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The Best Resources on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning | MACHINE LEARNING GUIDE
The Best Resources on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI will change all possible fields whether it is physics, law, or retail and one should be prepared for what is to come…
Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels
Half of this crazy year is behind us and summer is here. Over the years, we machine learning engineers at Ximilar have gathered a lot of interesting ML/AI material from which we draw. I have chosen the best ones from podcasts to online courses that I recommend to listen to, read, and check. Some of them are introductory, others more advanced. However, all of them are high-quality ones made by the best people in the field and they are worth checking. If you are interested in the current progress of AI or you are just curious about what will be the future then you are on the right page. AI will change all possible fields whether it is physics, law, or retail and one should be prepared for what is to come…
Podcasts
If there is one medium that has become popular in recent years, it must be podcasts. Everyone is doing it right now — there are podcasts about sex, politics, tech, healthcare, brains, bicycles,… and AI is not missing. But one of them stands out. It is a podcast by Lex Fridman. This MIT alumni is doing an incredible job by interviewing top people from the field, famous people included (like Garry Kasparov or Elon Musk). Some episodes are more about science, physics, mind, startups, and the future of humanity. The ideas presented in the podcast are just mind-blowing. The talks are deep but clever and it will take you some time to get through them.
The Turing test is a recursive test. The Turing test is a test on us. It is a test of whether people are intelligent enough to understand themselves.
Another great podcast is Brain Inspired by Paul Middlebrooks with interesting guests. It shows and discusses topics from Neuroscience and AI and how these fields are connected together.
Books
Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark — How will AI change healthcare, jobs, justice, or war? Max Tegmark is a professor at MIT who has written this provocative and engaging book about the future. He tries to answer a lot of questions like What is intelligence? Can a machine have a consciousness? Can we control AI? … This is a great introduction even for non-technical people.
AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Kai-Fu Lee — Book is about incredible progress in AI in China.
Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow by Aurélien Géron — Do you know how to code and would you like to start with some experiments? This book is not only about one of the most popular programming framework TensorFlow but also about modern techniques in machine learning and neural networks. You will code your first image recognition model and learn how to preprocess and analyze text.
Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch by Jeremy Howard and Sylvain Gugger — Another great book for coders. Code examples are in the PyTorch framework. Jeremy Howard is a famous researcher and developer in the AI community. His fastai project helps millions of people to get into deep learning.
Looking for more hardcore books with math equations? Then try Deep Learning by MIT Press. Are you interested in classic approaches, then many university students will remember preparing for exams with Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig or the Bishop’s Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. (These two are a bit advanced and many topics are for a master or even Ph.D. level).
Magazines
MIT Technology Review is a great magazine with the latest news and trends in technology and future innovations. The magazine covers also other interesting topics as biotechnology, blockchain, space, climate change, and more. There is a print or digital access option for you.
Popular videos & channels
People to Follow
There are a lot of famous Scientists & Engineers & Entrepreneurs to follow. For example often mentioned Jeremy Howard (fast.ai), Andrej Karpathy (Tesla AI), Yann LeCun (Facebook AI), Rachel Thomas (fast.ai, data ethics), Francois Chollet (Google), Fei-Fei Li (Stanford), Anima Anandkumar (Nvidia AI), Demis Hassabis (DeepMind), Geoffrey Hinton (Google) and more …
Lectures & Online courses
So you’ve read some books and articles and now you want to start digging a little deeper? Or you want to become a Machine Learning Specialist? Then start with some online courses. Of course, you will need to learn a little bit about math before and get some basic programming skills. Online courses are a great option if you can’t study at university or you want to get knowledge at your own pace. Here are some of the courses that can serve you as the start point:
Machine Learning course from Andrew Ng — this one is a classic and most popular one for a number of reasons, it’s great introductory material.
To learn more math we can recommend Mathematics for Machine Learning.
Deep Learning specialization is more about modern approaches of neural networks.
There are a lot of great specializations on Udacity by top companies and engineers from various fields like Healthcare or Automotive.
CS231n and CS224N are great Stanford courses for computer vision and natural language processing (NLP), including video lectures, slides, and materials. It’s FREE!
6.034 and 6.S191 — lectures for AI and Deep Learning by MIT on YouTube.
Practical Deep Learning for Coders by fast.ai — Jeremy Howard is doing a great job here by explaining concepts, ideas and showing the code in Jupiter notebooks.
PyImageSearch — offers great introductory tutorials in the computer vision field
Research blogs
You know how to code and you even know how to build your CNN? Or are you just simply interested in what is the future of the field and how the companies are using AI? Check out some of the latest trends and SOTA approaches from the top research groups in the world. There are several giants like Facebook, Google pushing the AI boundaries:
Great articles
We are always looking for high-quality content that is why some of the following articles can be a bit longer. AI is a complex field which is disrupting the way we live and do business:
Newsletters
Data Science Weekly and Deep Learning Weekly — as the names suggest this is every week news from data science and machine learning.
The Algorithm — a newsletter released by MIT.
The Batch — a newsletter by deeplearning.ai.
Alignment — a newsletter by Rohin Shah.
Trends & Problems
Ethics & Transparency & Safety — Should countries ban the usage of face recognition technology? [source][source] Is ethical to scrape the data from the internet to build your face search startup? [source] What is an unethical use of AI? [source] What about autonomous weapons for defensive purposes? Are social media polarizing people with their clever algorithms optimized for more clicks/likes/…? [source]
Jobs replacement — Will AI replace all manufacturing and basic jobs? Or will the research in AI create even more job opportunities? What is going to do countries that are heavily dependent on manual work labor? [source] Will one day companies using robots/clever algorithms pay AI Tax?
Interpretability & Explainability — Why did the deep learning model predict X and not Y? What the neural network has actually learned? How can we fool the model with adversarial attacks to make it the wrong prediction?
Racial bias in datasets and models — a big issue mostly in Face recognition, Insurance, and Healthcare. [source]
GANs and Deep Fakes — GANs are incredible technology which brings also challenges, … Have you heard about Deep Fakes videos? One day the Deep Fakes will be unrecognizable from genuine content. This could create new problems in politics, business, or our personal lives …
Big and Small models — bigger models can lead to incredible results in NLP [source]. On the other hand, there is also more research to make models lighter and faster with binarization or pruning techniques.
Self-supervised learning — high-quality datasets lead to better results, but building such datasets are expensive and requires a lot of manual labeling work. Maybe one day the AI models will be able to create better internal representations without labels.
That is all for now. There are other great resource lists like the one from DeepMind, from which we got inspired. The list is divided by the level of the target audience — introductory, intermediate, and advanced. We will try to keep this post updated and if we find a gem it will appear here. There is much more material from which you can learn but now it’s up to you to start your own machine learning journey.
Thank you for reading this article, for more information follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. | https://medium.com/swlh/the-best-resources-on-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning-2231011488bf | ['Michal Lukac'] | 2020-09-21 07:39:55.760000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning', 'Deep Learning', 'Startup', 'Data Science'] |
Pairing drinks with web/tv-shows | We picked 8 popular Web/TV shows with drinks pairing recommendations to fix your weekend binge-watching.
The idea of a cozy relaxing weekend at home seems incomplete without getting curled up in front of the TV and watching your favorite shows, preferably with some popcorn and that favorite drink in your hand. What if you could pair those shows with drinks to amp up the experience?
Here are the top-rated shows you can binge-watch while having a glass of wine or cocktail recommended by us.
Tales From the Loop S1 — Amazon Prime
Genre: (Science Fiction)
Tales from the loop is an American Science Fiction Drama web television series based on the eponymous art book by Swedish artist Simon Stalenhag. With just one season available, this series deserves a watch for its beautiful storytelling and outstanding background score. Pair it with a nice Chardonnay that reminds you of a long-forgotten childhood story and a Sauvignon Blanc wine that brings you back to reality. We recommend Fratelli Vineyards M/S White wine, a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
Image Source: Fratelli Wines
The Man In The High Castle S4 — Amazon Prime
Genre: (Alternate History)
A different history, different times in a very different world! An American dystopian alternate history, The Man in the High Castle is mind-boggling with strange possibilities of an alternate time. The story depicts a parallel universe where the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan rule the world after their victory in World War II. It is an engaging series that’s fuelled by many hypotheses. This show is all about the bittersweet truth from a parallel life. What we can suggest is to watch it with a Campari Soda with a slice of lemon to match up to the bitter truths of the story’s twists and turns.
James May: Our Man In Japan S1– Amazon Prime
Genre: (Travel Documentary)
Who doesn’t love travel shows! Especially when the show is exploring a country like Japan through the eyes of one of the most entertaining hosts of television, James May. The show is a chronicle of his deeds and mishaps, experiences that showcase the side of Japan, which one would not see otherwise like a regular tourist.
Some sake or Japanese beer could be paired with it but watching the English man’s interesting escapades in a foreign country goes well with a drink of gin and tonic. Go for a Tanqueray Gin with Fever-Tree Tonic water.
Image Source: Pairingguide
Ratched — Netflix
Genre: (Psychological Thriller)
From the makers of the popular TV series American Horror Story comes this dark mystery thriller that certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted. Ratched is a suspenseful drama series that tells the origin story of asylum nurse Mildred Ratched set in the year 1947. Interesting backdrop, engaging plotline, the sheer grandeur of the show with a highly impressive ensemble cast makes it for a great watch.
Pairing suggestion, none other than an Old Fashioned cocktail with American whiskey (Jack Daniels or Makers Mark).
Image Source: Liquor
Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything — Netflix
Genre: (Science & Nature Docuseries)
Connected is a docuseries where journalist Latif Nasser is investigating ways in which we are all connected to each other and the universe. Finding context in every being and giving meaning to the existence of many rare fact-findings, Connected makes for an interesting watch for curious minds. We suggest you sip on some Wild Craft Cider for this leisure watch.
Image Source: Instagram
Mirzapur 2 — Amazon Prime
Genre: (Crime / Action Thriller)
The story from the Indian heartland filled with a gripping narration and strong casting makes it binge-watch worthy. You need a copious amount of rum & coke to deal with this one. Mirzapur (S1 and S2) calls for caution as it’s filled with action, violence and profanity but also offers some high-grade drama and entertainment.
We suggest a drink that’s close to the heartland, Rum & coke. Pair it with Bacardi White rum and coke. If you feel adventurous add some salt and drop a slice of lime into the glass.
Image Source: Thrillist
The Crown S4 — Netflix
Genre: (Historical/Drama)
The Crown Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix. If you have been a Royal Family fan, like the millions of world over and can’t have enough of the gossips from the palace, this series is for you. Even though it’s touted as a fiction show viewers are bound to draw similarities between all the happenings in the British royal family and her relationships with the other royal family members. But, with all those royal lunches and dinner scenes shown in the S4 of the series you are bound to feel hungry and thirsty.
So we suggest this delicious Sileni New Zealand Pinot Noir wine available in India. Also, pairs well with spicy Indian curries.
Image Source: Moorewilsons
The Queen’s Gambit — Netflix
Genre: (Period Drama/ Limited series)
If you have remotely fancied to become a chess player or ever enjoyed a game or two, you wouldn’t want to miss this. Based on the American novel written by Walter Tevis, The Queen’s Gambit explores the life of a female chess prodigy. Pair the show with a powerful Sangiovese wine, preferably a Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy.
Continue reading here: https://mumbaidrinksguide.com/en/blog/what-to-drink-94/cocktails-103/pairing-drinks-with-webtv-shows-15.htm | https://medium.com/@globaldrinksguide/pairing-drinks-with-web-tv-shows-a2918d4bb4a | ['Global Drinks Guide'] | 2021-04-09 04:54:40.244000+00:00 | ['Beverage', 'Drinks', 'Web Series', 'TV Shows', 'Pairing'] |
Korea Node Owner Tournament— Quarter & Semifinals Recap | It has been a wild week of Spider Tanks battling in the Korea Node Owner Tournament, but the results are in! Two skilled teams of the original 16 have emerged triumphant and will be heading to Las Vegas to compete live on the World Galaverse Stage at -into the galaverse on December 11th and 12th.
