like Flutter, or React-native. 3D Illustrator: For years now startups have competed in aesthetics by the use of high-quality photos, then vector illustrations, digital painting illustrations, but recently we have begun to see the trends of using 3D rendered objects and characters in website landing pages and even for icons. Chances are you will be getting more 3D modeling gigs next year. 3D Animator: As companies begin to incorporate 3D illustrations into their branding, the need to translate that style into their video commercials becomes inevitable, hence a rise in demand for 3D animators. Freelance Graphics Designer: I had to but “freelance” as I have noticed the graphics design industry slowly evolve into a sort of gig economy, where companies rather hire an external team member who is not an employee. It gives for flexibility and the spreading of work across accessible freelance designers. Also as design becomes more competitive, the need for variable media increases. Companies now need illustrators, 3D modelers, video editors, and many other media professionals which might be costly to have in-house. Hence if you position yourself as a professional, you are likely to have many engagements throughout the year. Software Engineers: The demand for software engineers grows in proportion to the establishment of new startups, however, there is a higher demand for competent engineers. Equipping yourself with enough skill and experience will most likely get you employed next year. The usual category includes frontend, backend, and mobile developer. Full-stack developer: I have noticed a trend across Job listing sites, where most startups are now seeking an all-in-one package. While I don’t totally support having just one person build an entire platform, you might just get your next job if you are someone that can take on the workload. UI/ UX Designers: At first a lot of startup founders might not be able to afford a UI/UX designer at the initial stage, but as funding floods the startup market, so will the capacity to hire these very crucial roles to shape the message and ideas of the product in such a way that the end-user gets the best experience possible. While UI and UX are totally different roles, you might find yourself working as both. Dev Ops: A lot of startups from the years pasts now need to scale beyond the usual managed hosting services to a more sophisticated setup leading to a steady rise in the need for Dev Ops engineers. Companies with an existing dev-ops team might need to scale their teams. Cybersecurity Specialist: As the technology space becomes more lucrative, so does the need to protect the interest and properties of all stakeholders of a product. A Cybersecurity Specialist would need to work with various other teams in the company to spot any potential security leaks and advice appropriately.
Ok, here is my list. Feel free to drop more in the comments. Stay blessed.
Thanks for reading… | https://medium.com/@dubem-design/top-tech-jobs-for-2021-2c97447da09a | ['Dubem Kizito'] | 2020-12-27 20:01:20.806000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Work', 'Jobs', 'Design', '2021'] |
Calculating Walk Scores with Python | Introduction
Walkability has been a major focus of urban analytics. Walkable neighborhoods are directly correlated with better health, a lighter environmental impact, cost-efficient living, and an overall better quality of life. It can be a measure to see how friendly an area is for walking by looking at what is around an area and how easy it is to access amenities such as school, hospital, library, stops, stations, arena, supermarket, stores within a specific walking time. Given the ever-growing population and the environmental and economic challenges in modern cities, measuring walk scores is essential for creating a more livable, healthy, and sustainable environment, and boosting economic growth.
Walkability Measures
Measures of walkability have improved substantially over the past decade. Currently, the most widely used measure is Walk Score by Redfin (2007), which assigns scores between 0 and 100. Walk Score measures the walkability of any address, Transit Score measures access to public transit, and Bike Score measures whether a location is good for biking. Numerous other walkability indexes and methods have been developed in health, transport and urban studies (Jiang and Claramunt, 2004; Pikora et al., 2003; Vargo et al. 2009; Ewing, R.; Handy, S. 2009; Maghelal and Capp, 2011; Duncan 2011; Razmik 2014; Lee, S.; Talen, E. 2014; Geraint Ellis, 2015; Migue et al. 2016; Stockton et al., 2016; Mohammad and Taheri, 2017; Dhanani et al., 2017; Moura et al. 2017; Yen et al (2017); Liyin 2017; Allison (2018); Ivan et al., 2019). Matthew (2019) explained measuring walk times from every address point within the City of Toronto limits to the closest Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) stops. The analysis used open-source python libraries such as NetworkX, Pandana to perform the network distance calculations on a new open data set called the “Pedestrian Network” to better understand walkable access to various amenities across Toronto. It includes data sources, creating Pandana pedestrian network, and calculating pedestrian walk times of 24 different types of amenities such as schools, libraries, hospitals, supermarkets, TTC stops, and convenience stores. The basic approach of this study is first to create a pedestrian network as a connected set of links and nodes, then calculate walking distance and minutes based on the walkability (distance and walking times) to these various amenities from every address location within the City. In the walkability analyses, the pedestrian network is a data model resembling a network graph (edges and nodes) weighted by linear distance. Shortest routes were calculated from every building centroid in the city to the nearest nth amenity at the maximum distance of 5000m. Walk times were calculated in the nearest minutes, using the prescribed 1.0m/per-second velocity used by Transportation services. We performed a query, at a max distance of 5000 meters for up to the 10 nearest points-of-interest (amenities) from any building location (or address points ), then calculated walking distance and walking minutes. We then aggregated all these walk times to the census tract level and calculated the minimum, maximum, standard deviation, median, and average walk times. In this tutorial, we will measure walk scores with python by using the walk times result of the Toronto walkability analysis.
Datasets
The following datasets from the City of Toronto’s Open Data are used in the pedestrian network to perform walkability analyses.
The Pedestrian Network
import zipfile
import io
from pyproj import Proj, CRS, transform
url = ‘
local_path = ‘./tmp’
print(‘Downloading zipped shapefile…’)
r = requests.get(url)
z = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(r.content))
print(“Done”)
z.extractall(path=local_path) # extract to tmp folder
filenames = [y for y in sorted(z.namelist()) for ending in [‘dbf’, ‘prj’, ‘shp’, ‘shx’] if y.endswith(ending)]
print(filenames)
pednet= gpd.read_file(r’./tmp/pednet.shp’)
#reprojecting epsg 4386 (wgs84) to epsg 2019 (mtm nad 27)
crs = CRS(“EPSG:2019”)
pednet = gpd.GeoDataFrame(pednet, crs=crs, geometry=’geometry’)
pednet.head(5) #Downloading Pedestrian Network Dataimport zipfileimport iofrom pyproj import Proj, CRS, transformurl = ‘ https://ckan0.cf.opendata.inter.prod-toronto.ca/download_resource/3ce9a0a9-c66d-4324-820a-ce44dabb2b46' local_path = ‘./tmp’print(‘Downloading zipped shapefile…’)r = requests.get(url)z = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(r.content))print(“Done”)z.extractall(path=local_path) # extract to tmp folderfilenames = [y for y in sorted(z.namelist()) for ending in [‘dbf’, ‘prj’, ‘shp’, ‘shx’] if y.endswith(ending)]print(filenames)pednet= gpd.read_file(r’./tmp/pednet.shp’)#reprojecting epsg 4386 (wgs84) to epsg 2019 (mtm nad 27)crs = CRS(“EPSG:2019”)pednet = gpd.GeoDataFrame(pednet, crs=crs, geometry=’geometry’)pednet.head(5)
Pedestrian Network Data
Pedestrian Network Description: It is comprised of a set of nodes (103622) and edges (126056). It has 125262 records segmented at 100m intervals. The highest node degree is 8 and it has network density of 2.344. In terms of connectivity, the dark color on the maps below indicate highly connected network edges while light color shows lower connectivity (code is available on our GitHub).
Highest Edge Connectivity: 11
Highest Node Degree: 8
Highest Node Connectivity: 0.000077
Highest Node Betweenness: 0.121572
Highest Edge Choice: 1.925886
Highest Edge Integration: 3.66
Address Points
The City of Toronto address point data contains over 500,000 address points within the city.
import zipfile
import io
from pyproj import Proj, CRS, transform
url = ‘
local_path = ‘./tmp’
print(‘Downloading zipped shapefile…’)
r = requests.get(url)
z = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(r.content))
print(“Done”)
z.extractall(path=local_path) # extract to tmp folder
filenames = [y for y in sorted(z.namelist()) for ending in [‘dbf’, ‘prj’, ‘shp’, ‘shx’] if y.endswith(ending)]
print(filenames)
address_points= gpd.read_file(r’./tmp/ADDRESS_POINT_WGS84.shp’)
#reprojecting epsg 4386 (wgs84) to epsg 2019 (mtm nad 27)
crs = CRS(“EPSG:2019”)
address_points = gpd.GeoDataFrame(address_points, crs=crs, geometry=’geometry’)
address_points.head(5) # Downloading Address Pointsimport zipfileimport iofrom pyproj import Proj, CRS, transformurl = ‘ https://ckan0.cf.opendata.inter.prod-toronto.ca/download_resource/d918eb68-e077-4bb1-872b-59ebe265d016' local_path = ‘./tmp’print(‘Downloading zipped shapefile…’)r = requests.get(url)z = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(r.content))print(“Done”)z.extractall(path=local_path) # extract to tmp folderfilenames = [y for y in sorted(z.namelist()) for ending in [‘dbf’, ‘prj’, ‘shp’, ‘shx’] if y.endswith(ending)]print(filenames)address_points= gpd.read_file(r’./tmp/ADDRESS_POINT_WGS84.shp’)#reprojecting epsg 4386 (wgs84) to epsg 2019 (mtm nad 27)crs = CRS(“EPSG:2019”)address_points = gpd.GeoDataFrame(address_points, crs=crs, geometry=’geometry’)address_points.head(5)
Address Points Data
Building Data
import zipfile
import io
from pyproj import Proj, CRS, transform
url = '
local_path = './tmp'
print('Downloading zipped shapefile...')
r = requests.get(url)
z = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(r.content))
print("Done")
z.extractall(path=local_path) # extract to tmp folder
filenames = [y for y in sorted(z.namelist()) for ending in ['dbf', 'prj', 'shp', 'shx'] if y.endswith(ending)]
print(filenames)
building= gpd.read_file(r'./tmp/3DMassing_2019_WGS84.shp')
#reprojecting epsg 4386 (wgs84) to epsg 2019 (mtm nad 27)
crs = CRS("EPSG:2019")
building = gpd.GeoDataFrame(building, crs=crs, geometry='geometry')
building.head(5) # download building dataimport zipfileimport iofrom pyproj import Proj, CRS, transformurl = ' https://ckan0.cf.opendata.inter.prod-toronto.ca/download_resource/a5da8e3e-bb05-42f1-9f5e-646cb95d9690' local_path = './tmp'print('Downloading zipped shapefile...')r = requests.get(url)z = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(r.content))print("Done")z.extractall(path=local_path) # extract to tmp folderfilenames = [y for y in sorted(z.namelist()) for ending in ['dbf', 'prj', 'shp', 'shx'] if y.endswith(ending)]print(filenames)building= gpd.read_file(r'./tmp/3DMassing_2019_WGS84.shp')#reprojecting epsg 4386 (wgs84) to epsg 2019 (mtm nad 27)crs = CRS("EPSG:2019")building = gpd.GeoDataFrame(building, crs=crs, geometry='geometry')building.head(5)
Downloading Building Data
Amenities
Amenities and Column Names
Let’s load the amenity data from Postgres database.
# load data from pg database total 24 layers
con = psycopg2.connect(database=”walk", user=”postgres”, password=’****',
host=”17**.***",port=”5432")
#service layers
foodconv = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.food_convenience_store’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
fast_food = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.food_fastfood’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
supermarket = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.food_supermarket’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
hospital = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.health_hospital’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
sxhclinic = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.health_sexual_health_clinic’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
wkclinic = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.health_walkin’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
arena = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_arena’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
daycare = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_day_care_centre’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
dropin = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_dropin’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
ems = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_ems’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
famcentre = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_family_resource_centre’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
fire = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_fire_facility’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
library = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_library’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
police = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_police_facility’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
recreation = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_recreation’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
school = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_school’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
thingstodo = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_thingstodo’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
voteloc = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.publicservice_voting_location’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
bike_parking = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.transit_bicycle_parking_on_street’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
bike_station = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.transit_bicycle_station_indoor’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
ttc_station = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.transit_ttc_station’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
ttc_accessible = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.transit_ttc_station_accessible’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
ttc_stop = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.transit_ttc_stop’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
ts = gpd.read_postgis(‘SELECT * FROM staging.tscw’,con,crs={‘init’: ‘epsg:2019’})
The above-mentioned datasets are used for creating Pandana Network and calculating walk times of 24 different types of amenities such as schools, libraries, hospitals, supermarkets, TTC stops and convenience stores. Creating pandana pedestrian network and measuring walk times have already been stated in Matthew’s (2019) tutorial and posted on our GitHub repository, therefore, they are not repeated here. We will be using the walk times to calculate the walk scores of Toronto from any building location (or address points).
Walk Scores
Walk score represents an attempt to quantify how accessible a neighborhood is on foot. In the pedestrian network of Toronto, the walk score algorithm produced scores from 0 to 100 based on walk times. It measures the walkability of any building location (or address point) to nearby destinations. For each location, the pandana pedestrian network calculates the nearest pedestrian network routes to nearby amenities in the Toronto walkability analysis. POIs are calculated based on the walking minutes (distance by minutes) to various amenities via pedestrian sidewalks networks. A five-minute walk which covers about 500m, is a comfortable distance for pedestrians to access services such as a bus stop, schools, or supermarkets. Amenities within a 5-minute walk are given maximum points. A decay function is used to give points to more distant amenities, with fewer points given after a 30-minute walk. Average walk scores are calculated by aggregating walk scores of all 24 amenity layers such as schools, libraries, hospitals, supermarkets, TTC stops and convenience stores.
Walk Scores
Let’s load the walk times result of building locations and preprocess the data to calculate walk scores.
#load calculated walk times and spatially joined census, pedestrain, and building data.
password = open(‘password.txt’,’r’).readline()
username = ‘postgres’
walkability_engine = create_engine(‘postgresql://%s:%s@*ip**:5432/walkability’ %(username,password))
buildings_sumfin = gpd.read_postgis(“select * from results.buildings_summary_walktimes_fin”, walkability_engine, ‘geom’)
census_sumfin = gpd.read_postgis(“select * from results.census_summary_walktimes_fin”, walkability_engine, ‘geom’)
pednet_sumfin = gpd.read_postgis(“select * from results.pednet_summary_walktimes_fin”, walkability_engine, ‘geom’)
buildings = gpd.read_postgis(“select * from staging.buildings327”, walkability_engine, ‘geom’)
Let’s inspect building walk times columns to calculate walk scores. There are 48 walk times columns which include the first closest point (m_aminity_0) and the second closest point (m_aminity_1)for each amenity.
# keep walk times columns
buildingws = buildings[['m_fc_0','m_fc_1','m_ff_0','m_ff_1','m_sm_0','m_sm_1','m_hp_0','m_hp_1','m_sxhc_0','m_sxhc_1','m_wc_0','m_wc_1','m_sc_0','m_sc_1','m_ar_0','m_ar_1','m_dc_0','m_dc_1','m_di_0','m_di_1','m_ems_0','m_ems_1','m_frc_0','m_frc_1','m_fr_0','m_fr_1','m_lb_0','m_lb_1','m_plc_0','m_plc_1','m_rec_0','m_rec_1','m_thing_0','m_thing_1','m_vtl_0','m_vtl_1','m_bp_0','m_bp_1','m_bs_0','m_bs_1','m_ttcstop_0','m_ttcstop_1','m_ttcst_0','m_ttcst_1','m_ttcacc_0','m_ttcacc_1','m_ts_0','m_ts_1']]
buildingws["m_lb_0"].describe()
The closest POI Walk Times Description to Library (m_lb_0 Column)
“HiScore” is a python library for making scoring functions, which map objects (vectors of numerical attributes) to scores (a single numerical value). HiScore provides a new way to quickly create and improve intuitive scoring functions: by using reference sets, a set of representative objects that are assigned scores. We can create a scoring function by calling `hiscore.create` with this reference set:
import hiscore
#generate a scoring function by calling hiscore.create with this reference set
reference_set = {(0): 100, (5): 90, (10): 80, (15): 70, (20): 60, (25): 50, (30): 40, (40): 30, (50): 20, (60): 10, (70): 0}
score_function = hiscore.create(reference_set, [-1], minval=0, maxval=100)
list(zip(reference_set.keys(), np.round(score_function.calculate(reference_set.keys()))))
Score Reference Set
Let’s create walk score columns based on walk times columns in the data frame.
# Creating walk score columns
for col in buildingws.columns:
st = col.replace(‘m’, ‘ws’)
buildingws[st]= buildingws[col]
buildingws.head(2)
Now walk times of each column can be calculated in the data frame by using the HiScore reference set function.
buildingws[‘ws_fc_0’] = buildingws.apply(lambda row: np.round(score_function.calculate(row.ws_fc_0)) , axis=1)
Walk scores of ws_fc_0 column
The walk scores of building locations can be calculated using a loop as below:
#calculate walk scores in a loop. This method is slower than the previous one
for col in buildingws.columns:
st = col.replace(‘m’, ‘ws’)
buildingws[st]= np.round(score_function.calculate(buildingws[col]))
Walk Score Calculation
The above-mentioned walk score calculation method can be applied to the other result layers such as pednet_sumfin, buildings_sumfin, and census_sumfin. In the end, minimum, maximum, median, and average walk scores are calculated based on the aggregated minimum, maximum, median, and average walk times of all the amenities from any building location (or address points ).
x = buldingws.plot(figsize=(15, 15), column=’ws0_avg’, scheme=’quantiles’, legend=True,markersize = 1)
ttc_stop.plot(ax=ax, color=’red’, markersize =1, alpha=0.99, categorical =True,legend=True)
plt.title(‘Walk Scores based on Average Walk Minutes’)
Walk Scores based on Average Walk Minutes
Result
Walk scores are calculated by using 572 census tracts, pedestrian networks, and building locations in Toronto to see which parts of the city are the most pedestrian-friendly. The map of the City of Toronto’s Pedestrian Average Walk Score illustrates that: while the urban core of Toronto is highly pedestrian-friendly, many areas of the city are not. The census tracts (535001500, 535003402 and 535003401) in the downtown core, have the best scores at 84.5, 83.5, and 83 out of 100, respectively by census tracts.
Walk Scores by Census Tracts
The highest average walk score is 89.52 while the minimum average walk score is 1.04 by building locations in Toronto.
Walk Scores by Building Locations
Conclusion
Walkability WebApp
This tutorial is based on the walk times result of our previous work of the Toronto walkability analysis. Our code and brief tutorial are available on our GitHub (Our full report can be found here). I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. Please don’t hesitate to write comments and questions.
References: | https://toarches.medium.com/calculating-walk-scores-with-python-7cea11813d4d | ['Ablajan Sulaiman'] | 2020-12-17 23:24:53.856000+00:00 | ['GIS', 'Urban', 'Network', 'Walk Score', 'Pedestrians'] |
Catalyst project: Amber | General details
Outcome area: Support
Support Phases: Discovery
Discovery Timeframe: Jan — Mar 2019
Jan — Mar 2019 Doing the work:
CAST — To gain a better internal understanding of the problem space, so we can figure out what needs exist before planning further work.
Description of work
Research into how charities scope out digital work and start positive relationships with digital partners.
More on this work
Here is the full Discovery Playback (Google Slides).
The biggest finding was that agency procurement is often opaque, secretive, lacking reality of working together, and unequal. However, good working relationships require transparency, trust, openness and equality. This slide highlights an often glaring misalignment in the procurement process.
Intended output
Discovery Playback, pulling together existing challenges, needs and behaviours when charities and partners work together on digital projects.
Fit with Catalyst purpose
Increase in the number of high quality relationships between charities and digital partners.
Key contacts
If anyone would like to discuss or build on this work, please get in touch: | https://medium.com/wethecatalysts/catalyst-project-amber-a61544af1817 | [] | 2019-11-27 13:59:28.975000+00:00 | ['Charity', 'Social Impact', 'Social Change', 'Technology', 'Projects'] |
Bitcoin Flips Bullish — But Here’s Why BTC Price May Still Hit $3.9K | MARKET ANALYSIS
Bitcoin (BTC) price has gained more than 10% in the last week, giving bulls some hope that the road ahead is a bright one for the leading digital asset.
However, despite an effort to blast through the critical resistance level of $7,200 as mentioned in last week’s analysis, there was a huge rejection bringing home the reality that perhaps it may be a little too soon to be expecting a miraculous bounce back to the $8,000+ levels.
Daily crypto market performance. Source: Coin360.com
$5,500 then moon?
BTC USD daily chart. Source: TradingView
I think it’s safe to assume that Bitcoin has settled back into the descending channel that formed in the second half of 2019. As Bitcoin has now not only bounced off support on the daily, leaving nothing but a wick, but it has now done exactly the same with the resistance.
To me, this validates the channel even more so than before, as the price is currently following a path marked I marked out in yellow, on a video I published to YouTube on March 31. This was one of three scenarios I was waiting on, and the one I felt that was most likely.
As such, since Bitcoin cannot seem to break out above $7,200, it seems probable that bears might be about to regain control ahead of the much-anticipated halving event, and this puts $5,500 as the critical price to hold before cheap corn is back on the menu.
However, many key indicators are contradicting this sentiment.
Is momentum returning?
BTC USD weekly MACD chart Source: TradingView
During sideways market periods, it is easy to get chopped up and spat out when working off lower time frames, and often a glance at a higher time frame can help validate your bias. However, one such indicator that isn’t good for bears right now is the weekly moving average divergence convergence (MACD) indicator, as this is now mooing to the herd.
As can be seen from the chart, the MACD is already starting to pinch towards the signal line. Since we have had a relatively bullish week, we should see this move in even more so when the weekly candle closes, bringing us closer to a bullish cross, which typically results in a sustained uptrend, which almost always lasts over a month if not several.
However, right now, there are bigger things happening in the world that may invalidate this as a possibility, and my concern is that we will begin to see a significant reduction in retail buying power due to the rise in unemployment resulting from the coronavirus lockdowns.
While the worldwide quarantine is in the early stages — with many believing it will only last a couple of weeks — you only need to look at China to see that this will last a lot longer, so who exactly would be buying?
The answer may lie in the Relative Strength Index, which could be enticing smart money into crypto.
RSI hinting at a bounce
BTC USD weekly RSI chart Source: TradingView
The last time Bitcoin approached oversold territory on the weekly, it experienced a 300% price increase within six months as can be seen on the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator. This is based on the Dec. 10, 2018, pivot from 29.07 on the RSI scale.
However, Bitcoin had already experienced a bounce on the RSI on March 9, 2020, when it was 33.37 on the RSI scale, and even with the colossal dump on March 12, the RSI is still trending upwards. This brings to light two pertinent questions:
Will Bitcoin see another 300% price rise within a similar timeline after the last oversold pivot? Was the price purposely pushed down after March 9 to load up on cheap BTC for a high probability of 3x?
But perhaps another clue as to what can be expected from Bitcoin over the coming weeks can be found in the mining difficulty charts?
Mining difficulty drop is slowing
BTC mining difficulty. Source: BTC.com
The Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped by a monstrous -15.95% — the biggest since 2011 — on March 26, an adjustment that helped ease miners’ concerns surrounding profitability. This time last week, it looked as if the mining difficulty would drop by a further -14%.
However, as the week has progressed the adjustment estimate has dropped to just -2.2% and with three days left to go, this could end up closing as a positive adjustment.
You only have to look at the impact the positive adjustments had on the price of Bitcoin this year to see what this could be yet another bullish indicator.
Bullish scenario
All the indicators are bullish, so why does it feel bearish? Right now we are at the top of a valid channel, as such a breakout could well be imminent. For this to happen Bitcoin would need to flip $7K resistance into support and from here $8,200 looks like the next level of resistance we would encounter.
Bearish scenario
The price of Bitcoin has already doubled since its recent bottom, as such a pullback to $5,500 over the next week would be completely reasonable to expect.
If this level fails to hold, then it opens up $3,900 as a possibility. If bulls don’t step in then, I’d be very surprised.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of @officiallykeith and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph and P2PS. Every investment and trading move involves risk. You should conduct your own research when making a decision.
By Keith Wareing
Source
Disclaimer | https://medium.com/@p2ps/bitcoin-flips-bullish-but-heres-why-btc-price-may-still-hit-3-9k-a8dd73090912 | ['Solutions Foundation'] | 2020-04-06 03:15:10.982000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Startup', 'Crypto', 'Bitcoin'] |
Save $30 on the all-new 4th-gen Echo smart speaker today | Amazon’s Echo line of smart speakers remains one of the most popular on the market, and their ease of use, fairly inexpensive pricing, and integrated Alexa keep them right at the top. Today on Amazon, you can grab a 4th-gen Echo of your own for $70, down from a list price of $100.
This Echo, like previous versions, is awesome as a smart home hub, with easy connection to your smart devices and Alexa-enabled voice control. In our review, we even called it ”the best speaker for smart home control.” And beyond those capabilities, Alexa’s many skills help you answer questions, set alarms, play music, hear the news, and a whole lot more. A new, rounded design with an LED light ring makes for an attractive addition to your room, while the built-in buttons help you adjust button and more easily. We also noted that “the fourth-gen Echo sounds very good for a $100 speaker,” and this discount makes it even cheaper.
In our review, we gave this Echo 4 stars out of 5, noting its smart home hub capabilities as the best reason to buy.
[ Today’s deal: Amazon Echo (4th gen) from Amazon for $70 ]
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/@daniel07030928/save-30-on-the-all-new-4th-gen-echo-smart-speaker-today-d796e354e76b | [] | 2020-12-17 06:32:16.597000+00:00 | ['Connected Home', 'Entertainment', 'Cord', 'Music'] |
LMF: Launching our Social Mobility Pillar | We are launching our Social Mobility Pillar in January 2021. Why?
Well, while some progress has been made with levelling the playing field to reduce barriers for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, there’s more that can be done — we aim to make a positive contribution in this space.
Current State
Research finds that people from more affluent backgrounds take a disproportionate number of desirable jobs and that employers have the tendency to disproportionately employ graduates who went to private schools and elite universities (Elitist Britain, 2019)
Using data from the ONS, the State of the Nation (2019) found that those from ‘better off’ backgrounds are almost 80% more likely to be in a professional job than their working class counterparts
In the UK, success is still very much influenced by ‘who you know’ over what you know, with employers preferring ‘polish over potential’ (SMF, 2020)
A ‘low ability’ child from a high-income family is 35% more likely to be a high earner than a ‘high ability’ child from a low-income family (Social Mobility Commission, 2015) — how is this fair?
The Class Ceiling by Friedman and Laurison (2019) highlights that those from working class backgrounds earn less and find it harder to progress, even if they have the same degree from the same university as someone from a more affluent background. Furthermore, the research found that for black British women with working-class origins, working in top jobs, the “class pay gap” is £20,000
Traditionally elite jobs such as medicine, law and media are among the most “inherited” careers in the UK (The Class Ceiling, 2019). Furthermore, in 2017, only 6% of doctors, 12% of journalists and 12% of chief executives were from working-class origins (Social Mobility Commission, 2017)
This under-representation of people from lower socio-economic backgrounds in such professions limits the progress of society, and contradicts commitments towards improving diversity and inclusion within organisations — which is both the morally right thing to do and benefits the bottom line. | https://medium.com/@lmfnetwork/lmf-launching-our-social-mobility-pillar-a7b118bcaf26 | [] | 2020-12-04 10:03:25.358000+00:00 | ['Mentoring', 'Career Development', 'Social Mobility', 'Diversity', 'Social Change'] |
I should give my body a name too! | I should give my body a name too!
In truth, I am giddy with excitement as I type this because I have been craving noodles and suya for a long time and will be eating it tonight. The Universe comes through sometimes. Whewwwww.
I am very sure that this is the longest I’ve been away from here. One would expect that since classes are virtual, it becomes easier. That’s a lie I tell you--a lie from Hades himself. Nevertheless, I am here, and that’s all that matters. Wink (Picture me doing this if you know me personally. Gracias).
Memories from my childhood are a bit blurry, and I do not even know why. However, one of the few memories that stand out for me is a time on the assembly ground in Junior school. A senior punished me for having very dark eyelids because she assumed that I had eye shadow on my eyes. While I was on my knees, I had to scratch and scrub my eyes with all of my strength to show her I had nothing on them. Pathetic, I tell you.
As a child, I spent more time in the bathroom scrubbing my eyelids than any other part of my body because they were unusually dark and felt like dirt. Hearing people give their unsolicited opinions about why they think my eyelids were dark did not even help my situation one bit. How do you see a child you barely know and start to spew out reasons their body looks a certain way? How do you meet a person with acne and start to give unsolicited solutions to the acne as if they are not aware that their skin looks a certain way and does not fit into your beauty standards? How?
One day in Senior Secondary School, I was looking into a mirror placed in my room, and my eyes felt like they were a part of me that I had never seen before. That day, I spent an ample amount of time moisturizing my eyelids. That moment felt surreal, and it was there and then that the acceptance of how unconventional my eyes looked began. From then on and till this day, I speak about my eyelids at every possible chance I get, and I do not apologize for it because it has taken me years to come into this acceptance and confidence that I project.
Also, a particular person thinks my eyelids add character to my face. He thinks they make me look exotic, like a pure-blooded Oyo princess. W!
Your body features do not have fit into the beauty standards created by society. If no one else will tell you, I will. Having scanty brows, unibrows, dark eyelids, Almost-red eyeballs, thick lips, black lips, a big nose, and all of the unconventional features do not make you less beautiful. It’s okay if you have not accepted them yet and you’re on your way to this acceptance. They are always there waiting for you to come to grips with them, love them, cherish them, talk, and write about them. They are perfect. On some days, you will love them. On some others, not so much. The journey to acceptance is never easy, after all.
“For a size 6, you wear clothes that fit you” is such a demeaning compliment I never want to hear again. I do not appreciate it because, just like you, I am simply existing, and I do not want you to see me as a special breed of human because of my body size and what I decide to do with it. Oh, because my butt is small and non-existent, bodycon dresses and tight jeans are not good enough for me? So, when I decide to wear them, I am brave like Samson that killed a lion? You wear these pieces of clothing and do not consider yourself brave, or do you? Oh, tell me, I am curious.
Complimenting a person’s self-confidence is not necessarily a bad thing. However, we must never attach their confidence to their body size because it sometimes insinuates that the body size is not something to be confident about in the first place. We must introspect before dishing out compliments to avoid them from being backhanded even when they are well-meaning compliments.
You see sef, in this part of the world I’ve grown to know a few things. If you’re fat, seemingly uncouth people who think they know your diet or are concerned about your health will single you out. And if you’re thin like me, with a non-existent stomach, people will shower you with compliments but with sprinkles of demeaning statements here and there. You will have phrases like “the wind can carry you away” and “You’re like a stick” thrown at you at random times. There’s no rest for you and me on the extreme ends of the body weight spectrum, but who cares? Not me, though.
Fat women especially have started to remove themselves from the beauty standards the society might have created over time. I love that they embrace their fupa and stretch marks and everything that seemed unattractive at one time. Most importantly, I love that they have started to give their bodies names like “big body Benz” and others I do not remember.
I have concluded that it is not enough to stare at my mirror for very long minutes. It is not enough that my favourite pieces of clothes to wear are ones that are fitted and tight. It is not enough that I randomly talk about how good this body of mine is. It is not enough that I have also chosen to write about it. I shall take it further by giving it a name.
Acceptance never stops. I keep moving, never stopping! | https://medium.com/@peeping-sun/i-should-give-my-body-a-name-too-f7bcea8a2803 | [] | 2021-07-02 19:59:43.691000+00:00 | ['Body Positive'] |
[EBOOK]-Manual de oratoria (Spanish Edition) | DOWNLOAD>>>>>> http://co.readingbooks.host??book=1508527415
Manual de oratoria (Spanish Edition)
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Saber hablar o escribir bien, hasta ahora que Dios no ha variado el mundo, constituye la unica credencial y la unica prueba comocida del talento. Cecilio Acosta
Books are a valuable source of knowledge that affects society in different ways. Whether you are reading a masterpiece by an award-winning author or narrating a bedtime story to children, the significance of books cannot be overemphasized.
Human beings need to learn and stay informed, which are crucial needs that books can fulfill. They are also essential for entertainment and enable individuals to develop wholesome mindsets throughout their lives.
“Millions of books have been published over the years and they continue to be an integral aspect of people’s lives around the globe.
From making it easier to understand different aspects of life to serve as worthwhile companions that take you through challenging times, books have proven to be precious commodities.
Books are essential in a variety of ways that go beyond enriching your mind or entertaining you. They have stood the test of time as reliable references for centuries. They stimulate your senses and promote good mental health. Other benefits include enhancing your vocabulary, allowing you to travel through words, and inspiring positivity through motivational literature.
While the internet and television are useful in their own ways, nothing can compare to a great book. Books ignite your imagination, give you new ideas, challenge your perspectives, provide solutions, and share wisdom. At every stage of your existence, you can find a relevant book that will add value to your personal and professional life.
Books are filled with knowledge and they teach you valuable lessons about life. They give you insight into how to navigate aspects of fear, love, challenges, and virtually every part of life. Books have been in existence since time immemorial and they hold secrets of the past while providing a glimpse of the cultures of previous civilizations.
A book has the power to change or reinforce how you feel about your surroundings. It is a therapeutic resource that can equip you with the tools you need to stay on track and maintain a good attitude. Whether you want to learn a new language or delve into the intrigues of nature, there is a book for every situation.
There are numerous reasons why books are important. Reading books is a popular hobby as people around the world rely on them for relief and entertainment. Books contain records of history and are used to spread vital information. Reading books helps to improve your communication skills and learn new things. It can be useful for easing anxiety among students and professionals.
Other reasons that highlight how important books are in their positive impact on intelligence, writing abilities, and analytical skills. Books give people a great way to escape into another dimension. They are packed with endless possibilities for adventure and experiences that would be difficult to access in reality.
It is essential for people to strive to include books in their daily lives aside from using them for academic or professional purposes. They aid emotional and mental growth, boost confidence, and sharpen your memory. It is natural for people to be curious and want to learn more, which is why books are still significant today.
Books are a valuable source of knowledge that affects society in different ways. Whether you are reading a masterpiece by an award-winning author or narrating a bedtime story to children, the significance of books cannot be overemphasized.
Human beings need to learn and stay informed, which are crucial needs that books can fulfill. They are also essential for entertainment and enable individuals to develop wholesome mindsets throughout their lives.
“ | https://medium.com/@sarahmccarthy_78720/download-http-co-readingbooks-host-book-1508527415-8412c0aeec6d | [] | 2021-12-13 07:24:41.727000+00:00 | ['Download', 'Reading', 'Book', 'Read', 'eBook'] |
I know a little about NoCode | What is NoCode?
We are swamped with multiple devices at hand and we use them for most of our time for work or leisure. Either we are instagramming or gaming or debating on reddit. Apps we used are made using an extensive codebase. We all have ideas that we want to draft and put it up on the web or mobile but we we find it difficult to execute or have no knowledge around coding. Nocode empowers people with no code knowledge to develop their website or mobile apps right away.
Nocode gives power to creators to make their ideas become reality and accomplish it faster. It not only provides tools to make websites or apps but also helps in developing chatbots, internal tooling and automation of tasks are also possible with these tools. Additionally it also reduces the burden from developers to code everything that is requested from different stakeholders of the company. Moreover, the production cost of making this cost can significantly reduce because you don’t want to train developers and pay higher salaries to acquire them too.
So will it eradicate Coders altogether?
The answer is no. Coders are also needed to build no-code tools. The no-code tools also have limits. Often those limits are overcome by small script that is needed to bridge the gap between no code tools and code enabled environment.
So where to start?
GOOGLE IT!
Honestly, it depends what you are trying to achieve. There are several websites and communities that guide you to develop different applications using multiple nocode tools.
Some of them are as follows:
Additionally, There is a full fledged conference on nocode, here is the link for it. There are different talks you can through and learn about no code movement.
Some tools you can use to make web apps or mobile apps quickly:
Bubble lets you create interactive, multi-user apps for desktop and mobile web browsers and includes all the tools you need to build a site like Facebook or Airbnb.
Webflow empowers designers to build professional, custom websites in a completely visual canvas with no code.
Squarespace is the all-in-one solution for anyone looking to create a beautiful website. Domains, eCommerce, hosting, galleries, analytics, and 24/7 support
5. Glideapps (create apps using google sheets)
6. Sheet2site (create apps using google sheets)
All of the above tools have extensive tutorials that you can go through and build whatever you plan to do.
To Automate Stuff?
A lot of time you need to perform repetitive tasks or think in bulk, there are platforms that help you achieve it. These tools connect multiple app such as Slack, Gmail, Google Sheets, Mailerlite or more. You can create a workflow to do repetitive tasks without any code and it is very easy to learn.
Use Cases:
Get Notifications and Reminders about approaching Google Calendar event to Slack Channel
Subscribe new Facebook Lead Ad leads to a Mailchimp list
Send emails for new Google Forms responses in a spreadsheet
Create Asana tasks with new rows in Google Sheets
Create Zooms calls with new rows in Google Sheets
Tools for Automation:
For NoCode Bots
Bots are really helpful to interact with your users and convert the lead and also solve consumer problems quickly. Chatbots helps you to engage your customers with your brands, Build relationships with customer through interactive and tailored content and to make such chatbots use these tools:
There are more tools available, explore nocode movement and you will find a lot of new things too.
P.S I developed my website on webflow | https://medium.com/@mubashirsakhi/i-know-a-little-about-nocode-ddb7af77bceb | ['Muhammad Mubashir'] | 2021-04-09 11:09:17.148000+00:00 | ['Mobile Apps', 'No Code', 'Web App Development', 'Startup'] |
#BUIDLers Season 1: Project 5 of 8 (Torus) | In this series, we’re thrilled to reveal our eight Binance Labs Incubation Program Season 1 teams and their projects. Learn about Torus below and in this video.
Torus
Location : Singapore
: Singapore Founders : Zhen Yong Yu, Leonard Tan
: Zhen Yong Yu, Leonard Tan Team size: 4
In your words, what is Torus?
Torus provides frictionless logins for Dapps. Although there has been a lot of hype surrounding the blockchain and crypto scene, mainstream adoption has stayed relatively low. Torus works on solving this through a distributed key generation scheme, linking current existing user accounts (e.g. Google accounts) to public-private key pairs. By tying online identities to keys, Torus allows users to use their digital credentials anywhere on the decentralised web.
Tell us about your founders. What is their story?
Before embarking on Torus, the founders worked on different Ethereum Foundation projects. Zhen worked on PeaceBridge, a plasma bridge between ETC and ETH, and Leonard worked on ENS. Having known each other for more than 4 years, the founders worked together on several research projects, one of which became Torus.
What makes your project unique?
While designing and testing our product, we focused on leveraging existing things instead of reinventing the wheel. The current design for Torus is the result of multiple iterations and pivots.
For example, we chose to embrace the OAuth standard for our frontend because it is already widely used by many users. Our backend is also an implementation of pre-existing research that leverages open-source libraries. The end result of such a design process is that we have a much shorter iteration and testing cycle, and a low onboarding cost for both developers and end users.
What are your major achievements and status updates?
Over the new year we launched our private beta, and we have been actively testing our solution with existing dapps. We are in the midst of closing our second round of fundraising, which includes investors such as Coinbase Ventures and ChainRock. Currently, we are completing our security audit and our public beta is slated to launch in 2 months.
What are your plans for the first half of 2019?
After the public beta launch, we will be working with ecosystem developers on multiple blockchain support. In particular, we are looking to integrate our login solution with EOS and Tron dapps.
How was the Binance Labs Incubation Program?
The Binance Labs team was really helpful and made introductions to many mentors and experienced industry experts. The onsite program also allowed us to focus our efforts on BUIDLing and finding product-market fit for Torus, something which we were unable to do while working on it as a side project.
To learn more about Torus, visit https://tor.us/ or reach out to Leonard and Zhen at [email protected]. You can also find them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TorusLabs.
Applications are open for Season 2 of the Binance Labs Incubation Program, held in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Lagos, San Francisco and Singapore.
Apply by February 28, 2019 at https://www.binancelabs.co/ to join the strongest network of early-stage blockchain developer teams.
—
About Binance Labs
Binance Labs is an infrastructure impact fund and an initiative launched by Binance to incubate, invest in, and empower blockchain and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, projects, and communities. The mission of Binance Labs is to solve the problems that matter most to the ecosystem and change the world for the better. To learn more about Binance Labs, visit: https://labs.binance.com/ | https://medium.com/binance-labs/buidlers-season-1-project-5-of-8-torus-992e72dc122c | ['Binance Labs'] | 2019-02-25 19:53:19.898000+00:00 | ['Dapps', 'Binance', 'Blockchain', 'Crypto', 'Startup'] |
Yacht Making UAE | Yacht making UAE — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. United Arab Emirates has established a position as a major centre for trade, tourism and investment. The number of tradeshows, events and conferences catering to yacht and related business have increased over recent years.
Annual Dubai International Boat Show and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are other premier events related to yacht. Yacht making is a long and dreary process. Boats vary in how they are built, size, and the type of material used. They come in all forms and shapes. The building material also varies, from wood to fiberglass to metal. A boat could take from a week up to months to make with traditional methods.
3D printing brought evolution to yacht making and its customization. 3D Printing technology definitely aims to disrupt the conventional approaches and revolutionize the boat building. As all of us boaters know that boats of different styles and sizes have different purposes. For example, some focus on their speed and performance while others focus on their balance and stability. 3D printing helps design the most perfect and uniquely designed parts for each kind of boat. Using a 3D printer to customize boats has the long run potential to be less expensive than using manual manufacturing because printers can simply adjust the 3D model to their liking.
At Inoventive 3D, we have state-of-the-art 3D Printing facility, where we can make boat hulls as per your design. 3D Printed boats are lighter and allows quick replacement of its parts. Using 3D printing to make boats also helps significantly reduce the structure’s weight instead of traditional production methods. This means that the materials used in additive manufacturing are more straightforward, and the 3D printers use less material. If a boat weighs less, it can run better, be faster, and more durable.
Interesting, isn’t it? You can have a look on our portfolio and experience by clicking here… and we welcome you to visit our workshop, where you can have a glimpse of our excellence. Inoventive 3D Printing Dubai is the best 3D Printing company in UAE and provides affordable 3D Printing services. Being the leader of 3D Printing UAE, we offer wide format 3D Printing, large scale 3D Printing and industrial grade 3D Printing.
If you are looking for Prototypes for Exhibitions, we are world-class model makers and have special price for you!!
Please feel free to contact us for any further assistance. Call/WhatsApp: +971 52 598 8448 | Email: [email protected] | https://3dprintingdubai.ae/
https://3dprintingdubai.ae/yacht-making-uae/ | https://medium.com/@sewig67441/yacht-making-uae-9112709bb7d | [] | 2021-11-22 11:23:50.665000+00:00 | ['3D Printing', 'Boat Hulls', 'Rapid Prototyping', 'Yacht Making', '3d Printing Dubai'] |
Commercial Vehicles Market Size Worth $2.27 Trillion By 2025 | The global commercial vehicles market size is expected to reach USD 2.27 trillion by 2025, according to a study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period. Increased urbanization, coupled with rising spending on infrastructure development in emerging economies such as China, India, and Turkey, are expected to drive the market over the forecast period. Several suppliers are shifting their focus on improving R&D capabilities while enhancing operational efficiency, which is also projected to play a pivotal role in boosting market growth.
In addition, increasing penetration of electric commercial vehicles is also anticipated to contribute toward market expansion over the coming years. Adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is primarily driven by need to meet emission reduction standards and regulations enforced by government bodies worldwide. Commercial vehicle telematics is another trend that is gaining traction and is anticipated to have a positive impact on the market over the forecast period.
To meet changing market needs, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across the globe are focusing on integrating innovative technologies, such as keyless entry/ignition, engine diagnostics, mobile connectivity, and an array of novel applications that assist in vehicle control. All these efforts by OEMs are expected to significantly contribute to global market growth over the coming years.
Click the link below:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/commercial-vehicle-market
Further key findings from the study suggest: | https://medium.com/@marketnewsreports/commercial-vehicles-market-b86c739f3791 | ['Gaurav Shah'] | 2020-12-11 11:42:48.213000+00:00 | ['Mining', 'Transportation', 'Automotive', 'Industrial', 'Construction'] |
And the Winner Is | And the Winner Is
Honestly, the question itself may not make sense. When I have little to tell, I just write a short post. That didn’t use to be the attitude of professional writers anyway. They always had to say a lot — and if they didn’t, their self-esteem suffered.
Today, the mix of long narratives and short thoughts is quite okay. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Photo by Joshua Golde on Unsplash
The question is more whether I want to monetise my short posts, too.
I enjoy short forms when I don’t have to hide my stuff behind a paywall. It’s short writing for me and instant reading for my followers and everyone else. So, these posts will be useful for pointing out my other posts and things inside and outside of Medium.
If I have a large following, then putting the shortforms behind the paywall might also work well, as my readers will click on the snippets of text and the illustrated headlines to see the full post and make me some money.
So the winner is me because I can choose what I want based on what my goals are. | https://medium.com/@michaelknackfuss/and-the-winner-is-2c8a7f660c26 | ['Michael Knackfuss'] | 2020-12-26 21:31:34.599000+00:00 | ['UX Design', 'Visual Design', 'Technology', 'Software Engineering', 'Culture'] |
MR 2019 Artist-in-Residence Application | A two-year residency program providing commissioning support, rehearsal space, performance and related opportunities designed to support the individualized creative process of movement-based artists.
The application for Movement Research 2019 Artist-in-Residence program is now open! Read the full guidelines here.
Learn more here: https://movementresearch.org/programs/artists-in-residence
About the applications process:
Seven (7) artists will be selected to participate in the 2019 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence program via this application process. Applications will be reviewed and selected by a panel of three artists. Artists selected through the panel review process will receive commissioning funds supported through The Jerome Foundation.
Dates: July 2019 — June 2020 with additional opportunities from July 2020 — June 2021.
Deadline: Applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm EST on Friday March 1st, 2019.
Application Form
Demographic Information Form
Notification: Applicants will receive notification no later than April 30th, 2019.
Who can apply:
Artists must apply as individuals. Movement based artists who are working collaboratively in an ongoing collaborative or collective structure should contact [email protected] for eligibility consideration as a collaborative team on a case-by-case basis.
Movement based artists who are working collaboratively in an ongoing collaborative or collective structure should contact [email protected] for eligibility consideration as a collaborative team on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must be residents of New York City. Resident means that your permanent mailing address is in New York City/one of the 5 Boroughs.
Resident means that your permanent mailing address is in New York City/one of the 5 Boroughs. Applicants must identify as an early career artist as defined by the Jerome Foundation . Please see below for further information on what constitutes an early career for the Jerome Foundation.
. Please see below for further information on what constitutes an early career for the Jerome Foundation. Applicants must not be enrolled full-time in a school or University program.
Past Movement Research Artists-in-Residence must wait three years from the completion of their residency before reapplying. Artists-in-Residence accepted in 2014 or earlier are eligible for the 2019 application cycle.
Applications must be submitted online.
Application Guidelines:
Read the full guidelines here.
Criteria and Context:
Through the Artist-in-Residence Program, Movement Research supports rigorous and wide-ranging artistic investigations that are movement-based, but that may incorporate other disciplines and collaborations, with a focus on experimentation. Artists who reflect a range of directions and approaches to making work such that there is an interesting confluence of artistic ideas being explored over the course of the coming years.
Movement Research continuously seeks to engage a more diverse and inclusive participant body and strives to recognize individuality and create equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, class, gender, ability, ethnicity, sexuality or age. Movement Research is committed to maintaining a strong connection to an existing diverse community of experimental artists and audiences, while at the same time expanding its definition of experimentation to more broadly include working within and pushing the boundaries of all movement-based forms. Movement Research recognizes the incredible need to diversify the range of aesthetics, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds represented on NYC stages and strongly encourages applications from individuals aligned with this vision.
Movement Research’s Artist-in-Residence program receives support from The Jerome Foundation, The Davis/Dauray Family Fund, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and through public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Resources provided and requirements:
Resources provided by Movement Research during the first year of the residency:
A commissioning fee of $4500
100 hours of free rehearsal space
Access to free or reduced rates for classes and workshops
Consideration for participation in MRX/Movement Research Exchange programs
Opportunities to participate in other MR programs and to create artist’s own opportunities in consultation with staff, using MR infrastructure — this can include Studies Project discussion series
Consultations with MR staff in individual and group settings
Opportunities to participate in producing content for the Movement Research blog and possibly for Critical Correspondence and the Performance Journal
During the first year of the residency each AIR is required to:
Show work on the Movement Research at the Judson Church. Artists will receive a $500 performance fee.
Moderate at least two Open Performance post-discussions
Participate in Artist-in-Residence discussion meetings every 4–6 weeks on topics determined by the artists
Submit a final report at the end of the residency detailing activities throughout the year
During the second year Movement Research provides:
A small research stipend
Rehearsal space at free and/or reduced rates
Access to free or reduced rates for classes and workshops
Opportunities to participate in MRX programs
An additional chance to show work on the Movement Research at the Judson Church series (for which an additional $200 stipend will be provided)
Opportunities to moderate additional Open Performance post-discussions
During the second year of the residency each AIR is required to:
Participate in 6–8 discussion meetings over the year on topics determined by the artists
Submit a final report at the end of the residency detailing activities throughout the year
Footnotes | https://medium.com/@movementresearch/mr-2019-artist-in-residence-application-a89a2a53d639 | [] | 2019-02-07 19:52:13.857000+00:00 | ['Dance', 'Research', 'Movement', 'Art', 'Movement Research'] |
Guide to Multimodal Machine Learning | Guide to Multimodal Machine Learning
Analysing Text and Image at the same time!
Meme with the same text but different meaning. Source: Author of this post
I got my attention on multimodal learning from Facebook recent Hateful Meme Challenge 2020 on Driven Data. The challenge is about how to make an effective tool for detecting hate speech, and how it must be able to understand content the way people do. Seems pretty cool challenge as it makes use of both text and image for analysing content which is similar to what humans do. Let's dive deep into Multimodal Machine Learning to get what it is actually.
Multimodal Learning
As per definition Multimodal means that we have two and or more than two modes of communication through combinations of two or more modes. Modes include written language, spoken language, and patterns of meaning that are visual, audio, gestural, tactile and spatial.
In order to create an Artificial Intelligence ( even A.G.I 🤩 ) that is on par with humans, we need AI to understand, interpret and reason with multimodal messages. Multimodal machine learning aims to build models that can process and relate information from multiple modalities.
To understand how to approach this problem we must first need to understand the challenges that need to be addressed in Multimodal Machine Learning.
The challenge of Multimodal AI
Representation: The first and foremost difficulty is way to represent and summarize multiple modalities in a way we can exploit their complementarity and redundant nature. See we need to understand that usually, all modes of information we take into account points towards the same information like lip-reading and sound we hear from a person represent the same thing. But using both things together gives us that robustness which helps us understand what the other person whats to convey. So the first challenge is how we can combine multimodal data. eg: Language is often symbolic while audio and visual modalities will be represented as signals. How can we combine them?
Alignment: Secondly we need is to identify the direct relations between sub-elements from different modalities. Let's make this easy with a real-life example. We have a video on how to complete a cooking recipe. Now we also have subscript. To make it intuitive we need to match the steps shown in the video with the subscript to make a complete sense of whats going on. This is known as alignment. How do we align different modalities and deal with possible long-range dependencies and ambiguities?
Translation: Process of changing data from one modality to another, where the translation relationship can often be open-ended or subjective. At some point, we might need to convert one form of information to another. Image captioning is one prime example of this. But there exist a number of correct ways to describe an image and one perfect translation may not exist. So how do we map data from one modality to another?
Fusion: The fourth challenge is to join information from two or modalities to perform a prediction. The competition discussed above Facebook AI hateful Meme challenge is one example of it. Usually, we divide fusion techniques into two parts. Early Fusion or Late Fusion. ( Model -Agnostic Approaches)
Early Fusion And Late Fusion. Source: Author of this post
Co-Learning: Transfer knowledge between modalities, including their representations and predictive models. This is an interesting one because sometimes we have a unimodal problem and what we want from other modalities is some extra information at training time so that our system can perform best at testing time.
If after reading out this if Multimodal Machine Learning got you hooked I would suggest going through CMU Multimodal Machine Learning Course.Link in the reference.
Reference: | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/guide-to-multimodal-machine-learning-b9b4f8e43cf7 | ['Parth Chokhra'] | 2020-11-05 02:57:12.230000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Data', 'Machine Learning', 'AI', 'Deep Learning'] |
Why I moved from the US to Spain | Many people on both sides of the political spectrum swear they will move if the other candidate wins. Almost no one ever does. We did. The morning after November 8, 2016, I announced to my husband, “Get me the fuck out of this country.”
Used according to Creative Commons Fair Use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
It wasn’t just the election that broke my heart. I knew there was only the most meager of chances that Texas would turn blue. It was the ugliness I saw burst forth from so many unexpected people in the town where we lived. As small Texas towns go, ours was on the more liberal side, so the sheer amount of hate and ugliness was more than I could bear.
It was especially depressing to witness it being the Native Texan and Flaming Liberal that I am. Yes, I know that sounds oxymoronish, but there are more of us than most people realize. Just not enough to save Texas from insanity.
Used according to Creative Commons Fair Use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
We had, for the past two decades, travelled all over Europe and had already talked about buying a “holiday home” (to use my now-adopted European parlance). The election instantly changed my thoughts from a few months a year in Europe to full time and permanent.
After my post-election-morning pronouncement, Eric asked, “Where do you want to move?” My answer was immediate, “Valencia, Spain!” When I said this, we had actually never been to Spain. My choice came as the result of one of life’s little synchronous moments. Always pay attention to those “odd coincidences” and chance encounters — they just might hold the key to your future.
It was late October 2016 and we were attending the Leoš Janáček Music Festival in Brno, Czechia. We were staying in an apartment above a hostel. After an evening performance, we ran into another older couple at the tiny elevator that led to the private apartments. We chatted about the festival as we rode to our floors.
For the rest of the 17-day festival, we met Rosalind and John for breakfast every morning and enjoyed several dinners together. They lived in a small village a couple of hours south of Valencia. From Rosalind, I learned many wonderful things about the area and its culture and history. She assuaged my concerns about bullfighting by telling me it was losing popularity, and was even outlawed in Catalonia (the region where Barcelona is located) as well as almost a hundred other cities and towns. Rosalind convinced me that a vacation to Valencia should be in my future.
The 2016 election was one week after we returned home. Valencia was still fresh on my mind and I still felt the love and excitement exuded by Rosalind. It seemed appropriate to tell Eric that’s where we should move. When I announced to friends the next week that we were moving to Valencia, they expressed surprise at the sudden decision as well as the location. (I don’t think anyone took me seriously when I said for all of 2016 that we would move if Trump won.) “Have you been to Spain?” I was asked a dozen times. My “nope” response raised more than a few eyebrows.
We headed to Spain in April 2017 after conversing online for four months with a realtor in the Valencia region. (You may recognize the name Nick Snelling if you’ve watched any House Hunters International shows featuring Spain.) He wasn’t their realtor when I found him, but he had written an excellent book, which I ran across through Google searches.
I figured one of two things would happen: we’d either fall in love with the area and find our new home, or we’d have a lovely vacation. It was a win-win.
As it turns out, the Valencia region of Spain is everything Rosalind said it was. We fell head over heels. During our two-week stay, we looked at 20 houses in a dozen small villages within an hour’s drive of the city. We found our dream home in a tiny mountain village south of Valencia, near the lovely medium-sized city of Gandia. I was both excited and terrified when our offer was accepted.
The day our offer was accepted on Elysium, our future home
The real challenge happened when we returned to the US: retiring, selling our ranch and vehicles, organizing paperwork to apply for long-term visas, arranging for pet transport, and more. That’s a topic for a future article.
Suffice it to say, we completed the tasks, in spite of sometimes feeling overwhelmed, and stepped foot in Spain from our one-way flight on September 1, 2017.
Was it worth it? Am I happy? When we moved, we knew two people: Rosalind (John had since passed on) and Nick. We sold almost everything and left behind friends and family, deep roots, the security of knowing a place since childhood, and more. But I can say it’s the best decision of my life.
It’s not just the gorgeous setting. It’s the quality of food thanks to EU food standards and regulations, the lack of a “gun culture” (there were 282 (.58 per 100,000) gun-related deaths in all of Spain in 2017), the escape from feeling the place I live is constantly on the verge of a civil war (Spain is a “been there/done that/never again” country), the amazing healthcare (Spain rates #7 — the US is down at #37), the concept that life and family are more important than working 60+ hours a week, the festivals (oh, the festivals — Spain definitely knows how to celebrate holidays), and the fact that the rest of Europe is my “backyard” so a quick trip to Paris, Krakow, Rome, or a thousand other places is affordable and easy.
Even after four+ years, I still feel like I’m living a dream. I truly believe Spain saved my life. It certainly saved my sanity. If you’ve ever imagined even for the briefest moment about moving to someplace amazing and exotic, come see Spain! You’ll discover the truth for yourself. | https://medium.com/@JanetCh/why-i-moved-from-the-us-to-spain-340d8c57360 | ['Janet Christian'] | 2021-10-05 13:21:40.343000+00:00 | ['Moving To Spain', 'Texas', '2016 Election', 'Expat', 'Retiring Overseas'] |
Untied | Until a few years ago, I always thought that domestic violence was something that happened in rural, run-down trailer parks; conjuring vague images of men in wife beaters (no pun intended) with a bottle of gin in one hand and the other hand swinging punches. I suppose that’s how I found my pajama-clad self standing in my kitchen at around 1am one night, staring at my phone with my heart racing, unable to decide whether to call 911. I couldn’t match that narrative with what had just happened to me in my own house.
At the time, my husband, son and I lived in the Silicon Valley, just East of Cupertino. He worked at a major tech firm and I split my time between teaching music, playing concerts and taking care of our two-year-old son. We pretty much fit the mold of the many other upper middle class families in the area, which I think made it much more surreal when he physically attacked me that March evening. Like many couples, we had been through our share of ups and downs, but we also went to couples therapy and had put a lot of time and energy into improving our relationship. We both went to individual therapy and were committed to working on both ourselves and our marriage. Looking back, there were some smaller incidents of violence throughout the course of our 12 year relationship (breaking or throwing things), but I never would have expected him to lash out at me physically.
Back to 2016…besides the aforementioned pictures of bottle-wielding “bad guys”, several sensations kept flashing through my mind as I stood there in shock: the intense stabbing pain from being punched in the nose repeatedly, the sound of my child crying in fear because his father wouldn’t let me hold him, me telling my husband I would call the police if he didn’t hand our toddler over and get out of the house immediately, the echo of my own scream as I was shoved across the nursery to land on the floor. I also remember vividly my panic at what might happen if I dialed those three digits. Would my son be taken away? Would my husband (a non-citizen) be deported? Also, this couldn’t have just happened, right? So what was I doing in the kitchen with my phone in my hand? Around and around the cycle went. At the same time I felt a chasm open in my heart and…a feeling like the death of innocence and faith. In that instant, I knew that I would never fully trust my partner again.
As it turned out, I never found out what happens when you call the cops on a family member, at least not in California. My husband came downstairs and was completely disoriented about what had just happened. Our son had croup and was coughing in his arms. Things felt slightly more normal for a second…we had a sick child in need of attention, so we focused on that. He had already had pneumonia twice, so we needed to take careful stock of his situation. To soothe his airways and try to make sense of what just happened, we decided to take a walk in the cool night air. Around and around the block we went, with an eventually sleeping son in his arms. In no uncertain terms, I told him that his behavior was unacceptable and that he needed to get a psychiatric assessment. I don’t remember whether he apologized but I am fairly certain that he agreed right away to go to a doctor. He didn’t remember exactly what he had done, and to this day I don’t think he fully understands.
On our long walk, my husband tried to describe what had happened from his viewpoint. There were a couple of variations…the first time he had punched me, it was because I surprised him in the dark and he didn’t know who I was. Then there was a version where he was angry with me specifically because he felt abandoned when I had postpartum depression following our son’s birth. Or a combination-I was an intruder who was “crazy”and he felt like he had to protect our son from me. Later I found out that he had been having fantasies about hitting me for months and been talking to his therapist about it. All of this information was absolutely flabbergasting to me. None of it made sense and it truly felt like the world had turned upside down. But by that time exhaustion had also set in and we decided to go home and figure out what to do in the morning. Since our toddler was peacefully sleeping for the moment, I dragged an extra mattress into the spare room upstairs and must have eventually gotten some sleep. I ended up sleeping on that same mattress for the next year.
I have very few memories of the following days because of a few other events that took precedence. The next evening our son’s croup became so acute that we decided to take him to the ER. The juxtaposition of waiting to have my child’s lungs X-rayed while wondering whether my own nose might be broken is something I will never forget. But shame and fear kept my mouth closed and my heart racing. I was still in intense pain that would last for the next 2–3 weeks. While we waited in the ER, my husband tried to lighten the mood by cracking jokes and I could only stare at him in astounded silence.
It turned out that our little guy had pneumonia as well as croup and the doctors wanted to admit him for the night to monitor his oxygen levels. This was a shock on top of a shock. Luckily, the night was uneventful and he slept pretty well despite the IV and all the monitoring equipment. The steroids and other treatment they gave him seemed to get him over the initial hump of both illnesses, so we took shifts taking care of our little one during the night and were able to go home the next morning. Before I settled in for a couple of hours of sleep, I saw that my therapist had replied to my email asking whether she had a cancellation over the weekend. It gave me a bit of comfort to know that I would see her the next morning.
In our session, it was hard to make sense of all the events from the past few days. I remember telling her the details of the incident, as well as about my son’s illness. I also vividly remember her using the term “domestic violence”. Even though I logically knew that was what happened, it just didn’t feel right to me. Every time she used those words it just seemed so ugly, so unreal. Mostly I just felt numb and overwhelmed. I don’t remember telling anyone else what had happened in the next few days or even weeks. I threw myself into helping my toddler feel better and went through the motions at work and at home. Only the physical pain and a sense of hyper vigilance around my husband reminded me that something major had shifted in my life.
He did follow through on getting assessed, and we agreed that it would make sense if I went with him to meet with the psychiatrist to whom he was referred. She was, as often seems to be the case with doctors in her profession, a bit detached and cold. Overall, she seemed unruffled by what we shared, and her diagnosis was one of underlying depression and anxiety that had, in her opinion, had led eventually to rage. She suggested that he try an antidepressant for a year and see how things went. He agreed to try it, but later told me that he only took it for a few months. I didn’t see much of a difference in his everyday behavior, even during the time he was taking the meds. But it was encouraging to me that he was willing to give it a shot and I was hoping that it would help the next time we got into a disagreement.
Over the next months, I sifted through my feelings to see whether I was truly willing to forgive him and try to move on. It wasn’t easy, and I needed a lot of personal space. That was quite difficult for him, and although we worked hard on talking things out in therapy, physically we had never been more separate. I more or less moved into the spare bedroom and took a lot of time for self-care: journaling, yoga and adult coloring books were very soothing to me during that time. I also gave serious thought to the idea of leaving, but as a child of divorced parents, I was convinced that it would only be detrimental to our child if we ended our marriage. So I decided to really give things a second chance and move on as much as possible. As a small safety measure just in case there was a repeat incident, I shared a bit of what had happened with our neighbor across the street as well as our housemates at the time. It helped to know that I could get help from people who knew our history if there was a future emergency.
About a year later, we felt that this chapter had closed and we decided to try for another child. Our second baby (also a son) was born about 3 years after his brother came into this world. I was really grateful to have a more “normal” postpartum period the second time around, with the help of medication, social support and therapy. There were a couple of incidents during that time that frightened me, but I had convinced myself that things had to be okay. Although a couple of friends of mine were so put off by my husbands behavior that they did not want to come to our house when he was home, overall things seemed to be just “fine”.
There were some major bumps in the road the following years, as our older son was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. Because of the lack of services and social support as well as cost of supporting two children in the Silicon Valley, we decided to move back to my husband’s home country, Austria. Just as we were preparing to move, the Coronavirus went from a pesky inconvenience to a worldwide pandemic. There were a few more incidents where I was frightened by my husband’s anger and I was also increasingly concerned that he seemed unable to relate to how the kids and I were feeling and our experiences in daily life. It felt more and more like he could only focus on himself and his anxieties about the move and, of course, COVID-19.
Fast-forwarding a bit, we were able to successfully sell our house for a nice profit and move to Vienna, the capital city of Austria. For me, it was a big sigh of relief to settle into our new place and re-connect with the friends I had made living abroad some years earlier. Our kids adjusted well and our older son was able to join an inclusive classroom at a local school for 1st grade. But for my husband, the transition was very rough, and although he was able to keep his job and work from home, he really missed California and the hubbub of office life.
Only six months after our move to Vienna, I found myself once again in the position of considering a call to the police. My husband and I got into a small disagreement that quickly escalated into him snapping into a rage. This time he didn’t hurt me as severely, but from the beginning of the argument he badly frightened me and both children by screaming repeatedly in my face. “GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY,” the refrain lasted for several minutes, during which he was so close to me that he was spitting on me. The kids were right next to us and were already crying and terrified, so I tried my best to de-escalate the situation by putting my hand on his chest and asking him to please leave the room and take a break or a walk; anything to calm down. Instead, he continued to yell, eventually shoving me down the hall and out of the room. He started to close the door and shut me out, but because the kids were in the room with him, I tried to grab the door and stop him. He pried my hand off the door, gouging the back of my right hand and breaking the bracelet I always wore. Then he locked himself and the kids in the room and held onto the lock from the inside.
In addition to a screwdriver in the hopes that I could unlock the door, this time I didn’t hesitate to grab my phone; in some logical part of my brain that was trying to function, I hoped that if I started filming, I could use the video as leverage of some sort. Then I knocked on the bathroom door repeatedly, reiterating what had just happened-for the sake of putting it on record-and asking him to open the door and let me comfort the kids. Once I started talking and knocking, they started calling my name. It truly felt like a nightmare. I told him that if he didn’t come out and leave the apartment within five minutes, I would call the police. As all of this was unfolding, I felt my heart burst the rest of the way open and I knew our marriage was over. It was the worst feeling I have ever felt. I was both completely devastated and also completely certain that this was the only path forward. Being physically overpowered (twice) and unable to help my children when they were frightened was something I feel that no mother should ever have to experience. As scary and painful as it was to be yelled at and physically hurt, what stayed with me the most from these incidents was the horrible sense of hopelessness at not being able to protect them. I counted down to three minutes, and then, around when I got to one minute, he let go of the lock from the inside and I was able to unlock the door with my screwdriver.
Once he opened the door, I kept the camera rolling until I had convinced him to leave the apartment and cool off for a few hours. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I made sure the video saved, then immediately hugged the kids and made sure they were okay. Knowing that he could come back at any moment, I put on a movie to occupy them and I started packing as fast as possible. With shaking hands, I discovered my broken bracelet lying forgotten on the floor and stuffed it in my wallet. While I gathered up passports, medication, PJs, loveys, and enough clothes for at least a week, I called one of my closest friends and asked him to pick us up. He told me later that as soon as he saw my name come up on his phone, he knew something was wrong. Usually we just chat on WhatsApp or take our kids to the park, so a phone call was very out of the ordinary. Knowing the history of my marriage, my friend said he was not entirely surprised, although very sad to hear what happened. Within half an hour, he was at our apartment helping me load our stuff into a taxi downstairs. A half hour after that, we had a place to stay through one of his contacts. Even though I was far away from my own family, I truly felt like the kids and I were just as loved and cared for in this crazy situation as we would have been back in California.
Over the next few days, I tried to keep life as “normal” as possible for the kids while I worked quickly to find out what the next steps would be to protect us. One of the first things I learned was that it was important to send a message right away to my husband saying that the kids and I were staying with friends. Otherwise I was opening myself up to the possibility that he could accuse me of kidnapping the children. It was one of many moments to come that utterly blew my mind, because the thought that people actually do kidnap their own children is so incomprehensible to me. On the upside, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are several hotlines women can call to get advice in a situation like this in Vienna. Although I am fluent in German, I quickly found myself learning long and complicated new terms, such as “Einstweilige Verfügung” which is a very fancy word for extended restraining order. Phew.
It became clear to me rather quickly that, to protect myself from any kind of future attack on my character and also to ensure that I could have the kids in my care most of the time, it was important that I go to the police. Initially, I was worried about lasting consequences for my husband’s personal record, job, and, perhaps most importantly, mental health. But in addition to wanting to make it clear that I had left because I was afraid for the safety of myself and my kids, I also wanted to protect us in case he flipped out again in the near future and tried to attack me or to take the kids themselves. From my research, it also sounded like because my physical injury was not very severe, it was likely that if I did go forward and press charges, they would not stay on his record for very long, nor would his employer be informed of my actions. So I felt like it was the best course of action to go ahead and make a report with the local police.
Walking into the police station was one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my life, and I was so nervous that I was having trouble thinking clearly. I was on my own and not sure where exactly I needed to go to make a report. The first area I entered turned out to be where one goes to pay parking tickets, but they re-routed me to the correct reception desk. There were two male officers sitting in the reception area, and after they buzzed me in, they quickly started in with rapid fire questions and began typing my details into their computers. At first they seemed a bit skeptical because I had waited five days to come in and make a report. After I explained that as a foreigner I wanted to fully understand the consequences of what I was about to do, they seemed to soften a bit. It also seemed to help that I had been to the doctor to get an examination of the large scratch on my hand just two days after the incident. She had remarked that it did indeed seem to have been inflicted by someone gouging me with their fingernails.
To my great shock and dismay, after they took down my details, one of the officers asked me for my husband’s phone number and proceeded to call him right in front of me. He didn’t reach him, but while the phone was ringing, I was petrified at the thought that I was sitting so close by that I would be able to hear his voice when he picked up the phone and found out what I was doing. My next thought was that he might be brought in to explain his side of the story while I was still there. But the officer hung up without leaving a message and then walked me upstairs to the officer who, he explained, would be taking down all the details of what had happened. I glanced at the gun at his hip while we were walking and tried to take a couple of deep breaths.
The next part of my time at the police station has taken on somewhat of a miraculous quality in my recollection. I went into that office expecting to be met with disbelief or even ridicule, and my ears were also on high alert for the sounds of approaching footsteps or my husband’s voice. It’s unfortunate that no one told me that he would in fact be brought in to a different part of the station so that I wouldn’t have to interact with him. As it was, I was shaking from head to foot the whole time I was telling the investigator what happened. But on the whole, this part of the events of that day was almost…soothing? From the moment I walked into his office, Udo did his best to help me feel at ease. The environment was far from cozy, between the shuttered windows, 60’s decor and plexiglass shield between the two of us, but somehow he managed to convey to me that I was being seen and heard very clearly. It was yet another moment that will be etched into my memory for many years to come.
The first question Udo asked me was how I was feeling at that very moment. I think I had to stop and collect my jaw off the floor before I stammered that I was pretty frightened. He asked me to take some deep breaths and try to notice where my body was physically located. Slowly I felt the chair underneath me and the mask on my face. It was one of several times that we locked eyes and he asked me to just breathe until I felt like I could continue speaking without feeling panic. Sometimes he made some brief observations, such as that it seemed to him that I had been putting myself down or putting myself last in many situations, which was astounding to hear out of the mouth of someone who had just met me. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but I almost felt like he was an angel who had fallen out of the sky to guide me through this extremely surreal and awful process. Several times he asked me to clarify things, and that proved to be very important, as my German vocabulary didn’t necessarily include subtleties such as the difference between “push” and “shove” (schieben vs stossen).
But because I was still so worried about being confronted with the very person I was discussing, I found that I wasn’t able to concentrate fully. Finally, as we were wrapping up the details of the report, I asked Udo what was going to happen next. To my great relief, he told me that he was going to walk me out of the building through a separate exit. At that point, I wanted nothing more than to be finished so that I could go home and try to process what had happened. He explained to me that my husband would not be allowed to enter our family apartment for the next six weeks (another long and fancy word: Betretungsverbot, AKA Wegweiser). If I wanted to, I could apply for an extension of the Vertretungsverbot — what I believe we would refer to in the US as a restraining order — in which case he would also not be allowed to pick the kids up at their schools. I did do this a few days later. He then handed me a copy of the report he had made, highlighting his contact info at the top, and walked me back downstairs to an exit at the back of the building. Several officers graciously let us pass with a nod on our way out and I was again astounded at the respect and courtesy I felt from these people with deadly weapons strapped to their bodies.
I stumbled home and tried to prepare myself for the kids to return home with our babysitter. By this time we had moved back into our own apartment temporarily, and since my husband had refused to give up his keys, I had already felt uneasy for a few days. In fact, it was our neighbor going back and forth a few times between his front door across the hall to the elevator that had finally spurred me to bite the bullet, so to speak, and move forward with the police report. The jangling sound of his keys had given me some severe anxiety attacks and my gut finally declared that it was fed up with living in fear in its own home. Now I felt an intense mixture of fear and exhaustion, combined with the awe of having been treated fairly well in the process.
This was only the beginning of what turned out to be the longest winter I can recall in my life so far. Between the pandemic, one of the coldest springs on record in many years, and the many layers of grief, sadness and anger I was to cycle through, there were only a few bright spots in the months to come. One was the shift in my relationship with my boys.
From the day we moved out of our family apartment and got into a taxi with one of my best friends, the kids really impressed me with how much they were able to comprehend about the gravity of the situation. Many times in the following days and weeks they talked about how “Papa said GO AWAY” and then went on a “time out”. In our household, we use time outs as a way to diffuse a heated situation and physically separate ourselves from each other and calm down. They also talked about how scared they were and that they couldn’t see Mommy anymore while they were locked in the bathroom. Not once during the first couple of weeks, during which they didn’t see him except for brief play dates (with mutual friends present), did they ask to see him or talk to him. Before one of the play dates, my older son said that he didn’t want to go. “I don’t like Papa”, he said, much to my astonishment. As a child with Autism, it has historically been very difficult to talk about his feelings about people, or even objects. I was unprepared for this situation, but I wanted him to know that his feelings and opinions were okay. I told him that he didn’t have to like Papa or to play with him, but that he did need to go to the playground because we had a plan to meet him there. He seemed to accept this, and although I wasn’t going to the play dates at the time, my friends who were there said that he seemed fine once they were all there. Unfortunately many of these early play dates were short because all the indoor public spaces were still in lockdown and it was cold and snowy outside.
Another touching moment was when my three year old looked at the scratches on my hand and asked where “the ouchie came from”. Before I could even think about it, I found myself answering, “Papa scratched me”. “I’m sorry, Mommy,” he answered. I had never heard him apologize before. I told him thank you and that it wasn’t his fault at all. Although I was bone tired from all the stress of figuring out where we would live, what life was going to look like for us, etc, I also felt like I had a lot more energy to interact with both of my kids without also having to monitor how my husband was doing, what he was saying, and how likely he was to be angry at any given moment. Suddenly, I was free to just take in how my children were doing and what they needed, and to stay mainly grounded in the present just like they were. I tried to be honest with them as much as possible, but also not burden or scare them with unnecessary or inappropriate information.
Another silver lining to this incredibly difficult time was the the apartment that I managed to find for myself and the boys. Although I was legally entitled to stay in our family apartment, at least for the time being, I felt that it really didn’t make sense to stay. I felt uneasy because of the memories, and the apartment would have been quite expensive for a single parent. In addition, it wasn’t super close to my older son’s school. It wasn’t so easy to find an affordable apartment for a mom with two young kids (and a grand piano), but we were very fortunate to find a place a couple of blocks from the school very quickly. As a bonus, we ended up getting to know the owner and her family, who have practically adopted us. It has meant the world to me and the kids to know that we are safe, welcome and even taken care of in our new home.
My friends and some of my family members were also extremely supportive. From loaning (and even giving) me money to pay the deposit for the apartment and get furniture, to watching the kids for me when I couldn’t find a sitter or coming over to hang with me and the kids in times when I needed some company, to endless moral support and encouragement, I can honestly say that I would never have been able get through this situation without their help. Some days I actually couldn’t stop crying because it felt so incredibly vulnerable and incredible that people believed me and believed in the course of action I was taking. One day, a teacher at my older son’s school pulled me aside to tell me what I great job I was doing with my kids and I thanked her in shock and gratitude. As soon as I walked away from her, the floodgates just opened and I had to go home an hang out on my couch with a box of tissues for a couple of hours before I could get on with my day.
On the flip side, I also experienced some skepticism from close family members and friends. Interestingly, one of these family members was present when my husband hit me in 2016. Of all people, I was hoping this person would understand and support my decision to leave. Instead, I was met with criticism and judgement. I was told that I was over exaggerating what had occurred and that it would be detrimental to my kids to bring them up in a “broken family”. I firmly told this person that I believe, and have also heard from professionals, that watching a loved one being physically and verbally attacked is just as traumatic for a child as experiencing an attack personally. To me, it is much more important to have the three of us safe than to stay in a potentially dangerous situation for the sake of keeping the family together. Having watched my mother be abused by my stepfather, I also have firsthand experience of watching this kind of scene play out in my family home, and it’s not something I want for my children, under any circumstances.
Other family members and friends have told me that it’s “normal” for parents to scream at each other, hit each other, break things or not speak to each other for days at a time, because that is what they themselves observed in their own families. While I can empathize with this experience, it doesn’t normalize it for me at all, and I still don’t find it to be acceptable for myself and my children. I find it really sad that it seems my decision is uncomfortable for other people and has affected my personal relationships with these people who are dear to me. But I also refuse to apologize for doing what I feel is right or to listen to lectures about what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I hope that these relationships will heal with time and distance, but if they don’t, I’m lucky enough to have many people who are in my corner for good.
Going back to the legal proceedings related to my decision to move toward divorce — I also filed for an extended restraining order, which was granted for one month. In the meantime, I only had contact with my husband via friends or family members, and was keeping track of all the correspondence between us. From the day of the incident, I had clearly communicated to him in writing that the relationship was over and that I was afraid for my safety and the kids’ safety. At first, he still tried to convince me to meet up with him or to let him come over and cook with us in the apartment so that the children wouldn’t be scared of him. While I absolutely agreed that the kids shouldn’t be frightened, I didn’t feel that this was the correct way to go about repairing the situation. After the restraining order was granted, he stopped trying to push the boundaries. In the meantime, I tried to find a mediator so that we could sit down in a safe space and try to work out the next steps.
Unfortunately, it was a long time before we were able to sit down and speak with each other. I could write an entire article just about this part of the journey toward our eventual divorce, but I think I will save all those details for another time. In the end, we both ended up getting lawyers, then firing the first lawyers and getting new ones. At first, it seemed that we were in a deadlock; more or less in the middle of what they call in German a “Rosenkrieg” (war of roses) where both sides fight bitterly to tear each other down. I filed for full custody of the kids for a period of six months, during which I was hoping he could have a chance to process the end of the relationship and also start more comprehensive treatment for his anger issues. Of course it would also be important for the kids to see him during that time, but I wanted another adult to be present in case he started to flip out again.
He responded by filing for 50% custody of the kids and used my mental health history (verbal and sexual abuse by my stepdad during my childhood, followed much later by postpartum depression after the birth of our first son) to contest that I was unstable and an unfit mother. I gathered statements from our current and previous babysitters who stated, of their own accord, that I was very capable and also the logical choice as the main caretaker of the kids, since he was very absorbed in his demanding job as an engineer and not very in touch with the kids’ day to day lives. When we finally sat down together with our lawyers for the first time, his lawyer immediately attacked my character and tried to poke holes in the police report by questioning me about what had happened and then pointing out “inconsistencies” between what I said and what was written down. It was extremely triggering, especially given that I had tried to report what my stepdad had done years before and wasn’t believed (more about that over here).
In the end, my (now) ex realized that it just wasn’t practical for him to have the kids 50% of the time with his work schedule and stress level. So we worked out a plan for him to have the kids every other weekend for about 3.5 days, in addition to 2 weeks in the summer and one extra afternoon per week. The kids and I had a chat about it during one of the nightly snuggles my older son initiated as a bedtime tradition (another really amazing development that has happened since the separation…he is really reaching out to connect with both me and his dad more). I let them know that although their Papa and I don’t live together anymore and aren’t together anymore, they will always be our kids and we will always live with them — we just take turns now.
The finances were a bigger hurdle, as my husband was not willing to reveal all of his financial assets from our eight years of marriage. In Austria it is required to do so, but it’s not actually enforced if one of the parties is not willing to share all of their account statements. If we had gotten divorced in California, he would have been legally forced to do so through the “discovery” process. So it was a bit of a guessing game. But with the help of some family and friends, I was able to put together a pretty accurate, or at least acceptable (in his opinion) overview of our finances. What really stung me emotionally during this process was not only the fact that he refused to share this information, but also that I realized that he had never fully trusted me throughout our relationship. We never had joint accounts and he was never really transparent with me even though he made all of the financial decisions. Over the past few years, I ended up being pretty financially dependent on him since I was working less to care for our older son. This then transitioned to almost total dependence when the pandemic hit and I no longer had gigs and concerts. Luckily I was able to keep teaching piano via FaceTime…that kept me sane in a lot of ways. But I felt over time that my ex and I had completely different lifestyles. I always felt like I was on a shoestring budget and was stressed out just paying my share of the bills, whereas he seemed to be able to afford whatever he felt was important.
In a nutshell, we actually wrapped things up fairly quickly in the end…about six months passed between the day my former husband physically attacked me a second time and the day we officially filed for divorce. Over that time period, he never took responsibility for physical actions he took that Sunday morning. No matter how many times I explained what I experienced or even showed him photos of what little “evidence” there was, he insisted that I had projected the whole incident because of my past trauma. He also downplayed what happened in 2016 when he finally told his parents and, of course, he especially downplayed it in front of our lawyers, stating that he “accidentally smacked me in the face (once) because he mistook me for an intruder”. While it confounds me greatly that he cannot come to terms with his actions, it also is frightening, because there is really nothing stopping him from doing something like that again, or something even worse. But I suppose that’s a reality I would have had to live with anyway. Overall, I’m just grateful that the kids and I are safe and will be able to live comfortably for the foreseeable future. My physical wounds are long gone, the shock is slowly wearing off — what will take the longest to heal, I believe, is trust.
It is terrifying to share publicly about this entire experience, but I feel strongly that it’s important for others to hear and see that domestic violence doesn’t discriminate based on income level or social status, and also that its effects can be felt emotionally and spiritually even when the physical scars are minimal. The ripple effects that it causes in one’s life are also quite challenging — for me, this includes being disbelieved and shunned by several in-laws and also some members of my own family. Whatever it is that causes society to not take survivors of abuse seriously is beyond all comprehension to me. If I hadn’t had so many amazing friends and family members who did support me, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand by my conviction that I was on the path the kids and I needed to be on. I also felt really relieved and grateful that there are many resources people in these kinds of situations here in Austria and also in the US. So help is there if it’s needed. I’m also happy to be an informal resource for anyone who is struggling with this kind of situation. Please feel free to reach out to me.
So there we have it. Eight years after we tied the knot, we have now untied it. It often felt like I was also coming undone. But here I stand. Thank you for reading. | https://medium.com/@lindseyhuffbreitschaedel/untied-e8ce853da749 | ['Lindsey Huff Breitschaedel'] | 2021-09-13 10:13:33.077000+00:00 | ['Domestic Violence', 'Divorce', 'Violence', 'Domestic Abuse', 'Autism'] |
To Know The Truth | M y date was from OKCupid, told me he was bipolar but “over it,” dragged me to three different bars, and didn’t even make out with me for my trouble.
So, in the dive we landed in last, I had no choice but to pick out someone else in the distance. I did the choking “save me” signal.
I don’t know what compelled me to choose him necessarily. I could barely see his outline with my glasses tucked slyly away. It was just a ray of comfort and approachability warming me up from across the room. Soon enough, what was moments before a mere beam of light turned out to be a tall, imposing specimen who tottered over, complete with shots of Patron. I was struck by his baritone ahem and leapt up.
“Hi, this is Daniel, he’s bipolar. I’m Michael, I have OCD,” I said quickly, repeating my therapist’s recent diagnosis (which actually explained a lot).
“Great, I’m Harvey. I have PTSD,” he said.
“Oh wow, yours is the best,” I declared.
Harvey was of Asian descent, shaved head, all in black — basically a flirting ninja, except that his intense upper body and moon-pie face precluded all stealth. I usually went for the hairier type, since I’m always in need of warmth, but Harvey’s confidence soon proved irresistible. He interrogated Daniel, sizing him up in alpha-male fashion.
“Have you kissed this boy yet?” Harvey asked him. “Why aren’t you kissing him yet?”
“Oh, stop, he doesn’t have to, this isn’t the 8th grade,” I said in the meek Daniel’s defense. Then I grabbed Harvey’s thigh under the table. Thank you, I mouthed.
Because really, I was more than hungry for sexual contact — I was crazed for it.
In fact, seven years since coming out of the closet with no action was the major contributor to my two daily pink and blue anxiety pills. The problems leading to this cold streak included shame for my pectus excavatum (Latin for ugly chest), horrible luck finding someone who could fill the “aggressive” role in bed, and worst of all, being stuck in childhood.
I moved home to Staten Island after graduating NYU — the gay bacchanal-that-wasn’t — and instantly picked up where I left off: buying toys for my room and fighting about curfew with my divorced Jewish mother.
Looking at Harvey, though, I suspected resolution. The swirling body scars crawling up his neck, as well as his full-body Japanese tattoos, showed life experience. He dazzled by saying he had worked in the CIA, visited over 50 countries, and flew in a plane with Condoleezza Rice. I was exhilarated — the adult table was within sight.
So, around my fourth drink, I said, I’m tired, left the bar with Daniel, and thanked him so much for the really nice time. Then I doubled back, swung open the bar door, and jumped into Harvey’s lap.
“Vee vant the secret to your allure, Harvey,” I said, digging a finger-gun under his chin.
“Ooh, violence and the comma-name construction. I’m so titillated,” he said, gleaming.
Then when he roughly pinned me against the stall in the bathroom, I knew I’d found a real match, not an OKCupid one. And when we met for our first date the next week, I learned the power of such an attraction.
“Yum,” he said, after hitting a corner deli to get some soup, strangely his favorite food. “Yum,” I repeated, like I was learning language. Then it was my turn to pin him against a wall.
“Don’t do that,” he said, crushingly.
I understood. We were in public. It looked weird.
“It’s not that, dope,” he said. “I’m being protective of you.”
He zipped up his sweatshirt to his neck like a caped crusader.
Finally, I beheld on that street corner what had been missing in my depressing gay life: a man.
Now, sure. It was weird when he revealed he didn’t exactly, per se, have a place to live. Taking some time for himself and using savings, it turned out that Harvey was renting different by-the-day sublets in Manhattan like an urban nomad. It also materialized that his PTSD from his “time in the CIA” — the job he quit but supposedly couldn’t talk about — was indeed a very real problem.
“Harvey, no, don’t,” I plead as he provoked a rentboy in a late-night diner a week later, ending in cursing and shoves. Nursing his hangover and regrets the next morning (and the next-next morning) became our main getting-to-know-you scenario.
But I craved it. I was finally feeling grown up. And more importantly, I was finally getting the one thing I’ve been dreaming of, aching for, and fantasizing myself to sleep about since puberty…
Regular. On-demand. Sex.