Read on for a recap (including videos) of the remaining Quarterfinal matchups, as well as recordings of the two Semifinal matchups!
Day 4 — Quarterfinals
Day 4 was filled with quarterfinal matchups. The participants had a fantastic time, giving everyone a great idea of Spider Tanks’ future of worldwide esports success! Players were well-prepared based on excellent understanding of the game, which helped viewers enjoy the tournament even more. They also played in all modes based on their strategies, making for an exciting day of Quarterfinal battle action.
Competition is going to be incredibly tight in Las Vegas, where the best two teams from this tournament will come to battle alongside the best two teams from last week’s US Node Owner Tournament at -into the galaverse!
Following completion of the above battles, the Quarterfinals are wrapped up, advancing half the teams one step closer to the Galaverse and sending the other half home defeated. We noticed that the players sounded more relaxed during the briefing session, probably because they were well-prepared. Most of today’s battles were neck and neck nail biters.
KoreaT1 vs K9 Thunder
You can see from the 3–1 end score that their matches were fierce. KoreaT1 fought tightly together while K9 Thunder employed a more spread out strategy. The first game was won by K9 Thunder. Unfortunately it failed to break down KoreaT1’s strong Tank Bodies and stronger teamwork in the following matches. Although both teams had great strategies, KoreaT1 successfully moved on to the semifinals.
MiningQueen vs 795
Despite high network latency, the games were well-played without any rematches. Although MiningQueen lost one game, they defeated 795 to advance to the semifinals thanks to strong teamwork. One of the players got disconnected in the middle of the fourth set, but he was able to quickly come back to the game. The remaining two players kept calm, which showed what it would take to be the winner.
TAS vs Korea S-Class
This matchup was pretty one-sided, ending with a 3–0 score, but each set was still a tight game. Korea S-Class began to move ahead thanks to the remarkable gameplay by their star player, Ttakpool. The second set was Chicken Chaser mode, in which TAS was quite confident, but Korea S-Class showed off a better strategy. They kept the momentum and won the last set, which was Hold The Flag mode.
That was the end of the semifinals. Only two games are left to decide on the Las Vegas trip recipients. We can hardly wait for the Seimfinal action of Day 5!
Day 5 — Semifinals
Watch the two Semifinal matchups below to see who has won a trip to Las Vegas to compete at -into the galaverse!
AK vs Korea T1
MiningQueen vs Korea S Class
The Spider Tanks World Cup
Get ready for the kickoff of the first ever big-time Esports Championship, brought to you by Gala Games and sponsored by OKEx.
The mayhem starts tonight at 7pm PST! Watch live on Youtube, in both English and Korean!
About Spider Tanks
Spider Tanks is an upcoming PVP arena brawler from GAMEDIA and Gala Games. This expertly crafted and brilliantly competitive game will be the world’s first internationally renowned play-to-earn esport! Learn more at Spidertanks.game.
About GAMEDIA
GAMEDIA is an award winning game studio from the Netherlands, with an extensive track record and history. The long list of games they have developed are mostly based on well know entertainment IP’s and have seen the light on a wide range of platforms and hardware. Currently they are focused on creating our own high quality multiplayer games for PC, consoles as well as mobile. | https://blog.gala.games/korea-node-owner-tournament-quarter-semifinals-recap-f885e6c70aa | ['Spider Tanks'] | 2021-11-27 18:21:17.652000+00:00 | ['Gaming', 'Spider Tanks', 'Blockchain', 'Playtoearn', 'Esports'] |
The Top 10 NFL Running Backs of the 80s | Who’s number one?
The Top 10 NFL Running Backs of the 1980s. There are a lot of names that were worthy of making this list, who were kept off. This is a list of the best of the very best. A countdown of the 10 best at the Running Back position for the Decade. So let the debate begin and find out who is at the top of this list.
Before we start be sure to check out my Top 10 Running Backs of the 70s:
Lets Begin!
10. Billy Sims: Detroit Lions-
Stats for the Decade: 5,106 Rushing Yards, 42 Rushing TD, 2,072 Receiving Yards
Accolades/Awards for the Decade: 1980 All-Rookie Team, 1x Offensive Player of the Year, 3x All-Pro
If it wasn’t for injuries, Sims might’ve had a Hall of Fame Career. He finished the decade with three 1,000 Yard Rushing seasons in only five seasons played in the decade. Sims was also a good pass catcher out of the backfield. He had multiple 400 Yard Receiving seasons. | https://medium.com/the-sports-scientist/the-top-10-nfl-running-backs-of-the-80s-d9845a72a68f | ['Jeffrey Genao'] | 2020-09-01 16:29:55.532000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Sports', 'Data', 'NFL', 'History'] |
DC Fights Marvel in the Multiverse | Interesting profile of Walter Hamada, who is clearly being set up as the foil to Kevin Feige at Disney/Marvel. Feige, of course, has been absolutely masterful when it comes to weaving together an insanely complex and interconnected narrative via the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To say DC has paled in comparison is like saying a lightbulb pales in comparison to the Sun.
To wit, from Brooks Barnes:
For various reasons, including creative misfires and management turnover at DC Films (Mr. Hamada took over in 2018), Warner Bros. has badly trailed Disney-owned Marvel at the box office. Over the last decade, Warner Bros. has generated $8 billion in worldwide superhero ticket sales, including $36 million from “Wonder Woman 1984” over the weekend; Marvel has taken in $20.6 billion.
And that’s despite some massive swings like two Superman movies, one with Batman, Justice League with both of them and Wonder Woman and Aquaman, the latter two of which had their own movies which were hits. In that regard, DC actually would seem to be doing okay versus Marvel, it’s just that Marvel is doing so insanely well under Feige. And, undoubtedly related, the quality of the Marvel films is just a level (or two) above the DC films.
This profile reads as if DC now recognizes they can’t compete head to head with Marvel so they’ll try a slightly different approach, a “multiverse” one in which their characters exist on several different timelines at once, played by different actors. It’s risky because it’s far messier and in many ways more complex than the Marvel approach, but it can be bigger in scope if it works. And it may work better in a world that’s not just theatrical-drive, but morphs to be more focused on streaming services. Of course, it’s not like Disney is resting of their laurels in that regard!
Aside: I wonder if this all makes it more or less likely that we eventually get a Marvel/DC crossover movie or show. It would seem we’re a decade away from that at least. Probably longer. Marvel just brought Spider-Man back into the fold, now they need to work on X-Men! | https://mgs.medium.com/dc-fights-marvel-in-the-multiverse-1b6b9ab645a | ['M.G. Siegler'] | 2020-12-28 17:56:00.821000+00:00 | ['Dc', 'Comics', 'Marvel', 'Warner', 'Film'] |
How Political Racism Steals Our Minds and Robs Us Blind | Racist Former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“If you can convince the lowest white man, he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” ~ President Lyndon B. Johnson
The Lowest White Man
The 37th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, perfectly illustrated how racism steals the minds of White men while White politician rob them blind. President Johnson knew you could get a White man to do almost anything if you told him he’s a victim because Black or Brown people are taking jobs they didn’t want anyway, Blacks and Browns are getting public assistance White men feel only they are entitled to, or god forbid learn Blacks have worked hard to achieve their elusive American dream, you can get rob them blind.
Nothing gets a White man stirred up like equality and fairness. Racism is the drug of choice politicians have used for decades to rob the lowest White men (and women) in our society. As long as they think they aren’t at the bottom, they are happy.
Never mind the fact the Both the low Black men and low White men both are being robbed at the same time by the same thief. The only difference is one of the two low men (the Black one) sees the evil. The other man thinks the White male politician is his friend. He’s not. The tie that binds the low white man to the lowest White man is White Supremacy. You would think by now White men would have learned the lesson by now, but we continue to watch millions of White men every election cycle lose morally, financially, and socially to win politically.
Racism steals the minds of White men while White politicians rob them blind.
After All These Years, The Southern Strategy Still Works on Whites
If you’re familiar with the Southern Strategy in American politics, you should be familiar with the favorite pasttime of White men in American using this strategy to win whatever it is they set their evil minds to. Fighting against coloreds, Blacks, Browns, and non-White otherness.
The strategy is simple. Put White men, regardless of their socioeconomic status, against Black men, Black women, and other People of Color, and you can rob White men blind.
White Supremacy is the foundation of almost everything in America, including our politics, and the country needs to come to terms with the racism used to keep both political parties strong as it kept us all segregated. Chasing and appeasing White voters at the expense of otherness is as old as voting. So is getting this notion of White men being a victim because of equality and equity. As long as White men and women believe they are in jeopardy of becoming equal, they’ll do anything, including losing their damned minds, getting robbed by con-artists, and going to Walmart on a human shooting spree to maintain their “unequal” footing.
The Southern Strategy politics is the gift that keeps giving. And although it is a policy of the Republican Party, the Democratic Party (prior to the flipping) were the inventors of this strategy. The Low White Man strategy still works with White women and men in the Democratic Party too.
Different Political Parties, Same Racist Ideologies
I have been warning Democrats for the last two years of the reckoning that awaits the party because of their unwillingness to deal with race. Just like most of Trump’s Republican base believes Mexicans are stealing their jobs picking vegetables in fields (not), or Blacks are raping and stealing all of “their” White women (not), or reparations are bad, but bailouts for White farmers are okay, and Black and Browns are becoming too educated so they need to do away with Affirmative Action efforts, the Dems have their own White Supremacy issues too.
Dems have issues like Whites thinking nominating Barack Obama twice for POTUS makes us a post-racial America, and failing to act quickly on race and other issues that impact People of Color, or only talking about reparations when Black people are running for national office. Other ways they get under the low White man umbrella is by failing to impeach the President due to his racism even amid Black and Brown people getting killed, the tired “electability” argument any time a Black person or woman runs for office, or chasing White (fill in the blank with a characteristic ______ ) voters in Iowa or White voting blocks by race instead of issues, or Whites touting equality while hogging up all the opportunities to lead from Black and Brown people.
This Is Who We Are
White and Black people day after day continue to recite the slogan “this [racism] isn’t who we are,” but it’s a lie. This is who we are.
We’ve always been this way. Saying anything otherwise is a lie and deniers should go their local library’s American History section and spend the year there. That kind of ignorance leads to implicit bias.
America has always been a divided, segregated nation, and White America has always worked diligently to maintain the intricate systems of privilege and White Supremacy.
As of July 2018 according the U.S. Census, 76% of America is White. The majority of America is White. America is a White nation. Only 13.4% of Americans are Black, 18.3% are Hispanic/Latino, 1.3% of Americans are American Indian/Alaskan Native alone. There were 327,167,434 people living in America last month. Of that, only 60.4% were White alone (Whatever that means — like is the a test for “pure” White people?).
And here my friend is the root of the low White man’s anxiety.
If only 60.4% of the people in America are White alone, that means almost 50% of America is not White alone. It means the soon-to-be new majority will demand fairness, equality, and inequity in governance. But you can bet your bottom dollar that old rebellious Whiteness isn’t going down without a fight. Hence, the beating of the White drums for White lives with White lies at Fox News. Then there is Mitch McConnell stacking the courts with conservative judges who will rule in favor of Whiteness every, single time. And let’s not even talk about the White men and women who will vote for a lying jive turkey like Donald Trump.
The “low White man” will believe anything another White man tells him. Throughout our history, White politicians have used White men (i.e. White working class voters) to get achieve their personal goals. Whether it’s political appointments, public office, policies and legislation, or financial aids and public supports, White politicians know how to turn out the White vote. The same strategy works each and every election cycle. All politicians need to do is make low White men and women believe they are victims and scapegoat any ethnic group of color, and the world is theirs (or so they believe).
Meanwhile, Blacks and other non-whites every election cycle prepare to be treated as left overs, after-thoughts, or the bogey men of Whites in America. At some point, you’d think Whiteness both Republican and Democrats would get wise and stop trusting their own, but no such thing. Whiteness is priceless, and the most vile, lowest White men will lie to low White men to keep good Black and Brown folks down. That’s just the way it is.
And so, we all continue to suffer because White people continue to believe faithfully in the institutions of inequality and inequity.
If you can convince the lowest white man, he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.
And here we are. Again.
© 2019 Marley K. All rights reserved.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this essay, you may enjoy these: | https://medium.com/marleyisms/how-political-racism-steals-our-minds-and-robs-us-blind-271229b6a9fb | ['Marley K.'] | 2019-08-15 14:10:40.699000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'BlackLivesMatter', 'Racism', 'Government', 'Race'] |
How to Calm Your Nerves for a TV Interview | Chat with the Interviewer
Speak to the interviewer before the interview, discuss the type of questions you should be expecting and get to know the interviewer a little to help you feel comfortable talking to him or her during the interview. Knowing what to expect really helps to calm your nerves.
Appearance
To prevent being self-conscious about your appearance, wear whatever makes you look good, feel comfortable, and confident.
Arrival
On the day of the interview, make sure you avoid rushing. The worry about being late, not preparing well enough, all this can trigger anxiety. Before the interview begins, take as much time as you can to gather your thoughts.
You are the EXPERT
No matter how scared you are, remember you are an expert in that field. So whenever questions are thrown at you, feel confident to come up with an answer because you are very familiar with the topic being discussed.
Posture
The way you position yourself is very important, sitting comfortably but attentively is necessary to make sure you can complete the interview without having to fret. Make a conscious effort to breathe evenly and try to focus on what the interviewer is saying, no matter how nervous you are. If you feel your hands shaking, do not fold your arms or clasp your hands in your lap instead try to calm the shakes and use them to make gestures as you speak.
Smile
Remember to smile often, not only does this project a relaxed and confident image to your interviewers but it will help you feel more relaxed and positive. | https://medium.com/@boracomms/how-to-calm-your-nerves-for-a-tv-interview-dcede571ae77 | ['Bora Communications'] | 2020-05-01 11:14:20.181000+00:00 | ['Interview', 'Nervousness', 'Tv Interview', 'TV', 'Media Relations'] |
The Woman That Was Kicked Out Of Paradise | In the ninth or tenth century, a collection of legends titled The Alphabet of Ben Sira, spin an elaborate story in which Lilith is Adam’s first wife
When the first man, Adam, saw that he was alone, God made for him a woman like himself, from the earth.God called her name Lilith, and brought her to Adam. They immediately began to quarrel. Adam said: “You lie beneath me.” And Lilith said: “You lie beneath me! We are both equal, for both of us are from the earth.” And they would not listen to one another.
As soon as Lilith saw this, she uttered the Divine name and flew up into the air and fled. Adam began to pray before his Creator, saying: “Master of the universe, the woman that you gave me has fled.” God sent three angels and said to them: “Go bring back Lilith. If she wants to come, she shall come, and if she does not want to come, do not bring her against her will.
The three angels went and found her in the sea at the place where the Egyptians were destined to drown. There they grabbed her and said to her: “If you will go with us,well and good, but if not, we will drown you in the sea.”
Lilith said to them:”My friends, I know God only created me to weaken infants when they are eight days old. From the day a child is born until the eighth day, I have dominion over the child, and from the eighth day onward I have no dominion over him if he is a boy, but if a girl, I rule over her twelve days.”
They said: “We won’t let you go until you accept upon yourself that each day one hundred of your children will die.” And she accepted it. That is why one hundred demons die every day. They would not leave her alone until she swore to them:”In any place that I see you or your names in an amulet, I will have no dominion over that child.” They left her. And she is Lilith, who weakens the children of men….
- Alphabet of Ben Sira 23a-b | https://medium.com/the-huntress/the-woman-that-was-kicked-out-of-paradise-f7f4d2ebf95 | [] | 2020-08-21 16:07:37.369000+00:00 | ['Female Sexuality', 'History', 'Religion', 'Feminism', 'Women'] |
Why Family Leave Policies are Important in Closing the Gender Pay Gap | The gender pay gap is a large and complex issue. It has over a century’s worth of history rooted in gender inequality and societal gender roles that is difficult to disentangle from the problem. Although we have come a long way from the days when women were not allowed to hold a job or have an education, the 2019 Gender Pay Gap Report shows that women still only earn 79 cents for every $1 earned by men in the United States.
With the education gap closing in the United States, and the emergence of diversity & inclusion departments in many top companies across the country, it’s easy to wonder why this is still the case.
Unfortunately, unconscious gender biases and gender discrimination still exist in the work place. There was a Yale study that demonstrated just how prevalent unconscious biases are in the hiring process. In the study, researchers sent out dozens of student applications to top science professors. The resumes were identical, except that half the resumes were for a male student, John, and the other half were for a female student, Jennifer. The results showed an overwhelming bias towards the male applicant over the female applicant in terms of competency and likelihood of being hired, even though the qualifications and content of the resume were the same.
While unconscious bias plays a huge role in this problem, it only explains a tiny portion of the gender wage gap. The 2019 Gender Pay Gap Report showed that the gender wage gap in the US for 18–24 year olds was 1.4%, but this percentage greatly increased to 12.4% for 55–64 year olds.
The reason behind this can be explained by what many call the “motherhood penalty”.
In recent years, women and men can enter the workforce on a relatively even playing field, but as people start to enter the life stage of starting a family, there comes the question of –who can or should take family leave and for how long?
Currently, the United States federal policy offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave that can be taken within one year of the birth or adoption of a child. This is by far one of the worst ranking family leave policies in the world considering the country’s strong economic status.
Fortunately, most companies have their own family policies in place and many of them are quite generous. Companies like Facebook, Square, and Zendesk offer up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave, while Twitter offers up to 20 weeks of paid leave.
However, not everyone is fortunate enough to work at these top tech companies and have these generous leave options. The reality is that most people in the country still work in jobs where it isn’t as easy to make these decisions. Often, parents must choose who amongst themselves will have to take more parental leave. In many cases, it is the mother who ends up taking more time off or working part time to care for the child because it makes the most financial sense for the family. The existence of the gender wage gap means that men still tend to be the breadwinners and it is easier to justify having the lesser paying parent make the career sacrifice.
Furthermore, there is still this great expectation placed on women to be the primary child caretaker. Even if both parents could take minimal leave and stay on their career trajectory, mothers are expected to carry more of the childcare duties. In this case, not only does a mother work full time during the day, but she also tends to bear more of the childcare responsibilities after work. This also includes responsibilities such as staying at home with the child when they are sick, taking the child to soccer practice, and taking part in the PTA meetings. All these little decisions add up, and it ends up being much easier to promote a man who does not have to leave work early to pick up the kids or go to parent teacher conferences than a mother who is likely to take on those responsibilities.
This is not to say that this is the situation for every household, but in more cases than not, it tends to be the mother who makes more of the parental sacrifices.
Eventually, this is where the scale starts to tip in favor of men, and where it becomes harder to close that gender wage gap. What started out as a level playing field slowly starts to become uneven.
To bring the scale back to balance, there needs to be a change not only in our parental leave policies to encourage more fathers in taking leave, but also a shift in the attitude towards the gender roles in child care responsibilities. Better parental leave policies mean that parents will have more options when it comes to who can stay at home and who can continue to excel their careers. A change in gender discourse around childcare responsibilities will allow fathers to take away some of the burden and expectations placed around mothers to always be the one making the parental sacrifice.
Although these are not the only two ideologies that need to be fulfilled when it comes to closing the gender wage gap –we still need to overcome the obstacle of unconscious bias & discrimination in the workplace –they do bring us one step closer. | https://joanncai.medium.com/why-family-leave-policies-are-important-in-closing-the-gender-pay-gap-75e07a5bbe0 | ['Joann Cai'] | 2020-04-08 04:06:53.708000+00:00 | ['Gender Roles', 'Equality', 'Gender Equality', 'Equal Pay', 'Gender Pay Gap'] |
What things you can do with JavaScript Arrays | So, in this article I’m going to take you deep dive into what operations you can perform with the JavaScript Arrays and these operations are also helpful in your day-to-day programming. So let’s start.
Here I’ve divided all the operations into 5 parts:-
Add or Remove
Search
Transforming
Iterate
Additional
* Add or Remove Items from Array
push()
push method adds the item to the end of the array & changes the length of the array and returns the new length.
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.push("Chris"); console.log('jsArray...', jsArray);
// jsArray... ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false, "Chris"]
pop()
pop method removes the last item from an array and returns the removed item.
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false, "Chris"];
jsArray.pop();
// removes "Chris"
shift()
shift method removes the first item from an array and returns the removed item.
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false, "Chris"];
jsArray.shift();
// removes "Sam"
unshift()
unshift method adds new item to the beginning of the array and returns the new array length. It modifies the original array.
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.unshift("Chris"); console.log('jsArray...', jsArray);
// jsArray... ["Chris", "Sam", "Mark", 12, false]
slice()
slice method returns the new array of selected items. It accepts two arguments start(by default 0) and end(by default array.length-1) and does not include the end value item.
slice(start(optional),end(optional));
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
const jsArray1 = jsArray.slice(1,3) console.log('jsArray1...', jsArray1);
// jsArray1... ["Mark", 12]
splice()
splice method adds or removes the array items. It accepts three arguments index, deleteCount and items.
splice(index, deletCount(optional), …items);
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.splice(2,0, "Chris");
// add 1 item at position 2 console.log('jsArray...', jsArray);
// jsArray... ["Sam", "Mark", "Chris", 12, false]
concat()
concat method concatenate or joins two or more arrays and returns new concatenated array.
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
const jsArray1 = ["Chris"];
const finalJsArray = jsArray.concat(jsArray1); console.log('finalJsArray...', finalJsArray);
// finalJsArray... ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false, "Chris"]
* Searching in an Array
indexOf()
indexOf method searches over an array for the specified item and returns its position. It accepts two arguments item and start(by default 0). It returns -1 if item is not found.
indexOf(item, start(optional));
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.indexOf("Mark");
// returns 1
lastIndexOf
lastIndexOf method searches over an array and returns the last index or position for specified item. It accepts two arguments item and start(by default array.length -1). It returns -1 if item is not found.
lastIndexOf(item, start(optional));
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, "Mark", false];
jsArray.lastIndexOf("Mark");
// returns 3
If you want to search from beginning to end then use indexOf() method and if you want to search from end to beginning of the array then use lastIndexOf() method.
includes()
includes method returns true if an array contains the specified item else return false. It accepts two arguments item and start(by default 0).
includes(item, start(optional));
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.includes("Mark");
// returns true
* Transforming the Array
map()
map method creates a new array with the results of calling a function for every array item. It accepts two arguments callbackFunction(item, index(optional), array(optional)) and thisArgument.
map(callbackFunction(item, index(optional), array(optional)){…}, thisArgument);
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
const jsArray1 = jsArray.map(item => item); console.log('jsArray1...', jsArray1);
// 'jsArray1...' [ 'Sam', 'Mark', 12, false ]
sort()
sort method sorts the items of the array. The sort order can be either alphabetic or numeric, and either ascending or descending. sort() method by default sorts the values as strings in alphabetical and ascending order. It accepts one argument i.e compareFunction.
sort(compareFunction(optional){…});
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.sort(); console.log('jsArray...', jsArray);
// 'jsArray...' [ 12, 'Mark', 'Sam', false ]
reverse()
reverse method reverse the order of the items in an array.
array.reverse();
const jsArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
jsArray.reverse(); console.log('jsArray...', jsArray);
// 'jsArray...' [ false, 12, 'Mark', 'Sam' ]
* Iterate over an Array
forEach()
forEach method calls a function once for each item in an array. It accepts two arguments callbackFunction(item, index(optional), array(optional)) and thisArgument.
forEach(function(item, index(optional), array(optional)){…},thisArgument);
const testArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
testArray.forEach((item) => {
console.log(item);
}) // 'Sam'
// 'Mark'
// 12
// false
* Additional
Array.isArray()
Array.isArray method returns true if an object is an array or an instance of array else returns false.