Each place and time was more intoxicating than the next, surprisingly not because of any sort of danger element, or the different apartments (although that was a nice pinch of cayenne) but because of its sheer reliability — its normalcy. He even seemed to understand my clothing hang-up, to cover my chest.
“You’re so cute,” he said as I was straddling him, pants at his knees.
“Say it again,” I said, starved for it.
“You’re. So. Fuckable,” he grunted, softly destroying me.
The only hiccup was he shut down during conflicts between us, the opposite of everything I knew from my combative, histrionic parents, who let the neighbors hear every disagreement. I learned Harvey’s parents didn’t even know he was gay, and he’d actually grown up in a physically abusive environment, so, naturally, he put up walls.
I persevered through the stony silences, however, left him alone with his headphones and Radiohead. Didn’t bug him when his responses lagged online.
And I’m sure it was because of this that six weeks and twice as many out-of-body experiences later, we landed under five portraits of Mary in his Murray Hill sublet with him asking me, really asking me: “So, wanna go steady?”
Streamers shot off in my head. I was sure I’d have to beg, write a persuasive letter, possibly a didactic play. Yet here I was in the power position. By some beautiful miracle, I was getting exactly what I wanted, what I thought I needed during this chaotic, aimless period.
Still, I didn’t say yes right away. “You have to change your Facebook photo,” I told him, referring to his underwear shot, the one that got him all his gay hangers-on I constantly had to chase off.
“Oy, it’s the same as wearing a bathing suit,” he said. Everything with him became a bigger philosophical debate, but as usual I was ready to rumble.
I needed everyone to see the hero I did.
That weekend, I waited at the bar for him, puffing out my chest the little I could, donning my best flannel was for our first night out as a real couple. I picked out a table in the middle. I knew Harvey usually liked to be in the corner behind the support beam, protected, but nope, not tonight. Tonight everyone would get a close-up view of my major post-grad accomplishment.
Harvey’s friend, Jorge, spotted me. “I hear congratulations are in order, Mr. Man-Catcher,” he said.
“He’s just as lucky!” I protested, not believing a word I said.
“Well, I just hope you’re not going to change him,” he said. “You know, dress him up like a white person or something.”
I had considered it. But then again, in the past few days I’d considered everything. Our wedding (all black — his color). Of my mother giving me away (that had to be clear). Of whose DNA we’d use for the kids (his, definitely his).
Fifteen minutes later, I checked my phone for the twentieth time. No texts or calls, which was annoying because I was getting tired. I’d been exhausted the past few days, actually, since I stopped taking my medication.
The decision had been impulsive. I should have talked it over with my doctor first. “Brain-spinning,” she called it. “We have to control the brain-spinning.” But I felt it was right. I was a little tired while on them, too, after all, and what was I supposed to do, take them my entire life? I was fine tonight. I was happy. I just hoped Harvey would show up soon, preferably during a swell in the music.
Then another half hour of staring into my beer. I really started to worry. And to suspect… something. My shine wore off. The bar was filling up and the big table I was claiming became harder and harder to keep ownership of.
“This seat is saved,” I said to one drag queen, who’d been eyeing it for a while.
“Honey, unless your name is Jesus, can’t say nothing in this bar is saved,” he shot back.
God, I hated being gay. Giving up, I went to the corner, behind the beam, to lick my wound. But that’s where Jorge was again. He saw me and looked odd.
“Hey, have you heard from Harvey? Is he OK?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s fine. Um.” His “um” was sung, an overture.
“What?” I asked.
He pouted. “It’s not like him, but I don’t think that he’s exactly… coming,” he said.
My body went stiff. Jorge continued, “I got a text from our friend who says she’s with him somewhere, all the way uptown.”
“What does that mean? What are they doing?”
“Just drinking.”
“Oh. OK,” I somehow got out, trying not to look bothered. I took measured breaths.
“Here, I feel bad, let me buy you a — ”
And that was really enough. I was out the door.
I numbly rode the Staten Island Ferry home, stumbled into my room and screamed into my Aladdin pillow. Then, keeping with that kiddie behavior, called Harvey over and over. It didn’t make sense. Why was this happening? Eventually, he picked up, too happy.
“Just trust me. It’s better this way,” he said, slurring.
What? “No, it’s not!” I exploded. “Tell me how it’s better.”
“You’ll go out, experience more guys. You need to play the field,” he said.
“That’s your excuse?” I spit. “Why did you lead me on? Are you freaked out that you might finally be feeling something that’s not from a bottle?”
Harvey was quiet. “You’re arguing too hard. You don’t even know me.”
“I do know you,” I heaved, and fought for my life, no way letting this be ripped away now that I was so close, “I get you and you get me. It’s worth working out, worth holding on to.” I skipped the speech and went for the nuclear option: “I love you!”
Silence.
“I’m missing a leg,” Harvey responded.
My eyes blinked twice, signifying a momentary mental paralysis.
“Huh?” I let out.
“It’s gone,” he said definitively, “from a car accident — below the knee. You didn’t even notice.”
“OK,” I responded, followed by the breathy sound of me failing to process. Process that I didn’t see a limb missing on a body I’d worshipped nightly. Process the words themselves.
I didn’t believe it. Did I? There was no answer that sprang up, none that even made a little bit of sense for how this thing, this revelation, could be true. But here I was, suddenly grappling with if the guy I’ve been seeing, been sleeping with for the past two months, had all his parts, and if I was insane, legitimately going insane for not noticing.
Was that even the right word? “Noticing?”
“Uh, that’s all right,” I somehow said, high-pitched like the worst lie, my eyes stuck wide. “That’s all right.”
Another pause.
He ultimately sighed. “I’ll drive over,” he said finally, and hung up.
I lowered my phone, looked at the stuffed monster on my desk, the one with cotton guts coming out of his stomach. At my prescription bottles, my little, girlish hands, the hollow of my chest.
The hollow.
As dawn broke, my phone lit up. He was outside. I poked through the blinds of my front window to see his Jeep, already parked, and then him coming toward the house. It looked wrong. Who was this person? I felt I should run outside, knock on the neighbors’ doors, or at least come out with a kitchen utensil, screaming. Instead, I steadied myself enough to take one step at a time, go downstairs, and open the door.
“Hi,” I said, “You’re here.”
“I’m here,” he said, and came through.
He picked me up at my house a few times before, but never came in. I brought him into my room, sneakily, as my mom was still asleep on the same floor. Then tried to take it all in: the first time a boy was in my room.
He looked at the comic books, toys, my sister’s leftover purple furniture from when the room was hers.
“It’s like… you,” he said, instantly delighted.
“Yeah, just like me,” I said sharply, taking it as an insult. Just rip the Band-Aid off already, dammit, I thought. Show me my delusion, my rom-com-turned-horror-movie.
“Well,” he said. “I guess I better just—”
So he sat down on my bed, took off his shoes, unzipped, pulled down his jeans, and there it really was: his black, unmissable prosthetic. The thing that pulled everything apart, and, in a way, put things together. His muscular upper body now made sense: a compensation. His body scars from the car accident that did this to him. Wow, I’d really believed him when he told me it was a shark bite.
Then he popped it off. Instantaneously, I was faced with his stump, this little piece of mystery I was too myopic, too insane to see, week after week.
“But how?” I asked, quivering. “Did you always keep your pants on when we had sex?”
“You always kept your shirt on. Plus, you never seemed to care; you were always so hungry for it,” he said.
I winced.
“I also lied by omission,” he granted.
“And I fell for it,” I said, amazed at my stupidity. “I mean, were you even in the CIA?”
He chortled. “Where do you think I learned to be so covert?”
I was doubtful. But that was an issue for another time. Now I had to ask him: was anything real, or was I the most self-involved, desperate idiot in the world?
“You wanted a boyfriend, and regular sex. More than you wanted me,” he put it simply. “And maybe I did, too. That’s why I asked you to be together without ‘the talk’. But to be fair, I usually don’t have to bring it up myself.”
“Something is seriously messed up in my brain,” was all I could say.
He didn’t respond. He just looked around again. “I really do like this room,” he whispered softly. He placed his hand on my head. He started, awkwardly, to pet it.
I looked at his leg while he did this, trying to piece things together. It didn’t fit at all with my image of him. “Damaged goods” did intrude into my mind. Words that were foreign, difficult in my fantasy. At the same time, words like “vulnerable,” “fighter,” “survivor,” came in, but I wanted to be careful not to make the same mistake, not to craft my own narrative.
“I guess I don’t know you,” I conceded.
“No, I guess not,” he said, but then he stopped looking around my room, and looked at me. He stayed there. Perfectly still, so I could read him.
But maybe you don’t know yourself either, he seemed to say.
Cautiously, magnetically, we were suddenly leaning into each other to kiss. I decided to touch his knee, my cheesy way of letting him know it was all right. And he didn’t move it away, his way of letting me know that even though it was pretty cheesy, it was meaningful in the moment. After a few breathless seconds, we separated. I raised my eyebrow.
“I think vee found the secret to your allure, Harvey,” I said.
Soon we were under my southwestern themed comforter, resting our heads on my Aladdin pillow. The same place where I had lain being sure I’d never find anyone, the place where we’d both eventually learn to be with each other naked and comfortable with ourselves, the place where on our one-year anniversary, he’d give me his CIA coin.
It was inscribed Veritatem Cognoscere: To Know the Truth.
Michael Narkunski has an MFA from Stony Brook University. His writing has appeared in Out and The Advocate, and on stage in NYC. Follow his constant existential crisis @lampshadenark | https://medium.com/pulpmag/to-know-the-truth-56a5ca60ea91 | ['Michael Narkunski'] | 2020-08-04 15:00:55.819000+00:00 | ['Sex', 'Memoir', 'LGBTQ', 'Gay', 'Dating'] |
Chapel on the Hill #5: The Witch Hunter | Image by R. Loughlin
There are few things more peaceful than a quiet snowfall, the Witch Hunter decided. He was squatting in front of a small shack, leaning against one of the posts of its overhang, looking out across the dawn. The shack was in a clearing in the middle of a thick, grey forest. The snow deafened all the world around the little homestead; the clouds hung heavy over the forest and all before him seemed at peace.
The Witch Hunter let himself become part of the quietude that bonded all things together — the trees, the animals, the sky — in common concord this grey dawn. There was no sound, no wind; the air was crisp but heavy, like a blanket come down from the sky. The snow fell steadily, covering the homestead in a white mantle. It covered everything — the trees, the barn, the shack, and the Witch Hunter, all — equally. There is no escaping this world, the Witch Hunter mused, we all share a part in it. All — including the creature tied to the bed in the shack behind him, surrounded by those that once called it Father. The quiet and the peace of the clearing, and of the forest, provided a needed remedy for the darkness of the night before, and against the darkness still within.
He checked his belt for his purse; he hefted it once and made sure it was tied securely. Always get paid in advance, Verdyn used to tell him. Folk are more willing to credit God than a professional once the miracle comes. And if the miracle doesn’t come — better to be halfway out the door.
Once he was able to capture and secure him, the Witch Hunter had given the Father a strong dose of asfi root, boiled, then rubbed against the skin. The case was severe, so the Witch Hunter made the dosage severe. It was tricky work, and it took time. The dosages needed to be applied half-hourly under a full moon. The Witch Hunter didn’t believe the full moon was necessary, a vestigial superstition, he supposed, but he followed the procedure anyway. Slowly, each dosage calmed the creature further until it finally closed its wild eyes. Now all he had to do was wait. The asfi root had an equal chance of expelling the Demon successfully or killing the host. Time would tell. Once dawn became morning, in full, he would know. Either the skin would melt away or the eyes would awaken, clean and clear, upon the world once again.
The Witch Hunter looked out at the trees, stretching their bony hands up to the leaden sky, begging for Spring to bring life back to their branches. He hoped the family would have their Spring, too. This world was cruel, he knew, better than most, and the kindness of Chance was rare. He’d seen what happens when Chance wasn’t kind, and the remedies didn’t take hold. He’d seen too many families look on, helplessly, as their loved ones descended into madness — or worse. A long time ago, he decided he could see no more of that; he no longer wanted to feel the eyes of a grieving mother burning into him, silently blaming him for what Chance had given; he no longer wanted to walk out of a family’s hovel, taking nearly all the coin they had and leaving only the lifeless body of their loved one behind. And so he took what peace he could from the snow, and waited until he knew it was over — one way or another.
As unforgiving as it was, it was necessary work. The Clergy of the Great Knowledge, seated in the Walled City, did not officially recognize the Order of the Hunt. Indeed, they condemned all Faethlamin as folklore and superstition. Everyone knew the story of The Stranger, and the importance of tending your fire against him, but it was understood as a folktale. And while the Clergy sermonized against a metaphorical Evil, Death and his servants hunted openly. In truth, the number of Faethlamin was falling; their ranks were thinning every season. It had been years, in fact, since the Witch Hunter had come across a Demon — a true Demon — like the one in the shack behind him. But it wasn’t because of the Witch Hunters; he didn’t know why, but he could sense something else was happening. He could feel it in the trees, in the stone — in the cold winds that blew through the lonely valleys of Trist. As the numbers of the Demons grew smaller, he could feel Evil growing stronger.
Finally, through the rough-hewn door behind him, he heard a sudden cry from the Mother and he knew it was over. The Witch Hunter got up, quickly checked his purse once more, and walked into the trees beyond the clearing, leaving the little shack and its family behind him. | https://medium.com/the-spring-house/chapel-on-the-hill-5-the-witch-hunter-472d2962a34c | ['Robert W Loughlin'] | 2020-12-16 15:54:00.300000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Fiction', 'Series', 'Chapel On The Hill', 'Fantasy'] |
Book Review: A Cord of Three Strands | Cord of Three Strands
by Christy Distler
BooksGoSocial
Christian | Historical Fiction
Pub Date 08 Jun 2020
I am reviewing a copy of Cord of Three Hands through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:
When 1756 begins Issac Lukens leaves the Pennsylvania wilderness after two years with the Lenape people. He has failed to find the families of his birth parents, a French trader and a Lenape woman. Even worse the tribe he has lived with has rejected his efforts at peacemaking, and now they are ravaging frontier settlements in retaliation. After Issac arrives in the Quaker community where he was reared, questions taunt him: He wants to know who he is a white man, or Lenape? Where does he belong?
Elisabeth Alden was Issac’s nearest and dearest childhood friend, she is left to to tend her young siblings alone upon her father’s death. Issac had promised to care for her and the children, she battles resentment toward him for having left, while an unspeakable tragedy and her discordant courtship with a prominent Philadelphian weigh on her as well.
Elisabeth finds that she must marry or she will loose custody or her young siblings and her options threaten the life with her and the children that Isaac has come to love. While faced with Elisabeth’s reluctance to Marry, and the prospect of finding his family at last, as well as being faced with the opportunity to help in the peace process between Pennsylvania and the Indian tribes. But Issac must first find out where and to whom he belongs.
I give A Cord of Three Strands five out of five stars!
Happy Reading! | https://medium.com/@michellereneekidwell-95261/book-review-a-cord-of-three-strands-755238a77112 | ['Michelle Renee Kidwell'] | 2020-12-27 05:37:53.175000+00:00 | ['Christian', 'Historical Fiction', 'Book Review'] |
my day of death | Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash
my day of death
is closer than
my day of birth
and so i find
i must reflect
meditate and
contemplate
what this means
and how do i
proceed into
the lighted dark
that inevitably
waits for me | https://medium.com/scrittura/my-day-of-death-96669133f3fe | ['Darryl Willis'] | 2020-12-16 05:18:57.059000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Scrittura', 'Death', 'Poetry On Medium'] |
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market Worth $286.6 Billion By 2027 | The global active pharmaceutical ingredient market size is expected to reach a value of USD 286.6 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., registering a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period. Factors, such as increasing preference for outsourcing APIs and growing prevalence of various target diseases such as cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are expected to drive the market growth.
A steady rise in consumer demand for APIs, especially in developing and under-developed countries, increases the adoption of these products. In addition, strategic collaborations play a key role in the adoption of these ingredients in various regions. For instance, in February 2019, Cipla Inc. partnered with Wellthy Therapeutics Private Limited to combine digital therapeutics and pharmacotherapy for better patient outcomes in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Private and public initiatives to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients within their countries, especially in developing countries such as India, is expected to drive the growth of the market. For instance, API production in India is promoted under the “Make in India” initiative.
Presence of prominent players and increasing government initiatives for the development of pharmaceuticals in various regions are also expected to boost the market growth. Increasing consumer awareness and demand for economical and effective treatment strategies, especially in Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa, are driving the sales channels. In addition, high adoption and growing usage of online pharmacies are likely to drive the e-commerce sales of APIs.
The API market is competitive in nature and is becoming increasingly competitive. Consequently, manufacturers are required to enhance products in order to gain advantage over previously marketed products. For instance, in March 2019, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. launched XCEED-a B2B customer service portal. The platform was designed to manage the growing demand for generic active pharmaceutical ingredients by significantly increasing operational efficiency.
Click the link below:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market
Further key findings from the report suggest: | https://medium.com/@marketnewsreports/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market-24aecb79af18 | ['Gaurav Shah'] | 2020-12-17 10:38:35.598000+00:00 | ['France', 'Vaccines', 'Germany', 'Pharmaceutical', 'Biotech'] |
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Machine Learning based Fuzzy Matching using AWS Glue ML Transforms | Machine Learning Transforms in AWS Glue
AWS Glue provides machine learning capabilities to create custom transforms to do Machine Learning based fuzzy matching to deduplicate and cleanse your data. For this we are going to use a transform named FindMatches. The FindMatches transform enables you to identify duplicate or matching records in your dataset, even when the records do not have a common unique identifier and no fields match exactly. This will not require writing any code or knowing how machine learning works. For more details about ML Transforms, please go through the docs.
Creating a Machine Learning Transform with AWS Glue
This article walks you through the actions to create and manage a machine learning (ML) transform using AWS Glue. I assume that you are familiar with using the AWS Glue console to add crawlers and jobs and edit scripts. You should also be familiar with finding and downloading files on the Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) console.
In case you are just starting out on AWS Glue, I have explained how to create an AWS Glue Crawler and Glue Job from scratch in one of my earlier articles.
The source data used in this blog is a hypothetical file named customers_data.csv. A second file, label_file.csv, is an example of a labeling file that contains both matching and nonmatching records used to teach the transform.
Step 1: Crawl the Data using AWS Glue Crawler
At the outset, crawl the source data from the CSV file in S3 to create a metadata table in the AWS Glue Data Catalog. I created a crawler pointing to the source location (s3://bucketname/data/ml-transform/customers/).
In case you are just starting out on the AWS Glue crawler, I have explained how to create one from scratch in one of my earlier articles. If you run this crawler, it creates a customers table in the specified database (ml-transform).
Step 2: Add a Machine Learning Transform
Next, add a machine learning transform that is based on the schema of your data source table created by the above crawler.
Choose Worker type and Maximum capacity as per the requirements.
3. For Data source, choose the table that was created in the earlier step. In this, the table named customers in database ml-transform.
4. For Primary key, choose the primary key column for the table, email.
Step 3: How to Teach Your Machine Learning Transform
Next, teach the machine learning transform using the sample labeling file.
You can’t use a machine language transform in an extract, transform, and load (ETL) job until its status is Ready for use. To get your transform ready, you must teach it how to identify matching and non-matching records by providing examples of matching and non-matching records. To teach your transform, you can Generate a label file, add labels, and then Upload label file.
For this article, the label file I have used is label_file.csv
On the AWS Glue console, in the navigation pane, choose ML Transforms.
Choose the earlier created transform, and then choose Action, Teach.
If you don’t have the label file, choose I do not have labels, you can Generate a label file, add labels, and then Upload label file.
If you have the label file, choose I have labels, then choose Upload labelling file from S3.
Choose an Amazon S3 path to the sample labeling file in the current AWS Region. (s3://bucketname/data/ml-transform/labels/label_file.csv) with the option to overwrite existing labels. The labeling file must be located in S3 in the same Region as the AWS Glue console.
When you upload a labeling file, a task is started in AWS Glue to add or overwrite the labels used to teach the transform how to process the data source.
Step 4: Estimate the Quality of ML Transform
What is Labeling?
The act of labeling is creating a labeling file (such as in a spreadsheet) and adding identifiers, or labels, into the label column that identifies matching and non-matching records. It is important to have a clear and consistent definition of a match in your source data. AWS Glue learns from which records you designate as matches (or not) and uses your decisions to learn how to find duplicate records.
Next, you can estimate the quality of your machine learning transform. The quality depends on how much labeling you have done.
On the AWS Glue console, in the navigation pane, choose ML Transforms .
. Choose the earlier created transform, and choose the Estimate quality tab. This tab displays the current quality estimates, if available, for the transform.
Choose Estimate quality to start a task to estimate the quality of the transform. The accuracy of the quality estimate is based on the labeling of the source data.
to start a task to estimate the quality of the transform. The accuracy of the quality estimate is based on the labeling of the source data. Navigate to the History tab. In this pane, task runs are listed for the transform, including the Estimating quality task. For more details about the run, choose Logs. Check that the run status is Succeeded when it finishes.
Step 5: Create and run a Job with ML Transform
In this step, we use your machine learning transform to add and run a job in AWS Glue. When the transform is Ready for use, we can use it in an ETL job.
On the AWS Glue console, in the navigation pane, choose Jobs.
Choose Add job.
In case you are just starting out on AWS Glue ETL Job, I have explained how to create one from scratch in one of my earlier articles.
For Name , choose the example job in this tutorial, ml-transform .
, choose the example job in this tutorial, . Choose an IAM role that has permission to access Amazon S3 and AWS Glue API operations.
that has permission to access Amazon S3 and AWS Glue API operations. For ETL language , choose Spark 2.2, Python 2. Machine learning transforms are currently not supported for Spark 2.4.
, choose Spark 2.2, Python 2. Machine learning transforms are currently not supported for Spark 2.4. For Data source , choose the table created in Step 1 . The data source you choose must match the machine learning transform data source schema.
, choose the table created in . The data source you choose must match the machine learning transform data source schema. For Transform type, choose to Find matching records to create a job using a machine learning transform.
For Transform , choose transform created in step 2, the machine learning transform used by the job.
, choose transform created in step 2, the machine learning transform used by the job. For Create tables in your data target, choose to create tables with the following properties.
Data store type — Amazon S3
Format — CSV
Compression type — None
Target path — The Amazon S3 path where the output of the job is written (in the current console AWS Region)
Choose Save job and edit script to display the script editor page. The script looks like the following. After you edit the script, choose Save.
import sys
from awsglue.transforms import *
from awsglue.utils import getResolvedOptions
from pyspark.context import SparkContext
from awsglue.context import GlueContext
from awsglue.job import Job
from awsglueml.transforms import FindMatches
args = getResolvedOptions(sys.argv, ['JOB_NAME']) ## @params : [JOB_NAME]args = getResolvedOptions(sys.argv, ['JOB_NAME'])
glueContext = GlueContext(sc)
spark = glueContext.spark_session
job = Job(glueContext)
job.init(args['JOB_NAME'], args)
##
##
##
##
datasource0 = glueContext.create_dynamic_frame.from_catalog(database = "ml_transforms", table_name = "customers", transformation_ctx = "datasource0")
##
##
##
##
resolvechoice1 = ResolveChoice.apply(frame = datasource0, choice = "MATCH_CATALOG", database = "ml_transforms", table_name = "customers", transformation_ctx = "resolvechoice1")
##
##
##
##
findmatches2 = FindMatches.apply(frame = resolvechoice1, transformId = "eacb9a1ffbc686f61387f63", transformation_ctx = "findmatches2")
##
##
##
##
datasink3 = glueContext.write_dynamic_frame.from_options(frame = findmatches2, connection_type = "s3", connection_options = {"path": "s3:/<bucket-name>/data/ml-transforms/output/"}, format = "csv", transformation_ctx = "datasink3")
job.commit() sc = SparkContext()glueContext = GlueContext(sc)spark = glueContext.spark_sessionjob = Job(glueContext)job.init(args['JOB_NAME'], args)## @type : DataSource## @args : [database = "ml_transforms", table_name = "customers", transformation_ctx = "datasource0"]## @return : datasource0## @inputs : []datasource0 = glueContext.create_dynamic_frame.from_catalog(database = "ml_transforms", table_name = "customers", transformation_ctx = "datasource0")## @type : ResolveChoice## @args : [choice = "MATCH_CATALOG", database = "ml_transforms", table_name = "customers", transformation_ctx = "resolvechoice1"]## @return : resolvechoice1## @inputs : [frame = datasource0]resolvechoice1 = ResolveChoice.apply(frame = datasource0, choice = "MATCH_CATALOG", database = "ml_transforms", table_name = "customers", transformation_ctx = "resolvechoice1")## @type : FindMatches## @args : [transformId = "eacb9a1ffbc686f61387f63", emitFusion = false, survivorComparisonField = " ", transformation_ctx = "findmatches2"]## @return : findmatches2## @inputs : [frame = resolvechoice1]findmatches2 = FindMatches.apply(frame = resolvechoice1, transformId = "eacb9a1ffbc686f61387f63", transformation_ctx = "findmatches2")## @type : DataSink## @args : [connection_type = "s3", connection_options = {"path": "s3://bucket-name/data/ml-transforms/output/"}, format = "csv", transformation_ctx = "datasink3"]## @return : datasink3## @inputs : [frame = findmatches2]datasink3 = glueContext.write_dynamic_frame.from_options(frame = findmatches2, connection_type = "s3", connection_options = {"path": "s3:/ /data/ml-transforms/output/"}, format = "csv", transformation_ctx = "datasink3")job.commit()
Choose Run job to start the job run. Check the status of the job in the jobs list. When the job finishes, in the ML transform, History tab, there is a new Run ID row added of type ETL job.
Navigate to the Jobs, History tab. In this pane, job runs are listed. For more details about the run, choose Logs. Check that the run status is Succeeded when it finishes.
Step 6: Verify Output Data from Amazon S3 in Amazon Athena
In this step, check the output of the job run in the Amazon S3 bucket that you chose when you added the job. You can create a table in the Glue Data catalog pointing to the output location, just like the way we crawled the source data in Step 1. You can then query the data in Athena.
However, the Find matches transform adds another column named match_id to identify matching records in the output. Rows with the same match_id are considered matching records.
If you don’t find any matches, you can continue to teach the transform by adding more labels.
Thanks for the read and look forward to your comments
This story is authored by PV Subbareddy. Subbareddy is a Big Data Engineer specializing on AWS Big Data Services and Apache Spark Ecosystem. | https://medium.com/zenofai/machine-learning-based-fuzzy-matching-using-aws-glue-ml-transforms-761ad208bdbe | ['Engineering Zenofai'] | 2019-11-21 09:46:35.064000+00:00 | ['Cloud Computing', 'Machine Learning', 'Spark', 'AWS', 'Software Development'] |
The Power of Faceless Characters | The Power of Faceless Characters
Through the years, faceless characters have driven our intrigue and kept us on the edge of our seats
What do the following characters have in common: Master Chief, Navi (from The Legend of Zelda), Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Samus, and the Mandalorian?
We hardly — or never saw their faces — and yet we found ourselves unusually attached to all of them.
It’s not to say that their faces didn’t exist. Most of them had quite familiar-looking faces once exposed, but developers intentionally hid their expressions from us. These archetypes found themselves mysterious and featured obscure backstories designed to keep us in the dark.
We loved their stoic posture. We searched far and wide for more information about their origins and when none came up, we were even more intrigued. We just had to know who these mysteriously dark characters were. Our minds raced at the possibilities.
Let us for a moment explore some possibilities why rooted deep within our complex brain.
Darth Vader and Boba Fett are arguably two of the most intriguing villains of our time. Boba Fett was so mysterious and exciting that an entire show was created around his suit of armor (The Mandalorian). Boba Fett appeared for less than ten minutes of the entire original films and he lands on everyone’s top five Star Wars characters of all time. Darth Vader only exposed his face for mere seconds before his death at the hand of the Emperor. Luke’s hands lifted the veil of mystery, and all the intrigue into the Sith’s appearance faded, as did Vader himself.
My son recently received a Boba Fett figurine, and I can still feel those small pangs of jealousy as he tore through the plastic.
Why? The notion of an expressionless character seems to produce the opposite result when done well.
Zelda’s Navi is a unique character that acts as your guide and even an extension of your conscience. The faceless nature of her persona adds to her background role. Her subtle dialog produces a personality all it’s own. This personality compliments Links silence wonderfully.
Heroes like Samus and Master Chief from Halo produced minimal dialog, and we only saw their faces towards the end of their story arcs. Despite what would seem like an obvious silence, Master Chief emits power. I have rarely felt as much power as I do when I tear through enemies as Master Chief.
Each of these characters carried similar characteristics. They were powerful, loners, masters of their craft, competent, and dangerous.
We instead read more subtle cues when we can’t look to the human face for signals on a masked persona’s emotional response. Body language and tone of voice force us to use higher levels of concentration to interpret the narrative. All of this brings us deeper and deeper into a well-written story.
What drives our interest in these noble or sinister characters? Why are we intrigued by the loner?
Projection is the answer.
Our brain hates the unknown. We hate the unknown so much that we often fill in the narrative gaps based on our limited knowledge.
Don’t believe me? Have you ever been cut off in traffic? Your brain immediately draws assumptions about the other driver’s intentions based on your mood.
Ever gone to bed, knowing the next day will be a stressful one? Our brain projects itself into the future in an attempt to predict the outcomes. Often, we can drive ourselves mad in anticipation. If we don’t have the answer to a question, our brain will “make it up.”
This same principle works to create a deeper connection with the stories that we ingest. Having a strong, silent, and faceless character in your narrative can create a more immersive experience if executed correctly. Your brain goes to work creating a backstory that fits exactly what you want the character to be.
You suddenly have a character that is highly relatable and a one size fits all. Each of us has our own versions of Master Chief rolling around.
We can fully integrate with these characters by filling in our backstory, giving us a deeper connection to the overall narrative. The more we know about a persona, the less connected we feel. The narrative distance is further away from the action, and we become an outsider to the overall narrative.
The absence of facial expressions can produce the opposite effect as well. We often view enemies like storm troopers, droids, or other abominations void of eyes and mouths as non-human. This dehumanizing effect can lead to a more comfortable time destroying enemies.
It is much easier for me to wipe out a squad of Stormtroopers than a team of real people.
In games where fear is involved, having the hero wear a mask often projects their fear onto you. Games like Dead Space and Bioshock (the Big Daddy) come to mind. There is a heightened sense of awareness and the environment when you can’t read the hero’s thoughts.
Gaming is a unique medium that allows us to integrate with an experience. Having faceless characters only enhances this already immersive experience. Done right, we can all believe that we are Master Chief or Boba Fett. At least, for a time.
I patiently wait for the next faceless reaper of destruction to enthrall me with their mysterious persona. | https://medium.com/super-jump/the-power-of-faceless-characters-9e6a22fb1ced | ['Phillip Caron'] | 2020-12-08 04:25:00.845000+00:00 | ['Pop Culture', 'Features', 'Gaming', 'Culture', 'Videogames'] |
What on earth is Human Design? (Hint: it’s a lot crazier than you could even imagine) | Human Design has been around since the late 80s but has exploded onto the wellness scene over the last few years
Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash
Let’s start from the top, where did this come from?
The short answer — a man in a mid-life crisis channeled the entire system in 8 days in the 80s.
YES.
Human Design, like pretty much everything we file under mystic or new age or as religious beliefs has an insane origin story. Alan Krakower was in Ibiza in 1987 and had a mystical experience where he channeled into the Human Design System. He then changed his name to Ra Uru Hu and taught Human Design for the rest of his life until his death in 2011.
The guiding principle hinges on the idea that as humans (as a species) are evolving, the body now holds more intelligence than the mind.
If we believe in evolution — this actually makes sense as humans evolve just like any other life form, right?
We used to be cave people at one point and now we’re here. Human Design says as humans evolve as a species we’re moving away from a place of mind-based authority to body-based authority and that right now we’re in the midst of this upgrade. This shift started in the late 1700s and we’re closing out this transition in 2027.
Whether you are on board with this guiding premise or not, understanding your design can help you live a more chill life.
Have you ever read or listened to Alan Watts?
Human Design is basically living an Alan Watts quote.
Human Design is considered an experiment. You learn about these things and then YOU go out into the world and test them. Maybe you’ll see something completely different. Maybe you’ll choose to continue living the way you are currently living.
The beauty is in claiming your own authority through raising your own awareness and testing that awareness to figure out YOUR OWN TRUTH.
Why do we want to do this?
If we can learn to trust our own authority (learning to exist in the body) then we can learn to enjoy the ride.
Whether or not you believe you are in control or not, there are a lot of things we all agree we can’t control. Learning about your own design means understanding that we’re all different and meant to operate differently. You can think of the Bodygraph (the chart we read in Human Design) as a map. It’s your own personal map that can help you navigate life in this body.
This is why Human Design is referred to as the science of differentiation.
At its core Human Design is here to separate out your Self from your Not-Self. It’s a tool to strip away all the beliefs and messaging and programming, so you can understand what is your authentic nature versus what’s not you (the concept of the Not-Self, or literally not yourself)
When we are in the Not-Self we are living with chronic confusion, worry, doubt, mental anguish and more. These internal pressures are signs the body is sending us to get into our natural alignment. Similar to pain, your body is talking to you and saying, “HEY, SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!”
When you can see who you authentically are, you can embrace your individual differences and be an empowered individual. In Human Design, Ra frequently talks homogenization — the pressure we all feel to all be the same. Human Design is a tool meant to actively fight this.
As physical manifestations of our DNA — being different is key to our survival. It’s why we’re so attracted to the things we are not and it’s also why homogenization — that the invisible pressures from society force us all in one lane, continue to be pervasive. We need to be different, but we’ve been conditioned to believe there’s only one way to survive.
Human Design helps peel back the veil of conditioning and helps us remember that really we are here to lean into what makes us different.
When we’re in our natural state, life force flows through us, animating us. We are in a state of surrender.
Surrendering your worry and doubt and trusting your body’s natural responses bring you into your own personal alignment.
Step one is learning how your aura works.
When you hear or see people talking about their energy type — they are actually talking about their aura. There are 4 types of auras for humans. The Generator aura, The Manifestor aura, The Projector aura, and the Reflector aura.
The Generator aura holds Generators and Manifesting-Generators — so most people have this aura type, it’s about 70% of the earth’s population. The Generator pulls life in — they have life force energy that runs through them, they can use this life force and are meant to use it to do the things that they love! Generators are our builders in this life.
The Manifestor aura is a more rare type — around 8% of the population are Manifestors. Manifestors have a dense and repelling aura. They are meant to push forward into new territory and that repelling aura keeps people from getting in their way. Manifestors are our trailblazers, striking out on new paths, bringing forward motion for humanity.
The Projector aura is the newest aura type — showing up in the late 1700s to guide the transition we’re currently experiencing. The Projector aura is penetrating and absorbing. It penetrates the aura of another to see, taste, and guide energy. Projectors are here to understand how to world works.
The Reflector aura is the rarest type at 1% of the population. The Reflector aura is like living inside a disco ball. The Reflector is protected inside their aura as they sample the energy around them. The samples they take are used to formulate wisdom as they travel through the world Reflectors are mirroring back the status of society to us. They are here as evaluators of the world.
Once we know how our own individual aura works, we are able to begin an unlearning process called deconditioning.
Think about deconditioning as the process of learning how your body is talking to you. Most of us are not taught to listen to ourselves or trust our bodies. When we honor our body and its messages, we are strengthening our connection to our own individual authority.
Deconditioning is not only about listening to our own authority and forging a relationship with our body but is simultaneously an ongoing process; where we begin to understand and spot conditioning and begin to scoop out the beliefs and messaging that aren’t helpful or relevant and begin living on our own terms.
This is where we experiment and question. This is where the work begins. This process of unlearning is continually unfolding if we’re growing and changing as we allow ourselves to find our full potential.
The wisdom in the Human Design community is it takes about 7 years to do this work of deconditioning and beginning to trust yourself and learn to release control from others to your own authority.
When we can accept and champion our natural state of being, we can release outside conditioning and begin living in our natural alignment, guided by our own authority.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Radically living as ourselves can be lonely. Letting go of homogenizing beliefs can mean upsetting the people around you and unsubscribing to cultural norms. This is why a lot of people chose to live on the surface, doing the deep work to eradicate belief systems is not for the faint of heart.
Our history is filled with people who’ve been punished for fighting against norms, which is why we choose the safety of homogenization.
Going against the grain and against social norms is brave work. When you begin this in earnest, you’ll see this is why a lot of people choose to blend in (homogenize) and live in their Not-Self.
A reading or course will help you begin to tease out the subtleties and nuances in your chart.
Understanding your Human Design can be the beginning of your personal journey of living authentically as yourself. We’re all meant to be different. Are you ready to break out? | https://medium.com/@jenniferlouise/what-on-earth-is-human-design-and-can-it-help-me-138aa856a374 | ['Jeni Gage'] | 2020-06-08 17:44:21.627000+00:00 | ['Self-awareness', 'Astrology', 'Human Design', 'Body Positive', 'Consciousness'] |
Going Digital: Reflecting on COVID’s Impact on Museum Learning | Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by Danielle Linzer, Director of Learning and Public Engagement, The Andy Warhol Museum.
March 2020. With little notice, like so many schools and businesses, The Andy Warhol Museum shut its doors and sent staff home, for what we thought would be a two week closure. This unexpected and unprecedented disruption took a particular toll on the museum’s learning department. Our work has always revolved around bringing people and art together. We found ourselves reeling from having to cancel dozens of programs during our busiest time of the year, from small group gallery tours to huge annual events like Youth Invasion, our annual teen night. As the pandemic stretched on, we began to adapt our programs to virtual and remote experiences whenever possible. Now, as we near the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can take a moment to reflect on our efforts to reach out digitally.
At The Warhol, we’ve always had a strong focus on hands-on learning. With museums and schools closed and families stuck from home, how could we nurture the sense of playful experimentation and creative expression that can come from making art? The pandemic not only gave us permission to experiment — it demanded it. Our first attempt was a series of short DIY videos created by our educators at home during lockdown, highlighting Warhol-inspired art projects using everyday materials. We released our first video in March 2020, just a few weeks after our closure, and have now produced over 20 films highlighting accessible techniques, from bookmaking and pop up cards to potato stamping and mail art. The Making It Video series quickly became popular on social media, garnering thousands of views, likes, and shares on Facebook and YouTube. To date, the Making It Videos have received over 200,000 views online and were honored with an award as one of the Best International Digital Activities by UK-based Kids in Museums.
Like so many organizations, we tried to replicate or reimagine our offerings on digital platforms. Nicole Dezelon, The Warhol’s Associate Director of Learning, relaunched our museum tours as immersive distance learning experiences that broadcast live from the galleries. A rolling rig holds a light, laptop, iPad, and other devices, enabling an educator to talk directly to students from anywhere in the museum, sharing slides, showing artworks in context, leading a live demonstration, or using the iPad to quickly zoom in on interesting details and archival objects. In these programs, students who would probably never had the opportunity to visit The Warhol were able to experience our singular collection from thousands of miles away.
At the same time, Zoom was also essential for helping us stay connected to our local youth.
The Warhol’s Youth Arts Council, a group of teens who meet weekly at the museum and work closely with our staff, began meeting virtually shortly after the shutdown. Youth Programs Coordinator, Eileen Viloria, realized how important it was for young people to stay in touch and creative during a traumatic and isolating time. She distributed art supplies to students’ homes, launched mail art exchanges. This year, rather than taking over The Warhol for Youth Invasion, the Youth Arts Council worked together to produce Quaran-Zine, an animated film featuring artwork they created in quarantine, which has been viewed over 5,000 times online.
Within a few months of the initial closure “zoom fatigue” had entered our lexicon. With work, school, extracurricular activities, entertainment, and social interaction all happening online, we realized that our audiences were also craving physical interaction, material exploration, and hands-on learning. Saturated with screen time, we wanted to get our hands messy again, so we introduced Making It Art Boxes. These thematic boxes are packed with high quality art supplies, colorful instructions for a series of Warhol-inspired art projects, and links to additional videos and learning resources online. Spearheaded by Heather White, Program Coordinator for Artists in Communities, the boxes were carefully hand-assembled and shipped to homes all across the United States, with the goal of sparking creative engagement for families.
One of our most beloved annual programs at The Warhol is our LGBTQ+ Youth Prom, which draws hundreds of queer and gender non-conforming youth to the museum for an inclusive evening of dinner, dancing, artmaking, and celebration each spring. The event, which has become a tradition and touchstone, is planned by and for youth via a series of community meetings at the museum. It was clear that it would be impossible to replicate the Prom experience in the midst of COVID, but what could we do to stay connected and continue to support the young people we serve? We convened a group of youth who have been actively involved in our LGBTQ+ youth programming for a focus group. Based on their input, in fall 2020 we launched Pop Out, a virtual program that gives teens a safe space to connect to each other and fosters mentorship across generational lines. Shannon Thompson, The Warhol’s Inclusion Programs Coordinator, brings LGBTQ+ artists, educators, and activists together with small groups of youth for a biweekly series of interactive workshops, culminating in a virtual celebration and showcase. This time has encouraged us to expand our offerings for LGBTQ+ youth, but we look forward to once again hosting vibrant community gatherings at the museum.
During this time we’ve also grappled with how to continue our commitment to sensory-friendly programming and accessibility. While online experiences work well for some people with disabilities by reducing barriers to entry and making it easier to participate, online programs are not for everyone. We hosted a successful virtual verbal description program for visitors who are blind or have low vision, with participants in different states connecting for an afternoon of vivid description and animated discussion about works of art. However, in surveying families and community members affected by autism spectrum disorders and sensory sensitivities, we found that some individuals really needed the multi-sensory, hands-on, embodied experience of the museum — learning in front of a screen, in isolation, simply doesn’t work. During our summer partnership with Creative Citizen Studios, we led a hybrid program, with some individuals learning on-site at the museums and others participating from home.
This strange and challenging time pushed us to experiment, to innovate, and to question everything. Now, with vaccine distribution starting and the prospect of a return to some kind of normalcy on the horizon, what can we learn from this period of rapid adaptation? Will we return to traditional on-site programming and leave online learning behind? Will our educational landscape be forever transformed? We’re hoping to learn as much as possible from this strange, challenging, and generative time. With the support of the McCune Foundation, we’ve embarked on a deep evaluation of our programming in 2021, investigating learning outcomes and equity of both digital and in person experiences. As we emerge from this pandemic, we remain committed to nurturing creativity, connection, and learning for our diverse audiences, whatever it takes. | https://studio.carnegiemuseums.org/going-digital-reflecting-on-covids-impact-on-museum-learning-95a1d5c309e3 | ['Innovation Studio'] | 2021-02-22 17:51:13.394000+00:00 | ['Museums', 'Musetech', 'Museum Education'] |
Encoding and Decoding the Arecibo 1974 SETI Message | The reason for this article is, in fact, sad. The world-famous radio telescope of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has collapsed and is beyond repair. For many years it was the largest radio telescope in the world (diameter 304 m, frequency range up to 10 GHz), with the help of which many discoveries were made. On this Wikipedia image it is still in working condition:
Source: Wikipedia
But the article is actually about another event. In 1974, a message to extraterrestrial civilizations was sent into space from this telescope. How it was encoded, let’s figure it out.
Encoding
First, it’s interesting to understand how the message was made. As we know, the message size was only 1679 bits (approximately 210 bytes), and it was transmitted at a 2380 MHz frequency with a power of 450 kW. Frequency modulation with 10 bit/s speed was used for transmission. The number 1679 was specially chosen — it is the product of two prime numbers 23 and 73, so there is only one way to draw the picture in the form of a rectangle.