Array.isArray(arrayObject);
const testArray = ["Sam", "Mark", 12, false];
Array.isArray(testArray);
// return true;
Sources:-
Conclusion
We have now learned what operations we can perform with the JavaScript Arrays. If you feel inspired to build something with these methods. Kudos to you!
🌟 Twitter | 👩🏻💻 kuljeet-singh| 🌟 Instagram | 🔗 LinkedIn | 💻 Github | https://medium.com/@kuljeetsingh951/what-things-you-can-do-with-javascript-arrays-3bd14965a2df | ['Kuljeet Singh'] | 2021-09-11 09:17:47.048000+00:00 | ['Development', 'Array Methods', 'Programming', 'JavaScript', 'Arrays'] |
Our FAQs | Writers
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If you haven’t heard from us within the next five working days, please carefully check the article you submitted to our team. See if you can now submit it directly to TDS and look for any private notes from us that you may have missed. You should also make sure to check your spam folder.
If you just can’t reach us, the best thing for you to do is submit your article to another publication. Although we’d love to, we can’t provide customized feedback to everyone because we simply receive too many submissions. You can learn more about our decision here and submit another post in a month. | https://medium.com/p/462571b65b35#1bcb | ['Tds Editors'] | 2020-11-19 01:16:58.476000+00:00 | ['Writers’ Guide', 'Tds Team', 'Writers Guide'] |
On Death. | Death has always fascinated me. It’s one of the most mysterious thing that can happen to you. Do you seize to exist, or are you reborn? Do we go to heaven or hell just disappear from the face of the earth? and as the arms of the clock move past four thirty I get under my blanket and call Abi Ali after three rings he picks up the phone, he says, “dude do you realize what time it is” yes, “I’m the one who called you idiot,” he says, “what do you want at this ungodly hour?” I just had a quick question what happens when you die?. “Dude are you fucking kidding me?” you’re calling me in the middle of the night to know to what happens when you die? I say, “yes”. I don’t know and I don’t care its the middle of the night and please for fucks sake do not tell me that you’re still thinking about your dad and how he died. “No I’m not thinking about my dad and the fact that one night he got a heart attack while he was asleep leaving his whole family behind. “Okay listen, Mustafa please just go to sleep stop overthinking this and go to sleep we’ll talk about this in the morning. “No please I wanna know,” what happens “Oh God you’re not going to let me sleep are you?” do I really have to say that out loud? Oh god, okay listen as we’ve been taught since we were kids when people die they either go to heaven or hell, I say, “but what if we don’t, what if we just seize to exist what if that grave is the only place we exist?” what happens then? I mean humans have taken amazing strides at every aspect and they’re still oblivious to this fact. “I’m just scared of dying.” I say. I know says Abi Ali taking a big yawn and saying, “look dude I’d love to hear you rant about it, but I’m really sleepy we’ll talk about this in the morning.” And as he cuts the call I stay asleep till morning reading the works of Fredrich Nietzsche and hopelessly thinking about his philosophy. | https://medium.com/@mustafaabbas-39532/on-death-71bb83fd6a2f | ['Mustafa Abbas'] | 2020-12-21 15:52:08.448000+00:00 | ['Death', 'Anxiety', 'Overthinking', 'Friends'] |
This month, I experimented with writing short-form posts for Medium. | This month, I experimented with writing short-form posts for Medium. Those are short posts where, instead of having a header, the first sentence is bolded. This post is an example of one. I started by writing two per day and continued by writing one per day. This post is my thirty-fifth.
I published them in ILLUMINATION and in ILLUMINATION’s new technology-related publication Technology Hits. I started running out of ideas. And I made a modest sum of money.
Only one was in my top five earning stories for this month, making $0.68. The next earning story was $0.43. These two were about other popular writers. I published them on ILLUMINATION and Technology Hits. Mostly, I earned a few cents and ten or twenty views for each post. As an ordinary 300-follower writer, I found they were hardly the goldmine Thomas Smith claims here. Any advice? | https://medium.com/illumination/this-month-i-experimented-with-writing-short-form-posts-for-medium-3550dbc768c1 | ['Rebecca Sealfon'] | 2020-12-31 17:12:55.079000+00:00 | ['Content Creation', 'Blogging', 'Monetization', 'Short Form', 'Ｍedium'] |
Dr. Pierre Kory to major U.S. media: “We do not have months. Thousands are dying every day.” | Hello, major U.S.media.
My name is Joyce Kamen. I am the Co-Coordinator of the Communications and Education Team for the Frontline Covide19 Critical Care Alliance. (FLCCC). FLCCC.net
I am writing to you with unprecedented urgency. If, after you review the below communication, you agree with its conclusions that the current clinical trials evidence supporting the use of ivermectin in COVID-19 meets the criteria for an A1 level recommendation from the NIH, we would ask that you consider urgently authoring an article or presenting a television story articulating the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting the need for Ivermectin to receive an “A1” rating from the NIH.
Now, it is my understanding that you and your editors believe that the evidence supporting the use of Ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID19 is “inconclusive.”
While there have been a couple of small studies with benefits that have not met statistical significance, there are now trial results from 11 large Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) from different centers and countries around the world which, in almost every case, reach not only high levels of statistical significance but do so showing large magnitudes of benefit in transmission rates, need for hospitalization, and death.
Ivermectin is a safe, low-cost, widely available drug. We encourage you to read our manuscript (link below) which details almost all existing studies. Our Critical Care physician team, as close readers of the medical literature and having contributed over 2,000 peer-reviewed publications to the medical evidence base, report that they have never encountered an intervention with a totality of trials data supporting a drug as they have uncovered for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 with ivermectin. Never. In no other disease model or drug or intervention (noting that antibiotics have never really been tested in an RCT). And they have been studying interventions and novel therapies their entire careers. They now have data from 23 controlled trials studying ivermectin which include a total of over 7,200 patients showing consistent, reproducible, large magnitude benefits. This is the only medicine they have seen with reproducible and large impacts on mortality in COVID-19 as well as transmission in COVID-19.
To be unconvinced at this point after a close read of our manuscript is unconscionably biased. We ask why this same level of skepticism was not directed towards all the other failed therapies before they were adopted widely. None ever showed a mortality benefit yet have been widely supported by NIH, pharma, academia, and the mass media, i.e. remdesivir, convalescent plasma, tocilizumab, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines. With the exception of the vaccines, all these therapies have been marched out and widely used on some of the weakest evidence bases we have seen supporting a therapeutic intervention. Perhaps one could argue that these therapeutic efforts are forgivable in a pandemic but to deny the same “benefit of the doubt” to a safe and cheap drug with such a supportive evidence base while thousands are dying every day in America and around the world will be a historically unforgivable act.
Further, why are the epidemiologic data presented in our manuscript being ignored? The massive and increasing amounts of data showing many regions and countries and states and cities that have initiated ivermectin distribution campaigns have essentially controlled COVID-19 in those areas. You would have to read our scientific manuscript. You would also need to visit our website (FLCCC.net)with growing numbers of these examples from India and multiple regions of South America.
Let’s now analyze those arguments that might lead you and your editors to be “unconvinced” . Here are the arguments verbatim from our Dr. Pierre Kory, who testified to all of this on Tuesday morning at the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. His testimony has been viewed nearly 3 million times on YouTube. Our phones and email boxes are overflowing with thousands of people desperate to get their hands on Ivermectin because they heard Dr. Kory’s message, went on our website, read the science, and are outraged that the NIH has failed to protect them and that major media outlets like yours have also inexplicably remained mum.
During his testimony, Dr. Kory presented the massive evidence base our Critical Care team has compiled. Here are his words and the irrefutable answers he wrote this morning. He has asked me to convey them to you, Major U.S. Media:
Dr. Pierre Kory testifying on Tuesday, December 8 before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. “If you take Ivermectin, you will not get sick.”
FROM DR. PIERRE KORY
Here is a list of criticisms of the existing medical evidence-base supporting ivermectin as a prophylactic and early treatment agent in COVID19:
“The data primarily come from uncontrolled observational trials.” ANSWER: FALSE
Every observational trial (ignoring the massive case series for a moment) that has studied ivermectin in COVID-19 have matched control groups for comparison, with some controlled using a technique called propensity-matching and others simply using contemporaneous, well-matched control groups of patients who did not receive ivermectin by their treating doctor (one would need a close reading of each study to see how well matched they are)
Observational controlled trials are generally equivalent to randomized controlled trials in their conclusions. They are highly valid, and thus represent a valuable trial design, especially in a pandemic. Throughout the history of evidence-based medicine, it has been shown repeatedly that findings from observational trials with control groups and findings from trials with randomized controls reach the same conclusion, on average, in almost all circumstances. This fact has been published in systematic reviews published in the Cochrane database multiple times. It is a fact and a truth about evidence based medicine that is both neither taught nor emphasized by most of academia who have recently been described, for this reason, as “RCT fundamentalists” -coined by the author of a recent essay on evidence based medicine (can provide essay and the systematic reviews if desired)
The consistency of findings among the observational trials is both profound and unique in clinical trials. The reason for this statement is that almost every therapy that has been studied in large numbers of trials tend to produce, at least in a minority, “conflicting results”, especially when the intervention is not particularly potent and/or simply leads to small differences in outcomes and/or some of the trials are poorly designed. If they are science editors, they should recognize how difficult it is within science to reproduce experimental results. Thus, the remarkable consistency of these supposedly inferior observational trials must be emphasized. That consistency is unique and persuasive given the diverse set of centers and countries and sizes and designs and phases of illness. Finally, it was exactly this consistency that first alerted us to ivermectin’s efficacy, we as a group were struck from the consistent efficacy data emerging from the first emerging trials. That consistency has been getting stronger and stronger as the number of trial results have passed 30.
“The majority of the existing studies are not peer-reviewed”
13 of the 23 controlled trial results have been peer reviewed, along with two of the 5 case series.
Manuscripts of trial methods and full results posted on pre-print servers have been a standard in many of the sciences, including medicine, especially during the pandemic. Everyone should be reminded that every single novel therapeutic that we have widely adopted in actual medical practice during COVID-19 happened before the peer-reviewed manuscript was available for analysis by the medical community, with the exception of hydroxychloroquine which was widely adopted without any clinical evidence base. Examples of pre-print adopted therapeutics are remdesivir, corticsteroids, monoclonal antibodies, convalescent plasma.. and the vaccines. All were adopted before passing through peer-review. Note the vaccines began even before a pre-print manuscript was made available. To dismiss the value of ivermectin study results because they have only been accepted by medical pre-print servers creates a new higher level criteria that the former pharmaceutical sponsored agents were not required to meet. Thus, to do so with ivermectin departs from this now-standard in the pandemic and is thus egregiously biased and also ignorant of the extreme importance that pre-prints play in the rapid dissemination of medical knowledge. That is why they exist. Peer-review takes months. We do not have months. Thousands are dying every day.
“Trials were done in foreign countries and are not generalizable to our patients here.”
This is a shocking, but documented criticism made by the COVID-19 therapeutics committee of a large hospital health care system in the Midwest after they recently reviewed the existing trials data for ivermectin approximately 3 weeks ago. The belief that a potent anti-viral medicine only works in foreigners and not in Americans is ludicrously racist and ignorant and deserves no further comment or explanation except for noting that it is likely the most extreme that biased skepticism can reach in the minds of physicians who simply “do not believe” in the efficacy of ivermectin.
“We need randomized controlled trials.” ANSWER — FALSE.
14 of the 23 controlled trials results are prospective and randomized and include almost 3,000 patients. Note that the RECOVERY trial which overnight made corticosteroids the standard of care in COVID-19 was a randomized controlled trial which included an identical amount of treated patients as we now have treated with ivermectin in the existing randomized controlled trials. Again, corticosteroid in late phase disease was adopted worldwide based on that one large randomized controlled trial. We have numerous randomized controlled trials of ivermectin.Further, the number of patients in the 9 observational controlled trials also total over 4,000 patients. Thus, after 7,000 patients and 23 trials of ivermectin in varying sizes and designs and countries, with nearly all resulting in consistent, reproducible, large magnitude, statistically significant findings of efficacy as a prophylactic, early and late phase disease agent leading to marked reductions in transmission, hospitalizations, and death, any further studies using a placebo would…unethical, particularly in a pandemic. For any who require more clinical trials data prior to adopting ivermectin as standard of care in COVID-19, we suggest that you simply conduct well-designed observational controlled trials as they are a perfectly valid alternative.
“We are concerned regarding the safety of Ivermectin.”
It is one of the safest drugs known. It is on the WHO’s list of essential medicines, has been given 3.7 billion times around the globe, and won the Nobel prize for its global and historic impacts in eradicating endemic parasitic infections in many parts of the world
Further, in the 7,000 trial patients, no differences in side-effects were reported, millions of doses have been distributed among many cities and regions in South America, the Middle East, and India. We are aware of no important side effects or reactions.
“The NIH recommends against the use of ivermectin outside of clinical trials.”
That recommendation is from August 27th, is graded IIIA, which means that it was expert opinion only and reflecteda “strong” opinion against use.
Given the amount of data available as of today, December 13, 2020, we must ask the question, “What should the strength and level of recommendation for Ivermectin be updated to by the NIH?
First, one must understand how recommendations for medical therapies are created by the NIH. Table 1 below explains the NIH recommendation rating scheme which provides an assessment of both the strength of the recommendation and the quality of evidence to support that recommendation.
Now, let’s assess the last NIH recommendation on ivermectin from August 27th which was graded AIII, as per above table. This means that it was based on “expert opinion only” and was graded as “strongly” against the use of ivermectin, which is interesting given that ivermectin is one of the worlds safest, cheapest and most widely available drugs. We must call attention to the fact that no rationale or supporting evidence was given underneath that one sentence recommendation against its use. Further, this recommendation, given that it was graded “expert opinion”, implies that there was no available clinical evidence at the time to make an “evidence-based” grading. We have recently received a report that ten trial results were available at the time of that recommendation in August. If true, to invoke such a strength and level of recommendation against ivermectin was not only erroneous, but influenced by an unconscionable and conservative bias that potentially borders on the corrupt.
So what should the recommendation for ivermectin be updated to as of today, December 13, 2020? The strongest recommendation possible would be an A1 in support of ivermectin. To to obtain an A1 recommendation, as per above NIH published grading system, it would require “one or more randomized trials with clinical outcomes and/or laboratory endpoints”. In many medical guidelines, it is often very difficult to obtain an A1 recommendation due to the fact that, in practice, some reserve A1 for drugs with multiple, large randomized, controlled trials showing the same important benefits to some clinical outcome, a feat which usually requires immense financial resources and infrastructure to achieve, and with a cheap, safe, and widely available drug there is very little financial incentive to conduct them. Despite this, we were fortunate that researchers from academic and non-academic medical centers decided to conduct such trials. In fact, as of this writing, we now have data from 14 randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) with nearly all demonstrating both improvements in “clinical outcomes” and in a minority, laboratory endpoints consisting of reduced time to viral clearance. Note that the 14 RCT’s consist of trials studying ivermectin as a prophylactic agent (3), early outpatient treatment (5), and in hospitalized patients (6). In each phase of illness, the majority find statistically significant reductions in rates of transmission, need for hospitalization and mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Thus, it would appear that ivermectin more than fulfills the criteria for a Level A1 recommendation in support of its use as a prophylactic and treatment agent for COVID-19 and thus this country’s heath care providers can immediately adopt ivermectin for those indications.
However, if somehow there remains sufficient, ingrained skepticism such that skeptics manage to minimize the importance or even dismiss these numerous trial results entirely, such skeptics would still be left with having to answer whether ivermectin meets Level AII evidence. It should be noted that level AII evidence, in the face of the pandemic and in the context of a cheap, safe and widely available drug, would effectively translate into the same level of action and adoption as level AI evidence. Now, for Level AII evidence, as above, all that is required are supportive findings from “one of more well-designed non-randomized, or observational cohort studies”. Again, fortunately, there are many such studies on ivermectin in COVID-19, with the largest and strongest being Dr. Rijter’s study from Florida, published in the major medical journal Chest several weeks ago, where they used propensity matching, a technique accorded by many to be as valid a design as a well-designed RCT’s. His and many other well-designed OCT’s exist, all reproducing the findings from all the above mentioned RCT’s. Thus at a minimum, an AII recommendation is met, which would and should lead to immediate and widespread adoption. I will not even begin to entertain how ivermectin, given the available trial results we have as of today, could ever even be considered worthy of a moderate strength (B), or weak strength © or be given a quality grade of III, or remain as an AIII against.That would require a complete dismissal of the near entirety of the evidence available and thus does not deserve further exploration or discussion. So, it would appear that ivermectin clearly meets an AI level recommendation in favor. And that is without the epidemiologic data we have compiled which is presented below.
“The epidemiologic data presented is unconvincing”
The epidemiologic data presented in our manuscript essentially provides the strongest level of medical evidence attainable as they consist of findings from large, real-word “natural experiments” which spontaneously occurred among many cities and regions of the world where health ministries decided to initiate widespread ivermectin distribution to their citizen populations. All these areas show large and temporally associated decreases in case counts and fatalities. Again, the magnitude and reproducibility from city to city, region to region and country to country is unassailable. All data were sourced from universally used, publicly available COVID-19 epidemiologic databases. The manuscript by Chamie et al which focuses solely on these data, is currently near submission for publication, and has been co-authored by PhD researchers after having been refined and reviewed by scientists and researchers under the direction of a dean at a major medical research university.”
Pierre Kory, MD, MPA
President, Front-Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance
Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist
_______
So, major media, may I hear back from you please? And swiftly? Ivermectin has already saved hundreds of thousands around the world. If we fail to do the same in America right now, we will be party to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Thank you, Joyce
LINK TO SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPT: https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FLCCC-Ivermectin-in-the-prophylaxis-and-treatment-of-COVID-19.pdf | https://medium.com/@joyce-kamen/dr-pierre-kory-to-major-u-s-media-we-do-not-have-months-thousands-are-dying-every-day-4398dceaf0c3 | ['Joyce Kamen'] | 2020-12-15 16:16:52.814000+00:00 | ['Pierre Kory', 'Pandemic', 'Ivermectin', 'Media Criticism', 'Covid-19'] |
Golang MySQL | In this article, We will show you how to connect to the MySql Database using Golang.
We are using the following framework and libraries for this article
Echo Framework (Highly Scalable API development framework) GORM (GoLang Object Relation Mapping/Database Connectivity)
Video Tutorial
Golang Configuration
In our case, we have configured the Golang path in the .bash_profile file using MacOS as following
export GOPATH=$HOME/go
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:$GOPATH/bin
In the go directory, we have a folder called github.com
Inside the github.com directory, we have our GitHub user directory called oxlb as showing the following screenshot
We will create a new GoLang project under the oxlb directory
Create a Golang Project
Go to your go configuration directory and create a new directory called
GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
Open the terminal and change the directory to GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
$ cd GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
Then create a go.mod file using the following file
$ go mod init github.com/oxlb/GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
this will create the go.mod file as shown below
The above file contains the module and version of the GoLang
Docker Compose MySql And Adminer
We are using docker-compose to use MySql and Adminer for the database connectivity test.
If you need more help to understand you can see our previous article for Docker Compose MySql
Create SQL Script File 01.sql under init Directory
Create docker-compose.yml file
above file, we have created MySql and Adminer Docker Services
if you see the docker-compose.yml file line no. 17–19 there is a volumes script there as shown below
The above script will create a students table during docker startup and insert 3 records in the table
A B C
Run Docker Container
Make sure you have installed Docker on your Machine/System
We have created the video tutorial for Docker Installation below
Try to run the following command to run the container
docker-compose up
Add Echo Framework Dependency using the following command
go get github.com/labstack/echo/v4
Add GORM Dependency using the following command
go get -u github.com/jinzhu/gorm
Now you will see your go.mod file looks like the below file
Create db.go
Create new file under config directory /config/db.go
GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
|-- docker-compose.yml (File)
|-- init
|--- (File)
|-- config
|--- db.go |-- docker-compose.yml (File)|-- 01.sql (File)|--|--- db.go
Create a student.go, Model
Create new file under model directory /model/student.go
GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
|-- config
|-- db.go
|-- model
|-- student.go
From the above model, we will fetch Id and Name from the database table students
Create a db.go
Create new file under storage directory /storage/db.go
GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
|-- storage
|-- db.go
above file, we have two different method
NewDB: To initialize database connection GetDBInstance: to get the DB instance
Create a student.go
Create new file under controller directory /controller/student.go
GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
|-- controller
|-- student.go
|-- storage
|-- db.go
Above file, we have created 2 methods
GetStudents: to use as a route to display the student’s records as a JSON GetRepoStudents: to fetch the records from the table students
Create a main.go
Create a new file under GoLangMySqlHelloWorld directory /GoLangMySqlHelloWorld/main.go
GoLangMySqlHelloWorld
|-- config
|-- db.go
|-- controller
|-- student.go
|-- model
|-- student.go
|-- storage
|-- db.go
|-- main.go
Above file, you will see we have two Routes
e.GET(“/”, hello): will print Hello, world e.GET(“/students”, controller.GetStudents): will print
Run Main.go
To run the main file type the following command
go run main.go
you will see it will show you server is running on port:1323
If you try to open the following URL in the Web browser | https://medium.com/@onexlab-io/golang-mysql-c9a391bc204 | [] | 2020-11-20 14:50:08.712000+00:00 | ['MySQL', 'Golang', 'Onexlab', 'Golang Mysql', 'Gorm'] |
When I Win, It’s Skill. When Someone Else Wins, It’s Luck | When I Win, It’s Skill. When Someone Else Wins, It’s Luck
Roll the dice more when the worst that can happen isn’t a big deal
From PIRO4D on Pixabay
The title is a joke in a fantasy football league of my friends from college. Whenever we win on a given week, we talk trash about our skill at starting just the right players. Whenever we lose, we blame it on bad luck and external factors like weather and injuries. Of course, with COVID-19 making the season especially precarious, there are even more factors our fantasy football league can attribute to bad luck.
The facetious attitude is that when we win, it’s skill. But when we lose, our opponents got lucky.
Of course, I don’t believe this attitude outside the realm of fantasy football. It’s simply the dynamic with my friends that make it interesting and entertaining to trash talk.
On a more serious note, as a writer and teacher, it’s easy to fall into the trap of getting jealous and attributing your successes to skill and others to luck. You can think that other teachers teach easier classes and less challenging students.
But the lesson here is clear —most of life is luck. It’s a reality I first started to realize this year, and then start to buy into as a way to cope with realities I faced, my students faced, and more faced that seemed increasingly unfair. It’s a human tendency to attribute our own successes to our own skills and merit, and the accomplishments of others to luck.
Luck is more important than skill. And while most people in western society find that mindset defeating, I find it liberating — I don’t take too much stock in my own successes and think I’m better than people, because I just got luckier. I don’t take my losses and failures as personally as I used — I just got unlucky. And I’m more than willing to take risks and venture out of my comfort zone because luck dictates I have no idea where the outcome is going to go.
Don’t get me wrong — I have a lot of willpower. The problem is that willpower, determination, productivity hacks, and anything else I can credit to my personal attributes only goes so far. It only lasts so long.
As a writer, luck means writing about topics I’ve never written about before because I don’t know how well I’m going to do writing about them, or how much I’m going to enjoy the writing process. Luck means pitching big and dreaming big, and not taking it personally when I get no response from a prominent editor or publication.