I could not find this message in WAV format, but it was easy to find it in binary form and using Python we can easily generate sound. Those wishing to listen to what the aliens will hear, can download and run the code below. Background noise has also been added to the message to make it looks more real.
import scipy.io.wavfile as wav
import scipy.signal as signal
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from PIL import Image
import os message = """0000001010101000000000000101000001010000000100100010001000100 1011001010101010101010100100100000000000000000000000000000000 0000011000000000000000000011010000000000000000000110100000000 0000000000101010000000000000000001111100000000000000000000000 0000000001100001110001100001100010000000000000110010000110100 0110001100001101011111011111011111011111000000000000000000000 0000010000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000100000000 0000000001111110000000000000111110000000000000000000000011000 0110000111000110001000000010000000001000011010000110001110011 0101111101111101111101111100000000000000000000000000100000011 0000000001000000000001100000000000000010000011000000000011111 1000001100000011111000000000011000000000000010000000010000000 0100000100000011000000010000000110000110000001000000000011000 1000011000000000000000110011000000000000011000100001100000000 0110000110000001000000010000001000000001000001000000011000000 0010001000000001100000000100010000000001000000010000010000000 1000000010000000100000000000011000000000110000000011000000000 1000111010110000000000010000000100000000000000100000111110000 0000000010000101110100101101100000010011100100111111101110000 1110000011011100000000010100000111011001000000101000001111110 0100000010100000110000001000001101100000000000000000000000000 0000000001110000010000000000000011101010001010101010100111000 0000001010101000000000000000010100000000000000111110000000000 0000001111111110000000000001110000000111000000000110000000000 0110000000110100000000010110000011001100000001100110000100010 1000001010001000010001001000100100010000000010001010001000000 0000001000010000100000000000010000000001000000000000001001010 00000000001111001111101001111000""" def fftnoise(f):
f = np.array(f, dtype='complex')
n_p = (len(f) - 1) // 2
phases = np.random.rand(n_p) * 2 * np.pi
phases = np.cos(phases) + 1j * np.sin(phases)
f[1:n_p+1] *= phases
f[-1:-1-n_p:-1] = np.conj(f[1:n_p+1])
return np.fft.ifft(f).real def band_limited_noise(min_freq, max_freq, samples, samplerate):
freqs = np.abs(np.fft.fftfreq(samples, 1/samplerate))
f = np.zeros(samples)
idx = np.where(np.logical_and(freqs>=min_freq, freqs<=max_freq))[0]
f[idx] = 1
return fftnoise(f) message = ''.join(i for i in message if i.isdigit())
print("Original message:")
print(message)
print() # Generate message
fs = 11025
f1, f2 = 3000, 4000
t_sym = 0.1
data = np.zeros(int(fs * t_sym * len(message)))
for p in range(len(message)):
samples = np.linspace(0, t_sym, int(fs * t_sym), endpoint=False)
freq = f2 if message[p] == '1' else f1
data[int(fs * t_sym)*p:int(fs * t_sym)*(p + 1)] = 10000*(0.25*np.sin(2 * np.pi * freq * samples) + band_limited_noise(50, 5000, len(samples), fs)) wav.write('arecibo.wav', fs, np.int16(data))
print("WAV file saved")
For the convenience of listening, I increased the frequency shift, in the original message it was only 10 Hz. I also placed a temporary link for those who want to listen to the WAV file without running the code.
By the way, the message was sent in 1974. To this location:
Source: Wikipedia
The beautiful Hercules Globular Cluster M13 in the constellation Hercules, well known to all amateur astronomers, and can be observed even with small telescopes. The cluster is 22 thousand light-years away, so the message will go on for a long time …
We figured out the encoding and the destination, now let’s imagine that we received such a message — let’s see how it can be decoded.
Decoding
The principle of frequency modulation itself is simple — different frequencies correspond to zero and one. On the spectrum, it looks something like this:
There are different ways to decode FSK, as the simplest method, let’s just filter one of the frequencies:
fs, data = wav.read('arecibo.wav') def butter_bandpass(lowcut, highcut, fs, order=5):
nyq = 0.5 * fs
low = lowcut / nyq
high = highcut / nyq
b, a = signal.butter(order, [low, high], btype='band')
return b, a def butter_bandpass_filter(data, lowcut, highcut, fs, order=5):
b, a = butter_bandpass(lowcut, highcut, fs, order=order)
y = signal.lfilter(b, a, data)
return y f1, f2 = 3000, 4000
data_f2 = butter_bandpass_filter(data, f2 - 200, f2 + 200, fs, order=3) plt.plot(data)
plt.plot(data_f2)
plt.xlabel("Time")
plt.ylabel("Amplitude")
plt.title("Signal")
plt.show()
The result looks good — each peak on the graph is a bit “1”:
Of course, the real signal that has passed 21 thousand years in space is likely to be “slightly” weakened, but for simplicity, I will assume that the aliens have good (and obviously not Chinese) radio receivers …
We can easily determine the width of one bit from the picture. Next, we need to output all bits as an image. Because the message was sent to an extraterrestrial civilization — those who, by definition, do not know the “earth-based” coding standards— transmitting a raster image was the only suitable decision. 21 thousand light-years from Earth, most likely, nobody knows what ASCII or Unicode is, but it is most likely possible to display the raster on the screen — anywhere in the Galaxy. At least a civilization capable of receiving a digital signal is likely to have some kind of monitor to display it.
Let’s continue the decoding. We do not know the size of the picture, but we know the size of one bit and we know the size of the entire message. Then we can just check all the possible options since there are not so many of them:
ss = 1102 # Width of one symbol in samples
for iw in range(12*ss, 25*ss, ss):
w, h = iw, 80
image = Image.new('RGB', (w, h)) px, py = 0, 0
for p in range(data_f2.shape[0]):
image.putpixel((px, py), (0, int(data_f2[p]//32), 0))
px += 1
if px >= w:
px = 0
py += 1
if py >= h:
break image = image.resize((w//10, 100*h))
image.save("1/image-%d.png" % iw)
For clarity, the picture was stretched, because it’s hard to watch 23 pixels wide images on the modern screen. The result is clearly visible:
The final image:
Unlike images published on Wikipedia, the original image is monochrome, there is no color coding in the signal.
A lot of things are encoded in the picture (a sort of, for sure), for example, a vertical line of two pixels above a person’s head is a DNA spiral (it’s obvious, isn’t it?). The meaning of all other pictograms can be found on Wikipedia page.
Conclusion
As we can see, quite a lot of information can be encoded into 210 bytes. In general, the task of sending a signal into deep space is far from simple, because we can use only the simplest modulation methods. Will the message reach the addressee? Of course, it’s highly unlikely. I do not know if the possibility of such a “communication line” and the required sensitivity of the receiver were evaluated. But, this is actually not so important — if such actions inspired someone to know more about space, then it was not in vain. Well, we will be able to get the answer in 44 thousand years, and I will try to update the article as soon as new data becomes available ;) | https://medium.com/@dmitryelj/encoding-and-decoding-the-message-to-extraterrestrial-intelligence-2a30bdc4b4b7 | ['Dmitrii Eliuseev'] | 2020-12-03 15:14:46.387000+00:00 | ['Astronomy', 'Programming', 'Space', 'Science', 'Python'] |
Vite Bi-weekly Report | Recent Milestones
Vite Labs Plans to Integrate Chainlink Oracle
Oracles are important for Vite’s ecosystem development. High-quality oracles ensure reliable, diverse and decentralized off-chain data feeds. Chainlink is one of the longest-running and best-known oracle technology providers. After integrating Chainlink oracle, Vite will bridge the on-chain and off-chain data gap, more efficiently integrate decentralized systems with traditional centralized systems, further expand the function of the Vite gateway, and lay the foundation for building and improving applications such as decentralized derivative trading, VitePlus, VitePay, crypto ATMs, blockchain-enabled IoT, and more.
Technology Series
On May 27, we released the technical article Design and Implementation of ViteX Back-End Service. This article explains built-in smart contracts within ViteX, from three angles: design, performance and system reliability.
Vite Community Star Election
On May 20th, we released the Vite Community Star Global Election Campaign. The selected “Community Stars” will be displayed on the new version of vite.org.
Vite Mentions on Twitter Soared
Per XTrading, Twitter mentions of Vite increased by 331% over the last month. This growth rate ranked #2 among all cryptos tracked.
Data on ViteX
As of June 1, 18,042,819 VITE have been burned, accounting for 1.8% of total issuance.
138,435,458 VITE are staked on ViteX exchange, accounting for 13.83% of total issuance.
7,110,327 VX has been released, of which 6,563,963 VX is being staked for dividends.
To-date, 58.4 BTC worth of dividends have been distributed. The pool of undistributed dividends stands at 32 BTC.
System Developments
Vite App
Vite App V3.7.0 has been finished developing. On May 28, we submitted iOS version to the App Store for review. On May 29, we submitted Android version to Google Play for review.
V3.7.0 mainly solved the following problems:
Rewriting the transaction detail page in native code. In previous versions, when users viewed the detailed information of Vite transaction records, it jumped to H5 page of the block explorer, which took a long time to load, and cannot copy fields such as address and transaction hash. In V3.7.0, when users click on transaction record, the transaction details will be displayed directly in the App. The user can also copy address, transaction hash, and other fields with a smoother experience.
Optimization of the exchange page. After the V3.6.0 was released, users provided us with suggestions for improving the exchange page experience. We have optimized it in V3.7.0. These optimizations include:
No prompt of quota consumption will be displayed before the order is placed or cancelled.
Users will be asked to confirm the pending order about price and quantity after clicking “buy” or “sell” in order to avoid mis-operation of placing an order.
Display of order positions have been added to the candlestick page and the trading page.
Maximum quantity limit has been added at the amount of buying/selling. A prompt of “insufficient balance” will no longer be displayed.
“+” and “-” buttons have been added to the price and quantity input area, which is easier for changing price or quantity.
A prompt of effective market-making order ranges has been added.
Renamed Comment in English. Recently, there were feedbacks about where to fill memo when transferring VITE to Binance or OKEX exchange. Therefore, we renamed Comment to Memo for the habits of our community.
We have fixed some bugs in V3.7.0. For example: the missing of candlestick subscription data; incorrection of price automatically filled when the order page is switched to buy/sell.
ViteX Exchange
On May 27, Vite Mainnet successfully completed its fourth hard fork. ViteX built-in contract has also been upgraded. As of now, Vite Mainnet is stable and has a normal block production rate. New functions have all been effective. After this upgrade,ViteX order operation logic from clients and API will remain consistent, and the result of order matching will also be deterministic.
In the previous version, the candlestick data needs to be calculated locally on the client side, resulting in data out of sync among different clients. In the new version, we have optimized the candlestick service by calculating data on the server side to secure data consistency.
In addition, the official ViteX Python SDK and Java SDK have been developed and will open source soon.
Official Website Upgrade
After the community vote, the design style of the new official website has been determined. At present, we are revising according to the selected design style, and optimizing the content of the website.
Activities
On May 22, our BD Director Isda, core developer Jie, and Marketing Manager Christy participated in the “Pizza Day Carnival” organized by Jinse Finance and Huobi, and commemorated the “festival” with many Chinese blockchain practitioners
Our COO Richard hosted Messari’s advisor Qiao Wang and Bitcoin maximalist Jimmy Song on a new episode of The Blockchain Debate Podcast. The topic was on corporate bailout and capital market rescue. This is on the back of unprecedented amount of quantitative easing from the US Fed. The crypto-native narrative is that such actions would enable growth of bad debt fueled by excessive liquidity and rob the people of their wealth by increasing prices of goods and assets. As such imprudent monetary policies created the need for crypto, this debate topic is apt for the crypto community. As previously mentioned, this podcast is one way for us to expand our brand recognition and network with industry thought leaders.
All episodes are available at: https://blockdebate.buzzsprout.com
You’re also welcome to follow Richard (https://twitter.com/gentso09) and the podcast (https://twitter.com/blockdebate) on Twitter.
On May 21, our COO Richard conducted an AMA in Vite telegram group, answering over 20 questions from the community including suggestions for product improvement and marketing plans. Our development team has made targeted developments on these improvement suggestions. The AMA record can be viewed here: https://forum.vite.net/topic/3856/vite-labs-leadership-ama-may-21-2020-leave-your-questions-here/1 | https://medium.com/vitelabs/vite-bi-weekly-report-dc7142fd922b | ['Khun Sir'] | 2020-06-05 08:06:28.686000+00:00 | ['Vitex', 'Project Updates', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Vite'] |
May’s way: Brexit means Brexit, and Brexiteers | Prime Minister Theresa May
Announcing her candidature for Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, Theresa May declared “Brexit means Brexit.”
Brexit, then, was always likely to influence the appointment of more Brexit-minded MPs to government positions under her premiership.
With “impressive ruthlessness” the backbones of David Cameron’s cabinet — George Osborne, Michael Gove, Nicky Morgan and others — have been dismantled. We have witnessed not a reshuffle of ministers but wholesale change in the make-up and, May will hope, the branding of the government.
In 2002, May famously warned the Conservative Party to shed its image as being Britain’s “nasty party”. In her maiden speech as Prime Minister on Wednesday she pledged this government would not to be driven by “the privileged few”.
Going by this speech, the mission of the new administration will be to advance social justice, exit the European Union and unify a divided United Kingdom as “one nation”. By her cabinet shake-up she clearly seeks to unite a fractured Tory party too.
Key appointments like Philip Hammond (Remainer) as Chancellor, and of Eurosceptics like David Davis as Secretary for Exiting the EU, Liam Fox as Secretary for International Trade show a willingness to unify. So too does the appointment of May’s recent Tory leadership rival (and Leaver) Andrea Leadsom as Environment Secretary.
The appointment of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary has raised eyebrows, but as leader of the Leave campaign — a vote he arguably swung and won — surely the onus should be on him to spearhead Britain’s new era of international relations.
In the referendum’s aftermath, Remainers complained prominent Leavers Johnson, Gove and UKIP’s Nigel Farage were allowed to abdicate responsibility. With BoJo’s appointment the Brexiteer-in-chief will not be afforded opportunity to fade into the shadows.
May’s way looks set to be calm and considered, with the EU exit gradual. From a Northern Ireland perspective, the appointment of James Brokenshire as Secretary of State — a former lawyer, security and immigration minister at the Home Office — may fit another piece of the May jigsaw.
This week Britain has a new Prime Minister and new government. Both put the onus on Brexiteers to negotiate the best deal possible for the UK leaving the EU, and on both sides of the Conservative Party to come together.
To May, the Brexit vote means Brexit and bringing more Brexiteers on board too. | https://medium.com/northern-slant/mays-way-brexit-means-brexit-and-brexiteers-f10c3555a926 | ['Connor Daly'] | 2017-02-04 15:46:58.473000+00:00 | ['Connor Daly', 'Current Affairs', 'Brexit', 'Boris Johnson', 'Featured Article'] |
DoorDash Has Already Peaked | Its valuation doubled and then doubled again in an IPO bonanza. But is it just a well-timed flash in the pan?
Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
In mid-2019, a private funding round valued DoorDash, the restaurant delivery service, at $12.7 billion. In early March 2020, with rumors that the company might go public, the New York Times noted Wall Street skepticism about that lofty figure, quoting one analyst who predicted DoorDash would take a “significant valuation haircut.”
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Instead, the company IPOed this week at a valuation of $39 billion — or $102 per share — and promptly saw its stock skyrocket, ending its first day as a public company worth $71.6 billion. (Domino’s, which revolutionized online food delivery and, unlike DoorDash, turns a consistent profit, is worth about $15 billion.)
What happened on the road from $12.7 billion to $71.6 billion was, of course, the onset of Covid-19 — and accompanying shutdowns and consumer skittishness about dining out — which turned delivery companies like DoorDash into “pandemic winners.” DoorDash’s revenue has increased sharply over 2019 and even showed its first profit in the second quarter of this year.
Behind the Concerted Effort Not to Save America’s Restaurants
Restaurant are dying at a record rate — but insurance companies won’t bail them outmarker.medium.com
But is the company really worth well over five times what it was just 18 months ago? After all, DoorDash promptly returned to posting a loss in the third quarter as shutdown restrictions eased. Being a pandemic winner obviously means that the revenue growth owes a lot to an anomalous circumstance — one whose end is in sight as vaccine timetables solidify by the day. A DoorDash exec told Axios Pro Rata that using its service is a sticky habit that consumers will continue so they can enjoy “extra time to do other things.” It seems more plausible that after months of takeout and deliveries, one “other thing” many of us would like to do is eat out at a restaurant for the first time in a year.
More strikingly, the underlying concerns that gave some analysts pause about DoorDash’s valuation before the pandemic haven’t actually changed. Critics charge that delivery services aren’t cheap for consumers, don’t pay drivers terribly well, cut into restaurants’ thin margins — and are still in the red. In short, they simply don’t seem to create much value in any direction. “It took a global pandemic to drive the firm’s one quarter” of profitability, a skeptical analyst told Markets Insider. And while the company has plans to expand its delivery service into other categories, such as groceries or retail goods, and is boosting a subscription membership, those experiments haven’t proven out yet. | https://medium.com/@playboy420/doordash-has-already-peaked-f1e9f9402933 | [] | 2020-12-13 23:41:14.834000+00:00 | ['Medicine', 'Generation', 'Life', 'Health', 'Safety'] |
Reality, Augmented? How to Drive Adoption of What’s Next | Reality, Augmented? How to Drive Adoption of What’s Next
If new mediums take off only when they fundamentally change our everyday life, what are the daily implications of augmented reality? What are some principles for the adoption of new mediums?
On the prospects of augmented reality, opinions vary widely in my conversations with fellow investors, designers, and technologists. Many investors consider the space “many years away,” “un-investable,” “not practical,” and “far from certain.” At the same time, the designers and developers building the platform and authoring products for the space believe it is “inevitable,” “transformative,” and poised to change our everyday life as we know it — sooner than we think.
Since the best investors are most persuaded by present trends (rather than potential future trends), it is no surprise that augmented reality may be a bit far off to elicit excitement. Until it is clear which platforms (Apple, Google, Microsoft…perhaps even start-ups like Magic Leap) will dominate this new medium, it is difficult to invest with confidence. But among the most knowledgeable designers and technologists in the space, there is no question.
So what can product teams do to accelerate adoption — for AR specifically and new technology in general? First, always “show not tell,” with the use of prototypes and presumptive visualizations. Just putting something out there can solicit a ton of feedback and accelerate progress. And then consider a set of general principles for the adoption of new behaviors and products.
In the spirit of a prototype being worth a thousand meetings (or too verbose medium posts!), my team developed a short video to explore how our everyday actions will be enhanced — and in some ways transformed — as augmented reality is broadly adopted. Have a look:
Of course, setting a vision that drives alignment — as imperfect and rough as it may be — is just the first step. To really drive adoption in the first phase of a new product or medium, there are a few principles I think about a lot:
Novelty Precedes Utility : Transformative and mission critical technology tends to be used for more lighthearted and fun purposes in the first inning. This principle is especially true for consumer products but even applies to the enterprise. I recall my team at Behance being on HipChat and using the first version of Slack to share GIFs and jokes. The rest is history. For an emerging medium like AR, it is no surprise that games and other fun novelties (like lenses in Snap and Instagram) are the first applications. Don’t misinterpret these applications as the limits of a new medium, they are merely the kindling.
: Transformative and mission critical technology tends to be used for more lighthearted and fun purposes in the first inning. This principle is especially true for consumer products but even applies to the enterprise. I recall my team at Behance being on HipChat and using the first version of Slack to share GIFs and jokes. The rest is history. For an emerging medium like AR, it is no surprise that games and other fun novelties (like lenses in Snap and Instagram) are the first applications. Don’t misinterpret these applications as the limits of a new medium, they are merely the kindling. Outfit The Artists : Artists are best equipped to socialize (and help us appreciate) the edges of life — whether it is policy, technology, fashion, or culture in general. Artists are dreamers and risk-takers. To showcase what’s possible in a new medium, outfit artists with authoring tools and make them interoperable with the tools they already use — and the content they’ve already made. This is a crucial part of the strategy we’re taking at Adobe with products like Adobe Aero, which enables people to build interactive AR scenes with 3D objects and bring their PSD’s into AR — expanding the layers to create depth, etc.
: Artists are best equipped to socialize (and help us appreciate) the edges of life — whether it is policy, technology, fashion, or culture in general. Artists are dreamers and risk-takers. To showcase what’s possible in a new medium, outfit artists with authoring tools and make them interoperable with the tools they already use — and the content they’ve already made. This is a crucial part of the strategy we’re taking at Adobe with products like Adobe Aero, which enables people to build interactive AR scenes with 3D objects and bring their PSD’s into AR — expanding the layers to create depth, etc. Invest In Reference Apps : Just as the original apps on the iPhone (1st party (Apple) apps) set the bit for developers on how to build and design their own apps, the design and functionality of the early apps for a new medium are super important. Early developers will leverage the early UI/UX decisions you make and coast on any familiarity established by the early reference apps. On a related note, beware of creativity that compromises familiarity — the early days of adoption are all about familiar patterns.
: Just as the original apps on the iPhone (1st party (Apple) apps) set the bit for developers on how to build and design their own apps, the design and functionality of the early apps for a new medium are super important. Early developers will leverage the early UI/UX decisions you make and coast on any familiarity established by the early reference apps. On a related note, beware of creativity that compromises familiarity — the early days of adoption are all about familiar patterns. Obsess Over The First Mile : Ironically, most product teams only spend the last mile of their experience building the product thinking about the first mile of the customer’s experience using the product. This is especially ironic given the fact that the only part of the product every customer experiences is the first mile! I’ve written quite a bit about crafting the first mile of product experience, and why, as my friend Dave Morin likes to say, “the devil’s in the defaults.” For new products and mediums, nail the onboarding.
: Ironically, most product teams only spend the last mile of their experience building the product thinking about the first mile of the customer’s experience using the product. This is especially ironic given the fact that the only part of the product every customer experiences is the first mile! I’ve written quite a bit about crafting the first mile of product experience, and why, as my friend Dave Morin likes to say, “the devil’s in the defaults.” For new products and mediums, nail the onboarding. Engage The Right Customers At The Right Time: If you have the luxury of doing so (start-ups can, big companies cannot), engage the cohort of willing and forgiving customers first — before aiming to engage every customer you can find. The old “take any customer you can get” adage is short-sighted, because the customers you have at different stages of your business impact how your product evolves and how your team prioritizes.
Of course, for augmented reality in particular, the prospects are dependent on hardware, advances in artificial intelligence, and software. But I believe we’re getting closer on all three fronts, and the approach we take to drive customer adoption can very much accelerate the whole space.
Augmented Reality is particularly interesting to me because of its potential to bridge the physical and digital worlds — as opposed to constrain us to one or the other. For millennia, we lived solely in the physical world. Then we invented a digital world and for the past 25 years it has increasingly entranced us. With smartphones, we see people all the time looking down at their screens and ignoring the physical world around them. It’s concerning, and I believe AR done well will synthesize the physical and digital worlds and enhance our interactions with both. In some ways, it could bring us back to a balanced way of living in the physical world despite being in the digital era.
As a result, I’ll bet that screen sales will look a lot like traditional camera sales as immersive experiences and devices go mainstream. Less “screen time” as we know it today may be a good thing. | https://medium.com/positiveslope/reality-augmented-how-to-drive-adoption-of-whats-next-2e96216d329a | ['Scott Belsky'] | 2019-11-14 20:39:14.804000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Augmented Reality', 'Product Management', 'Creativity', 'Future'] |
‘Shameless’ S10.E01. “We Few, We Lucky Few, We Band of Gallaghers!” Review ★★★☆☆ | On Shameless Season 10 Episode 1, “We Few, We Lucky Few, We Band of Gallaghers!” Fiona is gone and everything is about to change.
Let’s see… where were we?
When we last left Shameless, Fiona had finally ditched the Gallaghers for good, leaving nothing but a $50,000 check. Debbie was ready to take charge, Frank was rehabbing a broken leg, Ian was still in prison — but with Mickey as his cellmate! — and Lip was about to be a dad.
All caught up?
The opening credits hit, and already everything is different.
Emmy Rossum is gone here too, as Debbie opens the credits. Too soon, Showtime! RIP.
It’s summer in Chicago, and the fans are full speed in every room of the house. A lot has changed in the six months since we left the Gallaghers. This episode is all about change.
Debbie’s little girl, Franny, is already getting so old! Liam has a Frederick Douglass blowout and is wearing a dashiki. Carl is at military school.
Lip’s girl, Tami, is extremely pregnant. Like, is there such a thing as Chekhov’s pregnant belly? Cuz this girl is ready to pop at any moment.
Frank is lying on the couch doing absolutely nothing, yelling out for drugs or food or any attention he can get.
Fine. Not everything has changed.
Frank is still a train wreck father. That’s sort of the premise of Shameless, after all. If William H. Macy ever gets sick of being the worst Gallagher around — and that’s not exactly a low bar — they’ll have to shutter the show for good.
But everything around Frank has changed, and that’s because the family matriarch is gone. Fiona was the center and the heartbeat of the show, and she was that role for the Gallagher family, too.
It was time for Fiona to go, both for the Gallaghers and for Shameless. But it means every character has a new role now, and this episode is all about each person’s journey finding themselves in this new place.
There are a couple missed calls from Fiona, but that’s the only Fiona we’re going to get. Fiona’s not dead, but she’s definitely gone.
Debbie is the new Gallagher matriarch, but she wants everyone to know she is definitely not Fiona. Sure, Deb.
Debbie has a plan for every cent of the $50,000 Fiona left behind, and she runs a pretty tight ship around the house. There will be no more handouts at the Gallagher’s.
And like any true Gallagher, Debbie is playing the system. She has a fancy wardrobe of expensive clothing and perfume and a whole system to return everything on a perfect schedule. And our girl can rock a dress now!
Near the end of the episode, Debbie gets all dolled up and heads to a fancy hotel. Uhh… is Debbie some sort of high-end escort in her spare time? Maybe she’s just trying to pick up women, still exploring her sexuality.
Liam is still exploring, too. He spent most of Season 9 trying to understand his African-American roots, and his journey is continuing.
Liam rocks a dashiki and a Frederick Douglass hairdo, and he’s apparently learning about his ancestry from trusty neighbor, V. That works, certainly more so than from the random black kids at school. More Liam and V time is good for everyone.
As for those random kids? They’re not onboard with Liam’s search for an identity. Should we be? Shameless handled the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plot deftly last season, so maybe they can teach us a thing or two about race, too.
V may be busy tending to the kids and helping Liam, but Kevin is just feeling old. He can’t hold his own on the neighborhood basketball court anymore. He thinks it’s the old sneakers and even picks up a stripper job on the side to earn money for new kicks. But the job just makes him feel even older, and his testosterone juice concoction doesn’t work.
So Kevin’s going through a midlife crisis, Liam and V are working through their racial identity, and Debbie is trying to crack her sexuality.
See? Everything is changing. | https://popoff.us/shameless-season-10-episode-1-review-we-lucky-few-we-band-of-gallaghers-s10-e01-television-fiona-reboot-tv-83ff460d38f9 | ['Brandon Anderson'] | 2021-02-17 22:50:30.411000+00:00 | ['Humor', 'Culture', 'Television', 'Shameless', 'TV'] |
What Did Taylor Swift Do Anyway? | What Did Taylor Swift Do Anyway?
Tues-Reviews of the latest video(s) from the pop singer sensation.
Let it be remembered that August 24th, 2017 was the day the snake bit back. Honestly, I do not particularly see what or who Taylor Swift did so wrong that she would have to be so petty these last few songs she’s released. I could go into a whole pop-scandal writing, but I care more for the visual meaning, rather than the song, of Taylor Swift’s lastest music video for “Look What You Made Me Do.”
The first video released was a lyric video, and it was where I first listened to the song. I was intrigued by rumors of great animation and art direction spread by my fellow visual friends. To keep it short, they were incredibly right. The typography was pretty amazing and consistant with the theme of the song. The bold lines and sketch qualities of it was like writing in a bathroom mirror. The variations in the text also gave it an eerie American Horror Story feeling, but was not the very overused Scottish Arts and Crafts style of the Glasgow School and Mackintosh that the franchise uses. The working of sillouettes was pretty amazing also; paper and cut out, just like how Taylor feels like in the eyes of the media.
Reading some of the lyrics was hard, but not necessary considering the simplicity and general ease of picking up the words of the song. I really appreciated how the chorus animation was not exactly the same. Each time, there was an added element, specifically of heightening stress, cracking anxiety, and darkening fears. They made video less repetitive and more symbolic. The snake honestly felt a little out of place and forced, but it was appropriate reference as it is what sparked the shade-throwing music video anyway. Red has always been a signature color of Taylor Swift, in my opinion, and was rightly violent, and harsh on the eyes. It gave me the additional, and probably over thinking, feeling of Communist Revolution period art, who used red and black for their rebellion.
The second, and offical music video, is incredibly riddled, in a pretty good way. I appreciated the zombie part in the beginning, but also didnt quite get it. While it probably was just a means of capturing the audience, I still wanted there to be a bit more impact for that Z-Taylor. The symbolism of her most “previously” killed persona burying another was intriquging and well written. Diamond-Taylor and Snake-Taylor were a bit too similiar to me, but they got the idea across how she is viewed as a rich bitch and a scammbing back stabber Again, I wish the snake-sona was more enticing; she just sat there with snakes all around her, and I felt there could have been more. Cheata-Taylor, Robber-Taylor, and Bike-Taylor were not clear to me on the first, and I needed to watch video again to just get a basic concept. BDSM-Taylor was interesting and I had not really saw that persona so much. After watching it again, I realized it was more symbolic of her followers being dolls and doing whatever Taylor does, even if it is sexual idea innproriate for young followers. I took the Dance-Taylor as her overall and generalized self today, now dark and edgy with followerings that like her almost way too much.
The best part was the concluding scenes with all of the Taylors, some specifically from other music videos and real life events, climbing to be the top “Rep” known by the public, struggling with one another to be seen. And then, at the end, all of them intereacting with themselves. Not only was this good humor toward Taylor herself, but really showing how the singer is self aware of who she is and the trail she has left behind. Personas in videos and general media has not been a new thing, but the specificity of identity and use of set, rather than character, to establish alternate selves was pretty unique and cool. And with her money, the directing and editing and any special effects were spot on. | https://medium.com/the-composite/what-did-taylor-swift-do-anyway-12afc1483659 | ['Olivia Kwiatkowski'] | 2017-08-30 12:04:46.528000+00:00 | ['Taylor Swift', 'Pop', 'Music', 'Music Video', 'Look What You Made Me Do'] |
Exactly Which Enemy Did Bradley Manning Aid? | The Army has charged Bradley Manning with 22 counts, among them theft, fraud and most importantly, “aiding and giving intelligence to the enemy,” by way of providing military information to Wikileaks. Manning is suspected, or said to be, the source not only for the leaked diplomatic cables but also for footage of airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has been held at Quantico since July of last year. (His mental health evaluation will supposedly be complete sometime in the next month, with a pre-trial hearing perhaps in May, and a trial mid-July, at his defense’s request.)
One charge is “wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet knowing that it is accessible to the enemy.” That seems reasonable, largely. But how about the charge of actually aiding the enemy? Question being: hey, who are our enemies? And then which of them may have benefitted from this material? Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t our enemies, as we give them in total something like $12 billion a year. Al Qaeda? North Korea? They sure seem like enemies. Has Wikileaks done them a solid? Resulting in… what? While military court and military law are quite different from civilian law, still, in this fashion, the U.S. has set itself up to prove it’s been actually harmed — I’m pretty sure the standard isn’t “embarrassed”! — and I’m not quite sure how it can demonstrate that… yet. | https://medium.com/the-awl/exactly-which-enemy-did-bradley-manning-aid-20093ddd7caf | ['Choire Sicha'] | 2016-05-13 09:18:36.900000+00:00 | ['Wikileaks', 'Bradley Manning', 'Disinformation'] |
Top 6 JavaScript User Authentication Libraries for 2019/20/21 | — Keep learning, keep building and keep growing
User Authentication Top 6 javascript Libraries.
1. Passport JS
Passport.js
Passport is not only a 15k stars user-auth library, it is probably the most common way for JS developers to use an external library for user authentication. This library basically provides relatively flexible and modular middleware for Node.js which can be integrated into any Express-based web application. It’s also a community platform which supports various kinds of common authentications such as username and password, Facebook, Twitter, and more.
2. Auth0
Auth0
While this isn’t a library but rather a service, it’s a robust yet quick way to get the job done. Auth0 is a (quite big) start-up company which provides a wide universal authentication & authorization platform for web, mobile and legacy applications. Some say it’s the closest solution to Plataformatec’s Devise for Ruby on Rails, except you can connect any app or API in any language. There are over 100 pre-built integrations, and here’s a quick-start with Node.js.
Before Permit, the only real choice for authentication libraries in Node.js was Passport.js. But it has a bunch of issues that complicate your codebase. A permit makes it easy to add an authentication layer to any Node.js API. It can be used with any of the popular server frameworks (eg. Express, Koa, Hapi, Fastify) and it can be used for any type of API (eg. REST, GraphQL, etc.) due to its simple, unopinionated design.
Permit lets you authenticate via the two schemes most APIs need: a single secret bearer token or a set of username and password credentials. For example, here’s how to authenticate a bearer token:
Differences between Permit and Passport:
Passport is not focused on authenticating APIs. Passport is focused on authenticating web apps with services like Facebook, Twitter and GitHub. APIs don’t need that, so all the extra bloat means lots of complexity for no gain.
Passport is focused on authenticating web apps with services like Facebook, Twitter and GitHub. APIs don’t need that, so all the extra bloat means lots of complexity for no gain. Passport is tightly-coupled to Express. If you use Koa, Hapi, Fastify, or some other framework you have to go to great lengths to get it to play nicely.
If you use Koa, Hapi, Fastify, or some other framework you have to go to great lengths to get it to play nicely. Other middleware is tightly-coupled to it. Passport stores state on the req object, so all your other middleware become tightly coupled to its implementation, making your codebase brittle.
Passport stores state on the req object, so all your other middleware become tightly coupled to its implementation, making your codebase brittle. It results in lots of hard to debug indirection. Because of Passport’s black-box architecture, whenever you need to debug an issue it’s causing you to have to trace its logic across many layers of indirection and many repositories.
Because of Passport’s black-box architecture, whenever you need to debug an issue it’s causing you to have to trace its logic across many layers of indirection and many repositories. It’s not very actively maintained. Passport’s focus on OAuth providers means that it takes on a huge amount of scope, across a lot of repositories, many of which are not actively maintained anymore.
Passport’s focus on OAuth providers means that it takes on a huge amount of scope, across a lot of repositories, many of which are not actively maintained anymore. Differences between Permit and Passport:
Passport is not focused on authenticating APIs. Passport is focused on authenticating web apps with services like Facebook, Twitter and GitHub. APIs don’t need that, so all the extra bloat means lots of complexity for no gain.
Passport is focused on authenticating web apps with services like Facebook, Twitter and GitHub. APIs don’t need that, so all the extra bloat means lots of complexity for no gain. Passport is tightly-coupled to Express. If you use Koa, Hapi, Fastify, or some other framework you have to go to great lengths to get it to play nicely.
If you use Koa, Hapi, Fastify, or some other framework you have to go to great lengths to get it to play nicely. Other middleware is tightly-coupled to it. Passport stores state on the req object, so all your other middleware become tightly coupled to its implementation, making your codebase brittle.
Passport stores state on the req object, so all your other middleware become tightly coupled to its implementation, making your codebase brittle. It results in lots of hard to debug indirection. Because of Passport’s black-box architecture, whenever you need to debug an issue it’s causing you to have to trace its logic across many layers of indirection and many repositories.
Because of Passport’s black-box architecture, whenever you need to debug an issue it’s causing you to have to trace its logic across many layers of indirection and many repositories. It’s not very actively maintained. Passport’s focus on OAuth providers means that it takes on a huge amount of scope, across a lot of repositories, many of which are not actively maintained anymore.
“No way I’m implementing this myself” — Ulysses S. Grant
A rather new and promising library providing OAuth Middleware for Express, Koa and Hapi- with over 180 supported providers and a live playground. In case you want to use it with your own private OAuth provider, you can specify the required key yourself. Although this library is already getting traction (+ 1K stars), resources are relatively scarce so try it out with care.
5. Feathers authentication management
Feathers is an open-source (11K stars) real-time, a micro-service web framework for NodeJS that gives you control over your data via RESTful resources, sockets and flexible plug-ins.
Feathers also provide authentication and authentication management modules which let you add sign up verification, forgotten password reset, and other capabilities to local feathers-authentication. The idea is to combine different authentication methods under one roof, in a flexible infrastructure. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
6. Just use Firebase Authentication (for small apps)
This might not necessarily be the long-term solution to managing user auth in your scaling platform (or is it?). But, it’s a very useful way to get the job done, fast and simple, for your applications deployed with Firebase.
Firebase Authentication provides backend services, easy-to-use SDKs, and ready-made UI libraries to authenticate users to your app. It supports authentication using passwords, phone numbers, popular federated identity providers like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Learn more here. | https://muralikrishnagarimella.medium.com/top-6-javascript-user-authentication-libraries-for-2019-20-21-aff3437a641f | ['Murali Krishna Garimella'] | 2020-12-02 18:38:56.544000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'Authentication', 'User Authentication', 'Top Javascript Libraries', 'Open Source'] |
Harmonious | 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/chalkboard/harmonious-9446717103e5 | ['Randy Cooper'] | 2020-12-25 02:56:28.311000+00:00 | ['Animals', 'One Line', 'Harmony'] |
A Gynecologist Used Violence Against Me During My First Birth | A Gynecologist Used Violence Against Me During My First Birth
How many times have you been subjected to violence?
How many times couldn’t you complain and shut up?
How many times your reaction was only crying?
It has been 10 months since I gave birth to my first child. I couldn’t get over the suffering and pain of childbirth yet. I have a lot of mixed feelings between anger and oppression that I haven’t been able to relieve until today. Whenever I remember what happened to me I cry bitterly. I have never forgotten the memories of that day as if it was yesterday.
I woke up on January 6, 2020, with a slight ache in my back. I never doubted it was labor pains. I am still at the beginning of my ninth month, the fifth day specifically. I got out of bed thinking I fell asleep in a wrong way or something. The pain increased in an exaggerated way, and I could never stand up. I tried to sit on the sofa and couldn’t either.
My husband called the doctor and informed him of my condition. The doctor reassured my husband, saying that she is still at the beginning of the ninth month. Don't worry. Give her some painkillers and she’ll be better soon. To be more comfortable, you can take her and go to the hospital to check on her condition and the baby.
On the way to the hospital, I was in very bad condition. Excruciating pain all over my body, Severe heaviness in my ventral from below. My strength started failing and I felt like I was about to faint.
A doctor quickly examined me and told my husband and I that I would give birth in half an hour from now. I started crying and screaming so hard not only because of the pain but because I was not prepared psychologically.
And the suffering began...
As soon as I entered the operating room, the doctor started screaming at me because I was crying from the intensity of the labor pains and the sudden birth. I became more afraid of the doctor’s screaming and loud voice. He never calmed me down but rather asked the nurse to put her hand on my mouth to silence my crying. He also asked his aides to tie my hands aside so that I wouldn’t move much while he was performing the procedure.
There are no words to describe my feelings at this moment. I was expecting these moments to be some of the happiest memories of my life. But what happened gave me dread, panic, and led me not to think at all about pregnancy and childbirth again.
Not only did the doctor do that, but he numbed me completely, and I didn’t feel anything. I can only remember simple flashes like the sound of my baby’s crying when out of life and the doctor screaming at those around him. I don’t know how to get past this screaming yet. When I hear someone shout at those around them, I remember what happened to me.
After I woke up I was feeling very cold due to the anesthetic effect. Little by little I started feeling the pain of the wound as a result of the operation. I later found out that the wound was very large than usual. The doctor caused it because the baby was at risk of suffocation while he was born. Due to the exposure of the baby to suffocation, he had green bruises all over his body, which were completely visible on his skin. These bruises are still present today. I cried a lot because of all that I went through. Nothing cures the pain I’m feeling so far. Will I ever be able to forget everything that happened? I really hope so. | https://byrslf.co/a-gynecologist-used-violence-against-me-during-my-first-birth-b0e9c0db5e04 | ['Hadir Ramadan'] | 2020-11-08 17:27:37.364000+00:00 | ['This Happened To Me', 'Motherhood', 'Beyourself', 'Violence'] |
How a reporter who made mistakes became a hero on the internet | The Liberty Beacon is one of the fringe websites supporting Tareq Haddad
Ten days ago, Newsweek reporter Tareq Haddad announced on Twitter that he had resigned from his job after editors rejected his “newsworthy revelations” for “no valid reason”.
Almost instantly — and without waiting to find out more — Twitter users and “alternative” websites rushed to support him, praising him for his integrity and his commitment to truth.
Haddad had been hired as a reporter 11 weeks earlier with a brief to produce four stories a day. That clearly didn’t allow much time for original research or fact-checking and he mostly found himself rewriting tales picked up from other publications — often bordering on clickbait.
Stories appearing under his byline included:
This was what Newsweek apparently loved: mass-appeal content at minimum cost. But Haddad, not surprisingly, had aspirations to write about more serious things and had been pushing to be allowed to do so.
He admired the work of Seymour Hersh and Robert Fisk, and became interested in the chemical weapons issue in Syria. In 2017, during a 10-month reporting stint at IBTimes, he wrote an article suggesting the Assad regime had not been responsible for a sarin attack in Khan Sheikhoun. It quoted a widely-discredited article by Seymour Hersh which said: “The Syrian army is not the only party in the country’s civil war with access to sarin.”
IBTimes turned Haddad’s article down with a brusque rejection note: “Its narrative is highly controversial and likely to offend and only a writer or expert of repute (e.g. Noam Chomsky) could get away with such an incendiary thesis.”
Undeterred, Haddad submitted it to Counterpunch, where it was published.
After joining Newsweek his interest in chemical weapons continued. In October, he wrote a story which began: “Turkey, a Nato member, has allegedly used chemical weapons against civilians in northern Syria.”
This was based on a report by a journalist from The Times who had seen civilians suffering from horrific burns following a suspected attack with white phosphorus.
“Use of white phosphorus on civilian targets is banned by the Geneva and Chemical Weapons conventions,” Haddad wrote. He obtained a quote from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) saying it had “not yet determined the credibility of these allegations” and he implied Turkey was behaving hypocritically by having recently donated €30,000 to support the OPCW’s work.
The trouble with this was that Haddad had got it wrong. Legally speaking, white phosphorus is not a chemical weapon. Its use is covered by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons — which means it’s not a matter for the OPCW.
Following publication, the article was amended “to clarify the terminology around white phosphorus and chemical weapons”, and a note to this effect was added at the end of it.
Despite that, Hadded doesn’t seem to have taken the point on board. More recently (on his own website) he has written that “OPCW scientists were prevented from investigating Turkey’s alleged use of white phosphorus” — which he describes as “flagrant politicisation of a neutral body”.
Two of Haddad’s other Newsweek stories were also amended after publication. One was a follow-up to a story first published by Middle East Eye which revealed that a senior Twitter executive with editorial responsibility for the Middle East was also a part-time officer in the 77th Brigade — the British Army’s psychological warfare unit.
Haddad’s version included quotes from David Miller, a professor at Bristol University, and when first published it quoted Miller as saying the 77th Brigade’s Twitter account was “hidden by Twitter”. A look at the account (@77th_Brigade) shows it’s not “hidden by Twitter” — the owners have made it a protected account — and the quote was later changed to say “the Brigade has locked its own Twitter account”.
Incidentally, Professor Miller is a prominent member of the quasi-academic Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media which claims that chemical attacks in Syria have been “staged” by rebels in order to falsely accuse the Assad regime ( details here).
In November, another of Haddad’s articles, about Facebook and US presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, had to be amended after publication — not once, but twice.
He had also been chastised for citing “a problematic op-ed” as a source in a news story. Ironically, the problematic op-ed could be found on Newsweek’s own website. It was an article by Ian Wilkie falsely quoting James Mattis (defence secretary at the time) as saying the US had no evidence that the Syrian government used sarin against its own people. Originally published in February last year, Wilkie’s article has remained on Newsweek’s website — uncorrected — ever since.
Prof Tim Hayward: his blog post inspired Haddad’s story proposal
Towards the end of November, Haddad began pressing Newsweek to let him write about the OPCW whistleblower who claims there were “irregularities” in the investigation of an alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria. Haddad was so keen to do it that he even offered to write it on his day off.
In his proposal note, he said he had first come across the story in a blog post by Tim Hayward, a professor at Edinburgh University. Hayward, like Professor Miller who was quoted in his earlier story about Twitter and the 77th Brigade, is a member of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media.
Peter Hitchens: Haddad saw his column as validating the story
Haddad also cited an article by Peter Hitchens, the Mail on Sunday columnist, as evidence that the story was worth doing. The Mail “would not publish something like this lightly,” he wrote, adding that Hitchens’ reporting was “clearly solid and validated by the available facts”.
Rejecting the proposal, Haddad’s editor pointed out that the truth of the story was disputed and that even Hitchens had included the words “if substantiated” in his first paragraph.
Haddad has since published a very detailed account of the events leading up to his resignation from Newsweek, and he clearly believes that his article was rejected for political reasons.
“The US government, in an ugly alliance with those [that] profit the most from war, has its tentacles in every part of the media — imposters, with ties to the US State Department, sit in newsrooms all over the world,” he writes.
This, of course, is music to the ears of conspiracy theorists and they have piled in to support him on social media.
The Haddad affair is “the first direct insider report we’re getting on the mass media’s conspiracy of silence on the OPCW scandal,” according to Caitlin Johnstone, an Australian who describes herself as a “rogue journalist”.
“In how many other newsrooms is this exact same sort of suppression happening … to journalists who don’t have the courage or ability to leave and speak out?” she wrote, adding that Newsweek “has long been a reliable guard dog and attack dog for the US-centralised empire”.
Johnstone’s article has been reproduced on numerous fringe websites including Consortium News, The Liberty Beacon, Information Clearing House, Scoop (New Zealand), Global Politics (Sweden) and Steigan (Norway).
Other articles supportive of Haddad have been published by Mint Press News, Russia Today and Iran’s Press TV. | https://medium.com/@brian-whit/how-a-reporter-who-made-mistakes-became-a-hero-on-the-internet-39a9f6547e5f | ['Brian Whitaker'] | 2019-12-17 16:34:52.966000+00:00 | ['Newsweek', 'Journalism', 'Conspiracy Theories'] |
He Knows to Keep Quiet | He Knows to Keep Quiet
Photo by Klim Sergeev on Unsplash
His favorite time is early, so dark and so quiet that no one is awake but him
And he can be himself as wondering and curious and strange as he wants
Without rules, without clock and expectation and “you’re doing it wrong.”
Even the dogs are still asleep, warm dog snores huffing in the hallway
Where they think they’re keeping him safe from monsters and marauders.
They’re not, but it’s kinder to let them think that, put their dog energy there
Rather than interrupt him when he’s reading, building fierce Lego battles
Where the good guys always win — and they’re not always who you think.
Because the bad guys are like him — as changeable and evolving as he is.
Call him the little brother, decide he’s to be babied and talked down to,
Do whatever you think you should, but you cannot touch his real self
That is hunkered under the covers, reading and imagining himself hero,
Grand and glorious and more powerful than anyone has ever been. | https://medium.com/scribe/he-knows-to-keep-quiet-4ae3c11b986f | ['Louise Foerster'] | 2020-12-23 12:59:31.860000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Growing Up', 'Child', 'Reading', 'Self'] |
How Legalization and the Pandemic are Impacting Cannabis Consumer Behavior | Evolution of the Cannabis Consumer Market
The cannabis consumer market in the US is drastically evolving in response to three major changes.
First, growing legalization of medical and recreational marijuana enables credible tracking of transactions, which generates more information on existing and new cannabis consumers.
Second, legalization is attracting new and unexpected demographics (or else the new information is revealing existing consumers); according to a study from BDS Analytics the majority of new consumers are women, and Flowhub claims that “individuals over 50 are the fastest growing group of recreational marijuana consumers.”
Finally, the circumstances of the pandemic affect consumers psychologically and pose operational challenges (like in-store shopping regulations, backed-up online orders and delayed mail).
Amid these dramatic industry developments, cannabis producers need to be informed and thoughtful about the diverse demographics of consumers, the experience of new consumers, and the experience during the pandemic.
How to Market to Diverse Demographics
Identifying and characterizing market segments is essential for designing strategies based on their purchasing behaviors. A study in , for example, shows that older consumers purchase less frequently and spend more money than younger consumers; meanwhile Flowhub claims that Millennials trust endorsements from their peers more than they are loyal to brands. This informs the marketing and pricing of loyalty programs.
The study from BDS Analytics reports that, generally, men and women purchase cannabis for different purposes: Men purchase more often to relax and enjoy socially and women purchase cannabis more often to relieve stress, anxiety, and menstrual pains. This informs the marketing strategies and informational tools for different product types.
How to Market to New Consumers
The legalization of an existing product creates unique circumstances for new consumers, like lingering social stigma and lack of knowledge-even misinformation. Research report “The 2020 Cannabis Consumer” from ICR and Spectacle Strategy highlights that 73% of cannabis consumers claimed social stigma is the top barrier to consumption. This impacts the delivery systems, packaging, and other methods for discretion that must be employed by cannabis brands.
Flowhub claims that older consumers are more likely never to have used cannabis before,” which should be taken into consideration when preparing a customer service strategy, free-trial promotion strategies, and considering the optimal number of alternative product options.
How to Market During the Pandemic
The effect of the pandemic on consumer behavior is not always intuitive and requires careful attention. For example, social distancing restrictions, contrary to reasonable instincts, have not dramatically increased online orders because consumers were primarily making online orders to begin with; the Cannabis Consumer Insight Series reports that only 25% of US cannabis consumers were purchasing cannabis in brick-and-mortar stores in 2019 and, according to Flowhub, consumers ages 56–76 make 20% more online purchases than Millennials.
The circumstances under COVID-19 do, of course, pose additional considerations regarding consumer behavior and marketing strategy. Whereas consumers previously relied more heavily on recommendations from their peers, their increased activity online during the pandemic increases the influence of digital promotions, which plays a pivotal role in digital promotion strategies.
Among companies experiencing low labor supply and high demand there have been delays in transactions and deliveries. This both is important to communicate and impacts the viability of bulk promotion strategies.
Amid health concerns, it may also be more relevant than ever to clearly describe compliance with public health standards and quality-management practices.
How to Adapt to Inevitable Change
The single constant amid the extraordinary growth of the cannabis industry is change. The key for any cannabis producer or dispensary, then, is to continuously and systematically track consumer demographics and behaviors, research trends and changing circumstances, and adapt marketing strategies accordingly.
For more Cannabis industry news, trends, technology, and research, check out the official Ispire blog. | https://medium.com/@ispire/how-legalization-and-the-pandemic-are-impacting-cannabis-consumer-behavior-3b16c8a2d17d | [] | 2020-10-15 02:38:17.834000+00:00 | ['Vape', 'Cannabis', 'Thc', 'Vaping', 'Cbd'] |
Python 進階爬蟲技巧 selenium + chrome | 隨著網路教學資源的豐富，簡易的爬蟲稍微有點程式基礎就可以寫出來，這間接導致很多網站加上了 captcha 來避免爬蟲，由於 captcha 是由 javascript 產生，這幾乎就阻擋了大部分的簡易爬蟲 (如 requests + bs4)。
之前一直有再用 requests + bs4 來做自動簽到，但最近這網站突然加上了 captcha，導致爬圖突然不能用了，買一個進階會員需要 500 RMB，想了一下還是決定土炮弄一套進階的簽到程式，並跑在 linode (cloud server) 上，用以達到每天簽到的功能。
這邊文章會教你如何使用 selenium + chrome 模擬瀏覽器行為抓取資料，並分享我踩到的各種雷，有興趣歡迎 follow。
系統設置
這邊使用 docker ubuntu 18.04 image 作範例。
安裝 Python3 + Selenium
apt update
apt install -y python3 python3-pip
pip install selenium
安裝 Chrome + Chromedriver (selenium調用接口)
wget
apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb 安裝 chromewget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb 查看 chrome 版本
google-chrome --version
Google Chrome 74.0.3729.131 chrome driver網站下 載對應版本的 driver。
wget 安裝 chrome driver (v74版)wget https://chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com/74.0.3729.6/chromedriver_linux64.zip 這邊將 chromedriver 放到家目錄下 (docker image以/root為家目錄)
unzip chromedriver_linux64.zip -d /root/
Selenium 簡易教學 + 安裝測試
Selenium 的主要功能是透過程式去操作網頁 DOM，所以很多公司都拿 Selenium 來寫前端的自動化測試，我們要做的就是使用 Selenium 模擬人工的行為。
#!/usr/bin/python3
# python yahoo.py from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options if __name__ == "__main__":
options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')
options.add_argument('--no-sandbox')
driver = webdriver.Chrome('~/chromedriver', chrome_options=options)
driver.set_window_size(1024, 960)
driver.get(" # 使用 driver 開起 https://tw.yahoo.com driver.get(" https://tw.yahoo.com ")
inputs = driver.find_element_by_xpath('//*[
inputs.send_keys("hello world") # 使用 xpath 找到搜尋欄並填入 hello worldinputs = driver.find_element_by_xpath('//*[ @id ="UHSearchBox"]')inputs.send_keys("hello world")
driver.find_element_by_xpath('//*[ # 找到送出鍵並點擊driver.find_element_by_xpath('//*[ @id ="UHSearchWeb"]').click() # 將目前頁面存到 yahoo.png
driver.save_screenshot('yahoo.png')
上面的程式簡單透過 chromedrive 控制 chrome，由於我程式是跑在 cloud server 上，所以需要加上 --headless 及 --no-sandbox 選項，這樣 chromedriver 就不需要開啟 chrome。
直接執行 yahoo.py 可以看到當前資料夾出現了一張 yahoo.png。
比較值得注意的是粗體的那行 driver.set_window_size(1024, 960)，由於 Selenium 是模擬瀏覽器行為，瀏覽器大小也會直接影響結果，我在抓取 captcha 的時候就踩到瀏覽器視窗不夠大的坑，這讓我 debug 了半小時…
疑難排解
問題 1.
selenium.common.exceptions.WebDriverException: Message: unknown error: session deleted because of page crash from tab crashed
如果遇到 Message: unknown error: session deleted because of page crash
from tab crashed，有可能的原因是你的系統資源不夠，由於我是跑在最便宜的 cloud server 上，1G 的 RAM 可能會支撐不住 Chrome 的摧殘…
如果遇到就把程式用不到的程式關一關，chrome / chromedriver 也都砍到掉，然後再重跑一次。
問題 2.
selenium.common.exceptions.WebDriverException: Message: 'chromedriver' executable needs to be in PATH. Please see https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/chromedriver/home
這是因為 chromedriver 找不到，請確認 chromedriver 有放到 ${HOME} 下。
問題 3.
selenium.common.exceptions.WebDriverException: Message: unknown error: Chrome failed to start: crashed
這有兩個可能
chromedriver / chrome 版本對不上，請參考教學重新下載正確的 chromedriver。 與問題 1 一樣，資源不夠連開都開不起來 orz…
如何找到 DOM 的 xpath
打開開發人員工具，選取需要的 DOM，右鍵→Copy→Copy XPath。
小結
基本上到這邊就可以簡單使用 selenium + chrome 對網頁進行操作， | https://medium.com/@keigi1203/python-%E9%80%B2%E9%9A%8E%E7%88%AC%E8%9F%B2%E6%8A%80%E5%B7%A7-selenium-chrome-d4ae4979a874 | [] | 2019-05-04 16:56:56.597000+00:00 | ['Selenium', 'Anti Captcha', 'Crawler', 'Chromedriver', 'Python3'] |
Functional vs Iterative Prime Numbers in Scala | Thinking functionally with performance in mind
The Sieve Eratosthenes is one of the oldest and perhaps simplest ways known to compute the prime numbers. The algorithm is as follows:
Start with a prime number and eliminate all multiples of it Find the first number not eliminated, mark it as prime Eliminate all multiples of that number Repeat 2–3 until there are no multiples of the first number left to eliminate. The remaining numbers are the primes.
We can visualize it like this for the first 120 primes:
A Naive First Attempt with Streams
For those familiar with functional programming this appears to be just a series of filters. We filter by multiples of two. Then we filter by multiples of three, then five and so on. In effect we’re chaining filters like so:
stream.filter(_ % 2 != 0)
.filter(_ % 3 != 0)
.filter(_ % 5 != 0)
...
.filter(_ % n != 0)
Here 3 and 5 are just the first elements of our stream after our prior filter, as is n. With this knowledge we know we’re just filtering the tail of the list by elements divisible by the head over and over like so:
stream.tail.filter(_ % stream.head != 0)
This fits quite naturally into a recursive definition. With this we can build up an infinite stream of prime numbers in just one line of code:
Here we just start with the head of our stream and append a recursive call with the filtered tail of our stream. We start with only the odd numbers (Stream.from(3, 2)) as a minor performance enhancement. We can use this to calculate the first few prime numbers like so:
primeStream().take(5).toList == 3, 5, 7, 11, 13
This is very elegant and works, but is painfully slow and susceptible to stack overflows. Generating the primes up to 1 million takes several minutes and requires increasing the Java stack space.
The other big problem with what we’ve implemented is it is not the actual sieve!
This is Not the Sieve You’re Looking for
Those who have expertise in this problem will point out what we have implemented isn’t actually the Sieve of Eratosthenes. What we have actually implemented is trial division. The reason this isn’t a true sieve is when we do a filter we have to consider all values in the stream, not just the multiples of a prime.
When we filter by 3 for example, we have to check 5%3, 7%3, 8%3 and so on. This actually gives us a very inefficient algorithm. We can avoid these extra comparisons by only considering multiples of prime numbers while still using streams. Thus directly eliminating 6, 9, 12 … n * 3 and creating a true sieve.
A Functional Sieve without Recursion
What if instead of filtering the numbers that aren’t prime, we instead just kept track of them? Then, once we know all the numbers that aren’t prime, it’s a simple set difference to extract the primes.
To do this let’s create a stream of numbers which we’ll need to examine. We’ll create a stream of all the odd numbers up to our highest desired prime. Note here we only go up the the square root of our last number as a performance optimization.
val odds = Stream.from(3, 2).takeWhile(_ <= Math.sqrt(end).toInt)
Now for each element in the stream we just created we’ll need to keep track of each number that is a multiple of it. Assuming we have a number i we can keep track of all its multiples like so:
Stream.from(i * i, 2 * i).takeWhile(_ <= end)
Here we start at the square of i, which is a common performance optimization. We can do this because any multiple below the square will already have been generated.
We want to apply this for every element in our odd number stream. We can do this with a simple flat map and thus we’ve generated a stream of all the composite numbers.
odds.flatMap(i => Stream.from(i * i, 2 * i).takeWhile(_ <= end))
Given we have a stream of all the composite numbers it’s just a matter of taking the difference between all numbers and our composites to give us all the primes, resulting in a final algorithm like so:
This algorithm is much faster than our original trial division sieve. On my 2.3 GHz core i7 MacBook, this can calculate the first primes up to 1 million in about 800 milliseconds as opposed to minutes.
Comparing with Iteration
The question that comes to mind is how well do these functional sieves compare performance-wise to iterative implementations? Let’s rewrite our stream sieve to use iteration instead:
Here instead of generating composites we “mark” them in our primeIndices array. Then once we’ve marked all the composites, we loop through and generate the primes.
It’s a few more lines of code and relies on mutation, but is much faster than our stream implementation. On my machine this can calculate the primes up to 1 million in about 28 milliseconds, about a 30x speedup.
Can Functional be as Fast as Iterative?
It is left as an exercise to the reader to see if you can create a functional-based approach that can come close to, or match, the iterative version.
The answer is you can likely come close, but this comes at a cost of much greater complexity. Sped up versions will generally rely on structures such as heaps or other more complicated techniques. Links describing these techniques are presented below.
Generally speaking, I prefer simplicity. Functional programming is great, but may not always be the appropriate solution when a speedup is necessary and keeping things functional will add unneeded complexity.
Code with tests is available on GitHub:
Further Reading
The Genuine Sieve of Eratosthenes — Examines the complexity of trial division and techniques to generate an efficient algorithm.
Haskell Prime Number Wiki — Examines several techniques to generate an efficient sieve. | https://medium.com/coding-with-clarity/functional-vs-iterative-prime-numbers-in-scala-7e22447146f0 | ['Matt Fowler'] | 2016-06-13 11:21:34.173000+00:00 | ['Scala', 'Programming', 'Mathematics', 'Functional Programming', 'Algorithms'] |
A Comprehensive Guide To Genetic Algorithms — The ELI5 Way | Genetic Algorithms are based on Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and are often used to solve problems in research and machine learning.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the fundamentals of Genetic Algorithms (GA) and how to solve optimization problems using them.
What are Genetic Algorithms?
Genetic algorithms were developed by John Henry Holland and his students and collaborators at the University of Michigan in the 1970s and 1980s.
It is a subset of evolutionary algorithms, and it mimics the process of natural selection in which the fittest individuals survive and are chosen for cross-over to reproduce offsprings of the next-generation.
The natural selection process also involves the addition of small randomness to the offsprings in the form of mutation. This will result in a new population of individuals with mixed fitness.
But only the fittest individuals are chosen for reproduction, and the fitness is improved consistently over generations. | https://medium.com/towards-artificial-intelligence/a-comprehensive-guide-to-genetic-algorithms-the-eli5-way-fcc8940ae9a4 | [] | 2020-12-15 01:03:18.877000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Python', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning', 'Technology'] |
COUSERA Machine Learning Week03 | 2週目の記事もあるので良かったら読んでみてください。
Classification and Representation
この章では分類問題についてと、その解法の導入を説明します。
Classification
先週までは、機械学習を使って回帰問題を解いてきました。今週からは、教師あり学習の分類問題を扱って行きます。第一週でも説明しましたが、分類問題は O（まる） X（ばつ）のような結果を持つ機械学習の問題です。この O（まる） X（ばつ）を y の 1 と 0 に当てはめて、数学として扱います。ここで、前回までのように線形回帰を使って、0.5 を境界線として、1 と 0 を判定するというような方法も考えられます。しかし、これはデータセット（x 軸）の幅が大きくなればなるほど、精度が悪くなってしまいます。なので、分類問題の問題では、ロジスティック回帰（Logistic regression）という解法を使って解きます。以降は、簡略化のために、1 と 0 のみを判定する分類問題（Binary classification problem）を扱います。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
To attempt classification, one method is to use linear regression and map all predictions greater than 0.5 as a 1 and all less than 0.5 as a 0. However, this method doesn’t work well because classification is not actually a linear function. The classification problem is just like the regression problem, except that the values we now want to predict take on only a small number of discrete values. For now, we will focus on the binary classification problem in which y can take on only two values, 0 and 1. (Most of what we say here will also generalize to the multiple-class case.) For instance, if we are trying to build a spam classifier for email, then (i) may be some features of a piece of email, and y may be 1 if it is a piece of spam mail, and 0 otherwise. Hence, y∈{0,1}. 0 is also called the negative class, and 1 the positive class, and they are sometimes also denoted by the symbols “-” and “+.” Given x(i), the corresponding y(i) is also called the label for the training example.
Hypothesis Representation
この節では、ロジスティック回帰に使われるモデルを説明します。下記がロジスティック回帰のモデルです。
基本的には線形回帰の時のモデルと似ていますが、g(z) て定義されている関数が追加されています。この g(z) の関数の形が下記のです。この関数は、sigmoid 関数やロジスティック関数と呼ばれています。
この g(z) は負の側に無限に 小さくなっていく場合は 0 に近づき、正の側に無限に 大きくなっていく場合は1に近づく特性を持っています。この特性を活かして、0 から 1 の値を導出し、確率で 0 と 1 を判定するのが分類問題の解き方です。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
We could approach the classification problem ignoring the fact that y is discrete-valued, and use our old linear regression algorithm to try to predict y given x. However, it is easy to construct examples where this method performs very poorly. Intuitively, it also doesn’t make sense for hθ(x) to take values larger than 1 or smaller than 0 when we know that y ∈ {0, 1}. To fix this, let’s change the form for our hypotheses hθ(x) to satisfy 0≤hθ(x)≤1. This is accomplished by plugging θTx into the Logistic Function. Our new form uses the “Sigmoid Function,” also called the “Logistic Function”:
The following image shows us what the sigmoid function looks like:
The function g(z), shown here, maps any real number to the (0, 1) interval, making it useful for transforming an arbitrary-valued function into a function better suited for classification. hθ(x) will give us the probability that our output is 1. For example, hθ(x)=0.7 gives us a probability of 70% that our output is 1. Our probability that our prediction is 0 is just the complement of our probability that it is 1 (e.g. if probability that it is 1 is 70%, then the probability that it is 0 is 30%).
Decision Boundary
この節では、決定境界（Decision boundary）について説明します。決定境界とは、ロジスティック回帰の結果を、0 と判定するか、1 と判定するかかの境界線のことです。
まずは、ロジスティック回帰のモデルは 0 < h(x) <1 の範囲内の値であるから、h(x) が 0.5 以上の場合は y=1 と判定し、h(x) が 0.5 未満の場合は y=0 と判定します。そして、前節で説明した通り、ロジスティック関数 g(z) は z が正の値か負の値かで、その結果が 0.5 以上になるか、未満になるかが別れます。
z の値は上記のように定義されているので、決定境界の数式は下記のように表すことができます。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
In order to get our discrete 0 or 1 classification, we can translate the output of the hypothesis function as follows:
The way our logistic function g behaves is that when its input is greater than or equal to zero, its output is greater than or equal to 0.5:
Remember.
So if our input to g is θTX, then that means:
From these statements we can now say:
The decision boundary is the line that separates the area where y = 0 and where y = 1. It is created by our hypothesis function.
Logistic Regression Model
この章では、ロジスティック回帰をどのように評価して、解いていくかを説明します。
Cost Function
この節では、ロジスティック回帰で使うコスト関数について説明します。線形回帰で使ったコスト関数を、ロジスティック回帰で使うと、下記のようなグラフになります。（めっちゃ雑ですが。。。）
このグラフの場合、最急降下法を使うとどの極小値になるか分からず、グローバルな極小値へ収束する保証が出来ません。このことから、コスト関数は凸関数（convex）である必要が分かります。なので、ロジスティック回帰のコスト関数を、凸関数にするために、下記のようにコスト関数を書き直します。
これは、下記のようなグラフになります。
グラフの勾配一定に小さくなるのが分かるので、これで最急降下法をつかて、θ を特定することができることが分かります。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
We cannot use the same cost function that we use for linear regression because the Logistic Function will cause the output to be wavy, causing many local optima. In other words, it will not be a convex function.
Instead, our cost function for logistic regression looks like:
When y = 1, we get the following plot for J(θ) vs hθ(x):
Similarly, when y = 0, we get the following plot for J(θ) vs hθ(x):
If our correct answer ‘y’ is 0, then the cost function will be 0 if our hypothesis function also outputs 0. If our hypothesis approaches 1, then the cost function will approach infinity. If our correct answer ‘y’ is 1, then the cost function will be 0 if our hypothesis function outputs 1. If our hypothesis approaches 0, then the cost function will approach infinity. Note that writing the cost function in this way guarantees that J(θ) is convex for logistic regression.
Simplified Cost Function and Gradient Descent
この節ではロジスティック回帰で θ を求めるために、最急降下法を導入します。まずは、前節でコスト関数が下記の数式で表されました。
y が常に 0 か 1 しか取らないということを利用して、この数式は下記の数式に書き換えることが出来ます。
この J(θ) に対して、最急降下法を適用させます。すると、先週の線形回帰の時に導出した数式と同じものが得られます。
授業内でもこの数式の導出する際の数学的な証明は省かれています。なので、僕も正しくこの数式の真価は理解できていません。ただ、最尤推定量という手法が用いられているようです。詳しい説明は下記の記事に譲ります。
これだけ見ると、線形回帰とロジスティック回帰の最急降下法は全く同じに見えます。しかし、モデル(h(θ)) が異なるので、実際に解く数式は下記のようになります。また、ロジスティック回帰でも線形回帰と同様にフューチャースケーリングを使って、最急降下法の計算を早くすることが出来ます。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
We can compress our cost function’s two conditional cases into one case: Cost(hθ(x),y)=−ylog(hθ(x))−(1−y)log(1−hθ(x)) Notice that when y is equal to 1, then the second term (1−y)log(1−hθ(x)) will be zero and will not affect the result. If y is equal to 0, then the first term −ylog(hθ(x)) will be zero and will not affect the result. We can fully write out our entire cost function as follows
A vectorized implementation is:
Gradient Descent
Remember that the general form of gradient descent is:
We can work out the derivative part using calculus to get:
Notice that this algorithm is identical to the one we used in linear regression. We still have to simultaneously update all values in theta. A vectorized implementation is: θ:=θ−α/m * XT(g(Xθ)−y)
Advanced Optimization
この節では、最急降下法以外で θ を求める方法を説明します。最急降下法以外にも、共役勾配法、BFGS、そして L-BFGSなどの洗練された最適化アルゴリズムがあります。これら3つのアルゴリズムには多くの利点があります。一つには、これらのアルゴリズムはどれも学習率を自分で選ぶ必要がない点です。これらのアルゴリズムの中で、学習率を最適化してくれます。そのことにより、別の利点も得られます。それは、多くの場合で最急降下法よりもはるかに速く収束します。しかし、もちろん欠点もあります。主な欠点は勾配降下法よりもずっと複雑であることです。
なので、数値計算のエキスパートでも無い限りは、共役勾配法、L-BFGS，BFGSのアルゴリズムを 自前で実装すべきではないです。行列計算の時と同様に、これらのアルゴリズムも同様にソフトウェアライブラリを使うべきです。
Octave には fminunc という関数が用意されていて、これが難解なアルゴリズムをラップしてくれています。授業内でも、Andrew 氏が言及していますが、多くの場合で、アルゴリズムの内部ループが何をしているのか理解しないでも出来る計算処理を終わらせることが出来ます。おそらく、重要なのは、数学的に計算を理解することではなくて、それぞれの処理が何を行っているのかを理解することだと思います。
Octave 上で下記のようにコードを書くと、 fminunc を実行できます。一つはコスト関数の値と各 θ に対する偏微分の値を返す関数。もう一つは、実際に fminunc を実行する関数です。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
“Conjugate gradient”, “BFGS”, and “L-BFGS” are more sophisticated, faster ways to optimize θ that can be used instead of gradient descent. We suggest that you should not write these more sophisticated algorithms yourself (unless you are an expert in numerical computing) but use the libraries instead, as they’re already tested and highly optimized. Octave provides them. We first need to provide a function that evaluates the following two functions for a given input value θ:
We can write a single function that returns both of these:
Then we can use octave’s “fminunc()” optimization algorithm along with the “optimset()” function that creates an object containing the options we want to send to “fminunc()”.
We give to the function “fminunc()” our cost function, our initial vector of theta values, and the “options” object that we created beforehand.
Multiclass Classification
この章では、0 と 1 だけでない分類問題の解き方を説明します。
One-vs-all
複数の分類問題ですが、基本的には2クラス分類問題の時の解法を応用して解くことが出来ます。それが、one vs all 分類と呼ばれるアルゴリズムです。このアルゴリズムでやる事は、トレーニングセットを持ってきて、これを三つの異なる、二択問題に変換する事です。つまり、三つの別個の 2クラス分類問題に変換します。
例えば、上記の3つのクラスに分類したいとします。そうすると、「Class 1 とそれ以外」、「Class 2とそれ以外」、「Class 3とそれ以外」の3つの2クラス分類問題として解きます。そして、得られた hθ(x) で最も確率が高いものをその x に対する分類とします。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
Now we will approach the classification of data when we have more than two categories. Instead of y = {0,1} we will expand our definition so that y = {0,1…n}. Since y = {0,1…n}, we divide our problem into n+1 (+1 because the index starts at 0) binary classification problems; in each one, we predict the probability that ‘y’ is a member of one of our classes.
We are basically choosing one class and then lumping all the others into a single second class. We do this repeatedly, applying binary logistic regression to each case, and then use the hypothesis that returned the highest value as our prediction. The following image shows how one could classify 3 classes:
To summarize:
Train a logistic regression classifier hθ(x) for each class to predict the probability that y = i .To make a prediction on a new x, pick the class that maximizes hθ(x)
Solving the Problem of Overfitting
この章では、オーバーフィッティングと呼ばれる問題を説明し、それの回避方法を説明します。
The Problem of Overfitting
この節では、オーバーフィッティングが何なのかというものを説明します。
上記のような家の特徴量と価格のデータセットがあったとします。この3つのモデル（グラフ）では、一番左のモデルは精度がイマイチであることが分かります。この精度がイマイチである状態を「アンダーフィッティング」または「ハイバイアスを持つ」とい言います。次に、真ん中はおそらく精度の良いモデルであると言えます。最後に、一番右のモデルはデータセットを全て満たすモデルになっています。しかし、特徴量にもよりますが、おそらく予測するモデルとしては不適切である言えます。例えば、横軸が平米数だとすると、平米数が 0 の時が、一番価格が高いことを表しています。これは明らかに間違いであると言えます。このように、トレーニングのデータセットには完璧に適合するが、予測するためには最適でないモデルを「オーバーフィッティング」と言います。一般的、多項式や特徴量が多いほどオーバーフィッティングになりやすいです。このオーバーフィッティングを避けるためには主に2つの方法があります。それが、「特徴量を減らす」と「パラメーターを正則化する」の2つです。次節で正規化について詳しく説明します。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
Consider the problem of predicting y from x ∈ R. The leftmost figure below shows the result of fitting a y = θ0+θ1x to a dataset. We see that the data doesn’t really lie on straight line, and so the fit is not very good.
Instead, if we had added an extra feature x² , and fit y = θ0+θ1x+θ2x² , then we obtain a slightly better fit to the data (See middle figure). Naively, it might seem that the more features we add, the better. However, there is also a danger in adding too many features: The rightmost figure is the result of fitting a 5th order polynomial y = ∑j=05θjxj. We see that even though the fitted curve passes through the data perfectly, we would not expect this to be a very good predictor of, say, housing prices (y) for different living areas (x). Without formally defining what these terms mean, we’ll say the figure on the left shows an instance of underfitting — in which the data clearly shows structure not captured by the model — and the figure on the right is an example of overfitting. Underfitting, or high bias, is when the form of our hypothesis function h maps poorly to the trend of the data. It is usually caused by a function that is too simple or uses too few features. At the other extreme, overfitting, or high variance, is caused by a hypothesis function that fits the available data but does not generalize well to predict new data. It is usually caused by a complicated function that creates a lot of unnecessary curves and angles unrelated to the data. This terminology is applied to both linear and logistic regression. There are two main options to address the issue of overfitting: 1) Reduce the number of features:
- Manually select which features to keep.
- Use a model selection algorithm (studied later in the course). 2) Regularization
- Keep all the features, but reduce the magnitude of parameters θj
- Regularization works well when we have a lot of slightly useful features.
Cost Function
この節では、正則化について説明します。前節で、オーバーフィッティングについて説明しました。そのオーバーフィッティングを避けるために使うのが正則化と言われる手法です。正則化をざっくり説明すると、モデルをシンプルにするということです。詳しい説明は下記の記事に譲ります。
具体的に何をしているかというと、各パラメーターの二乗に正則化パラメーターと呼ばれるλを掛けて足し込んだコスト関数を計算します。それが下記の数式です。
このようにすることで、各パラメーターの影響度をあえて小さくしています。そうすることによって、極端なグラフの凸凹を減らし、モデルをシンプルに保つ働きをします。
あと、全然関係ないですが、正規化と正則化は異なるので注意したほうが良いです。僕はこれが別々のものだと気づかずにググっても、ピンとくるものに出会えませんでした。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
If we have overfitting from our hypothesis function, we can reduce the weight that some of the terms in our function carry by increasing their cost. Say we wanted to make the following function more quadratic: θ0+θ1x+θ2x²+θ3x³+θ4x⁴ We’ll want to eliminate the influence of θ3x³ and θ4x⁴ . Without actually getting rid of these features or changing the form of our hypothesis, we can instead modify our cost function:
We’ve added two extra terms at the end to inflate the cost of θ3 and θ4. Now, in order for the cost function to get close to zero, we will have to reduce the values of θ3 and θ4 to near zero. This will in turn greatly reduce the values of θ3x³ and θ4x⁴ in our hypothesis function. As a result, we see that the new hypothesis (depicted by the pink curve) looks like a quadratic function but fits the data better due to the extra small terms θ3x³ and θ4x⁴.
We could also regularize all of our theta parameters in a single summation as:
The λ, or lambda, is the regularization parameter. It determines how much the costs of our theta parameters are inflated. Using the above cost function with the extra summation, we can smooth the output of our hypothesis function to reduce overfitting. If lambda is chosen to be too large, it may smooth out the function too much and cause underfitting. Hence, what would happen if λ=0 or is too small ?
Regularized Linear Regression
この節では、ロジスティック回帰の説明をする前に、線形回帰の最急降下法と正規方程式に、正則化を適用させる方法を説明します。
正則化では j=0 の θ には正則化パラメーターを掛けません。なので、最急降下法の場合は、j=0 の場合分けが必要です。その結果の数式が下記です。
このように書き表すことができ、j が 0 でない場合の数式を θj で項をまとめると、下記の数式を得ることが出来ます。
この数式は直感的に面白いことを表しています。それは、1−αλ/m の項が 1 より小さい値になることに起因します。α が十分に小さく、m が十分に大きいと、この項は 0.99 のような値を取ることが出来ます。そうすると、代入が繰り返されるうちに、θj は徐々に小さい値になります。これが、正則化の目的をよく表していると言えます。正則化は、各パラメーターにペナルティーを与え、パラメーターの影響度を下げることで、モデルをシンプルに保っています。このパラメーターの影響度を下げるということが、まさに 1−αλ/m の項が表現していると言えます。
一方、正規方程式で正則化を用いる場合は下記の数式になります。
λL の行列を足し込んで逆行列を得ると、正則化を用いた正規方程式を得られます。これは証明が難しく授業内でも省かれてしまいましたが、とてもおもしろい特性を持っているようです。それは、正規化パラメータ λ が 0 より大きい（イコールを含まない）場合は、この X^TX + λL の行列は必ず逆行列を持つようになるらしいです。下記に、正規方程式と正則化について説明しているリンクを共有しておきます。（僕はなんとなく程度にしかやっていることは理解できてないです）
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
We can apply regularization to both linear regression and logistic regression. We will approach linear regression first. Gradient Descent
We will modify our gradient descent function to separate out θ0 from the rest of the parameters because we do not want to penalize θ0
The term λ/m*θj performs our regularization. With some manipulation our update rule can also be represented as:
The first term in the above equation, 1−αλ/m will always be less than 1. Intuitively you can see it as reducing the value of θj by some amount on every update. Notice that the second term is now exactly the same as it was before. Normal Equation
Now let’s approach regularization using the alternate method of the non-iterative normal equation. To add in regularization, the equation is the same as our original, except that we add another term inside the parentheses:
L is a matrix with 0 at the top left and 1’s down the diagonal, with 0’s everywhere else. It should have dimension (n+1)×(n+1). Intuitively, this is the identity matrix (though we are not including x0), multiplied with a single real number λ. Recall that if m < n, then X^TX is non-invertible. However, when we add the term λ⋅L, then X^TX + λ⋅L becomes invertible.
Regularized Logistic Regression
この節では、ロジスティック回帰へ正則化を適用させる方法を説明します。最急降下法を使う場合は、前節で説明した線形回帰の時と同じで、j=0 とそれ以外で数式を分けて行います。もちろん、モデル（h(x)）が異なるので、当てはめる数式は全く同じという訳ではありません。
次に、同様に fminunc を使う場合も j=0 とそれ以外で数式を分けて行います。ここら辺は場合分けがある程度に覚えておいて、後は課題の数式とプログラミングを見るほうが良いかもしれません。
最後にこの節のサマリーを載せておきます。
We can regularize logistic regression in a similar way that we regularize linear regression. As a result, we can avoid overfitting. The following image shows how the regularized function, displayed by the pink line, is less likely to overfit than the non-regularized function represented by the blue line:
Cost Function
Recall that our cost function for logistic regression was:
We can regularize this equation by adding a term to the end:
The second sum, ∑j=1nθj² means to explicitly exclude the bias term, θ0. I.e. the θ vector is indexed from 0 to n (holding n+1 values, θ0 through θn), and this sum explicitly skips θ0, by running from 1 to n, skipping 0. Thus, when computing the equation, we should continuously update the two following equations:
最後に今週の分の宿題のコードを載せておきます。行列の計算には慣れてきたけど、図のプロットが難しいと感じています。 | https://medium.com/@atsss/cousera-machine-learning-week03-3387ec2e4834 | ['Atsushi Ito'] | 2020-11-24 06:57:13.621000+00:00 | ['Regularization', 'Logistic Regression', 'Linear Regression', 'Machine Learning', 'Classification Algorithms'] |
How Bullet Points are Killing the Art of Communication | A call for writers to end our incessant list-making in favor of well-crafted sentences.
Copyright: Roadbully / 123RF Stock Photo
Communication as we know it has been pruned, cropped, repackaged and resold. Letters and phone calls have been overthrown by texts, emails and social media commentary. Bullet points have moved in and taken over all content remotely educational or informational. Those little black dots now pervade every type of format, from business plans to TV ads to blogs. They’re short and sweet, easy on the eyes, and deliver good amounts of information with little reading effort. Perfect for those on the go, bullets let you do a quick skim and you’ve got the gist. In a world dominated by the convenience factor, bullets just make sense. They’re nothing if not economical.
But what if sacrificing the element of story is doing you, the reader, a disservice? I, for one, would like to officially pledge my allegiance to the anti-bullet point army. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m from the camp that honors the architecture of a well-formed sentence. The team that feels a sense of satisfaction after reading a paragraph that the writer has taken his or her time for get just right. We die-hard grammar lovers understand the power that humor, character and emotional appeal has in eliciting a response from the reader, and acknowledge the fact that bullet points are a poor substitute for story.
In his piece “How PowerPoint is Killing Critical Thought” posted on The Guardian.com, author Andrew Smith claimed that, “Bullet point-ization of information is making us stupid and irresponsible”, and that the tool is actually “destructive of, deep thought.”
Smith’s assault on bullet points used in Power Point presentations is particularly astute:
“Bullet points enforce a rigidly hierarchical authority, which has not necessarily been earned. One either accepts them in toto, or not at all. And by the time any faulty logic is identified, the screen has been replaced by a new one as the speaker breezes on, safe in the knowledge that yet another waits in the wings. With everyone focused on screens, no one — least of all the speaker — is internalizing the argument in a way that tests its strength.”
In Communication Genius, 40 Insights from the Science of Communicating, author Tony Buon says, “Bullet points encourage sloppy and lazy writing. They are too generic, particularly when dealing with complex issues.”
My disdain for bullet points arises, too, from the fact that they don’t really do the job they’re supposed to be doing. Since the perceived convenience of bullet points may actually be working against the writer, if his aim is to get the reader to remember, we may be better off without them. As was observed in the book The Strategy Pathfinder: Core Concepts and Live Cases, “Psychologists have established that lists are much harder to remember than stories… People mainly remember the first and last items on a list but not the rest of it. Also, lists enable ‘selective memory’ as people tend to select the individual points they like and focus on those, forgetting about the whole and the many integrated parts that make this up.”
Then there’s the famous 3M case study written by the company’s founders, telling the tale of how Gordon Shaw had the “aha” moment upon realizing that the company’s business plans “failed to reflect deep thought or inspire commitment.” He pinned their bullet point-riddled pages as glorified to-do lists that “failed to explain the logic or rationale of winning in the marketplace” and identified them as a big part of 3M’s lack of progress. As Mr. Shaw put it in his essay “Strategic Stories: How 3M is Rewriting Business Planning,” “Bullet points leave critical relationships unspecified and subsequently, do not inspire thinking or commitment.” Today, 3M team members instead craft business plans based off strategic narratives to “clarify the thinking behind their plans but also to capture the imagination and the excitement of the people in their organization.” Right on.
3M’s current story-intensive culture is often blamed for their ongoing success, and, as Mr. Shaw discovered, “When people locate themselves in these strategic stories, their sense of commitment and involvement is enhanced.” Ultimately, that’s what I’m aiming for as a writer — to hook an uninvolved passer-by, to get them to imagine themselves in my story, whether it be a website or 30-second commercial. The bullet point cheapens the message, so I’ll use them in a pinch, or if a client requests them, but they won’t be my tool of choice, or my shortcut.
Shaw and partners also drew the line between the truncated format of bullets and their failure to contribute thought to a content-driven piece like a business plan: “Writing is thinking. Bullets allow us to skip the thinking step, genially tricking ourselves into supposing that we have planned when, in fact, we’ve only listed some good things to do. Bullet lists encourage us to be intellectually lazy.” In my opinion, there’s just no room for laziness in writing, not when every word counts.
As a final thought, I’ll share the words of the decorated military personality Brigadier General McMaster, who in his assault of the Power Point presentation as an “internal threat,” was quoted as saying this in regards to those little black points of contention: “It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control. Some problems are not bullet-izable.” | https://medium.com/bulletproof-writers/how-bullet-points-are-killing-the-art-of-communication-84742027b231 | ['Lindsey Christine'] | 2020-03-30 18:30:15.123000+00:00 | ['Bullet Points', 'Writing', 'Writing Tips', 'Business Writing Skills', 'Creative Writing'] |
Fostering habits in remote teams | Most of what we do from day to day can be linked back to habits.
For example, I have my alarm clock go off at 6:00AM, this gives me a chance to wake up and get ready for work. When the weekend comes and I have a chance to have a lie in, as there are no commitments the next day, guess what time I generally wake up?
Around 6:00AM.
This is because waking up at that time has become a habit and a weekend off isn’t enough to change that (more’s the pity).
The same can be said for a lot of things.
But why are we talking about my waking arrangements?
Simple, habits are an important part of how we operate, 40% of our daily activities are habits.
Having these habits can ensure that we’re up in time for work (see it was relevant), that we set aside enough time to accomplish tasks within deadlines and so on.
Some habits we work on and build ourselves, some can be impressed upon us, for a manager, this can be a useful tool to have in your arsenal.
You can use this to help foster habits in your team, whether it’s adding a new process into their daily routines (e.g. create a to-do list each morning), or get them to start using a new app, this helps build adoption.
You want these to become second nature so that your team do them automatically. But they don’t simply build overnight, there are a few things you need to do.
Repeat, repeat, repeat
One of the most important parts of forming a habit is repetition, by getting your team to perform an action, again and again.
This helps ingrain the action/habit into your teams subconscious. When trying to get your team to adopt a new habit, you need to enforce this repetition to the point where it seems redundant.
However, the likelihood is that you’re not simply going to get all of your team into the mindest to keep repeating the habit out of nowhere.