According to Scott Barry Kaufman at Scientific American, the secret to success just might be luck. Kaufman emphasizes that magazines like Success, Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur as telling the secrets to success, and that success is all due to personal characteristics like hard work, toughness, optimism, a growth mindset, and emotional intelligence. And that’s not only a part of our values but also how we allocate resources. In the words of Kaufman,
“We tend to give out resources to those who have a past history of success, and tend to ignore those who have been unsuccessful, assuming that the most successful are also the most competent.”
Kaufman is a psychologist, and he spent his whole life studying psychological characteristics that predict creativity and achievement. While he has found many traits that explain differences in success, much more is left unexplained. Kaufman concludes that luck and opportunity play a far greater role in anything than we previously realized. He doesn’t think luck is everything but instead thinks that personal characteristics matter much less than we think, and are more determined by other determinants of success.
Some of these determinants of success are that half of the differences in income of people across the world is explained by the country they’re raised in and the income distribution in their country. Kaufman also notes that scientific impact is randomly distributed, not based on productivity. Also, the chances of being a CEO is often most influenced by your mother’s name or month of birth.
So that begs the bigger question — is all of success just luck? And what would be the implications for whether successful people are just lucky? How would we allocate resources? How would we assess the “potential” of others? The idea of a meritocracy has been discredited enough, and in a 2018 paper by Pluchino et al., the Italian author credited the “toy mathematical model,” which defined talent as the personal characteristics that allowed them to exploit lucky opportunities.
The authors replicated the Pareto Principle, which suggests that a small number of people end up achieving the success of most of the population. The simulation found that talent was equally distributed, but success was not equally distributed. The 20 most successful individuals held 44% of the total success in that study, which is consistent and even an underestimation of how wealth is distributed in the real world.
The authors found that talent isn’t irrelevant to success since people with talent had a greater probability of increasing success. People with more talent could exploit the possibilities offered to them.
But talent is not the most important factor, since the most talented people in the study were often not the most successful. The people most successful had above average talent, but the most luck.
“In general, mediocre-but-lucky people were much more successful than more-talented-but-unlucky individuals,” Kaufman says.
Luck ended up being the most important factor in the study.
As a Christian, I believe everything is up to God. At the same time, I believe God controls luck. And God isn’t Santa — He doesn’t just reward you because you believe in him. The “shit just happens” attitude of Robert Frost is one I completely buy into, because the randomness of life makes it so a lot of good people suffer immensely, while people who commit mass genocide gain power. I personally will have to read much more into the theology of luck.
Luck is an unpopular idea in western society, and for good reason. We want to focus on what’s merely within our control. But maybe we need to keep believing in luck, according to the School of Life, despite luck being “a substantial offence against modern ideals of control, strategy, and foresight.” We want to be the authors of our own destinies, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that notion.
Advances in science, medicine, insurance, and education tilt the tide against luck. But luck will never be tamed as an entity. Every success requires a significant amount of luck, and we avoid failure using luck. Think about driving a car — the most dangerous activity most of us do every day. Lord knows how many near accidents each of us has gotten into, how many close calls we’ve had either making risky turns or having other people make risky turns.
People see themselves less as passive actors in the world by day. Personal responsibility is the idea and concept with which we feel the greatest degree of control, and luck often assigns our failures to things outside our control.
But a belief in luck should ground us in humility when we’ve successful, and not blame other people for their circumstances. A belief in luck can help enforce our own sense of compassion and empathy, because no one is to blame for their circumstances. At the same time, a belief in luck means no one else is to blame for our circumstances — there’s a tendency in some circles I’ve been in to blame all our problems on our parents. And while I didn’t have the perfect and picturesque childhood, my problems are my own.
Luck and personal responsibility can co-exist. But doesn’t luck give us the capacity for personal responsibility? We’re lucky that we didn’t get into that accident that nearly ended our lives. We’re lucky for so many things. And just because we’re so lucky doesn’t mean we should be complacent, but rather aim higher and take more risks. Of course, that doesn’t go for all high stakes situations, but situations where there’s really not much to lose.
Roll the dice more when the worst that can happen isn’t a big deal. Apply for that dream job. Pitch that dream publication. Strike that conversation you’re nervous about. Go on that trip. Have some fun. What’s the worst that can happen? We just might get lucky. | https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/when-i-win-its-skill-when-someone-else-wins-it-s-luck-477e3b551473 | ['Ryan Fan'] | 2020-12-20 17:38:47.421000+00:00 | ['Creativity', 'Ideas', 'Philosophy', 'Nonfiction', 'Self'] |
Accelerating impact: reflections on the Impact Festival 2020 | When we set out to deliver our first ever Impact Festival, we wanted to create a space to meet, explore ideas, learn new skills, and to build a shared sense of what we ought to achieve in homelessness over these coming months and years in order to accelerate our impact, and, by engaging sector leaders, people with lived experience of homelessness, and the frontline workers delivering services every day, we have collectively achieved that.
Over 5 weeks, we explored how public policies and programmes affect homelessness both directly and indirectly, the importance of good quality and secure housing, what it means for us to all be in it together, the importance of connecting with people and places, and how services can work together to create an effective and person-centered ecosystem, and of course the prevention imperative.
The theme of this year’s Festival was ‘accelerating impact.’ 2020 has changed how we all live our lives, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the homelessness sector has been significant. Governments across the UK took quick and decisive actions to house over 16,000 individuals who were relocated to hotels and other types of emergency accommodation. This was something deemed impossible before the pandemic, and has drastically reduced the number of people with long histories of street homelessness who are rough sleeping whilst also helping to contain the number of infections and deaths from COVID-19. However, a new challenge awaits: the recently released CHAIN data did reveal a steep increase in the total number of people experiencing street homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have made so much progress in only a few short months by all coming together, we must now use this as a launchpad towards a sustainable end to homelessness. We cannot return to the old status quo, which we all know was not good enough.
Throughout the Impact Festival we explored the importance of data and evidence at all levels of the system, the importance of listening to people who have experienced homelessness firsthand, and the fact that the homelessness sector cannot end homelessness on its own — all things that will need to be considered and actioned if we are going to create real, long lasting change in homelessness.
I want to give a big thank you to all of our 159 speakers — we’ve been overwhelmed by the time, energy and wisdom they have shared, and for the time shared by many hundreds of people who made the space in their busy diaries to join us.
We think it’s vital that we hear from the people who have experienced homelessness first hand, which is why we are delighted that experts by experience were represented in 21 sessions. You can read our Lived Experience Specialist, Hannah Green’s reflections on the festival here.
I also want to give an especially warm thanks to those who partnered with us from across the globe and sectors to produce 1 or more of the 53 Festival sessions:
Organisations working in or around homelessness: Bloomberg Associates, Crisis, Homeless Network Scotland, Big Society Capital, Chartered Institute for Housing, Catch 22, Mayday Trust, NRLA, St Mungo’s, Camerados, Institute of Global Homelessness, Shelter Scotland, Cymorth Cymru, Homeless Link, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Funders Together to End Homelessness, Community Solutions, Cardboard Citizens, Beam, Shared Health Foundation.
Government and statutory bodies: Department for Communities Northern Ireland, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, East Ayrshire Council, Southend Borough Council, Newcastle City Council, Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire County Councils, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle Human Services, and Administrative Data Research UK and Office for National Statistics.
Universities and What Works family: Harvard University, Oxford University, London School of Economics, Campbell Collaboration, J-Pal, Heriot-Watt University, CaCHE, University of South California, New York University, University of New South Wales, University of Ottawa, Centre for Evidence and Implementation, King’s College, UCL, Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, What Works Children’s Social Care, Research in Practice.
And everyone else who took part in, or contributed to, the Impact Festival.
The Impact Festival may be coming to a close for 2020, but the Centre is not slowing down. Here’s just a little of what we’ll be doing in the coming months:
Publishing our first three systematic reviews that focus on access to healthcare, discharge from institutions and the effectiveness of accommodation-based interventions
Beginning our newest systematic review looking at support for people who struggle with substance misuse
Convening, growing and developing a a COVID-19 Research Network in partnership with MHCLG, PHE and ONS,
Launching our #EndItWithEvidence campaign for our first book, Using Evidence to End Homelessness
We’re mobilising change-makers and growing a movement of learning by launching our new What Works Community: Local Government initiative.
If you’d like to get involved or know more about any of the projects just mentioned, please email us on [email protected].
More than anything, we want to end this Festival with you: by thanking you for joining us and coming on this journey with us over these 5 weeks. We want to know how you experienced the Impact Festival. What inspired you? What did you like, and dislike?
We learn by doing, and will use your response to refine our plans for the months ahead and shape an even better Impact Festival that we will bring you in 2021.
Just one of the things we’ve learnt over the past five weeks is that you do not need physical nearness for social closeness. I’d like to thank everyone who brought their social selves to our first Impact Festival. We look forward to staying close over the coming months. | https://medium.com/@ligiateixeira/accelerating-impact-reflections-on-the-impact-festival-2020-15b50a4cff9a | ['Dr Ligia Teixeira'] | 2021-02-20 15:07:00.736000+00:00 | ['Housing', 'Inequality', 'Poverty', 'Homeless', 'Homelessness'] |
I Got Rejected from News Break | Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
Everyone is raving about the new writing platform News Break.
For those who don’t know what News Break is, it is the multiple Number #1 rated app in the “News” category in America (currently Number #3) founded by Jeff Zheung in 2015. It currently has 23 million users and lord knows how many viewers per day (source).
What has captured people’s attention recently is their new Creator Programme; $1,000 a month for twelve pieces of writing, three to be published a week, and 500 followers in the month.
This offer goes on for three months and then I am not too sure what happens after. No one has been writing for it long enough to know.
What do you write about? Turns out you can copy and paste your Medium stories and not just write about local news. Yes, copy and pasting for $1000 a month. Creators have openly admitted to doing this and not been sent to the naughty step as of yet.
Screenshot by author.
How do you become a Creator? Simply go and follow the link below and fill in a small application form. I actually signed up via a Facebook group referral link, thinking it would give me a little boost. I even signed up with a second email address just in case my first application got lost in the world wide web.
A confirmation email was sent stating that I would receive a response in 5–7 days. Within this time, a Facebook group had been set up for those that were fresh out of Medium and looking to jump ship or manage two ships at a time. The vast majority of members were waiting for responses.
Four days went by. Seven days. I chased by responding directly to the confirmation email, I chased via the help links on their website and I chased via Facebook Messenger. Members of the Facebook group were also waiting a while and I had no heard of anyone being rejected yet so there was hope.
Two nights ago, I received an email from them stating my rejection. Rejected? Why? I need that $1000! For me it’s not even 1000, it’s around 750 when converted to my currency.
The email didn’t state why I was rejected. Instantly I thought it was because I lived in the United Kingdom. This website very much seems like a USA based thing and the app isn’t even available in my country.
I went onto the Facebook group and it seems a few others got rejected the same time as well. Some had been writing for Medium for a while, some a short while like me. Some members did not even get a rejection email, they received nothing at all. Who cares, we are all in the same boat. Or should I say lost at sea because the boat rejected us.
It turns out that 50+ of us who signed up through the referral link got rejected. There was no reason why. I can confirm the application from my second email address did get lost in the world wide web as I have heard nothing back.
Am I pissed? Hell yeah, I’m pissed! No one likes rejection. I reapplied yesterday and I am still waiting for a response. I won’t chase this one as I am already expecting to be rejected. Again. Maybe they won’t bother to respond this time.
At the end of the day, the only incentive that grabbed people’s attention for News Break is the money incentive. If Quora and Vocal Media and however many other platforms there are, offered us a similar incentive, I’m sure there would be a surge in applications and hype about them too.
I am still waiting to find out if it’s all too good to be true. A lot of creators have not been paid yet as their month is not up, but if you abide by a contract I guess they have no choice but to pay you.
To all those who got accepted and are currently within their first month, I wish you the best of luck on your journey.