It’s going to take a little push, which brings us to.
Use cues and prompts
Habits don’t simply happen out of thin air, they can take some time to build up and get used to.
Employees aren’t going to suddenly start using/doing something that they are not accustomed to, they won’t open an app they don’t normally use, they aren’t going to create a to-do list at the beginning of each day at the drop of a hat.
They have other responsibilities to consider and something newly introduced isn’t necessarily going to stick straight away.
The habit needs to be triggered. A study found that to form a habit, there needs to be:
Context — By performing a task within the same circumstances, can help it become a habit.
— By performing a task within the same circumstances, can help it become a habit. Reward — It’s important to understand why what you’re team is (trying) to become a habit is important. How it helps, the benefits it brings.
— It’s important to understand why what you’re team is (trying) to become a habit is important. How it helps, the benefits it brings. Sequences — habits can be part of a sequence that triggers other habits, helping to build a chain of habits.
It’s not enough to tell your team to start doing something, they need to be trained to respond with the new habit in a specific context. When trying to introduce a new tool for them to use for example, it’s important to tell your team why, how it’s important and how it helps.
Then, you want to introduce a trigger, so for your team to write their to-do list, have them set 10 minutes aside first thing in the morning to write it.
You can tie it into an existing habit, for example, if you have a new video conferecing tool, get them to use the new video calling app (new habit), for your weekly team catchups (existing habit).
Outside of that, you might need to provide a little reminder from time to time. This could be something as simple as pinging a quick reminder via Slack to mentioning it to everyone at the end of your weekly meetings.
Which brings us to our final point.
Make the change small
It’s about taking baby steps, put something too big to your team, you may overwhelm them and fail to maintain uptake. It takes motivation to get your employees into the new habit and the more it takes, the more difficult it is.
As a manager, you have limited control over your team’s motivation, much of that comes internally, from their own desire to from the habit. So, the change needs to be small enough so it’s easy to incorporate into their routine.
You see, smaller habits are stored in a different part of the brain than other habits. They are stored in the basal ganglia, which is directly linked to muscle control, posture, and, oddly enough, cursing.
Some examples of keeping the habit small might be: | https://blog.pukkateam.com/fostering-habits-in-remote-teams-494975f05feb | ['The Pukkateam Staff'] | 2019-11-08 11:52:27.454000+00:00 | ['Habit Building', 'Remote Working'] |
Should Pornhub’s Christmas Album Be in Your Holiday Rotation? | Hearing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is one of the reasons I look forward to every December.
It’s not just my favorite holiday song, it’s also the sexiest.
The tone is perfect. It’s smooth and playful. It’s warm and intimate. It’s flirty and sweet.
It’s basically foreplay in song form.
There’s really nothing else like it. The other songs I listen to during the holidays are sweet, romantic, fun, and upbeat. They’re all nice, but none of them are naughty.
Every year, I wait to find another song like “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Another song that feels appropriate for Sexmas. One that puts you in the mood to get intimate and makes the perfect background music while you’re wrapping up sex toys for your partner.
That’s why I couldn’t help but listen to Pornhub’s XXXmas Album.
I would have listened to it anyway because I’m a big fan of gimmicks, which should be obvious to anyone who listens to my podcast. And this was very clearly a novelty album.
But I also love the idea of having a very dirty Christmas, right down to the music. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” might be sexy, but it’s not nasty. And I had a strong feeling that the XXXmas Album would be.
So, I waited until it was dark and the house was quiet. I turned on the twinkle lights that are strewn across my canopy bed. I wrapped myself in my soft, weighted blanket. And I leaned into my husband’s arms.
With the mood set, I turned on Spotify and hit play on a short album with the “Explicit” tag added to every song.
“Ho” by Sukihana
One thing that stood out to me on my first listen is that few of the song concepts are repeated.
That’s frankly impressive, if you think about it. Even though there are only five songs, I would have imagined that the “Christmas but make it dirty” theme would involve at least three tracks about boning Santa. But nope, they managed to keep it original.
The album kicks off with “Ho,” which is a commentary on the commercialization of the holiday season. It might also be about how hustle culture is making every self-employed person work and grind without a break, even on the holidays.
Well, it’s that or it’s about fucking Santa for cash.
In the chorus Sukihana lays out the deal very clearly.
“If the money is right, I’ll be your
Ho, ho, ho — trick”
And makes it clear that no one gets a freebie from her, no matter how big of a celebrity they are.
“You wanna smash, Santa?
Well, what’s in your bag, Santa?”
And frankly, that’s awesome. I admire every freelancer and creative who refuses to work for free and sex workers are no exception whatsoever.
“Want some more pussy? I told him I charge”
And like a professional, Sukihana delivers the goods. From the sound of it, Santa gets a decent ride for his money.
“He said this pussy so purrty
He said he love how it tastes
He eats it like milk and cookies”
There’s an empowering tone to the song that I quite like. This is someone who won’t get dicked around (not for free anyway). It might not be the right song to listen to when decorating a gingerbread house, but at least it might encourage you to keep ignoring DMs from your lonely fuckboi ex looking for a holiday hookup.
“Mistletoe” by A$AP Ferg
Of all the songs on the XXXmas Album, “Mistletoe” is the most conceptually fuzzy.
The chorus plays out like dirty Christmas word association.
“Nasty, nympho, dollars
Stockings, room, pole
Mistletoe, camel toe, strike a pose”
The song is an ode to fucking and the dirty girls who make it possible and name drops a couple of pornstars to drive that message home.
“Abella Danger
Put the cuffs on her like a ranger”
“Scarlit Scandal
Don’t know how much I can handle”
But the focus of the song is the nameless kinky woman who gives A$AP Ferg a memorable ride on the tour bus.
“Can’t believe she got the whole thing in her
Make it disappear, she got some David Blaine in her”
This track feels like the odd one out on the album because it’s missing the right kind of spirit. The generically dirty lyrics backed by a dark danceable beat don’t give this one any clear holiday feel. The mention of mistletoe and Santa even feel kind of out of place.
Still, it might be a decent track to listen to while you’re by yourself, slipping on the lingerie you’ll surprise your partner with.
“Naughty Girl” by Rubi Rose
The instrumental intro to this one samples a tune with classic Christmas vibes, which brings the album backs to its concept.
This song is basically about celebrating Sexmas — exchanging sexy gifts and going all out with some fun, dirty sex.
“I’ve been a naughty girl
I’m on his naughty list
He know this cookie a gift
I’m all he wants for Christmas”
And honestly, I feel that. Fuck presents under the tree, fuck a full stocking, fuck fresh-baked cookies. If I had a naughty girl for Christmas, I wouldn’t need anything else — except something to spoil her with.
The song is also pro sex toys, which is really goddamn great. We need more sex songs that make people feel proud of having lots of sex toys, not ashamed of it.
“Ain’t no silent night
Not when I ride it right
All through the house making noise
I like it better with toys”
This song is simple and straightforward, which is not a bad thing by any means. It’s the catchiest track on the album and it might be a good one to have on after you’ve had a couple of drinks and decided to wrap the lubes and toys before putting them under the tree (or hiding them in the closet).
“Holiday Freak Shit” by Mila J
This is another song that captures the Sexmas spirit. Only, it does it with a more sensual tone.
If “Naughty Girl” was about making yourself the sexy gift your partner wants, “Holiday Freak Shit” is about the sense of togetherness that comes from it.
And isn’t that what the Sexmas spirit is all about?
“We on some holiday freak shit
Let’s stay up and fuck all weekend”
I always feel that closeness, intimacy, and romance go hand in hand with dirty sex. I love getting sensual and erotic and all that, but there’s something about feeling close and safe with someone that inspires me to be a little more adventurous.
It makes sense. I can be erotic any day of the week. But I need to feel selfless, generous, and loving to really expose myself and pull out some pornstar moves.
It’s an incredible mood to be in, and that mix of sweet and dirty is what this song calls to mind.
“Back shots, ‘Jingle Bells’ playing in the background
Eat it from the back now, throw a hundred racks down
I’mma make him come and tell him his gift is me
Face down, ass up under the Christmas tree”
This is the track you can put on in the morning when you’re getting everything set up and ready. It inspires you to fuck long, fuck hard, and to start over almost as soon as you’re done.
“Vixen” by KenTheMan
The XXXmas album closes with a song about a woman who knows her value.
Like “Ho” it’s about knowing your value. But like “Mistletoe,” the Christmas references in this one are few and far in between. The chorus is peppered with them, including a few reindeer namedrops.
“No Dancer, I’m a motherfucking Vixen
Yeah, I got a lot of options but I’m chillin’
Let it snow, iced out but I’m jibbin’
No Dasher, I’m a motherfucking Vixen
Make him lick it, make him suck it, make him kiss it
The chicken on me saying every day is Christmas
Pussy blessed, pussy special and it’s gifted
No Donner, I’m a motherfucking Vixen”
But the verses drop the theme completely.
There’s a real dommy tone to this one, which isn’t something I personally identify with but I’m still all for it. And there’s a heavy air of confidence that I wish I could have, even just a little bit.
There’s no compromising here, and I like that. KenTheMan isn’t going to waste her time with anyone who doesn’t give her what she needs.
Besides, it sounds like she’s got plenty of options so she can have her pick.
“I ain’t Santa but you know I got all kinds of hoes
All of ’em chicks, all of ’em mine
All of ’em thugs, all of ’em grind
All of ’em rough, all of ’em fine”
And on top of encouraging women to know their value, KenTheMan also drops in a quick PSA about who should clean up after sex (and gets it right).
“Busting on me, he know he better get the towel
Laying up, he know he better wipe me down”
That warm towel wipe down is always part of my aftercare, and that’s a part of sex that doesn’t get mentioned enough.
But this isn’t the right song to play while getting aftercare. It’s one that you might listen to when you’re trying to make the right decision about who to spend your Sexmas with.
And once you made that decision, it’s there to help you remember that you should get all the orgasms, pussy eating, and clit stroking you want without feeling a single shred of guilt for it. It’s Sexmas — let yourself get pampered.
Have Yourself a Dirty Little Christmas
I’m a big fan of themed porn, and that’s another reason I get excited for December. I can’t wait for all the Christmas content I’m going to get turned on by and jill off to.
And because no one does that kind of thing better than creative and talented amateurs, I’m sure Pornhub is going to play a big part in my holiday celebrations.
But the XXXmas Album won’t be making it into my holiday rotation this month. I’ll stick to Michael Bublé, Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey, and every single version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” I can find.
Still, as far as novelty albums goes, this one did a few things right. Listening to it was definitely an experience. And even though the short 17-minute runtime was plenty for me, it’s one I’m glad I had.
The album might be a publicity stunt, but it still normalizes porn and that’s a really good thing. It also gives Christmas the sexual treatment it deserves.
But more importantly, it’s an album that celebrates dirty girls. And I’m always down for that. | https://medium.com/love-emma/should-pornhubs-christmas-album-be-in-your-holiday-rotation-b39a85101054 | ['Emma Austin'] | 2020-12-05 13:30:46.862000+00:00 | ['Sexuality', 'Pornography', 'Culture', 'Sex', 'Music'] |
Unforeseen Side Effects from NaNoWriMo: When the Storymaking Can’t Be Stopped | National Novel Writing Month is a mighty challenge, tossing down a challenge for writers everywhere to channel story into a 50,000 novel within thirty days.
We respond to the challenge as best that we can do — and then get to clean up consequences of neglected families, homes, jobs, dogs that needed lots more attention and walking. It’s rough going, but definitely worth it for the glory of story. It’s the story of December for us repeat offenders, grateful for the holiday opportunities to share the love.
Then there are the small side effects, as reliable and terrible as the obvious large ones. A particularly nasty and persistent one is the inability to turn off the storymaking. Even when we are far from the keyboard, the notebook, the writing desk, we are constantly weaving meaning from wisps of dead grass, playing with ideas, losing track of the conversation.
This state can be highly productive, energizing, and exciting. Words erupt onto the page, compelling drafts are vomited, worthy ideas are splayed into scenes, chapters, subplots. There’s no need to worry about hitting 50,000 words by November 30; we’ll hit that point and go far, far beyond it by November 20. The joy is real, the giddy laughter a little scary.
A lightbulb flares and goes out when you flick on the switch. It’s ghosts. You knew there were ghosts in the house. It’s the former owner, the one that you’re pretty sure died in your bedroom, only no one would ever admit it was true. And he is not happy. This lightbulb incident is just the first in an ever-escalating horror movie brought to life. Is your will up to date? Fasten your seatbelt, boys, it’s going to be a rocky night.
Your computer won’t let you blog. You can draft like crazy in a word processing program, but you can’t get anywhere close to posting it to a blog, any blog, anywhere. That cute purchase on a dodgy site? It’s plunged you into the dark web and you’re the next one to die. It starts without being able to post unless you go to a brightly lit, public place with fresh coffee. Then, there are the bumps in the night (oh, wait, no, that’s the ghost again) and your bank accounts being emptied and no wonder you can’t get anyone to come to the house to fix the leak in the roof. They know. The dark web has warned them off. You belong to it. And you’re going to die — and you can’t do anything about it.
Then the unthinkable happens. You change the lightbulb in the lamp again and it works. The replacement bulb was defective.
The unthinkable keeps on happening. You learn that there was a problem with the service to your neighborhood, so that’s why you couldn’t access the intenet. Today, all is well, the internet is its hyperactive, perky little self.
However, you are stuck with the stories that erupted in your brain and that you were foolish enough to share with others because you were so scared. Now you’re the one that everyone laughs at and pities at dinner.
April is not the cruelest month. The cruelest month is November, at least for those of us with stunningly well-developed storymaking abilities.
It’s a gift, not a curse, I tell myself, but I’m not convinced. | https://medium.com/nanowrimo/unforeseen-side-effects-from-nanowrimo-when-the-storymaking-cant-be-stopped-1a2cc94c40a8 | ['Louise Foerster'] | 2017-11-06 21:13:43.535000+00:00 | ['Story', 'Humor', 'Writing', 'NaNoWriMo', 'Writers'] |
Essay: What does it mean to love LGBTQ+ people? | In some circles it is common to say things like: “You can’t love LGBTQ+ people and be non-affirming.” This, of course, generates a frustrated response from those who are non-affirming. They insist you can love someone without agreeing with that person’s beliefs or choices.
This creates a dilemma, with two people talking past each other without engaging the deeper question on the topic of love. Namely, the questions: What does it mean to love someone? Why does it matter if they feel that love? Where does love make itself visible?
Love, in my estimation, is acting toward the best outcome with all possible power and appropriate use of that power (authority) — or in the case of emotion, the wanting of that best outcome. (This definition can’t encompass all that love is — especially in the metaphysical, spiritual, noun sense — but I believe it is useful and accurate for this purpose.)
To love yourself is to act toward your best outcome, with all of your possible power. People who lack the power to act toward the best outcome, like people with addiction or depression, are not to be described as lacking love, but lacking the power to bring about that best outcome.
To love others is similar, but only with an appropriate authority. Sometimes we hold the authority to physically interrupt someone (like a parent carrying a crying child out of a conference), and other times we don’t. It might be best for your friend to not spend so much time playing video games, but it is not loving to destroy their game system because you do not hold authority over their life (additionally, it would be very damaging to the relationship.)
Returning to our dilemma, affirming Christians find it to be loving when they affirm LGBTQ+ people. Non-affirming people find the opposite to be true. Each side is convinced they are acting toward the best outcome of LGBTQ+ people (though, it should be said, one side is historically bad at knowing what is appropriate authority). What’s at contention here is not a disagreement on the definition of love, but a disagreement on what it means to love LGBTQ+ people.
Let’s take this to a more granular level. The affirmation of LGBTQ+ people is best described as a belief that no burden should be placed on LGBTQ+ people that is not placed on cisgendered and heterosexual people. If you only believe that sex acts that take place in cishetero relationships are good and God-approved, then you are non-affirming. If the action of, or attempt to accomplish (even in marriage), those non-cishetero sex acts would cause you to turn a person down for ordination or church leadership, you are non-affirming.
Non-affirming people firmly believe that non-affirmation is how they express love in these moments. In the moment where an LGBTQ+ person wants to marry into a non-cishetero marriage, love is to disagree with that decision, and maybe even voice your disagreement.
Fine.
But it cannot be denied that affirming people would not recognize this as love. Because affirming people believe that the best outcome for LGBTQ+ people is that they be affirmed, there is a fundamental disagreement as to whether the action is loving.
But imagine other situations. Imagine an LGBTQ+ person needs help changing a tire, what would it mean to love them in that moment? It would be to help them change the tire. Imagine an LGBTQ+ person who wants to vent about their terrible work conditions. Loving them would be to listen, commiserate and help if asked or if appropriate. In these moments there is no disagreement between the affirming and non-affirming as to what it means to love.
Non-affirming people sometimes cry foul when they are told they can’t love LGBTQ+ people because they’re thinking of such moments.
(Sometimes is a key word here. A good majority of non-affirming people jump to examples that imply a power-dynamic, like a parent loving a child or a teacher loving a student “without affirming their actions/beliefs.” These power dynamics imply that they actually are loving and LGBTQ+ people just don’t get it. It’s slightly demeaning, and it misses the earlier point that the disagreement is about what is loving, not what it means to be loving.)
Affirming people, however, are not talking about these moments when they mention loving LGBTQ+ people. They are talking about the bigger narrative, the bigger belief that one is improperly understanding themself and/or improperly aligning their life with God’s will. They believe the requirements placed on LGBTQ+ people are unnecessary and cruel, therefore to place those requirements on LGBTQ+ people is unloving.
Again, it is the inverse for non-affirming people. They find a lack of requirement or restraint to be unloving because it sends people toward an outcome that is not the best. So is there simply an impasse at which the two groups will continue talking past each other and disagreeing? Maybe not.
Historically, non-affirming people have been atrociously unloving and unkind to LGBTQ+ people. Non-affirming people subjected LGBTQ+ people to physical, emotional, and spiritual torture disguised as “therapy.” They cast LGBTQ+ children out of the home (and still do). They stigmatized, lied about, cast out of community and verbally abused LGBTQ+ people. This was not an aberration, it has been the norm. LGBTQ+ people with flat tires were more likely to find themselves beaten to death than helped for most of their existence. (I will stick with these pernicious examples and avoid the debate as to whether legal restrictions imposed by LGBTQ+ people were even attempts at being “loving.”)
Frankly, I place the burden on non-affirming people to prove that they can be loving in circumstances where they and affirming people agree on what it would mean to love.
Now, a very important element of love is the appropriate use of power/authority. More often than not, an appropriate use of power/authority starts with a respect of boundaries.
This is the hard pill that non-affirming people do not want to swallow: Many LGBTQ+ people are simply not interested in your love — in any moment — if you will not affirm them. They do not want you to host them for dinner one moment, and deny the goodness of their marriage the next. If non-affirming people truly love those LGBTQ+ people, they should respect that boundary and not attempt to cross it. Respecting boundaries is a subset of using appropriate power toward someone’s best outcomes; it is not appropriate (and therefore not loving) to cross other’s boundaries.
Sadly, a number of non-affirming people refuse to start here and therefore find themselves baffled at the “bitter” and “insular” LGBTQ+ people who refuse to embrace them and won’t “agree to disagree” on the larger matter.
But, for those LGBTQ+ people who are willing to enter relationships of various intimacies with those who disagree on the question of affirmation, a burden remains on non-affirming people.
It is very hard to love someone in those small moments if you believe them to be confused about their identity; it is very hard to love someone you don’t believe to deserve equal rights under the law; it is very hard to love someone you find yourself repulsed by, or someone you degrade and mock. You will find it harder to help a person with a flat tire if you call that person a fag or degenerate behind their backs. And that’s to say nothing of the fact that you are not loving people when you do these things to them.
The challenge is not for LGBTQ+ people to prove that they aren’t being loved. The challenge is for the non-affirming: Show us a love that makes us believe you want our best, not just that you want power over us. At least try and prove to us that you can love us in so many small moments that we can overlook the larger narrative. Frankly, I’m not optimistic that this is possible, but I hold on to hope. | https://medium.com/@mitchellatencio/essay-what-does-it-mean-to-love-lgbtq-people-121b48f206e5 | ['Mitchell Atencio'] | 2021-05-28 00:38:01.384000+00:00 | ['LGBTQ', 'Essay', 'Theology', 'Love', 'Christian'] |
ESG Development in Mexican Consumer Discretionary | October 15th, 2020
This week, we are sharing our ESG Development Heatmap for one new sector in Mexico: Consumer Discretionary (which under the BMV’s sector definition includes Lodging as well). As in the past, we only focused on (1) companies listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange and (2) publicly disclosed materials.
Consumer Discretionary
What can we read from this heatmap?
Only 47% of these companies have done a materiality analysis, and this goes down to 33% if you consider only the companies that did so in the past 3 years. Just 3 companies share KPIs for some of their material topics, but no company shares KPIs for all their material topics (nor targets for any of them). 40% of these companies have a dedicated team or committee for ESG. 47% of them are aligned with the UN’s SDGs. No Consumer Discretionary company is aligned with TCFD, and only one company is aligned with Science Based Targets. Barely 13% of these companies are aligned with CDP. No more than 27% of them are signatories of the UN Global Compact. 60% of these companies have published an integrated or sustainability report in the past couple of years. All of them but two were done under GRI’s methodology. Only 1 of these reports was externally verified. Just 1 company in this sector reports SASB indicators.
The Consumer Discretionary sector seems below average in terms of ESG Development. While more than half communicate their sustainability strategies, less than half have done materiality analyses. Furthermore, just a few companies align to globally recognized sustainability initiatives which forces them to report under stricter guidelines. There seems to be significant upside in terms of KPIs development.
I hope you found this interesting. As usual, if there is anything we can help you with, please reach out.
Best,
Marimar
Partner, Miranda ESG | https://medium.com/@marimartorreblanca/esg-development-in-mexican-consumer-discretionary-5835e46127b0 | ['Marimar Torreblanca'] | 2020-12-23 16:01:40.619000+00:00 | ['Consulting', 'Consumer', 'Esg', 'Environment', 'Finance'] |
New Mexico Bowl Prediction: Marshall vs Colorado State, 12–16–2017 | New Mexico Bowl Prediction: Marshall vs Colorado State, 12–16–2017
Free College Football Bowl Prediction by Precision Picks
Marshall Thundering Herd vs Colorado St. Rams
Line: Colorado State -5.5, O/U 58
Game Time: Saturday, December 16th, 4:30 PM EST
The Colorado State Rams will collide with the Marshall Thundering Herd in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, December 16th from Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, NM. Both teams enter the New Mexico Bowl with (7–5) records and had promising starts to the season, only to fade off down the stretch. Oddsmakers have pegged the Rams as -5.5 point favorites with the Over/Under at 58.
Marshall had a great start to their season, starting the year off with a 6–1 record, however, struggled down the stretch losing 4 of their last 5 games. The Thundering Herd averaged 26.8 points per contest, including 237.8 passing and 132 rushing yards per game to add up to a grand total of 369.8 total yards. Quarterback Chase Litton led the Marshall offense, completing 60 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The heart and soul of this team is their defense. Their rush defense is tremendous, and their pass defense was also very effective this season: 212 passing yards per game, 125 rushing yards per game and 19.2 PPG.
The Colorado State Rams will be playing in their fifth straight bowl game and will be aiming for their first bowl win since the 2013 season. Colorado State was mentioned as a Mountain West title contender in the preseason and appeared to be on track to play for the division title in November after the 6–2 start. But the Rams stumbled in late October with a loss to Air Force (45–28), followed by defeats to Wyoming (16–13) and Boise State (59–52 in overtime). CSU features a potent offensive attack led by QB Nick Stevens (27 TD/10 INT), WR Michael Gallup (1345 receiving yards, 7 TDs) and RB Dalyn Dawkins who has accumulated 1349 rushing yards on the season.
The biggest hole in this team’s armor has been their defense. On average, they allow 27.5 PPG, 184 rushing yards per game and 243 passing yards per game.
The Thundering Herd are 5–0 ATS in their last 5 bowl games while the Rams are 2–5 ATS in their last 7 bowl games. The biggest concern for Colorado State entering this game is the motivation factor. This is not the bowl game Colorado State envisioned entering the 2017 season. However, all three top offensive players in this Rams offense are seniors and will be playing their last game for CSU. This should provide enough motivation to end on a high note and lead their team to a victory. One concern for Marshall is the level of competition they played this season. When Marshall played NC State and WKU — arguably the top two passing offenses it faced this season — the defense gave up over 300 passing yards.
This Rams offense should be too much for Marshall and the Rams should cover by a touchdown.
Marshall vs Colorado St: Colorado State -5.5 | https://medium.com/verifiedcappers/new-mexico-bowl-prediction-marshall-vs-colorado-state-12-16-2017-ae66014d1cc9 | ['Precision Picks'] | 2017-12-14 12:07:46.585000+00:00 | ['College Football', 'NCAAF', 'Sports Betting', 'Gambling'] |
What is Object-Oriented Programming? | Object-oriented programming is the transfer of the objects around us to the computer environment. For example, being able to monitor our household items with a computer and operating them remotely are examples of object-oriented programming.
What is the object?
They are components that contain methods that store, manage and process data. They can be used unchanged and only take up memory space.
Properties of Object-Oriented Programming
Object-oriented programming includes 4 distinct features:
Abstraction Encapsulation Inheritance Polymorphism
Abstraction: Since each object has its own class, defining the behaviors and properties in a class is abstraction. For example, there are certain classes of white appliances and there are special colors, features and models for these classes.
Encapsulation: Abstracted behaviors and properties are encapsulated by an object-oriented program. Together with the encapsulation feature, it is decided which feature or behavior will be presented or not. For example, personal data is encapsulated and the capsule is left open because it is used with object-oriented programming. The storage of this information is called encapsulation.
To read more, you can visit https://letsbecool.com/what-is-object-oriented-programming/. | https://medium.com/cool-digital-solutions/what-is-object-oriented-programming-3b5b185333f5 | ['Cool Digital Solutions'] | 2020-12-18 11:10:19.195000+00:00 | ['Information Technology', 'Software Development', 'Software', 'Oop', 'Programming'] |
I Want to Travel Without Killing Polar Bears | Glacier National Park, where many glaciers are melting and more have already disappeared
Recently I read this New York Times article that broke down global warming, and in particular how it is affected by aviation, into digestible information that alarmed me.
Did you know that one passenger on a 2,500-mile flight is responsible for melting 32 square feet (or, for those who are metrically challenged: 3 square meters) of Arctic summer sea ice cover? Now we both do.
This article popped up on my Facebook feed shortly after having a conversation with a friend about this exact topic (the creepiness of that deserves its own post — I digress). In the time that has passed since the two of us last saw each other, my friend has adopted a vegan lifestyle, forsaken his car, and has now decided that after one “last hurrah” flight to hike the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal next year, he is swearing off transport by plane for good — and he encouraged me to do the same. Basically for the reasons that I’ve just read about in this NYT piece, with the thumbnail image of a sorrowful cartoon polar bear perched on an ice floe as airplanes fly overhead.
I was primed to read this article after last week’s conversation with my friend (following which I of course desperately googled the topic, hoping I would find a goldmine of information telling me that flying isn’t all that bad, really. I failed to find the goldmine.)
Recently I purchased a one-way flight from Sri Lanka (where I’ve been living and working for the past year) to India. In just a couple of weeks, I’ll be beginning my 5 month tour of Asia (perhaps more on that later). Like many other privileged millennials, I love to see new places, meet interesting people, eat weird food. Get out of my comfort zone.
But does my desire to see the world (and my western lifestyle in general) justify that, according to this study by John Nolt,
“the average American causes through his/her greenhouse gas emissions the serious suffering and/or deaths of two future people”?
A while ago, I read a BBC article explaining why brain biases prevent action on climate change issues. I can see the effect of many of these biases in my own life and my attitude towards world travel — particularly hyperbolic discounting, and the bystander effect. For example, I choose to believe that the present is more important than the future and that it is the job of governments and companies to take climate action, while it is my job to travel the world now, while I’m young (and before it’s all destroyed).
I asked another friend his opinion on the topic. His point was essentially that we need better technologies to mitigate these issues, but one thing is certain — humans refuse to downgrade their quality of life. The rest of the world is catching up to the standards of the west, which is a problem because we aren’t practicing sustainable living.
I watched a Ted Talk called “100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming” by Chad Frischmann of Project Drawdown, which claims to be the world’s leading source of climate solutions. “Drawdown” refers to the point when greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere level off and then start to decline, thereby reducing global warming. Through its research, Project Drawdown has identified 100 solutions that will make drawdown possible, all of which exist today and can be fully utilized with technology. By proposing real, attainable solutions, they aim to change the negative narrative surrounding the topic of climate change into one of opportunity and hope.
Out of all the solutions to reversing global warming laid out by Project Drawdown, aviation was not at the top of the list (it’s #43). So what tops the list?
While diving into this website and clicking through many other links, I realized that I didn’t know too much about global warming, what’s causing it, and what can be done to prevent it. But as I read, I began to feel much more optimistic about these proposed solutions and saw how I could be putting many into practice in my own life. A plant-rich diet and reducing food waste? Of course I can do that! Turn off the AC? I live in the tropics, but still I know I can vastly cut down here. Supporting programs to educate girls and promote family planning? Quite easy to get involved.
I liked and saved this Instagram post by Sophia Bush, an activist who I admire, also generally relating to this topic:
BUT, I still feel a nagging sense of guilt when I think about the damage that the flight from Sri Lanka to India will incur, or the continuing negative impact that my 5 month tour of Asia could potentially cause if I’m not intentional about the way I travel.
So, what’s my point in all of this? Honestly, I’m not sure. But with the wealth of knowledge at my fingertips, I can’t use the excuse of ignorance. If I’m going to travel and see the world, I need to make sustainable travel my top priority. What I’ve realized is there are many ways that I can adapt my lifestyle, without downgrading my quality of life, that will in turn help my planet and my fellow humans. But that first requires me to be aware, to care, to learn, and to make changes. As Aziz Ansari put it… | https://sarahngottshall.medium.com/i-want-to-travel-without-killing-polar-bears-f3c711a6c91 | ['Sarah Gottshall'] | 2019-08-23 14:59:30.122000+00:00 | ['Climate Change', 'Environment', 'Millennials', 'Sustainability', 'Travel'] |
Dear Son… | Dear Son,
I remember the first time I got to know that we were going to have you. I have been a terrible, terrible son and I always had this feeling at the back of my mind that no matter what, karma will come back to haunt me. In my defense, I never hated my parents nor did I ever intended to hurt them but that evil rat called money dug such a deep yet narrow hole in my conscience that no matter how hard I tried, once I entered it, there was no way I could travel out or accommodate my parents into it. The explanation might sound horrendous to you but believe me or not, God bought it in and you grew up exactly the opposite of what I had expected you to.
You know what the truth is, the biggest troublemaker that you have ever been was when you were inside your mother’s belly. I still remember the day. 21st July it was. The day when I returned from Mumbai and Anita told me that she was expecting you. I remember the tears in her eyes which she so desperately tried to hide behind her fake smile. The tears which knew that you might have to say your first papa without your father being around. The tears which knew that you might have to take your first steps without holding your father’s finger. The tears that knew that you might have to take your first drive with your father with your hands on the steering and not the other way round, but you know, none of it actually happened. Do you know why? It was because of your mother. Your mother will always be the strongest woman that I have ever met in my life. She was 25 when we got married and 34 when we had you. In those 9 years, there was not a single month that I spent with her. My thirst for mountains of gold always called me the way a nation calls its soldier for his duty. My love for money was so maddening that I had no love to give to anyone else, not even my own parents, who died calling their son and their son didn’t even attend their funeral, let alone your mother. That lady could have chosen a thousand ways to fight with me, to demand from me what I had promised her when I married her but she didn’t. She took care of my parents as if they were her own, she gave fire to their pyre because their son was too “busy” earning money for himself. She didn’t shed a tear fighting a new war every day but on that day her eyes were brimming because she didn’t want the ghosts that had haunted her for 9 years to haunt you. I don’t know if she was able to osmotically transfer that love from her heart to mine or what but at that moment I decided that none of those mights will become your reality. I might not have been able to become a good son but I will prove that a bad son could be a good father.
Thus started our journey with you being our road to togetherness. You were a tough child to bear and your mother knows it better, but that was the only time you caused pain to one of us. I remember 19th September from 22 years ago as if it was just yesterday. I remember your wool like body packed in that small pink blanket and your deer eyes curiously scaling my face. Mine was the first human face you ever saw. The time since then has been the best that I have ever had. I might have earned millions but that smile of yours, that first step of yours and that first papa of yours are my achievements. You are 22 today. Sitting comfortably with your mom in some part of the world. Though I know the reason why you left me I hope you are happy with your mother. I hope she cares for you more than I ever did when she was no longer around. I hope she lets you have a complete night sleep which I always deprived you of. I hope she lets you marry the girl who I caught you talking to at 2 in the night. I hope she lets you become a painter, a musician or whatever you want, unlike your dad who always wanted you to get a “mainstream” job and earn billions because he had earned millions before you.
You know I never knew that I was pushing you one footstep a time everytime I bought a new Physics book from Vision Book Store. Remember the first picture book I got you from the same store when you were two. You were astonished to see an M for monkey and laughed your heart out seeing a C for a clown. I always thought that I was bringing that same laughter on your child’s face when I picked an H.C. Verma or a D.C. Pandey from those shelves. I guess I was wrong. I was satisfied with the fact that I had given you a happy childhood but I forgot that you still had a happy life to lead. It was never my duty to care for a child who was going to have a father like you. I am sorry, son. I hope your mother gets you an acoustic guitar or a pack of acrylic colors so that you could put a smile on your face.
But you know what — I am also angry with you. You know why? Because I think that today you are with your mother because you always loved her more. It was her hand that you held when you took your first step, not mine. It was maa that you spoke first and not pa and it was she who got to see your first tears and not me. I know, I was the reason for your tears at that time but there were hundreds of reasons when you could have cried because of your mother as well. Take for example the night when she cooked Rajma when you so desperately wanted to have Chicken Biryani but you were too young to speak and let her know that or the day when she canceled our dinner plan without prior notice saying she didn’t feel good. You know I was furious. It was because of her that we could not meet the Khuranas at the dinner and within hours, Mr. Khurana had given that tender of Super City Mall to Gupta. I had lost millions. I shouted at her, cursed her when she couldn’t even stand straight. I broke crockeries in front of her and rushed outside while she kept shouting my name in a hissed voice. She must have tried following me I don’t know but I didn’t turn back. She might have even called me 100s of time to tell me that she was going, she was leaving me but I was too drowned in my anger and liquor that I didn’t even give a look to my phone. I returned late at night but it was when I woke up in the afternoon that I realized what had happened. She had left. Left without speaking a word and there you were, trying to open every drawer in the kitchen to get something to eat and crying your guts out. I am sure, she was the first one to see your tears then. I never knew she would go, son, I never knew otherwise I would have stopped her. For you, for us. I still do not understand why she left you with me? Why didn’t her motherly instincts stop her from leaving her only son with a man who had broken all boundaries of humanity right in front of her eyes? Maybe she thought that you might help me become a better person and to tell you the truth, she was right. 12 years I stuck to her belief. 12 years I didn’t touch alcohol. 12 years I didn’t raise a hand at you. 12 years I took care of you the way a father should but then that evil rat entered my mind again. To tell you the truth, it was always there. It was always there waiting for you to grow so that I could provide it with another ground to dig a hole into. You turned 16 and passed 10th with a brilliant percentage of 95.56. Yes, I even remember the decimals. It was going exactly how the rat had planned. You were ready to move into the world, my world, where only money mattered. Three days later I handed you the entry form to the best JEE coaching in the country. You told me that you needed time to think about what you wanted to do next but my thirst for wealth did not let that happen.
You always gave your best son. I know you did, but your best was not enough. I think I know the reason now. Your best didn’t lie in the premise that you were playing in, it lay somewhere on the other side of the boundary which I never let you explore. I am sorry for that son. I hope your mother lets you scale those infinities. You couldn’t qualify for the college that I always wanted you to but you never gave up. I was so angry at you when your results came out. I abused you, I cursed you and I beat the hell out of you but even after those bruises, your lips kept saying I’ll become successful papa. I’ll make you proud. I’ll give my best papa you don’t have to worry. Yes, you did give your best son but again your best was not enough because I had constructed my palace of gold on the premise where your best laid. I remember your roommate calling me to say that you were getting into depression and the answer that I gave — he is studying to be successful, you stay away from him. I am sorry for not answering that call with a concern. I remember you not having your food properly when you came home for holidays but my golden glittery eyes couldn’t see the pain behind those dark circles. I am sorry, son. I couldn’t even be a good friend, let alone a good father. Say my sorry to your mother also, tell her that I failed in making her my wife and I just let her be your mother. Tell her she can forget her vows for the next six lives and can find a man who could love her the way she deserves.
I will always remember her face, her smile, her laughter, her love, her care, her touch but I will also not forget her face when I saw her lying down on the kitchen floor that afternoon. Her eyes coming out, her mouth wide open to let out her last breath while her hands stuck to her breast trying to pump blood into her dead heart. I will always remember your voice, your childhood, your respect for me and I will also not forget your body which I couldn’t even recognize in the first sight, your fractured limbs, your disfigured face and your torn apart stature. The karma has its way of coming. It came too bad for me. I will join you and your mother when karma is done with me and I promise, I will hurt you no more. I love you, son, tell my wife — I love her too.
Your Dad. | https://medium.com/@mohakkhare/dear-son-d4d2ef0ffe61 | ['Mohak Khare'] | 2019-01-23 16:36:12.765000+00:00 | ['Emotions', 'Fiction', 'Love', 'Suicide', 'Parents'] |
Seems meta modernism and especially dividual rests on the Buddhist concept of interdependent… | Ready to become who you could be? I’m an Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant writing about Leading Self & Others from a lens of Integral, Jung and Zen. | https://medium.com/@fredriklyhagen/seems-meta-modernism-and-especially-dividual-rests-on-the-buddhist-concept-of-interdependent-dc4140f2c61c | ['Fredrik Lyhagen'] | 2020-12-09 07:08:18.578000+00:00 | ['Interdependence', 'Buddhism'] |
Convolutional Neural Networks | Convolutional neural networks are a sub-category of neural networks that have proved to be extremely effective in arduous tasks such as image recognition and classification. The first CNN was built by Yann Le Cunn: LeNet5, but the real interest in CNN was sparked off after the ImageNet success of Alex Krizhevsky who was able to bring down the classification error to a record 15% from 26%.
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In this article I will be walking you through the steps of using a CNN on the MNIST digit classification task.
A CNN is made up of four hidden layers namely:
convolution layers max pooling layers fully-connected layers dropout layers
I will explain the role and the concept behind each layer as we progress through the code.
The CNN we are going to implement today is the model developed by Alex Krizhevsky and , also named after him -AlexNet.
This model uses Lasagne with a Theano or Tensorflow backend to train the neural network. So we will be working with these two libraries extensively, also, scikit learn to visualize our prediction information.
The MNIST dataset can be procured using the urllib module and using pickle to load the files into our model. We define a function load_dataset() :
We can see the image data from our dataset using the matplotlib module:
plt.imshow(X_train[0][0], cmap=cm.binary)
The output we get is the following:
Visualizing Dataset
Next we have to create the structure of our neural network i.e. the layers, but before doing that, we have to define some variables which are essential for the functioning of our layers:
The batch_size refers to the number of training examples in each batch for our batch gradient descent. The output_size is set to 10 which indicates the number of classes we predict in the output layer i.e. 10 digits in mnist. The data_size is the shape or the dimensions of the input data i.e. our data is represented by a three-dimensional block of size 28x28 and as our image set is black and white the third value or RBG channel is set to 1. The input_var and output_var are Tensortype object which will hold the input and output data. Finally, net is the name of our model which is a simple python dictionary.
This is the structure of our neural net-AlexNet:
The input layer simply takes the input data and its shape as arguments.
The first layer is a convolution layer which has a filter i.e. a 2D matrix of fixed size F which shifts throughout the input matrix N with a specific stride S, producing an output of size- (N-F+2P)/S+1.
Next, Pooling layers reduce the spatial size of the output by replacing values in the kernel by a function of those values i.e this layer shrinks the image size. Here we will be using the lasagne.layers.Pool2dLayer() . A max-pool layer divides the matrix up into pools creates a yet smaller dimensional matrix containing the maximum value from each pool(using the same filter method as discussed above).
The fully-connected layers are hidden layers where each input neuron is linked to all neurons in the next layer i.e all neurons are connected.
The dropout layer is positioned just before the output layer. Dropout sets a proportion 1-dropout of activations (neuron outputs) passed on to the next layer to zero. The zeroed-out outputs are chosen randomly.
What happens if we set the dropout parameter to 0?
This reduces overfitting by checking that the network can provide the right output even if some activations are dropped out.
Finally, our output layer is a softmax layer. In probability theory, the output of the softmax function can be used to represent a categorical distribution— that is, a probability distribution over n different possible outcomes. As we have 10 classes or 10 handwritten digits we use the softmax layer with ten neurons.
Keep in the mind the filter_size for each convolution layer has to be set carefully, otherwise the shape of the data may become negative due to excessive convoluting(Do the math by hand!).
To better understand the various layers and layer arguments check out-http://lasagne.readthedocs.io/en/latest/modules/layers.html
Next, to train the neural network we need to set some kind of update rule for our model. Hence, the first step is to define the loss function or the cost function i.e we will use the mean cross-entropy function.
As you can see we have used L2 regularization technique to reduce the noise in our network. Now, the second step is to define the update rule. Stochastic Gradient Descent is one of the most widely used and effective weight update functions. I have used a variant of the SGD called Adam which is an optimized version of SGD.
Followed by this, we will define the Theano functions which will train and test the model. We can extract the various inferences such as loss and accuracy and test error,etc. using the theano layer fucntions.
The theano layer functions enable us to gather inferences from within the layers of a neural network i.e hidden layer representations which are very useful if you are aiming at extracting features from an image set.
Next we simply train the model over our training data using mini-batches of size 100( Remember? batch_size=100) and test our model to display the test error:
I ran the program on my humble CPU (will post the results on GPU later) and got the following output:
Test Error: 0.01470 Time:4134.223 seconds
Thus we got 98.53% accuracy on our test set. The model can be applied to larger datasets and real-world image processing applications.
Till next time! | https://medium.com/themlblog/convolutional-neural-networks-81cab026aceb | ['Tathagat Dasgupta'] | 2018-07-30 10:45:56.637000+00:00 | ['Digit Recognition', 'Neuralnettut', 'Computer Vision', 'Machine Learning', 'Neural Networks'] |
Recommendation system in python using ALS algorithm and Apache Spark | Recommendation system has become integral part of many online platforms given it’s use in increasing sales and customer retention.Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, Linkedin and many more make use of recommendation system on their platform to recommend products,movies,people,posts respectively to users.Ever wondered how these companies provides recommendations.
Given it’s popularity there are three main techniques used for providing recommendations online-Collaborative filtering,Content-based and Hybrid technique.Here we will be making use of Alternating least square matrix factorization method,a collaborative filtering algorithm.
We are going to build a recommendation system in python using Apache spark and Jupyter Notebook.You can make this simple recommendation model as a mini project in college or as a personal project.
Requirements:
Your machine should have latest version of Python,Apache Spark and Jupyter Notebook installed. You also need to connect pyspark with Jupyter Notebook and many tutorials are available out there to do the same.
Dataset used is downloaded from the link given below:
The data used here is of Musical Instruments for training the model.
Terminologies:
There are certain terminologies which needs to be understood before moving forward.
Apache Spark: Apache Spark is an open-source distributed general-purpose cluster-computing framework.It can be used with Hadoop too. Collaborative filtering: Collaborative filtering is a method of making automatic predictions (filtering) about the interests of a user by collecting preferences or taste information from many users. Consider example if a person A likes item 1, 2, 3 and B like 2,3,4 then they have similar interests and A should like item 4 and B should like item 1. Alternating least square(ALS) matrix factorization: The idea is basically to take a large (or potentially huge) matrix and factor it into some smaller representation of the original matrix through alternating least squares. We end up with two or more lower dimensional matrices whose product equals the original one.ALS comes inbuilt in Apache Spark. PySpark: PySpark is the collaboration of Apache Spark and Python. PySpark is the Python API for Spark.
So let’s start making our recommendation model in jupyter notebook.
1.Initialize spark session:
from pyspark.sql import SparkSession
spark = SparkSession.builder.appName('Recommendation_system')
.getOrCreate()
2. Load Dataset in Apache Spark
df = spark.read.json("Musical_Instruments_5.json")
df.show(100,truncate=True)
Your dataframe will look like following:
Original dataframe
3. Select appropriate columns
nd=df.select(df['asin'],df['overall'],df['reviewerID'])
nd.show()
We do not need all the columns present in the dataframe .Only asin which is ProductID,reviewerID and overall(rating given by users to each product) is required.
4. Importing important modules
from pyspark.ml.evaluation import RegressionEvaluator
from pyspark.ml.recommendation import ALS
5. Converting String to index
Before making an ALS model it needs to be clear that ALS only accepts integer value as parameters. Hence we need to convert asin and reviewerID column in index form.
from pyspark.ml.feature import StringIndexer
from pyspark.ml import Pipeline
from pyspark.sql.functions import col indexer = [StringIndexer(inputCol=column, outputCol=column+"_index") for column in list(set(nd.columns)-set(['overall'])) ] pipeline = Pipeline(stages=indexer)
transformed = pipeline.fit(nd).transform(nd)
transformed.show()
String to index conversion
6. Creating training and test data
(training,test)=transformed.randomSplit([0.8, 0.2])
7. Creating ALS model and fitting data
als=ALS(maxIter=5,regParam=0.09,rank=25,userCol="reviewerID_index",itemCol="asin_index",ratingCol="overall",coldStartStrategy="drop",nonnegative=True) model=als.fit(training)
8. Generate predictions and evaluate rmse
evaluator=RegressionEvaluator(metricName="rmse",labelCol="overall",predictionCol="prediction") predictions=model.transform(test)
rmse=evaluator.evaluate(predictions) print("RMSE="+str(rmse))
predictions.show()
RMSE=1.168435412679992
Predictions for test data
9. Providing Recommendations
user_recs=model.recommendForAllUsers(20).show(10)
Recommendations
10. Converting back to string form
As seen in above image the results are in integer form we need to convert it back to its original name.The code is little bit longer given so many conversions.
import pandas as pd
recs=model.recommendForAllUsers(10).toPandas()
nrecs=recs.recommendations.apply(pd.Series) \
.merge(recs, right_index = True, left_index = True) \
.drop(["recommendations"], axis = 1) \
.melt(id_vars = ['reviewerID_index'], value_name = "recommendation") \
.drop("variable", axis = 1) \
.dropna()
nrecs=nrecs.sort_values('reviewerID_index')
nrecs=pd.concat([nrecs['recommendation'].apply(pd.Series), nrecs['reviewerID_index']], axis = 1)
nrecs.columns = [
'ProductID_index',
'Rating',
'UserID_index'
]
md=transformed.select(transformed['reviewerID'],transformed['reviewerID_index'],transformed['asin'],transformed['asin_index'])
md=md.toPandas()
dict1 =dict(zip(md['reviewerID_index'],md['reviewerID']))
dict2=dict(zip(md['asin_index'],md['asin']))
nrecs['reviewerID']=nrecs['UserID_index'].map(dict1)
nrecs['asin']=nrecs['ProductID_index'].map(dict2)
nrecs=nrecs.sort_values('reviewerID')
nrecs.reset_index(drop=True, inplace=True)
new=nrecs[['reviewerID','asin','Rating']]
new['recommendations'] = list(zip(new.asin, new.Rating))
res=new[['reviewerID','recommendations']]
res_new=res['recommendations'].groupby([res.reviewerID]).apply(list).reset_index() print(res_new)
Final Result
Voila!!
You just made an recommendation application. | https://medium.com/@patelneha1495/recommendation-system-in-python-using-als-algorithm-and-apache-spark-27aca08eaab3 | ['Neha Patel'] | 2019-09-14 06:08:57.415000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Data Science', 'Recommendation System', 'Apache Spark'] |
Docker-compose local development with nginx-proxy | Context
As your business grew, you and your team might have dockerized your services to easily deploy your production builds into cloud providers such as AWS or GCP.
Here at Webdox CLM, we have an amazing team building the next big thing, with a very diverse stack (Typescript, Ruby, Go, Java and Python mainly) running monoliths and micro-services, so being able to rapidly start developing is a must.
When I first joined the team, I struggled to feel productive due to the complexity of our ecosystem. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed because we had a bunch of guides to set up all the services and some of them were hard to follow. Also, all of these services were running on the host machine and it was fine when you were working with one or two services, but when you had to run a lot of them at the same time it became a little tedious. To avoid collisions between services and applications, each one had a different port we had to set in a large exports file to have it working nicely, but it was growing and, I did not felt it was the right way to do things. There should be an easier way, right?
Step 1: Creating a docker-compose.dev.yml
As you may already know, docker already solves a big part of our problems to set up our services. Our team weighted the mental and performance overhead that containers bring to the table in a local development environment versus all the effort and time that setting everything up in a native environment, and decided in the end that we could create a container’s configuration that could suit both workflows, as some experienced teammates would rather prefer a smooth, lag-free environment.
We started creating a docker-compose.dev.yml file for this project to avoid colliding with existing configurations and it looked like this:
version: "3.9" x-config: &backend
image: app_backend
volumes:
- .:/home/app:cached
- bundle:/usr/local/bundle
- .dockerdev/.psqlrc:/root/.psqlrc:ro
env_file:
- .env services:
runner:
<<: *backend
build:
context: .
dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
args:
- PG_MAJOR=11
- BUNDLER_VERSION=2.2.27
depends_on:
- redis
- db
- es rails:
<<: *backend
stdin_open: true
tty: true
entrypoint: entrypoints/backend-dev.sh
depends_on:
- runner
- redis
- db
- es
- webdav sidekiq:
<<: *backend
stdin_open: true
tty: true
entrypoint: entrypoints/sidekiq-dev.sh
depends_on:
- runner
- redis
- db
- es db:
image: postgres:11
volumes:
- db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
ports:
- "5432:5432"
env_file:
- .env redis:
image: redis
volumes:
- redis:/data
ports:
- 6379 es:
image: elasticsearch:5-alpine
volumes:
- elastic:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data
ports:
- "9200:9200"
- "9300:9300" webdav:
image: bytemark/webdav
volumes:
- webdav:/var/lib/dav
ports:
- "8080:8080"
environment:
- USERNAME=myapp
- PASSWORD=mysupersecretpassword volumes:
db:
elastic:
webdav:
redis:
bundle:
With this simple configuration, our bootstrapping process went from requiring 20 steps to roughly 4. The build process is slow only in the first clean build.
Also, we are sharing the same image for our Rails back-end, Sidekiq server, and Runner container, so getting the whole stack up and running is pretty fast. In case you are wondering, our Runner container exists just to build our base image and run rake commands easily without executing into a running container.
To avoid rebuilding the image after gem installations or code changes, we mounted volumes for persisted data like our main app code, database information, and WebDAV server.
However, as some of you may notice, we are still exposing the ports to the host and it still may conflict with other projects/services.
Step 2: Adding nginx-proxy
To avoid exposing all the ports to the host, we need to create a private docker network and use a reverse proxy to route all the applications to the exterior. However, that would increase the burden to maintain the entire ecosystem configuration, right? Because setting up a reverse proxy configuration can be complicated when containers are started and stopped. Typically the configuration needs to be updated manually which is error-prone and time-consuming.
Luckily, there’s this tool called nginx-proxy that uses docker APIs to expose container meta-data to templates and convert them to nginx config files automatically. You can read more about it here.
In summary, at a high level, our services need to run in their own private network, and there should be a reverse proxy service that is going to sit in front of them to intercept the request and route them to their respective application.
So how are we going to do that?
2.1 Create the nginx service with the private network
Create a new project to hold the nginx configuration for the containers:
nginx-proxy/docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9" services:
nginx-proxy:
build: .
container_name: nginx-proxy
restart: always
ports:
- "80:80"
- "443:443"
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/tmp/docker.sock:ro networks:
default:
name: myapp-private
First, we need to define our service and expose ports 80 and 443. This is the only service that will be exposed to the host in our private network. Of course, you can expose each container to the host but that’s not going to solve our port collision problem.
It is crucial that we bind the docker.sock since this utility is going to listen to container changes using the docker API.
Also, it’s very likely that you are going to face CORS issues when you try to connect applications at a client level. To fix this, we created a template to add headers to each request from our virtual host.
nginx-proxy/nginx/vhost.d/default_location
if ($http_origin ~* (.*\\.myapp\\.local)) {
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' "$http_origin" always;
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods' 'GET, POST, OPTIONS, DELETE, PATCH, PUT';
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Credentials' 'true' always;
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Headers' 'Keep-Alive,Content-Type,Authorization';
add_header 'Access-Control-Expose-Headers' 'Authorization';
}
if ($request_method = OPTIONS) {
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' "$http_origin";
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Methods' 'GET, POST, OPTIONS, DELETE, PATCH, PUT';
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Credentials' 'true';
add_header 'Access-Control-Allow-Headers' 'Keep-Alive,Content-Type,Authorization';
add_header 'Access-Control-Expose-Headers' 'Authorization';
return 204;
}
In this example, our virtual host will be myapp.local , and since the TLD is invalid, we are just going to redirect all requests made from our host to localhost or 127.0.0.1 . To achieve this, we need to edit our /etc/hosts file and append our virtual subdomains like this:
/etc/hosts → In your host machine
127.0.0.1 frontend.myapp.local backend.myapp.local webdav.myapp.local ...
In addition, you can add a custom nginx configuration :
nginx-proxy/nginx/conf.d/custom_proxy.conf
client_max_body_size 20m;
proxy_read_timeout 5m;
proxy_connect_timeout 600;
proxy_send_timeout 600;
These configuration files need to be copied to the container. We can do it in our Dockerfile file:
nginx-proxy/Dockerfile
FROM jwilder/nginx-proxy
COPY nginx /etc/nginx/
Finally, we can start our nginx reverse proxy server with just a docker-compose up . In case you do not want to start with service every time at boot, you could add restart: always in the compose file.
2.2 Add our services to the private network
After setting up our reverse proxy, it’s time to include our services in our new private network.
Simply add at the end of your compose files:
networks:
default:
name: myapp-private
Also, we need to remove the exposed ports. So, instead of declaring
ports:
- "9200:9200"
It should be now:
ports:
- 9200
Additionally, we need to make sure that the applications we are going to expose to the client are running on port 80, in order to be routed automatically by our nginx reverse proxy (you can use other ports too, do not forget to check the nginx-proxy documentation).
In Rails, there are several ways of doing it. To achieve the compatibility we expect from this setup, we opted for setting up an environment variable in puma.rb .
port ENV.fetch("RAILS_PORT") { 8080 }
This variable will be defined in a .env file, alongside all other values used by our services.
Ultimately, we need to export the variable VIRTUAL_HOST=xxxx.myapp.local on the services that are going to be exposed and reachable from the host.
So, our final docker-compose.dev.yml will look like this:
version: "3.9" x-config: &backend
image: app_backend
volumes:
- .:/home/app:cached
- bundle:/usr/local/bundle
- .dockerdev/.psqlrc:/root/.psqlrc:ro
env_file:
- .env services:
runner:
<<: *backend
build:
context: .
dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
args:
- PG_MAJOR=11
- BUNDLER_VERSION=1.17.3
depends_on:
- redis
- db
- es rails:
<<: *backend
stdin_open: true
tty: true
entrypoint: entrypoints/backend-dev.sh
environment:
- VIRTUAL_HOST=backend.myapp.local
depends_on:
- runner
- redis
- db
- es
- webdav sidekiq:
<<: *backend
stdin_open: true
tty: true
entrypoint: entrypoints/sidekiq-dev.sh
depends_on:
- runner
- redis
- db
- es db:
image: postgres:11
volumes:
- db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
ports:
- 5432
env_file:
- .env redis:
image: redis
volumes:
- redis:/data
ports:
- 6379 es:
image: elasticsearch:5-alpine
volumes:
- elastic:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data
ports:
- 9200
- 9300 webdav:
image: bytemark/webdav
volumes:
- webdav:/var/lib/dav
ports:
- 80
environment:
- VIRTUAL_HOST=webdav.myapp.local
- USERNAME=myapp
- PASSWORD=mysupersecretpassword volumes:
db:
elastic:
webdav:
redis:
bundle: networks:
default:
name: myapp-private
Rebuild your containers and you are all set! Head out to http://frontend.myapp.local/ or whatever virtual host you have defined 🥳🎉. | https://medium.webdoxclm.com/docker-compose-local-development-with-nginx-proxy-eb5090527527 | ['Victor Rodriguez'] | 2021-09-07 21:46:46.465000+00:00 | ['Docker Compose', 'Docker', 'Nginx Proxy', 'Nginx', 'Rails'] |
How a Plant From Albert Einstein’s Office Became My Own Personal Mood Ring | So one of my best friends (I won’t mention his name so plant lovers don’t hunt him down), often takes the train from New York to my house in Connecticut and he almost always brings along some form of plant gift for me. I’m so lucky, I know! One particular visit, he brought me a Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) that is supposedly a baby of a plant from Albert Einstein’s office!
This is a picture of the postcard I found crumpled on the ground in Washington D.C. aka A Sign from the Heavens
I remember giving the high pitched squeal of a “whaaaatttt!?!” in response to this very special gift. My mom is a math teacher, so I’ve spent my entire life gifting her homemade Albert Einstein clocks, posters, mugs, you name it. I even went on a trip to Washington D.C. as a kid and found a crumbled postcard of an Albert Einstein statue and thought it was a sign from the heavens. A sign of what, I have no idea. Anyway, to have a plant that may have come from his office…I was in shock, to say the least.
And at first, I wasn’t sure if it could be true. My friend is a known prankster but he assured me that the woman who gave him the plant said it was directly from one of the spider pups in Einstein’s office. So I looked up pictures, of course. It took some careful googling and serious zooming in, but I did find some pictures of a spider plant…on his desk…in his office…in Princeton, New Jersey. Just saying! I’ve provided links here and here because they require licensing to post.
So, why do I share this story beyond just having a cool piece of plant history? Well, I often talk about how plants help enhance our personal well-being and give us an opportunity to assess our own lives and patterns of behavior. I’ve talked about how they help us cope during the hardest of times.
So, with that said, this plant is my own guiding light, or what I like to call “My Own Personal Mood Ring”. Remember those rings that you’d get at a carnival? They’d have a big murky stone filled with swirling greens and blues that eventually turned one solid color when you put it on? Then you’d look at the paper key that said blue meant you were sad and green meant you were happy, etc? Well, when I look at my spider plant, I get the same effect.
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash
If my spider plant is facing away from the sun, I know it’s been awhile since I slowed down to notice it was time to rotate. If my spider plant is super dry, I know I’ve been too busy to water. If my spider plant has stayed wet for many days, I know I’ve been feeling a little desperate to connect with someone. Let me also say, I’m a very confident plant parent with years of repotting experience, but I have not repotted this plant even though I know it desperately needs it. I am terrified of damaging the heir to the Albert Einstein’s spider plant throne!
I also feel such a connection to this plant. Not only did a close friend give it to me (so it’s already special), but it just feels significant. Because it means so much to me, I can lose sleep over forgetting to water it. This plant reminds me to tap into my own intuition over what my plants need, and it helps me keep my plant care schedule on track. In the words of Einstein:
“I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am.”
I feel like this is how many houseplant owners feel- that they may feel like they’re doing the right thing, but they’re not totally sure. This is why I believe it is so vital to find a plant that you connect to, one that invites you to build an intuition around how to care for it. It helps show you signs of what it needs because a plant cannot communicate with language; we are required to understand them in a more intimate and intuitive way.
If you’re feeling insecure about your plant care intuition or ability to keep a plant alive, just think about Einstein. He was, you know, working on the theory of relativity and all. And even HE was able to keep his plant alive. This fact keeps me centered and reminds me that despite how busy and crazy, and in Einstein’s case- heady, life can be, it’s still important to take a moment for yourself and your plants- to give them the attention and time both of you need.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better
In short, this plant, with all its special significance, gives me an opportunity to slow down, take care and spend some time simply marveling at how special all of my plants really are. When the spider plant is looking shabby, I make sure to check in on all my others, too. Find one easy-care plant and use it as your own personal mood ring, this will allow you to start building your own intuition around caring for plants. Best of luck, may the powers of the space time and special relativity be with you!
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. | https://medium.com/@plantherlife/how-a-plant-from-albert-einsteins-office-became-my-own-personal-mood-ring-29a0394b1753 | ['Planther Life'] | 2019-09-10 14:00:29.558000+00:00 | ['Historical', 'Plants', 'Houseplants', 'Interesting', 'Einstein'] |
Skinsational- Apex Legends Halloween Event | Halloween is definitely the time of year when these games pop off in terms of cosmetics. Why not? This is the one time of year that people can really pop off and be something different. Gaming characters are no exceptions. So how have Respawn’s characters transformed?
13. Pathfinder Wrapped Up 1/5
I feel like the idea of a Mummy is kind of underdone for Halloween. Think about it; Pharaohs would have had an awful rule, had their inside scooped out and put into jars and then cursed any of those who disturbed their slumber. That is a pretty horrific life- and afterlife! Sadly, none of that is captured in this skin. Pathfinder has a green undercoat with some poundshop bandages wrapped around and called it a day. The silhouette hasn’t changed at all which could be easily done with some draping maybe using bandages to make a sort of cloak over the shoulders or at least having them hang off of the body. The only thing this skin has going for it is that it’s free.
12. Octane Wildfire 1/5
This skin is really lacklustre for me. Certain parts are lit up in that vivid Halloween Orange like the teeth on the mask and spider web on the torso but that’s really it. There’s really no prevailing theme and nothing that really stands out. It’s not made a return this year and I don’t think it’ll be missed.
11. Wattson Winged Menace 2/5
This skin actually reminds me a lot of the Vampire Symmetra Skin in Overwatch with the colour story and makeup. The bright colour palette of the base skin have been swapped for the much darker red and black synonymous with the classic vampire. A few shiny bat stickers have been added to the skin and her face is now much paler with a red lip and black fringe. Basically, it’s a dark palette Wattson with some bats stuck on. On the way to retrieving this image, I found a really amazing fan made Frankenstein’s Wife skin and that would’ve fit perfectly! Hopefully a new addition next year. In the mean time however, you may want to save your coins.
10. Revenant From the Deep 2/5
One of the new skins to this event and extremely lacklustre. How you gonna take the scariest character in the game and dress him up with some pound shop accessories? Apart from a headscarf and a few painted of features nothing has really changed. I like the yellow skull that shows decay. Other than that, this just looks cheap. The scariest character in the game and this is his Halloween skin?
9. Loba Banshee Queen 2/5
They’re really holding out on giving Loba a legendary. I feel like Loba’s design works well for epic skins though. There is a lot of black space rarely interrupted for the moving print to ride on. Having said that I don’t like this print. The luminescent blue on parts of this skin with those pupiless eyes all on top of that painted blue skin really give that eerie idea of a ghost. But I wanted more. I would’ve preferred this print to be that same blue to reinforce the monochromatic idea. Otherwise, these clip art ghosts really don’t work for me. I would’ve preferred either a more cartoony bordering on anime idea or a horrific image for more of a statement. Either way, we’re still waiting on that Loba Legendary. This skin just feels like a missed opportunity especially since we basically just saw this on the Aftermarket. She could’ve been some kind of queen spirit evoking tragedy similar to Miss Havisham of Great Expectations! Her attitude could’ve definitely sold that.
8. Lifeline Green Widow 3/5
The best recolour of this event. At the time, this was the first in a long line of recolours for Lifeline. The change in her skin colour to green is striking. The little details like the contacts, running mascara makeup, matching headband and ankle bracelet make this more than a simple recolour. The webbing pattern on the torso is minimal but effective. There’s definitely more they could’ve done to this skin, namely by adding some actual spiders into this skin. I struggle to get the spider queen vibe a little because of that. Nonetheless, for the price that this skin is returning at, not a bad one to pick up.
7. Mirage Old Town 3/5
So I feel like on Halloween you take one of two routes. You either make it yourself or get something right out of a packet and say, ‘I’m good to go.’ Mirage went down into the costume department and picked up the package, ‘Funny Cowboy’ and called it a wrap. This is so literal. There’s the hat, the sheriff badge, the red neckerchief, the blue button shirt underneath, it’s all very typical Wild West. I like the cowhide chaps as that’s a little less typical. I also like the more quirky theme for Mirage as that suits his character. It’s definitely the weakest of the Legendries but considering this is a stand alone in the store, maybe worth picking up.
6. Wraith Mistress of Evil 3/5
This skin is Wicked. Literally. Definitely Elphaba inspired with the green makeup and traditional pointy witch’s hat. This look straight out of the bag too though. Everything is a little too clean and I would’ve liked there to be a bit more roughing up in the skin showing some wear. I do like that shade of purple that matches Wraith’s signature colour and gives this look a sense of darkness and mystery. Having said that the purple patterned tights and the purple scarf are a little too ready-to-wear. The brown pointy shoulder pads look old-timey and match the hat making for a very classic witch. There are other features that look good on the skin but disappear close up because of how minute they are. The necklace matches the face and gives me a reference to the Wizard of Oz and the corset is interesting as it’s less visible from head on. Because of Wraith stance in game, these are going to be practically invisible over that huge hat. Overall, not a bad skin but Wraith has definitely had better.
5. Bloodhound Protector of the Patch 4/5
When designing a skin for Bloodhound there are so many features to keep in mind. Above anything else there’s that iconic mask that needs to remain in some form. Respawn didn’t shy away from the challenge in this inclusion of a giant orange pumpkin with an eerie yellow glow evocative of Halloween night. This is a Scarecrow skin but it gives a Jack-O-Lantern idea as well. As if that wasn’t enough, the hat with the hanging lights push it even further and look mystical in a way. The brightness of the head is balanced out by the darkness of the body. This grey colour scheme on the body balances out the head. The clothing is in tethers with a tear in the middle where straw seems to be escaping. This is the kind of wear that I would’ve liked to have seen from the previous two skins. The attention to detail with the pumpkin crafted knee guards adds a touch of humour. The overall effect of the skin is one of a floating Jack-O-Lantern emerging from the darkness and coming for your win! My only issue with pumpkin themed skins is that they really are only for one time of year. But for this time of year, this is the perfect skin to use and definitely worth picking up.
4. Bangalore La Catrina 4/5
Wow. This is so outside the box. The immediate reaction to a Halloween theme is to go dark and the designers of this skin did the exact opposite yet it still gives Halloween vibes. The makeup is on point. The black skin with the painted white skull, blue around the eyes for the full on Dia De Los Muertos fantasy. The body is so bright and colourful to embrace the holiday. Dia De Los Muertos is more of a celebration of life and that’s represented in the striking red, orange, blue and green. The fabric choice looks light in weight and bright to match the Mexican climate. The roses on the shoulder pads and head evoke a gothic idea and a real beauty too while still looking similar to armour in placement. A lot of people don’t get Halloween from this skin and see disappointment in the lack of terror represented. I say that that the outside nature of this skin is exactly why I would like it inside of my collection.
3. Crypto Deadly Byte 5/5
Refined horror perfection. If Dracula was a nineties kid, never really got over his teen phase so he keeps buying the trench coats, puts on that dark makeup and stalks around moodily. Everything goes together in this skin and it gives me a pretty fashionable look with a nod to the Victorian era that Dracula came from. To peel back the layers, this dark blue makeup that goes against the black coat stands out and successfully shows him as being undead. This black chin strap that looks like a sort of decay looks modern white further the undead theme. The combed back hair is a copycat of Dracula and shows attention to detail. The coat itself is very simple with the accented red lining evocative of blood. The material looks padded and shiny seeming modern. The ruffle white shirt underneath that strategically peeks out around the wrists and chest as well as the brown waistcoat are typical of Victorian era while being a little provocative. In summary, the way this skin works well as a Victorian era Vampire while somehow looking modern in some ways provides a clean and fresh look at Vampires. One of Cryptos best skins by far.
2. Gibraltar Monster Mash 5/5
This is a graveyard smash. Painted skin is definitely a trend this event but if it works then why not? I love that Gibraltar is shirtless here. It’s authentic, it draws attention to the effort of that painted skin and it promotes body positivity. Plus Gibraltar probably comes from a very hot place in line with his backstory so why would he not be shirtless? There’s more fabric on the bottom half of the skin with the purple pants harkening to Hulk and that green utility belt. But where there is less fabric on the top half, there is cold hard steel. The addition of tubes, shoulder guards, a collar, a kind of battery, all present the impression of iron defence which is so central to this legend. Nice haircut too. It’s nice that they didn’t shave him bald this time. Special mention for the huge iron sign shield that tells the whole story of his escape from wherever he was created and the Biohazard reference on it too.
Caustic The Last Laugh 5/5
Probably the most iconic Caustic skin and the one that started a long line of clown themed skins for this legend in events to come. This skin makes me want to main Caustic. It’s grotesque and somewhat sinister. Every part of this skin is a feature and makes complete cohesive sense. The mask has been painted white to look like a clown face and then contoured to give it this bizarre shape that looks alien. They could’ve easily gone with the huge comic red nose but refrained so that it avoids a more comedic look that could distract from the rest of the skin. The outfit itself has nods to the Elizabethan era. The neck ruffle, bellowing sleeves and pants that cut at a weird length as well as that fleshy puce colour all evoke discomfort. Then the clash with this neon green curly hair that looks like vomit. All of this should look so wrong but looks so grotesquely right. Even as someone without coulrophobia, I get the horror through the grotesque image together in front of me. It’s a unique take on a clown over just a bright red nose and big shiny boots.
Overall: These skins hold up. One of the better overall collections in the game for sure. I’m a little disappointed that there are no new legendries this year and just recolours. This bundle idea is controversial. Instead of just buying a skin I want for a high price, I have to buy that an a recolour I’m not going to use for an even higher price. I realise this was a bit of a long one so let me know if you’d like me to leave some epics out. What do you think of this collection? Are you a fan of this Bangalore skin? Was I too harsh on the Mirage skin? Let me know! | https://medium.com/@tominthesnow/skinsational-apex-legends-halloween-event-97896552814e | ['Tom Ryan'] | 2020-12-04 16:21:36.103000+00:00 | ['Halloween', 'Gaming', 'Respawn Entertainment', 'Apex Legends', 'Ea'] |
Only on Fantasy Island | Written by
Almost famous cartoonist who laughs at her own jokes and hopes you will, too. | https://marcialiss17.medium.com/only-on-fantasy-island-9ac7743ed93c | [] | 2020-08-20 15:55:09.854000+00:00 | ['Aging', 'Cartoon', 'Comics', 'Beauty', 'Baby Boomers'] |
How to get started with Maven | Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Maven is used very often in the industry and I felt it would be good to cover the basics in this article so that it can be used efficiently. 😄
This article will cover things like maven basics, maven plugins, maven dependencies, and maven build lifecycle.
What is Maven
Maven was created to provide a standard way in which Projects can be built. One of its powerful features is dependency management.
Maven is commonly used for dependency management, but it is not the only thing it is capable of doing.
If you do not know what dependency management means, don’t worry😄. I will cover that in this article as well.
Installing Maven
You can Install Maven from https://maven.apache.org/
Also ensure Maven is set in the PATH so that mvn comands work.
You can verify if it is installed and can be accessed using the command
mvn -v
Also ensure JAVA_HOME is set.
By default, Maven will use the jdk you provided in JAVA_HOME. This can be overridden, but for this article we will use the jdk provided in JAVA_HOME.
Create your Maven Project
Normally an IDE like eclipse can be used to easily create maven projects. But in this artice I will be running the commands from the command line so that the steps are clearly understood.
Run the following command to Create the project.
mvn -B archetype:generate -DarchetypeGroupId=org.apache.maven.archetypes -DgroupId=com.first.app -DartifactId=first-maven-app
Archetype in the above command is nothing but a sample project template. groupdId tells what group your project comes under and artifactId is the project name.
Once you run the above command, it may take maven a minute or so to download the necessary plugins and create the project.
A folder called first-maven-app is now created. Open the folder and you will see a file called pom.xml
pom.xml
POM stands for Project Object Model. pom.xml has all the details about your project, and this is where you will tell maven what it should do.
The contents of this file are shown below:
xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
<modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
<groupId>com.first.app</groupId>
<artifactId>first-maven-app</artifactId>
<packaging>jar</packaging>
<version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
<name>first-maven-app</name>
<url>http://maven.apache.org</url>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>junit</groupId>
<artifactId>junit</artifactId>
<version>3.8.1</version>
<scope>test</scope>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
</project>
groupdId and artifactId are the same values we gave in the command line.
packaging is the package format of the artifact. Default value is jar. It can have other values as well like ear, war, tar and so on.
version indicates the version number of the artifact. If SNAPSHOT is present, then it indicates the version is still in dev and may not be stable. If the version number does not have SNAPSHOT, then it’s the actual release version.
name is the project name.
I will explain about dependencies and plugins in Maven below.
Super POM
pom.xml as you can see is pretty small. The reason for this is that a lot of the configuration is present in something called Super POM which is maintained internally by Maven.
pom.xml extends Super Pom to get all the config present in super Pom.
One of the config present in Super Pom indicates the following:
All java source code is present inside src/main/java
All java test code is present inside src/test/java
I mention only this config here, since we will be dealing with both source code as well as test code in this article.
Code
The entire code discussed here is available in this repo: https://github.com/aditya-sridhar/first-maven-app
Let’s add some simple Java code. Create the following folder structure:
src/main/java/com/test/app/App.java
App.java is the Java code we will be adding.
Copy the following code into App.java:
package com.first.app;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
public class App
{
public static void main( String[] args )
{
List<Integer> items = new ArrayList<Integer>();
items.add(1);
items.add(2);
items.add(3);
printVals(items);
System.out.println("Sum: "+getSum(items));
}
public static void printVals(List<Integer> items){
items.forEach( item ->{
System.out.println(item);
});
}
public static int getSum(List<Integer> items){
int sum = 0;
for(int item:items){
sum += item;
}
return sum;
}
}
This is simple code which has 2 functions.
But one thing to observe is, the code is using lambda expressions inside the forEach loop in printVals function.
Lambda expressions need at minimum Java 8 to run. But by default Maven 3.8.0 runs using Java version 1.6.
So we need to tell maven to use Java 1.8 instead. In order to do this we will use Maven Plugins.
Maven Plugins
We will use the Maven Compiler Plugin to indicate which Java version to use. Add the following lines to pom.xml:
<project>
...
<build>
<plugins>
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
<version>3.8.0</version>
<configuration>
<source>1.8</source>
<target>1.8</target>
</configuration>
</plugin>
<plugins>
</build>
...
</project>
You can see that the Java source and target versions are set to 1.8.
Plugins basically get some action done in maven. The compiler plugin compiles the source files.
The full pom.xml is available here.
There are a lot of maven plugins available. By knowing how to use plugins well, Maven can be used to do amazing things. 😄
Maven Dependencies
Normally while writing code, we will be using a lot of existing libraries. These existing libraries are nothing but dependencies. Maven can be used to manage dependencies easily.
In the pom.xml of our project you can see the following dependency:
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>junit</groupId>
<artifactId>junit</artifactId>
<version>3.8.1</version>
<scope>test</scope>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
This dependency is telling that we will be needing junit. Junit is used to write Unit Tests for Java code. Similarly a lot of other dependencies can be added.
Let’s say you want to handle JSON in the code. Then you can add the gson dependency as shown below:
<dependency>
<groupId>com.google.code.gson</groupId>
<artifactId>gson</artifactId>
<version>2.8.5</version>
</dependency>
You can search for Maven artifacts in https://search.maven.org
Transitive Dependencies
Let’s say you add a dependency A to the Project. Now A depends on a dependency called B. B depends on a dependency called C.
Since you are using A in the project, you will also need B and C.
But fortunately, it is enough if you add only A in pom.xml. Because Maven can figure out that A depends on B and that B depends on C. So internally Maven will automatically download B and C.
Here B and C are transitive dependencies.
Custom Maven Repository
All these dependencies are available in a Public Maven Central Repository http://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2
It is possible that there are some artifacts which are private to your company. In this case, you can maintain a private maven repository within your organization. I won’t be covering this portion in this tutorial.
Adding the test class
Since the junit dependency is present in the project, we can add test Classes.
Create the following folder structure:
src/test/java/com/test/app/AppTest.java
AppTest.java is the Test Class.
Copy the following code into AppTest.java:
package com.first.app;
import junit.framework.TestCase;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
public class AppTest extends TestCase
{
public AppTest( String testName )
{
super( testName );
}
public void testGetSum()
{
List<Integer> items = new ArrayList<Integer>();
items.add(1);
items.add(2);
items.add(3);
assertEquals( 6, App.getSum(items) );
}
}
This class tests the getSum() function present in the App Class.
Maven Build Lifecycle and Phases
Maven follows a build lifecycle to build and distribute artifacts. There are three main lifecycles:
Default lifecycle: This deals with building and deploying the artifact. Clean lifecycle: This deals with project cleaning Site lifecycle: This deals with Site documentation. Will cover this in a different article.
A Lifecycle is made up of phases. Here are some of the important phases in the default lifecycle:
validate : Checks if all necessary information is available for the project
: Checks if all necessary information is available for the project compile: Used to compile the source files. Run the following command to compile:
mvn compile
After running this command, a folder called target is created with all the compiled files.
test: Used to run all the unit tests present in the project. This is why the Junit dependency was needed. Using Junit, unit tests can be written. Test classes can be run using the command
mvn test
package: This will run all the above phases and then package the artifact. Here it will package it into a jar file since pom indicates a jar is needed. Run the following command for this:
mvn package
The jar file is created inside the target folder
file is created inside the folder verify : This will ensure that quality criteria is met in the project
: This will ensure that quality criteria is met in the project install: This will install the package in a local repository. The local repository location is usually ${user.home}/.m2/repository. Use the following command for this:
mvn install
deploy: This is used to deploy the package to a remote repository
One more command which is commonly used is the clean command which is given below:
mvn clean
This command cleans up everything inside the target folder
References
Maven’s Offical Guide: https://maven.apache.org/guides/getting-started/
More about POM : https://maven.apache.org/guides/introduction/introduction-to-the-pom.html
More about Build Lifecycle : https://maven.apache.org/guides/introduction/introduction-to-the-lifecycle.html
Congrats 😄
You know how to use Maven now. This article covered just the basics of pom, plugins, dependencies and build lifecycle. To know more about Maven check the links I have given above.
Happy Coding 😄
About the author
I love technology and follow the advancements in the field. I also like helping others with my technology knowledge.
Feel free to connect with me on my LinkedIn account https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditya1811/
You can also follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/adityasridhar18
My Website: https://adityasridhar.com/ | https://medium.com/free-code-camp/how-to-get-started-with-maven-36851d8cfd96 | ['Aditya Sridhar'] | 2018-12-05 23:51:03.584000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Java', 'Programming', 'Beginner', 'Technology'] |
Paving the Way for Autonomous Mobility — Our Portfolio Company Apex.AI is Hiring | Senior Tools Engineer (Palo Alto, CA): Apex.AI is currently looking for a senior engineer to help build new tools that support the company’s DevOps, QA, and Tooling efforts. This role is perfectly suited for candidates who like to work independently, while contributing to the short- and long-term goals of a tightly-knit engineering team.
As the Senior Tools Engineer, you will build and maintain a variety of tools for deployment, monitoring, and operations. You’ll also research and implement frameworks for various levels of testing, and periodically help with general QA tasks. As Apex.AI grows, you will be responsible for scaling the existing tools and solutions, as well as supporting new internal use cases.
To qualify, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, math, physics, or a similar field, and at least three years of experience with tools, DevOps, testing and/or quality assurance. You’ll also need a deep understanding of Linux systems, C++, and excellent scripting skills with Python and Bash. A drive to implement robust and reliable software is also important, as is a strong work ethic and research skills. Due to the seniority of this position, you’ll be expected to propose new solutions to existing problems and present them to internal stakeholders, requiring you to have exceptional written and verbal communication skills. | https://medium.com/toyota-ai-ventures/paving-the-way-for-autonomous-mobility-our-portfolio-company-apex-ai-is-hiring-f2a8ffea141e | ['Toyota Ai Ventures'] | 2019-12-17 17:11:25.242000+00:00 | ['Mobility', 'Careers', 'Autonomous Cars', 'Software Development', 'Jobs'] |
So the year is about to end. Let me see, what did I say I was going to do/be by the end of 2020: | So the year is about to end. Let me see, what did I say I was going to do/be by the end of 2020:
start a new business
* End my toxic marriage forever
* Focus on my kids
* Lose weight and build a nice body
* Have a healthy lifestyle
* Read a book a week
* Create a social media presence
* Find myself
I didn’t do ANY of these. None of them. Last year this time I was so miserable. I was in so much pain I couldn’t breath. Why? Because I was cheated on, my heart was broken, I was lied to, I was left all by myself to figure everything out. So I swore this would never ever happen again. All this happened because I let it. I allowed it. I took the easy way out. I saw the signs and ignored them. I was too scared to face reality so reality broke me. So last year this time I swore I would fight till I get out of this. I swore that by the end of 2020 I would NOT be in the same place. I swore I would be standing up, on my own, and happy with myself.
What happened was the exact opposite. After breaking my heart and living his life, he came back. As of nothing happened. He said because of the Covid situation, he can not afford to pay 2 rents. And I let him in. He just walked back in. And I went back into that scared, unsafe, depressed zone. I gave myself so many excuses. Rent. Our daughter. Covid. His residency. Even taking out the garbage and going shopping alone. Just to make sense to myself. But with it, I lost what was left of my self respect. I told myself I will let him stay at home and not worry about responsibilities and rent so I can build my business. So I can focus on creating an active social media presences. I told myself I will accept it as a temporary situation because of Covid and use this opportunity to build something. I told myself I will not let myself get pulled into the fake marriage again.
None of that happened. I went back into the marriage slowly. He pulled me back in one step at a time. I went into depression. The exact same depression of an alcoholic who knows they are ruining their life but they can’t stop drinking. He used this peaceful safe time at home to build his business and I just sat there, too caught up in self pitty and self disrespect that I couldn’t get up.
It’s the end of 2020. I have not started my new business. I’m still in the exact same toxic marriage and still feeling anxious, depressed and angry every single day. Not a day passes by that I don’t feel sorry for myself. Yet I can’t end it. Is it true because I don’t have money to pay the rent because he pays it? Or is it because I’m too exhausted? He beat the willingness to do anything out of me with his ongoing cheating for years. I have been catching him cheating, both in serious relationships and one-offs since summer 2013.
I also did nothing for my kids. My son is lost with no life and no plan and on his own and now my daughter wants to leave because she sees me too weak and I don’t have enough self respect. I also gained so much weight through this depressed period. I look fat and old. That’s how I feel anyway, especially because of the extra kilos I gained. I started reading one book in the summer and still only quarter the way through it.
My lifestyle is so toxic that I don’t eat, or sleep or exercise properly. All the things I promised myself I didn’t do them, on the contrary I went backwards.
I got so many chances to build a good social media presence and wasted all of them. I did nothing to use these opportunities and today I’m in the exact same place I was in December 2019.
At least throughout the year I felt I started finding about myself, who I am, what I want, how I want it, what can I give back, what are my dreams. That was until he came back in summer 2020. Then everything fell apart. I lost the path, I lost my way. I lost myself that I was looking for, in return for comfort. The comfortable feeling that he didn’t leave me for another woman, it was just a glitch.
Now what? I’m sitting on my bed today December 28, in the year 2020. Too scared to think. So scared to look back at the details to see what did I do wrong so I can fix it. I just want to stay in bed and close my eyes and accept one fact. That I’m a failure. That I was not strong enough to survive so it destroyed me. I try to block the memories of this year because every memory gives me the feeling of life being drained from my body. How could I? How could I let my kids down like this? I promised them a better life and I failed. How could I let myself down like this? I swore I will only accept what I deserve and I accepted the most humiliating solutions. How could I settle like this? I thought I was strong? I thought I was a survivor. I thought I could pull through anything, like the tens of times I pulled through before I met him. Now I’m nothing. An empty shell that I keep colouring and gluing together so it doesn’t look so ugly.
Now what? Stay in bed? And just accept it? Don’t tell me get up. I wouldn’t even know where to go even if I summoned all the energy to get up. So don’t tell me to get up. Get up to go where? The year is over. One whole year that destroyed my last chance to pull my head from under the water. It’s over. I broke and there is no fixing.
This new year, I have no new year resolutions. Just stay in bed. | https://medium.com/@maismontazar/so-the-year-is-about-to-end-let-me-see-what-did-i-say-i-was-going-to-do-be-by-the-end-of-2020-6603701c15b | ['Mai Monta'] | 2020-12-27 23:48:12.196000+00:00 | ['2020', 'Life Lessons', 'Cheating', 'New Year Resolution', '2021'] |
Three Types of Business Opportunities with Machine Learning | In practice, of course, a given ML application may fit more than one of the above impact categories. An ML algorithm that can analyze documents, for instance, might be reasonably said to increase employee efficiency by helping them process documents faster. But it might also be viewed as a breakthrough since it allows the company to offer new document analysis products it never could before.
Or consider a machine learning algorithm that detects security threats (like guns or knives) in an image generated by a baggage scanner. It may reduce costs by reducing the need for a person to watch a screen constantly. It may increase efficiency by finding more threats. And it may represent a breakthrough by finding threats that humans may have never been able to detect.
Furthermore, “breakthroughs” need not necessarily be associated with new products. What if the breakthrough enables a new kind of insight for the C-suite? Such reporting may lead to strategic choices that ultimately lead to increased revenue or lower costs, even if the immediate impact is not as clear.
Business impact thinking is not meant to rigidly constrain the way you think about machine learning projects. Think of it instead as a useful guide. You should certainly be aiming in the direction of at least one business impact — but you should be flexible enough to know when you need to change the way you communicate your goals and frame your success.
It’s not unheard of for a machine learning project to begin with a goal of reducing costs by automating away entire jobs. But this isn’t always easy. Even if 80% of an employee’s work can be eliminated, the remaining 20% may be stubbornly un-automatable. This doesn’t mean the project was a failure. If the humans can focus on their 20% of the task while being free of the other 80%, they can take on new business. This could represent a massive business efficiency gain — a huge win when the business impact is viewed properly. | https://medium.com/machine-learning-in-practice/three-types-of-business-opportunities-with-machine-learning-2a73c92f9056 | ['Robbie Allen'] | 2019-11-25 14:12:38.854000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Business', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Technology'] |
GOOD GOVERNANCE, A CORE TO DEVELOPMENT | GOOD GOVERNANCE, A CORE TO DEVELOPMENT
Good or bad governance is measured by the state of a country and the effects of policies on the people.
We have probably heard economists, political analysts, and even politicians remind us of the 1970s when Kenya's economy and South Koreas were almost at per. Kenya’s gross national(GNI) income per capita stood at about $100while South Korea's was at $120. Five decades down the world bank puts Kenya's GNI per capita at $1380 while South Korea's at $ 27600.When these two economies are juxtaposed it is clear that one country was better governed and had good structures than the other.