Just in case you were wondering, I left that Facebook group pretty quickly. Damn it! I really could have done with that money… | https://medium.com/writers-blokke/i-got-rejected-from-news-break-98452968af6e | ['Shamar M'] | 2020-12-08 12:47:28.402000+00:00 | ['Money', 'Self-awareness', 'Rejection', 'Writing', 'Writing Tips'] |
Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears Corona | Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears Corona
Maybe I need to go for a walk.
As a card carrying introvert, I am not particularly troubled by home confinement. I was already working from home three days a week and have figured out over the years how to stay fresh and productive. As a writer, I even sit at my desk during off-duty hours. Weeks piling upon weeks hasn’t been a burden. Projects rise and fall like the tides. Though some rise again and again and just won’t stop because people are basically idiots.
Maybe I need to go for a walk.
Wisps of thoughts and reactions swirl together like the bits and pieces in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A friend writes of missing the hubbub of her city — even missing the tech bros who plow the sidewalks striding four abreast. I do too. But I also enjoy the mutual awareness fostered by the 6-foot rule. Does he see me coming? I’m walking on the edge of the path already. Will he? Oh, he’s moved over. And a wave. Yes, good morning to you! Be well!
I often wonder how it will be after we can leave our homes. Will I ever shake someone’s hand? Ew. Will I wait in a crowd? Will hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and a mask join my wallet and keys as my everyday kit? I have questions.
Writers on the internet keep telling us that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while housebound during a plague. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at 18 while housebound in Switzerland. But my daughter uses “gifted” as a verb and I can’t find a good synonym for “housebound.” Last week I read a two-day old newspaper, thinking it was the new one. I hate the idiots who say “these challenging times.”
Okay, time for another walk.
I live in a small town on the California coast with a 100-year-old main street lined with shops. Most of the shops are closed. The open shops offer to-go food or other “essential services.” I feel guilty going in for fear of catching or spreading the disease. I feel guilty NOT going in for fear of dooming the businesses themselves. I don’t go in anymore.
Some people think that keeping a distance doesn’t apply to them. Some governors think that keeping people off the streets doesn’t apply to them. I love applying the term “COVIDIOTS” but there isn’t a snappy term for the heroes. A doctor in Britain left retirement to help in a hospital and died of COVID-19.
Yep, taking a walk. From space, my footprints through the neighborhood must look like huge spirals circling my house.
_________
A version of this article first appeared in the Half Moon Bay Review on April 14, 2020. | https://medium.com/doug-writes/uneasy-lies-the-head-that-wears-corona-ccddbc393a0a | ['Douglas Howatt'] | 2020-12-07 16:18:41.249000+00:00 | ['Articles'] |
Creating an Application from Scratch using .NET Core and Angular — Part 6 | In this article we are going to see how we can create the unit tests for the Services classes in the Domain layer, using xUnit framework.
The three most commons unit test frameworks for .NET are:
XUnit — The newest from this list. It was written by the original inventor of NUnit v2. This framework is used by the development team of .NET Core and ASP.NET.
NUnit — A JUnit version for .NET.
MSTest — Framework from Microsoft.
The goal of the unit test, it’s to verify each unit from the software, in isolation, to guarantee that each unit of the code is doing exactly what it should be doing.
How to organize a Unit Test
Basically, a unit test has three sections, known as ‘AAA’, which means: Arrange, Act and Assert.
In the Arrange section, it’s where we can prepare the code for our test.
In the Act section, it’s where we are going to call the code that we want to test.
In the Assert section, it’s where we are going to validate the result from the method that was called.
So the main structure of a unit test method is similar to this:
[Fact]
pubic async Task Example_Of_UnitTest()
{
// Arrange // Act // Assert
}
The test methods should have a clear name that reveals the intention of the test. Don’t worry if the name is too long, it’s better a long and clear name then a small and unclear name. There are many good patterns used to write the name of the unit tests, one of them that I liked and generally use, is the pattern: MethodName_ExpectedResult_WhenCondition. For example, if we want to test the GetAll method from the CategoryService, the name can be “GetAll_ShouldReturnAListOfCategories_WhenCategoriesExist”. This way, when someone reads the name of this method, it will know what is the purpose of this test. This is not a rule, but it’s good to keep in mind to always create the methods with a clear name.
Another important point is that a unit test method should only test one thing, and if the test fails, should fail for just only one reason. This does not mean that you can only have one Assert in a unit test, but keep in mind that the Asserts must be related. For example, if you have a unit test to validate the result type of your method is of type “A”, you can have one Assert to check if the result is not null, and also another Assert to check if the result is of type “A”, but you should not have in this same test method another Assert to check something that is not related to the result type.
Mock
To create the test I will also use mock, and for that, we need to install the “Moq” framework in the unit test project. Mock are objects used to simulate objects behaviour. For example, when we test a service class, we want to test only the service method. This means that we do not want to test the repository methods that are used by the service class. So how can we deal with it? Using mock. With mock we can fake the result of the repository method, and only test the service method, that it’s exactly what we want to test.
Creating the Unit Test project
Let’s start creating the first unit test project. Open the solution with Visual Studio, and create a new xUnit project and add it on the “test” folder:
Select the xUnit, add the name of the unit test project and the location of the project (remember to add inside the ‘test’ folder). First, we are going to create the project for the Domain layer:
Install Moq
To install Moq open the Package Manager Console, select the unit test project and execute this command (or install Moq through the NuGet Package Manager):
Install-Package Moq
It’s necessary to add the reference for the Domain layer in the unit test project. To do it, right-click on Dependencies (in the unit test project) > click in Add Reference and select the BookStore.Domain:
Testing the CategoryService
Let’s start creating the first unit test class. First, we can delete the class “UnitTest1” that is automatically created with the project, and let’s create the class “CategoryServiceTests”. On this class, we have three private properties that we are going to use in the unit test methods, and on the constructor, we initialize these properties. This is the initial structure of the CategoryServiceTests class:
On line 15 and 16, we are creating a mock to use in the tests methods. This way we can simulate the return of the methods from the CategoryRepository and the BookService classes, we will do this on the “Assert” section of our tests. On line 17 we are creating an instance of the CategoryService class, which will be used to call the methods that will be used on the “Act” section of our tests.
This test class also has two private methods, that are responsible for creating the data that will be used in the tests. This way, instead of manually create the default data on the methods that we need to use this data, we can call these methods when necessary, avoiding repeating code and making the code cleaner and easier to use. For specific data then we can only manually create the objects that we need. These methods are the “CreateCategory”, which will create a single Category, and the “CreateCategoryList”, which will create a list of Categories:
Now let’s implement the unit tests on the CategoryServiceTests class.
The CategoryService class does not have any private method, it only implements the methods from the interface ICategoryService. So these are the methods that we should test:
GetAll
GetById
Add
Update
Remove
Search
Before we create each test, we need to look at the implementation of each method. On this first example, we are going to create the test for the GetAll method. This is the GetAll method from the CategoryService class:
For the GetAll method, we can test if:
The method returns a list of categories if some category exists
The method returns null if no categories exist
The method calls the GetAll method from the repository class only one time
This is the first test method that we have:
On line 1, there is the “[Fact]” annotation. All the unit tests should have this annotation above the method name.
Note that the method name is very clear: “GetAll_ShouldReturnAListOfCategories_WhenCategoriesExist”. This is important because then we know exactly what this unit test method is testing.
On line 4, we are creating a list of categories.
On line 6 and 7, we are mocking the return of the GetAll method from the CategoryRepository class. We are faking the result, to return a list of categories that we are creating on line 4. So when the method GetAll from the CategoryService class call the GetAll method from the CategoryRepository class, the result will be the list of categories that was created on line 4.
Finally, on line 11 and 12 we have the Asserts. These asserts are checking if the result of the GetAll method (from the CategoryService class) is not null, and also if the result is of type List<Category>, which is we are expecting to be.
On the second test method for the GetAll, we want to validate if the GetAll will return null when there is no category:
On line 4 we are mocking the result of the GetAll method from the CategoryRepository class, and saying that this method should return null.
The third test method for GetAll, we want to be sure that the GetAll method from the CategoryRepository class was called only once:
On line 4 we are mocking the result of the GetAll method from the Repository class, and on line 9 we are doing the Assert to validate that the GetAll method from the CategoryRepository class was called only once.
Executing the tests
To execute the test on Visual Studio, go to “Test” and click on “Test Explorer”:
On the test explorer, it’s possible to click to run all the tests, or also run only one of them. It’s also possible to debug a test:
After the tests are executed, if everything works as expected, they will be green like in the image above.
The next method is the GetById from the Service class:
For the GetById method we can test if:
The method returns a category when the category exists
The method returns null when the searched category does not exist
The method calls the GetById method from the repository class only one time
These are the implementation of the test methods for the GetById method:
Next is the Add method from the CategoryService class. On this method, we have a small validation, that is the validation to check if a category name already exists. If the category name already exists, this category should not be added:
For the Add method we can test that:
The method adds a category when the category name does not exist
The method does not add a category when the category name already exists
The method calls the Add method from the repository class only one time
These are the implementation of the test methods for the Add method:
Next is the Update method from the CategoryService class. On this method there is a validation to check if already exists a category name with a different id then the updated object id:
For the Update method we can test that:
The method updates a category with the new name when the new category name does not exist
The method does not update a category when the updated category name already exists
The method calls the Update method from the repository class only one time
These are the implementation of the test methods for the Update method:
Next is the Remove method from the CategoryService class. On this method, before removing a category, is validated if exist some book that uses this category:
For Remove method we can test that:
The method removes a category when the category does not have any related book
The method does not remove a category when the category has a related book
The method should call the Remove method from the repository class only one time
These are the implementation of the test methods for the Remove method:
The last method that we will test in the CategoryService class is the Search method:
For the Search method we can test that:
The method returns a list of categories when categories with searched name exist
The method returns null when do not exists any category with the searched name
The method should call the Search method from the repository class only one time
These are the implementation of the test methods for the Search method:
The tests methods for the BookServiceTest class follows the same steps. Since the methods are not so different than the methods on the CategoryServiceTests class, I will not add them here on this article. You can check the complete code on my GitHub:
On next articles, we are going to see how we can create the unit tests for the Controllers on the API layer and the Repository classes on the Infrastructure layer.
Thanks for reading! | https://medium.com/@henriquesd/creating-an-application-from-scratch-using-net-core-and-angular-part-6-76daa358db41 | ['Henrique Siebert Domareski'] | 2020-11-12 17:15:08.018000+00:00 | ['Unittest', 'Moq', 'Clean Code', 'Xunit', 'Dotnet Core'] |
Vuelidate — Errors and Lists Validation | Vue.js doesn’t come with any form validation capabilities by default.
Therefore, we need to add our own form validation library or with our own code.
In this article, we’ll look at how to validate forms with Vuelidate.
$error vs $anyError
We can get form validation errors with the $error and $anyError validation property.
$dirty and $anyDirty checks if the forms have been modified.
For example, we can write:
<template>
<div id="app">
<div>
<div :class="{ 'form-group--error': $v.name.$error }">
<label>name</label>
<input v-model.trim="$v.name.$model">
<div class="error" v-if="!$v.name.required">name is required.</div>
</div> <div :class="{ 'form-group--error': $v.age.$error }">
<label>age</label>
<input v-model.trim="$v.age.$model">
</div>
<div class="error" v-if="!$v.age.required">age is required.</div>
</div>
</div>
</template>
<script>
import { required } from "vuelidate/lib/validators";
export default {
name: "App",
data() {
return {
name: "",
age: ""
};
},
validations: {
name: {
required
},
age: {
required
}
}
};
</script>
Then we gave the $v.age.$error and $v.name.$error properties to get the errors.
If they’re true , then the form-group--error class will be applied.
Validation Groups
We can create validation groups to validate all the form fields together.