The growth of a country’s economy is contributed by several factors. But in the diverse factors that make a country a great economy, there are several key factors that have to come to play.
Many Kenyans would be in agreement that corruption is and has been for the longest time a thorn in our flesh. Citizens have lamented time and time again of the rampant corruption in the government.
‘’Poor governance compromises policy-making which in turn encourages all sorts of vice,” David, a Government policy expert warns.
Poor governance contributes majorly to the downfall of a nation. Effects of poor governance are seen everywhere In Kenya. As we walk on our streets, watch our news, and even as we get the basic government services.
If you have been to downtown Nairobi CBD you bear me witness of the sorry state of affairs on that side of town, granted we now have the Nairobi Metropolitan services trying to spruce things up. The government is unable to ensure good infrastructure which is a basic right for the people. According to The Kenya Infrastructure Development report the country lags behind in infrastructure by 65%.In the urban areas, it is worse at 78% behind
“Poor governance compromises policy-making which in turn encourages all sorts of vice” David, Government policy expert.
If that is not enough the level of unemployment is at 55%.,80% of the unemployed being the youth of age 25–35. Governance plays a key role in employment or unemployment. A high unemployment rate means poor governance.
Investments, employment, and good infrastructure would not thrive at a place where there is poor security. Poor security is a reflection of the seating governments' poor policies and zero implementation process.
George W . Bush, said the greatest assurance a leader can give his followers is guaranteed security.
Good governance ensures growth of the economy and creates employment. | https://medium.com/@rodneykamau/good-governance-a-core-to-development-35f6687ce55e | ['Rodney Moses Kamau'] | 2020-12-15 07:46:54.276000+00:00 | ['Governance', 'Unemployement', 'Politics', 'Leadership', 'Policies'] |
Introduction to Machine Learning | Supervised, Unsupervised & Reinforcement….
Hello world, i hope you are all doing well. In this post we will learn about Machine learning concepts.
As many of us know Machine Learning(ML) is subset of Artificial Intelligence(AI). The objective of ML is to enable machines to learn by themselves using the provided data and make accurate predictions or we can say that it is a method to train the ML algorithms such that they can learn how to make correct predictions.
The fundamental goal of ML is to find the pattern in existing data. That means we feed the data to Machine and we ask “hey these are data, now your task is to learn and find it out the pattern in data”. If you observe what i am trying to say is we are not doing any code to find pattern, we are just feeding the data and we are expecting from machine to provide some kind of insight in data. So, the machine learning is all about to learn from the data without doing any explicit instructions.
Machine Learning Algorithm depends on the data. If we feed more data algorithm output will be more accurate. As we know data in our world increasing everyday drastically and Machine Learning algorithm work more effectively and accurately. | https://medium.com/steps-towards-data-science/introduction-to-machine-learning-68111587a822 | ['Irfan Rahman'] | 2019-02-19 13:37:50.228000+00:00 | ['Supervised Learning', 'Machine Learning', 'Unsupervised Learning', 'Reinforcement Learning'] |
Luggage Bags Cost Prediction — Gradient Descent | import math
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
sns.set(rc={'figure.figsize':(11.7,8.27)})
from sklearn import preprocessing
from sklearn.preprocessing import normalize
from sklearn.metrics import mean_absolute_error, mean_squared_error, r2_score
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
from sklearn.linear_model import SGDRegressor
from sklearn import linear_model # Reading CSV Input file and storing as pandas dataframe object
data = pd.read_csv('Data_miniproject.csv')
data.columns Index(['Cost', 'Weight', 'Weight1', 'Length', 'Height', 'Width'], dtype='object') # Checking top 5 rows for data
data.head(5)
EDA
# checking the data type and wthether it will accept null or not
data.info() <class 'pandas.core.frame.DataFrame'>
RangeIndex: 159 entries, 0 to 158
Data columns (total 6 columns):
# Column Non-Null Count Dtype
--- ------ -------------- -----
0 Cost 159 non-null float64
1 Weight 159 non-null float64
2 Weight1 159 non-null float64
3 Length 159 non-null float64
4 Height 159 non-null float64
5 Width 159 non-null float64
dtypes: float64(6)
memory usage: 7.6 KB # Generate descriptive statistics.
# Checking Min, Max, Mean, Std for all the columns
data.describe(percentiles=[.10, .25, .5, .75])
Check if there is any Null Values
# checking column wise null values
data.isnull().any() Cost False
Weight False
Weight1 False
Length False
Height False
Width False
dtype: bool # checking column wise null value count
data.isnull().any()
data.isnull().sum() Cost 0
Weight 0
Weight1 0
Length 0
Height 0
Width 0
dtype: int64 # checking overall null value count
data.isnull().sum().sum() 0 sns.jointplot(x="Length", y="Cost",kind="reg", data=data) <seaborn.axisgrid.JointGrid at 0x7f66b74c6210>
sns.jointplot(x="Height", y="Cost",kind="reg",data=data) <seaborn.axisgrid.JointGrid at 0x7f66b513c310>
# checking the frequency distribution
data.hist(figsize=(10,10)) array([[<matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot object at 0x7f66b7521dd0>,
<matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot object at 0x7f66b4f85650>],
[<matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot object at 0x7f66b4f37e50>,
<matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot object at 0x7f66b4ef9690>],
[<matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot object at 0x7f66b4eace90>,
<matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot object at 0x7f66b4e6c6d0>]],
dtype=object)
# For each pair of features (columns) in the dataset, we can visualize the scatter plot for each pair
# along with the feature’s histogram along the diagonal
sns.pairplot(data) <seaborn.axisgrid.PairGrid at 0x7f66b4b66250>
Removing Outliers
# From the descriptive statistics, cost min is 0, so checking how many cost rows are zero
data[data['Cost']==0]
# Removing rows where cost is 0.
data.drop(data[data['Cost']==0].index,inplace=True) # Finding outliers using boxplot
melted_df = pd.melt(data.drop('Cost', axis=1))
sns.boxplot(x="variable", y="value", data=melted_df) <matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot at 0x7f66a79206d0>
data[(data['Weight'] >= 55)&(data['Length']>=64)]
# From the boxplot, dotted points are outliers, so removing these rows
data.drop(data[(data['Weight'] >= 55)&(data['Length']>=64)].index, inplace=True)
data.shape (155, 6) groups = melted_df.groupby("variable")
for name, group in groups:
plt.plot(group["variable"], group["value"], marker="o", label=name)
sns.scatterplot(data=data.drop('Cost', axis=1)) <matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot at 0x7f66a5b37d10>
print(data.drop('Cost',axis=1).cumsum()) Weight Weight1 Length Height Width
0 23.2 25.4 30.0 11.5200 4.0200
1 47.2 51.7 61.2 24.0000 8.3256
2 71.1 78.2 92.3 36.3778 13.0217
3 97.4 107.2 125.8 49.1078 17.4772
4 123.9 136.2 159.8 61.5518 22.6112
.. ... ... ... ... ...
154 3932.5 4259.5 4687.6 1379.3888 672.7894
155 3944.2 4271.9 4701.1 1381.8188 674.0584
156 3956.3 4284.9 4714.9 1384.0958 675.3142
157 3969.5 4299.2 4730.1 1386.9686 677.3814
158 3983.3 4314.2 4746.3 1389.9008 679.2606
[155 rows x 5 columns] # plotting the cummulative values for all the rows
data.drop('Cost',axis=1).cumsum().plot() <matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot at 0x7f66a5ab6e90>
Correlations
corr = data.corr()
sns.heatmap(corr, xticklabels=corr.columns, yticklabels=corr.columns, annot=True) <matplotlib.axes._subplots.AxesSubplot at 0x7f66a58ff150>
# displaying the top 12 highly correlated column mappings
print(data.corr().abs().unstack().sort_values(ascending = False).nlargest(25)) Width Width 1.000000
Height Height 1.000000
Weight Weight 1.000000
Weight1 Weight1 1.000000
Length Length 1.000000
Cost Cost 1.000000
Weight1 Weight 0.999417
Weight Weight1 0.999417
Weight1 Length 0.993026
Length Weight1 0.993026
Weight Length 0.990580
Length Weight 0.990580
Width Cost 0.924029
Cost Width 0.924029
Length 0.907373
Length Cost 0.907373
Cost Weight1 0.899734
Weight1 Cost 0.899734
Width Length 0.896793
Length Width 0.896793
Weight Cost 0.895740
Cost Weight 0.895740
Width Weight1 0.895324
Weight1 Width 0.895324
Weight Width 0.888883
dtype: float64 ## Weight1 Weight 0.999516
## Since weight and weight 1 has higher co-relation dropping 1 column
## Weight1 Cost has higher coreleation(0.899734) than Weight Cost(0.895740), So keeping Weight1 and dropping Weight
data.drop('Weight', axis=1,inplace=True)
data.head(3)
Features Scaling
#data = normalize(data, axis=0)
# Scaling the features by using min max scaling
minmax_scale = preprocessing.MinMaxScaler().fit(data.iloc[:,1:])
data.iloc[:,1:] = minmax_scale.transform(data.iloc[:,1:]) data.head(3)
X = data.iloc[:,1:].values
y = data.iloc[:,0:1].values # Splitting the dataset by train and test
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, test_size=0.25, random_state=42) learning_rate = 0.5
max_iteration = 5000
s_learning_rate = 0.05
s_max_iteration = 1000
mb_learning_rate = 0.05
mb_max_iteration = 10000
batch_size = 30 theta = np.zeros((data.shape[1], 1))
s_theta = np.zeros((data.shape[1], 1))
mb_theta = np.zeros((data.shape[1], 1)) class GradientDescent:
''' Gradient Descent class which contains batch, mini-batch and stochastic gradient '''
def __init__(self):
''' Constructor of Gradient Descent'''
print('GradientDescent Class initiated')
def get_metrics(self, x, y, theta):
''' To calculate the metrics like MAE, MSE, RMSE, R2 '''
y_pred = [(theta[1] * x1) + (theta[2] * x2)+ (theta[3] * x3)+ (theta[4] * x4) + theta[0]
for x1,x2,x3,x4 in x]
mae = mean_absolute_error(y,y_pred)
mse = mean_squared_error(y,y_pred)
metrics = "MAE = {0}, MSE = {1}, RMSE = {2}, R2 = {3}".format(mae, mse, math.sqrt(mse), r2_score(y,y_pred))
return metrics
def h (self, theta, X) :
''' hypotheseis function to calculate the equation '''
tempX = np.ones((X.shape[0], X.shape[1] + 1))
tempX[:,1:] = X
res = np.matmul(tempX, theta)
return res
def loss (self, theta, X, Y) :
''' Loss function to find the difference between actual and predicted values '''
return np.average(np.square(Y - self.h(theta, X))) / 2
def gradient(self, theta, X, Y):
tempX = np.ones((X.shape[0], X.shape[1] + 1))
tempX[:,1:] = X
d_theta = - np.average((Y - self.h(theta, X)) * tempX, axis= 0)
d_theta = d_theta.reshape((d_theta.shape[0], 1))
return d_theta
def batch_gradient_descent (self, theta, X, Y, learning_rate, max_iteration, gap):
''' Gradient or Batch function to calculate the gradient for the whole dataset '''
cost = np.zeros(max_iteration)
for i in range(max_iteration):
d_theta = self.gradient (theta, X, Y)
theta = theta - learning_rate * d_theta
cost[i] = self.loss(theta, X, Y)
if i % gap == 0 :
print ('iteration : ', i, ' loss : ', self.loss(theta, X, Y))
return theta, cost
def minibatch_gradient_descent (self, theta, X, Y, learning_rate, max_iteration, batch_size, gap):
''' Mini Batch Gradient Function to calculate the gradient by splitting the dataset by multiple batches '''
cost = np.zeros(max_iteration)
for i in range(max_iteration) :
for j in range(0, X.shape[0], batch_size):
d_theta = self.gradient(theta, X[j:j+batch_size,:], Y[j:j+batch_size,:])
theta = theta - learning_rate * d_theta
cost[i] = self.loss(theta, X, Y)
if i % gap == 0 :
print ('iteration : ', i, ' loss : ', self.loss(theta, X, Y))
return theta, cost
def stochastic_gradient_descent (self, theta, X, Y, learning_rate, max_iteration, gap):
''' Stochastic Gradient Function to calculate the gradient for all rows by looping the dataset '''
cost = np.zeros(max_iteration)
for i in range(max_iteration) :
for j in range(X.shape[0]):
d_theta = self.gradient(theta, X[j,:].reshape(1, X.shape[1]), Y[j,:].reshape(1, 1))
theta = theta - learning_rate * d_theta
cost[i] = self.loss(theta, X, Y)
if i % gap == 0 :
print ('iteration : ', i, ' loss : ', self.loss(theta, X, Y))
return theta, cost
Batch Gradient Descent
gradient_obj = GradientDescent() GradientDescent Class initiated theta, cost = gradient_obj.batch_gradient_descent(theta, X_train, y_train, learning_rate, max_iteration, 1000)
print(theta) iteration : 0 loss : 26337.652117479473
iteration : 1000 loss : 5610.284986828074
iteration : 2000 loss : 5594.9578737015345
iteration : 3000 loss : 5581.183507278225
iteration : 4000 loss : 5568.280949897843
[[-227.20878731]
[ 609.04391977]
[ -19.20415027]
[ 205.60804752]
[ 584.45550559]] #plot the cost
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot(np.arange(max_iteration), cost, 'r')
ax.legend(loc='upper right', labels=['batch gradient descent'])
ax.set_xlabel('Iterations')
ax.set_ylabel('Cost')
ax.set_title('Batch Gradient Descent - Error vs. Training Epoch', fontsize=16, fontweight='bold')
plt.show()
print('Batch Gradient Descent')
print(gradient_obj.get_metrics(X_train,y_train,theta ))
print(gradient_obj.get_metrics(X_test,y_test,theta )) Batch Gradient Descent
MAE = 88.79709921177003, MSE = 11112.410017110149, RMSE = 105.41541641102665, R2 = 0.8859422707853275
MAE = 77.27555335889485, MSE = 9723.52560637414, RMSE = 98.60793886079426, R2 = 0.9118690650458746
Mini Gradient Descent
mb_theta, mb_cost = gradient_obj.minibatch_gradient_descent (mb_theta, X_train, y_train,mb_learning_rate, mb_max_iteration, batch_size, 1000)
print(theta) iteration : 0 loss : 68343.90926706592
iteration : 1000 loss : 5643.550424686975
iteration : 2000 loss : 5617.635873635339
iteration : 3000 loss : 5609.310338702081
iteration : 4000 loss : 5603.001382493756
iteration : 5000 loss : 5597.081134387655
iteration : 6000 loss : 5591.351527799153
iteration : 7000 loss : 5585.779399027338
iteration : 8000 loss : 5580.35487657774
iteration : 9000 loss : 5575.072604021426
[[-227.20878731]
[ 609.04391977]
[ -19.20415027]
[ 205.60804752]
[ 584.45550559]] #plot the cost
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot(np.arange(mb_max_iteration), mb_cost, 'r')
ax.legend(loc='upper right', labels=['mini batch gradient descent'])
ax.set_xlabel('Iterations')
ax.set_ylabel('Cost')
ax.set_title('Mini Batch Gradient Descent - Error vs. Training Epoch', fontsize=16, fontweight='bold')
plt.show()
print('Mini Batch Gradient Descent')
print(gradient_obj.get_metrics(X_train,y_train,mb_theta ))
print(gradient_obj.get_metrics(X_test,y_test,mb_theta )) Mini Batch Gradient Descent
MAE = 88.66784872143079, MSE = 11139.867009657384, RMSE = 105.54556840368706, R2 = 0.8856604523304488
MAE = 77.49573516074169, MSE = 9840.907489095162, RMSE = 99.20134822216461, R2 = 0.9108051530977127
Stochastic Gradient Descent
s_theta, s_cost = gradient_obj.stochastic_gradient_descent(s_theta, X_train, y_train, s_learning_rate, s_max_iteration, 1000) iteration : 0 loss : 13402.40743175595 #plot the cost
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.plot(np.arange(s_max_iteration), s_cost, 'r')
ax.legend(loc='upper right', labels=['stochastic gradient descent'])
ax.set_xlabel('Iterations')
ax.set_ylabel('Cost')
ax.set_title('Stochastic Gradient Descent Error vs. Training Epoch', fontsize=16, fontweight='bold')
plt.show()
print('Stochastic Gradient Descent')
print(gradient_obj.get_metrics(X_train,y_train,s_theta ))
print(gradient_obj.get_metrics(X_test,y_test,s_theta )) Stochastic Gradient Descent
MAE = 84.55370657249655, MSE = 11392.599861030192, RMSE = 106.73612256883887, R2 = 0.8830664034174635
MAE = 79.3819756016456, MSE = 10935.721474038075, RMSE = 104.57399999061944, R2 = 0.9008821083092442
sklearn SGDRegressor
sgd_regressor = SGDRegressor(max_iter=10000, tol=0.005)
sgd_regressor.fit(X_train, y_train.ravel())
print(sgd_regressor.coef_)
print(sgd_regressor.intercept_)
y_pred = sgd_regressor.predict(X_test)
MAE = mean_absolute_error(y_test,y_pred)
MSE = mean_squared_error(y_test, y_pred)
RMSE = math.sqrt(MSE)
print('sklearn SGDRegressor')
print("MAE = {0}, MSE = {1}, RMSE = {2}, R2 = {3}".format(MAE, MSE, math.sqrt(MSE), sgd_regressor.score(X_train, y_train))) [359.50742321 316.35108074 225.46361317 481.28038367]
[-228.71501955]
sklearn SGDRegressor
MAE = 75.52972443435446, MSE = 9571.755566316218, RMSE = 97.83534926761502, R2 = 0.8828668103782972
sklearn linear regression | https://medium.com/@nithin_rajan/luggage-bags-cost-prediction-using-gradient-descent-987fcdd767 | ['Nithin Rajan'] | 2020-08-26 08:31:32.339000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Linear Regression', 'Gradient Descent', 'Sklearn', 'Machine Learning'] |
How to Keep Your Sex Life Spicy: Marriage Edition | Toss the calendar
Couples tend to be all sexy and spicy in the beginning, and then that hot sauce slowly dwindles into a taco bell mild sauce. That’s normal.
Unfortunately, we are plagued with everyday rituals that get in the way of our sexy time. You have to make time for your partner without penciling them in after the kids bath and the last 30 minutes of that Hulu special.
Be spontaneous.
Be adventurous.
Oral
As far as oral goes, I like to experiment with my tongue and test my gag reflexes a little at a time (he’s not a small man).
The farther down my throat, the more intense his reaction. I heard a tip for this too.
If you make a fist and squeeze your thumb tight, somehow it’s supposed to open your throat. “It works for the most part” Just don’t get too far ahead of yourself. (Pun intended)
Some men may enjoy the gagging; even you may enjoy it. I’m not one who wants gagging…but he gave me an A for effort. And a fantastic orgasm for attempting a new feat.
As a female, I’m not sure what he does down there when he’s feasting, but when I feel something new, it’s shocking in the best way possible.
I love it when his tongue feels like it has a mind of its own. Only his mouth can make my body shake like an earthquake.
Foreplay
Once we have both had our fill, it’s time for him to stick it in. If the foreplay is amazing, which it should be if you’re expecting amazing sex.
Foreplay should be lengthy and pleasurable for both parties. For example,
Tend to each other orally.
Tease each other until you know the oven is preheated.
Take time to explore their body.
Just because you’ve been together forever, doesn’t mean you should let sex go stale.
Get creative with sex
I’m always wet enough to let his girth slide in nice and smooth. The way he fills me is intoxicating. I always want more. Whether we make love or fuck it out, he feels amazing deep inside me. And that’s because we pay attention to each other’s bodies.
Yet, we do get creative as well.
Now and then, we’ll add some extra fun, and I strongly advise trying a few of these simple tricks.
Hold a vibrator on your clitoris while he’s doing his thing. He feels like heaven, and the additional stimulant for you feels even more extraordinary. When your clitoris gets more and more stimulation, everything he does feels heightened by 10. You are bound to cum at least 2 extra times.
Add some guess work into the mix too. While your knees are by your face, hold on to his thighs, stopping him from getting his whole penis inside you as he wants to.
He wants to bust inside you, and you’re preventing him from getting as deep as he wants, and it drives him nuts.
Be sexy
This is the fun part. Just before you’re about to cum, look up at him and ask this simple question
“You want all the way in?”
I can guarantee the answer will be yes.
From here…add your own little twist. You can easily just let him all the way in, or you can make him beg. I highly suggest the begging…it’s way more fun.
Listen up, boys!
However boys, two can play at this game.
When you feel her tighten up…stop mid-thrust or even pull out altogether. Make her squirm; she wants to cum as much as you want her too. When you finally let her flow free, it will be one extremely stunning orgasm. The kind that makes her body have those sexy aftershocks.
Remember though, if you’re a larger man and you are lucky enough to go balls deep, use that to your advantage.
Play with her clit while you thrust so her vagina will open up a little more for you and your python. The more stimulated, the more her pussy can take.
New aspects in the bedroom may also lead to better elements. After we started new stuff in that area of the relationship, it got better in other areas too. We even cuddle more, just to cuddle.
Bringing sexy back has benefits sexually, mentally, and emotionally.
Just one more thing…Try taking a shower together. You clean him, and he cleans you…wash each other’s hair and back. It may lead to a brand new sex spot for you. *wink*
Climax
There is no reason to put sex on the back burner, let alone let sex get stale like old wonder bread.
Don’t forget why you married that person to begin with.
It wasn’t just their looks.
Even if you don’t or can’t have sex all the time, try teasing each other. Send sexy texts, write erotic letters.
Make sure you spice up your lives . You will thank yourself later for trying new things and testing your limits. You never know if you never try. | https://medium.com/sexography/how-to-keep-your-sex-life-spicy-marriage-edition-b72398a4886d | ['Ashley Hruby'] | 2020-11-04 11:03:29.107000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Love', 'Sex', 'Advice', 'Marriage'] |
My Number One Tip for Jokes | Seriously now, humour revolves around a “bistatic percept”, where two conflicting positions intersect, and the happy enjoyment of the joke arrives when the listener realises that a word or phrase exposes the alternate meaning, which is usually something unexpected.
This can be a play on words such as a pun, where one word has two meanings. Much as I enjoy these “Dad jokes”, they are more usually met with eye-rolling groans than delighted guffaws.
For maximum impact, the pun-chline — or the moment when the two perceptions intersect — should be placed right at the end of the joke. Preferably the last syllable of the last word of the final sentence, so as to maximise the listener’s investment in one particular perception, only to expose it as having a dual meaning at the finish.
If you are telling the joke, do not give the slightest hint that there is another way of looking at it. The punchline should be delivered as if it does not turn the key in the story to expose an alternate perception. Your listeners will either grasp it instantly, or mentally rewind the last few seconds to spot the exact moment when everything changed.
And if they don’t laugh, you have chosen the wrong audience. The sort of joke you swap with the girls at a hen’s night may not play quite so well at a funeral, for example. | https://medium.com/number-one-tip/my-number-one-tip-for-jokes-ee6e7ed84517 | ['Britni Pepper'] | 2020-12-13 06:11:02.052000+00:00 | ['Number One Tip', 'Humour', 'Jokes', 'Timing', 'Funny'] |
Home Security Camera System Kansas City MO | 877.740.1411 | The crime rate in Kansas City is on the rise, and so it is imperative to install a home security camera system. Security cameras are effective at deterring crime since they record any criminal acts, thereby providing the police with vital information regarding the criminal’s identity and location, which help them apprehend these criminals. Surveillance cameras’ effectiveness lies in their ability to provide real-time video surveillance of the area, which can be viewed by the police station or by the victim if necessary.
Secure your home.
“For those homeowners who feel insecure in their home, they usually contact home security companies to have a monitoring system installed. These companies are experts in providing security solutions, and they provide you with affordable monthly payments. However, there is always a downside to having a home security system. You cannot do anything against unwanted intruders but you can still protect your family and property if you install an effective security control panel.
One of the main benefits of having a home security system is that you can protect your home effectively without spending too much money. Since you only need to pay for the system, you know that you will only use it as your protection against intruders. Most of these companies offer you wireless monitors that can easily be installed anywhere in your home. With this, burglars think twice before entering your house.
Aside from its easy installation, another advantage of having a home security system is that you will never have to worry about a power outage. Since most systems are battery operated, you will never have to worry about the risk of a blackout. This means that your home will always be fully functional even during a power outage. Most burglars do not want to risk being trapped inside your house because of a blackout. A simple door switch will be enough to make them leave your house.
If you want your home security system to work effectively, then you need to provide the monitoring service that the company provides. The company will then send the appropriate personnel to your house at a prearranged time. They will check for any signs of unwanted intrusion and they will make sure that your alarm works properly. You will only have to make sure that you activate the alarm from time to time so that it will be able to detect an intruder.
There are also times when you want to protect your home and property from someone who has a malicious intention. If you want your home security systems to serve as a deterrent, you should install cameras and alarms in places like your driveway, your yard and your basement. These are locations where someone breaking into your home will likely try to enter from. Cameras and alarms placed at these areas will help you identify the intruder and bring him to justice.
You can either choose a DIY home security system or you can hire a company to install one for you. If you have experience installing DIY home security systems, then you may want to consider doing it yourself. However, if you are new to home interiors and installations, it would be better for you to get the help of professionals.”
Reliable Home Security Systems with the Latest Technology.
“If you are planning to make sure that your family is safe and secure, one of the best ways to achieve this is by installing a reliable home security system. The truth is that these systems can protect your family from many potential threats, so whether you are just protecting your home from burglars or trying to protect your family from the threat of a fire, installing a reliable home security system will be the key to your success. The good news is that there are many different types of systems on the market today, each of them offering homeowners a variety of different features and benefits that they can choose from.
Most home security systems these days come with a variety of sensors and detectors, all of which are designed to keep track of any changes in the surrounding area that can pose a threat to your family. This includes motion detectors, door and window sensors, carbon monoxide detectors and many other items, so you can choose a system that is tailored to your needs exactly. You will also find that most of these home security systems these days use some type of monitoring service, such as an alarm system monitoring company that will notify the proper authorities if an intrusion takes place while your system is set to guard your home. Another benefit of having a home security system installed is that it offers you many options when it comes to choosing the features and benefits that you would like your system to offer you.
Reliable home security systems with the latest technology, equipment and capabilities can provide you with the protection that you need to keep you and your family safe. When you are shopping around for the right security system for your home, it is important to take into consideration what you will need to do to keep your home and family protected and secure at all times. Of course, the main reason that you would install any security system is because you want to give yourself the peace of mind that you think your home and family are well taken care of, but you will also need to consider some of the perks that some of the newer systems offer in order to make sure you choose one that is going to work well for you. By taking all of these aspects into consideration, you will be able to choose a home security system that will give you the protection that you and your family require.”
Carbon Monoxide Monitoring.
“One of the most important home security systems that you can install on your home is Carbon Monoxide monitoring. When you are looking for home security systems, Carbon Monoxide Monitored systems should definitely be considered. Home Carbon Monoxide Monitor/Detector — Carbon Monoxide detector/monitoring device is used to detect the presence of carbon monoxide in a room. If carbon monoxide detected an audible alarm will be sent to the monitoring station to warn occupants to evacuate the room quickly.
Another type of home security system that you can install is Remote Video Monitoring. This is a great option if you don’t want to go through the trouble of installing a hard-wired home security system. The basic premise of this system is that a viewing unit is placed in an area such as a bathroom or kitchen. When motion is detected by the remote video surveillance unit it will notify the central station. You can then see live what is going on around your home with a multitude of cameras and monitors.
In order to alert you to any problems with your carbon monoxide monitoring system you have to set up an early warning system. Usually this system consists of a loud siren and flashing lights. It’s important that you check your home for leaks wherever possible. If you discover one then try to find the source of the leak. This could be a water pipe, fireplace or other common cause of a carbon monoxide leak.”
Home security systems comparison.
“When you first decide to purchase a home security system, it’s important to make a Home Security Systems Comparison. Comparison shopping can be one of the best ways to save hundreds of dollars on your home security system! This article will help you make a Home Security Systems Comparison that can save you hundreds of dollars, so you can put more of your hard-earned money back in your pocket to spend elsewhere.
First, if you’re looking for a Custom Home Security System, then you may want to just have experts do the entire installation. Their expertise will make the entire process run much faster, and they’ll show you how to upgrade your basic alarm system to something a little more sophisticated. However, don’t just jump in and buy a home security system without a Home Security Systems Comparison. While it is certainly less expensive, your home may not be as protected as you think if you don’t compare systems first.
If you’re considering an alarm company for installation, make sure to include Home Security Systems Comparison when discussing the cost of their service. Many alarm companies will install their system for free — but then they will install the key pads and the video monitoring equipment, which means you’ll need extra hardware to support monitoring if you choose to install the system yourself. In addition, home security systems comparison should include not only the installation costs but also the monthly monitoring fee and installation fees as well. Many home security companies charge their customers with a monthly monitoring fee for installing the alarm system, but this fee should also include any additional hardware that the alarm companies will use to monitor your home. Finally, don’t forget to include the cost of any video equipment that goes with your home security system, such as cameras.”
How much do home security systems cost.
“You may have already heard the prices on home security systems but you aren’t exactly sure how they work out. For one thing, not all of us are going to need the same type of system. For another, we might want something that offers a better peace of mind. What we need to know is how much does home security systems cost. We can get that answer by first identifying what it is that we really need.
Home security systems may offer a lot of different features. For example, a home alarm system may be able to detect motion and automatically sound an alert. It could also automatically shut down doors and windows, if the threat level rises too high.
Each of these home security systems has its own benefits and drawbacks. A burglar who breaks into your home through a window will obviously be unable to penetrate the outer shell of your home with such technology. However, if your home security system can quickly identify an intruder, it can be a great deal more effective than simply monitoring the outside of your property.
There are several different types of home security systems that you can choose from. For example, there are sensors that are placed around your home and will alert the home security system when they are breached. This way, it can be a lot more effective at keeping your home secure than if you were to only rely on your own instinct. Of course, some people feel more comfortable having a monitoring system as part of their home security system.
You also need to ask yourself how much you are willing to spend for a home security system. As mentioned, some people are more comfortable having a monitoring service that can send them alerts whenever a break-in happens. If this is something that interests you, then you should take a look at what is available in the market. However, before you decide on any home security provider, you should certainly check whether they are a licensed one. It is important to note that there are some home security providers who are actually not licensed and, therefore, you could be putting yourself at risk by allowing them to monitor your home. Therefore, it would be a good idea to conduct some research to find out which ones are licensed and have a good track record.
How much do home security systems cost will depend on your location and on how many windows and doors you wish to protect. It would also depend on the amount of time you wish to spend installing the system. However, most homeowners find that the extra money spent up front is definitely worth it. After all, you can never be too safe.”
Wireless home security cameras systems reviews.
“Wireless home security systems reviews can give you an idea as to whether a particular product is worth the investment. If you’re on the fence about purchasing a home security system, then this is one place where you’ll find solid advice. You can read through many different articles and opinions to get a good feel for the pros and cons of the products available on the market today. Some products cost more than others, and you may have to decide if a wireless home security system is worth the extra money. If you do decide to purchase one of the wireless units, then read through all the reviews first. Don’t simply choose the one that seems to have the highest rating.
It’s important that you think about your own home security system before reading through the reviews. What type of cameras will you be using? Are you interested in motion detection or video monitoring? Once you’ve decided on these factors, then you can begin to peruse the different products.
When choosing a wireless home security camera system, make sure you choose one that is easy to install, especially if you are going to install it yourself. How much equipment do you want in your home? This will impact the size of the cameras you will need. Many home owners select a small home security camera for their home, while others choose one with a high-powered lens. Both types will work, but if you want more coverage, then opt for a bigger home security camera system.
If you have an interior home security system, you’ll likely want to select a wireless home security camera system to view your home from the inside. You can see what’s going on inside your home without getting up. A lot of people feel more secure when they are watching their home cameras from inside. There are times when you might not be able to get into your home easily, such as if you’re being forced out. By having a place to watch your home security system from, you can make sure your home is safe from intruders.
Wireless home security cameras can also help you monitor things outside of your home. For example, if you have a pool, you might want to put one of these cameras on your deck or near your fence. These areas can be difficult to access if you’re in a hurry or in hiding. With a wireless security camera system, you can monitor this area easily without getting up.
Wireless home security systems reviews are great to use if you’re looking for products that will protect your home and your family. A lot of the products you’re looking at can be wireless, allowing you to move them around easily. You can even move them while your house is being repaired or when you go on vacation. They are very useful when you have a lot of things to worry about, including money and family. Using these products, you can ensure that your family is safe and your house is protected.”
Call Now-877.740.1411 | https://medium.com/@homesecuritycamera8777401411/home-security-camera-system-kansas-city-mo-877-740-1411-3ea41eb8d44 | ['Home Security Camera'] | 2021-03-02 08:37:46.093000+00:00 | ['Best Home Security Camera', 'Best Home Security System', 'Arlo Camera Setup', 'Security Camera', 'Security Services'] |
The Way Out — Short Story. I was born in the darkness. In a deep… | I was born in the darkness. In a deep dark cave, in a deep dark forest where the nothingness grows. In here, I live alone, with no one to comfort me, to soothe me or to teach me of the world. I am the very thing, that all things are afraid of, to have nothing, to know nothing, to be nothing. I am the thing, that things that get lost in this place are terrified to meet. Some may say that the very sign of me, means death to them and everyone that they love.
In my forest, there has only been darkness. Only mist and fog rise and fall on the edges of the forest wall. The trees do not stretch up but are hunched over reaching back towards which they are bound. The sky is black and still, reflecting off the motionless forest floor of rotten leaves. There are no creatures here, except for the things that dwell underneath.
Lucky for me, I have little appetite and lack any thirst. I gnaw on the roots to scratch my teeth and eat what lives between. My thirst is quenched from fallen mist that is refreshed from the morning fog. There is no place for me to look upon my face or know what features I possess. I have no desire to be full, or to be quenched, for I have all the nothingness I need to sustain me.
I have wandered this place, near and far for what seems like centuries and have seen no way to leave. Somehow, every now and again, a lost soul arrives, seeking some sort of something from my place. They often end up in front of my cave, shaking and quivering too afraid to step inside eventually running away. Yet, they never get to leave, for they fall, stumble and break only to be devoured by the creatures underneath.
Until today, when I saw something different walking through my forest. A young maiden, hair dark as the sky, as tall as any tree and a face that was determined to find something with in my cave. She stood at the edge, glaring into the darkness, her bones seemed to quiver and I could smell her blood boil and could hear her heart quicken but it didn’t stop her for she brought a weapon.
With a flick of a switch, a light beamed from her hand and pointed right in my direction. She gasped with surprise but did not run. I was unable to look at her or to show her my teeth for this light seemed to burn me from underneath.
“There you are” she softly spoke.
Was she speaking to me? Was I the thing she seeks?
“I have been looking for you,” as she quietly walked towards me.
I had no words to speak, for I have never spoken before.
“It’s okay, this thing won’t hurt you. Nor will I,” as she reached out her hand to touch me
I growled and made myself stand taller than she stood now.
“Wow, look at you. You are so strong and beautiful,” holding her ground before my anger.
I was confused, how could she see me this way, what did I not know?
I lowered myself and turned my head with what would seem like curiosity.
“Come, let’s get out of this place. I know a way.” She touched the side of my face and looked me in the eye before moving past me.
Deeper into the cave she walked, with the light guiding the way. I had never thought to go deeper into the cave, for I thought it stopped with me. It seemed to keep going. Soon my paws were wet and I could feel this cool sensation between my toes. I licked the ground beneath me and a smooth crisp taste touched my lips. It overwhelmed me and made me terrified to drink anymore, just yet.
Above me, things dripped down and fell on my back making it ache from being touched.
She just kept walking. Whispering to me from time to time,
“Just up ahead, wait until you see.”
See what I suppose? What was it she wanted me to see and why?
Soon she turned off the light in her hand and in the distance a green light gleamed ahead showing a path out.
Every step I took, I began to see a reflection underneath and all around. I had a nose, long and proud. A body made of fur, very different from hers and made of many colors. My ears stretched up, to hear all the new sounds and my eyes a color I never seen before.
The cave that we had been walking in was no longer dark but began to shimmer. Sensations I had never felt before pulsated through my blood and overwhelmed me. Even when I closed my eyes, colors penetrated my sight and the darkness I had come to know was gone.
When I opened my eyes again, I stood at the very end of what used to be.
“Don’t worry, it may feel overwhelming but soon you will feel right at home, here in the land where the Everything grows.”
Nicole Marie is a Transformation Speaker + Teacher sharing with others on how to become the storytellers of their own life. Join her on the Embodied Storytellers Podcast for weekly sessions of guided meditations, ritual storytelling, archetypal intention setting and community gathering of global minds. | https://medium.com/@embodiedstorytellers/the-way-out-short-story-84678850ef27 | ['Nicole Marie'] | 2020-12-21 06:09:14.952000+00:00 | ['Winter Solstice', 'Astrology', 'Short Story', 'Ritual'] |
Does the “visual” brain shut down in the blind? | The enigma of cerebral plasticity in people lacking vision
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash
Researchers at the University of Louvain must have felt astonished when they spotted on the monitor of their computers an image that would have represented a turning point in the study of visual deprivation. In the late eighties, Marie-Chantal Wanet-Defalque, at that time a young post-doc, demonstrated that, at odds with previous belief, the occipital cortex, which in the sighted is aimed to process visual information, does not shut down in the blind. Quite far from that, actually.
Occipital areas are more active in the blind than in the sighted
In their seminal study, Wanet-Defalque and collaborators tested early blind and sighted participants by using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan, which is a an imaging test that helps reveal how your tissues and organs are functioning. A PET scan uses a radioactive drug (tracer), injected, swallowed or inhaled, which detects what areas in the brain have higher levels of chemical activity. In this way, they were able to show that the occipital areas in the blind was not only active, but hyperactive compared to the one of blindfolded sighted participants.
Occipital areas as a multitasking hub in the blind
It looks like ages have passed since that blurry looking image of the brain of a blind was published. And in a way, it is the case. Neuroimaging techniques have evolved dramatically, allowing us to visualize the human brain with a resolution of 100 micron. An increasing amount of research on visually deprived people has accumulated (by simply typing “blindness” and “brain” in PubMed, you would retrieve more than 6700 items!), and now we know a lot more about how the brain works in people lacking vision. Through decades of research on this topic, we now know that the occipital areas, typically engaged in visual processing in the sighted, are recruited in a wide range of functions in the blind. Indeed, they get activated when blind people listen to sounds, or are reading Braille. Not only are they involved in the processing of information in the spared sensory modalities, but also when people perform memory tasks or navigate space. You would be amazed to know all the things these areas can do!
Not all plastic is evil: the case of neuroplasticity
Why all of this happen? Well, the process by which the “visual” areas can do different things in the blind is known as “neuroplasticity”. This term indicates the ability of the brain to change continuously throughout an individual’s life. Although the developing brain exhibits a higher degree of plasticity than the adult brain, many aspects of the brain can be altered (or are “plastic”) even through adulthood. Without this ability, any brain, not just the human brain, would be unable to develop from infancy through to adulthood. From learning to play a musical instrument to recovering from brain injury ̶ these are all examples of how brain rewire itself to deal with the challenges of the environment.
In the case of the blind, brain activity associated with a given function is partially transferred to a different location. For someone, the fact that auditory and tactile information is processed by occipital areas, in addition to traditionally auditory and tactile areas, might explain why blind people have sharpened auditory and tactile skills. But careful, reality is not that straightforward. There is still a lot to understand about this topic.
Neuroplasticity in blindness
How does the rewiring of auditory and tactile information to the occipital areas take place in the blind?
From research we know that the human brain grows, individual neurons mature, sending out multiple branches and then increasing the number of synaptic contacts with specific connections. But by adulthood the number of synapses decreases dramatically, by mean of a process called synaptic pruning.
The most corroborated theory of how non-visual information ends up being processed in the occipital areas states that in the blind some exuberant connections are just inhibited rather than eliminated during development, and can be unmasked to cope with environmental conditions. Interestingly enough, in sighted people visually deprived for just five days the occipital areas were starting being activated by Braille reading! This study intriguingly suggests that seemingly disconnected areas are actually linked through masked connections, which might though be rapidly unmasked. For those of you worrying: two days were sufficient to regain the pre-experiment conditions in the temporarily visually deprived participants.
Here comes the dilemma: are cerebral visual areas really visual?
Now, if non-visual information can be processed in occipital areas, are the areas traditionally considered as “visual” really “visual”?
This is possibly one of the most challenging conundrum in the area of visual deprivation research. A tentative answer is represented by the so-called metamodal hypothesis of the brain, according to which “the brain might actually represent a metamodal structure organized as operators that execute a given function or computation regardless of sensory input modality.”. According to this view, a brain region is endowed with a relatively constrained structural and functional nature, but is permeable to experience-dependent plasticity.
Many research groups are currently working in order to gain a finer-grained insight of all the implications this hypothesis implies, aiming to eventually unveil the unseen. | https://medium.com/scicommtrento/does-the-visual-brain-shut-down-in-the-blind-e5f6a3051796 | ['Valeria Occelli'] | 2020-02-20 19:38:33.043000+00:00 | ['Brain', 'Science', 'Neuroscience', 'Vision'] |
Case study: From research to design and back | Elli, a brand of Volkswagen, is a company that provides energy and charging solutions to private consumers and businesses. One of the products Elli offers, and the one I worked with mostly, is the Elli app which allows electric car drivers to charge their cars at public stations or at home. The app is currently available in Germany on the App Store and Play Market.
For 8 months, I did an internship at Elli as UX Researcher and was happy to work in a friendly environment where user always has a seat at the table. I always look at design and research as non-separable fields, so I also actively engaged in UX design in addition to research activities.
This article is dedicated to a case study of re-designing a flow in the Elli app, a story of how we went from research to design and back — and what we learned from it.
Why research and design should not be separated
You definitely heard about design thinking, double diamond model or many other concepts that promote one simple truth — research and design cannot be separated. They depend on each other and should organically emerge from each other. This seems logical — why do some companies then get it wrong?
While the importance of research seems generally accepted, some companies still view research and design as important but separate activities — let’s do some research while we’re designing those screens! In this case, research does not inform design decisions but is viewed as just another activity that ‘they have to do’.
The findings from such research are presented and lost, while the design process continues to happen, based on assumptions. Those valuable stories and comments from your users can’t be lost in vain — so here is a case of how we at Elli took design decisions based on what our users think, and what we learned from it.
The story of one re-design
Focus of this case study
For this case study, we focus on those users who subscribe for public charging in Elli app. They would need a charging card from Elli to have access to those services.
A new user would:
order the card in the app receive the card per post add the card to the account set the card as default for public charging.
We had the initial design of this flow implemented in Elli app (we further call it Version 1) — but we wanted to iterate once again because of some design flaws we noticed. Elli design team created an exploration of how an improved flow could look like. In this article, I focus only on the last two steps of the flow: adding card and setting card as default for public charging.
Adding card to account
Below I present the original (Version 1) and re-designed (Version 2) screen that users see when they haven’t added any charging cards to the app yet. In Version 2, we assumed that natural language in copy would help users better understand the action and its consequences. | https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/elli-app-from-research-to-design-and-back-a1a940f5bcdf | ['Myroslava Domanitska'] | 2020-12-21 10:35:27.237000+00:00 | ['Case Study', 'UX Research', 'UX Design', 'Product Design', 'Mobility'] |
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