For example, we can write:
<template>
<div id="app">
<div>
<div :class="{ 'form-group--error': $v.name.$error }">
<label>name</label>
<input v-model.trim="$v.name.$model">
<div class="error" v-if="!$v.name.required">name is required.</div>
</div> <div :class="{ 'form-group--error': $v.age.$error }">
<label>age</label>
<input v-model.trim="$v.age.$model">
<div class="error" v-if="!$v.age.required">age is required.</div>
</div> <div :class="{ 'form-group--error': $v.phone.mobile.$error }">
<label>mobile phone</label>
<input v-model.trim="$v.phone.mobile.$model">
<div class="error" v-if="!$v.phone.mobile.required">mobile phone is required.</div>
</div> <div v-if="$v.validationGroup.$error">group is invalid.</div>
</div>
</div>
</template>
<script>
import { required } from "vuelidate/lib/validators";
export default {
name: "App",
data() {
return {
name: "",
age: "",
phone: {
mobile: ""
}
};
},
validations: {
name: {
required
},
age: {
required
},
phone: {
mobile: {
required
}
},
validationGroup: ["name", "age", "phone.mobile"]
}
};
</script>
We added the validationGroup property in the validations property to add a validation group.
It has an array of strings with the property names.
If the property is nested, then the property is separated by a dot.
Then in the template, we get the $v.validationGroup.$error property to see if there’re any errors in the fields in the group.
Collections Validation
We can validate collections with the $each keyword.
For instance, we can write:
<div id="app">
<div v-for="(v, index) in $v.people.$each.$iter">
<div class="form-group" :class="{ 'form-group--error': v.$error }">
<label>Name</label>
<input v-model.trim="v.name.$model">
</div>
<div v-if="!v.name.required">Name is required.</div>
<div
v-if="!v.name.minLength"
>Name must have at least {{ v.name.$params.minLength.min }} letters.</div>
</div>
<div>
<button class="button"
<button class="button"
</div>
<div class="form-group" :class="{ 'form-group--error': $v.people.$error }"></div>
<div
v-if="!$v.people.minLength"
>List must have at least {{ $v.people.$params.minLength.min }} elements.</div>
<div v-else-if="!$v.people.required">List must not be empty.</div>
<div v-else-if="$v.people.$error">List is invalid.</div>
<button class="button"
<button class="button"
</div>
</template>
<script>
import { required, minLength } from "vuelidate/lib/validators";
export default {
name: "App",
data() {
return {
people: [
{
name: "mary"
},
{
name: ""
}
]
};
},
validations: {
people: {
required,
minLength: minLength(3),
$each: {
name: {
required,
minLength: minLength(2)
}
}
}
}
};
</script> Name Name is required. Name must have at least {{ v.name.$params.minLength.min }} letters. @click ="people.push({name: ''})">Add @click ="people.pop()">Remove List must have at least {{ $v.people.$params.minLength.min }} elements. List must not be empty. List is invalid. @click ="$v.people.$touch">$touch @click ="$v.people.$reset">$reset import { required, minLength } from "vuelidate/lib/validators";export default {name: "App",data() {return {people: [name: "mary"},name: ""};},validations: {people: {required,minLength: minLength(3),$each: {name: {required,minLength: minLength(2)};
In the validations property, we have the $each property with the minLength property to set the min length of the people array.
Also, we have the minLength property in the name field to check if the name entered has the required length.
In the template, we have the $touch and $reset methods that we can use to trigger validation and reset the validation state respectively.
Conclusion
We can validate lists and check for errors with Vuelidate.
Enjoyed this article? If so, get more similar content by subscribing to our YouTube channel! | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/vuelidate-errors-and-lists-validation-2439f50a9dac | ['John Au-Yeung'] | 2020-12-05 19:09:55.016000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Programming', 'Software Development', 'Web Development', 'JavaScript'] |
Web development (Front-end,Back-end and Full-Stack) | website development
Front-end,Back-end and Full-stack development
Most often we usually confuse ourselves with these three great terms;Front-End,Back-end and Full-stack development.Moving out of the Web development scope, you will realize that we come across these terms in some day-to-day activities like ordering food from the waiter in a restaurant.To make this very simple for you, lets break this down to the lowest degree.
When you order a food from a menu list at the restaurant, all what you do is sit tight,get some glass of Juice and after some few minutes Voila! the waiter just comes back with the food you ordered.You don’t really investigate some concepts like
Who prepared the food Ingredients used in preparing the food
All what you know is that the food is ready and you are up for consumption.Simple right!
Well that’s the same deal with Web development.But in this case, The food you ordered and consumed is the Front-end and the factors such as People involved in cooking the meal,ingredients used and all the kitchen activities in this case is known as the Back-end because that’s where all the logic in preparing your meal takes place. So now that you have a brief idea of what is up for discussion, lets dive in.
What is Front-end development?
Front-end development
When we mention Front-end development,we are simply talking about development associated with the visual part(GUI) of a website (client-side) or a web application.A client means a user,so the client-side in this term simply means the user’s side. For example when you(client) type www.BBC.com in your web browser, the page that you(client) see is termed as the Front-end part of BBC’s homepage.
BBC News homepage (front-end)
Therefore one may ask, how do i go about front-end development?
The answer is quite straight forward but lets dive in.
For one to start the journey as a front-end developer,one must have some level of understanding in some website technologies(languages) such as
HTML
CSS
JAVASCRIPT
There are more technologies(languages) that aid in front-end development such as Front-end frameworks and libraries.But since this article is solely for beginners,lets keep it brief and simple.One must note that despite the tons of technologies(languages) out there, understanding of the above three listed languages are very vital in the core foundation of front-end development.
HTML
HTML which is an acronym for Hypertext Markup Language is a web Markup language that is used to create the structure of the web.It is also sometimes referred to as the skeleton of the web because it just describes the frame of the web using what we call tags and nothing else.
html 5
CSS
CSS means Cascading Style Sheet and it is a stylesheet language that is used to describe the presentation layout of a web page(html) document.As we said earlier, Html is just the skeleton of the web so in order to get a more colorful and beautiful website,you need to apply CSS.
css 3
JAVASCRIPT
JAVASCRIPT which is sometimes also referred to as JS is a high-level scripting programming language that runs on the web browser to make specific features on the web page functional.It is more likely to say that JavaScript brings the web to life.
Javascript
Now that we have a fair idea about front-end development,lets dive into back-end development.
What is Back-end development?
back-end development
Casting your mind back to the restaurant scenario, you will remember we made mention of the food you ordered being the front-end and the kitchen activities being the back-end.
Ignoring this for now, ask yourself the following questions.
When i log into my Facebook page, how does facebook know that i entered the right password?
How does facebook know my username when i try to log in?
Why do i get warnings from facebook such as wrong password please try again when i mistakenly try to log in with a wrong password?
Well its not magic.The right answer to all the above questions is “Back-end development”.Lets say for example you want to create a site that will take in your client’s username, password and some other information. (See site below)
sign up page
Now what you see in the above picture is called the front-end because that is what your client is going to see and also interact with. Without a back-end programming, when the user or client enters his or her name,email or password, the information won’t be stored anywhere.It will just be plane text in a text area.
So in order for you to store the user’s or client’s name,email,password and other sensitive information, you will need to apply some back-end programming so that when the user tries to log in next time to his or her page or site, he or she would be verified or granted access. You would have to learn some back-end languages such as the ones below in order to apply a solid back-end programming
PHP
Python
Ruby
Java
SQL
Just to mention a few.
PHP
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) PHP is a popular general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited to web development.
Fast, flexible and logic based, PHP powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world.
php
Python
Python is also very suitable for back end web development because it is an interpreted, high-level and general-purpose programming language. Python’s design philosophy emphasizes code readability with its notable use of significant whitespaces. Its language construct and object oriented approach aim to help programmers write clear,clean and logical code for small and large-scale projects.
python
Ruby
Ruby is also an interpreted, high-level, general-purpose programming language. Which many web developers use in their back-end programming.Ruby is a scripting language built from the ground up for use in front end and back end web development and similar applications. It is a robust, dynamically typed, and object-oriented language.And one interesting thing about ruby is that its very friendly meaning its very easy to learn.
ruby
Java
Java is a class-based, object-oriented programming language that is designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible.Because of it clean and clear coding abilities it goes with a principle called WORA which means Write Once Run Anywhere.This means a programmer can develop Java code on one system and can expect it to run on any other Java-enabled system without any adjustment. This language is also one of the preferred languages of back-end developers. Especially web app developers.
java
SQL
SQL
The last on our list is SQL. SQL which is an acronym for Structured Query Language is also a rational database management language which is used to manage data or in handling a database.It is particularly used in handling structured data like usernames,passwords,indices etc.It is also one of the languages that is very vital in web development since most websites will require users to enter sensitive information on the web.
So now that we know what Back-end is, Lets move to Full-Stack development.
What is Full-Stack Development?
This is very easy and self explanatory.This simply means the combination of Front-end and Back-end development.So this means that a Full-Stack developer is fully armed and has vast knowledge when it comes to both Front and Back-end development. This is a very complex and robust field because a developer in this field would have to multi-task in both sectors (Front-end and Back-end development)
full-stack development
So, with the above explanations and brief scenarios, you now have an idea about Front-end, Back-end and Full-Stack development.
BONUS ROUND😊
Taste of greatness
Websites and softwares in general in today’s term of development is quite easy and simple to learn compared to past times.In today’s world of website or software development, Technologies are being modified and programming is now very friendly and simple.For instance, frameworks are now created to ease both front-end and Back-end development.For instance if you want to create a responsive website, you don’t have to use @media queries in CSS to create responsiveness for all devices (mobile phones,tablets and desktops).This would be very difficult because screen resolutions vary from range to range.So Just to mention a few, you can use some of the frameworks below for both your Front-end and Back-end developments
Bootstrap
Vue
Angular
React
Node.js
Django ..etc
Most of these frameworks do the heavy lifting in your programming or coding journey.All what you need to do is apply correct algorithms and logic to your coding and Voila! you are good to go.
Never give up!
keep coding!
© 2021 Marathintech inc
Codetopia Community | https://medium.com/@incmarathintech/web-development-front-end-back-end-and-full-stack-9fb0d65a0e88 | ['Codetopia Community'] | 2021-03-30 11:38:23.898000+00:00 | ['Full Stack', 'Web Development', 'Coding', 'Backend', 'Frontend'] |
Exploiting Max. Character Limitation | Hi everyone, First of all Happy new year and I hope&Pray you all are safe and sound. I always love to break functionalities and find some cool bugs. As I always highlight, It is very important to understand the functionalities and do search every possible way to break them for finding valid security loopholes. Today I would like to explain a find which falls under this category.
6 months ago, I got a private invite in Hackerone, I quickly opened the invite and saw that it is a cryptobased Program. Since I am not a big fan of Recon, I have started testing all the functionalities one by one. Then I have observed that there is no character limitation for Name field. Now I have two options:
I can ignore this since this will anyway fall under informative or P5 or sometimes N/A
OR
I can further explore and see where this lengthy name can be a further escalated to a potential threat either to a company or users or functionality.
Thats what we do : )
So started checking all the features and Initially I have found that this is causing DOS attack. But since this is happening only in chrome browser Triage team did not accepted this and closed my report as informative.
So….
Right! we never give up
and I continued exploring and found that admin users can invite other users and only the admin user can remove the invited user anytime he wants. Removing invited users option exists only in one page where list of all users details like: FirstName, LastName, Email, Role will be displayed. But when the invited person changes their name to lengthy characters then admin user is not able to view remove option.
So the impact here is that invited user can stay in the team forever. For better understanding, will be adding steps below. Triage team accepted this Report with severity 5.0 and awarded $$$
Steps:
Login as User-1, create business and invite User-2 As User-2, join business of User-1. Now user-2 will update his name to lengthy name [More than 1000 characters]. Now User-1 wants to remove User-2, so they should go to Go to settings > Members Here for the User-1, you will not find remove option.
I hope you like my explanation. I have found multiple other bugs based on character limitation, so always try to escalate when you find such flaws this is the sole purpose of publishing this writeup. Do ping me in twitter if you have any queries. Good Day! | https://medium.com/@sunilyedla/exploiting-max-character-limitation-cde982545019 | ['Sunil Yedla'] | 2021-01-05 10:46:10.560000+00:00 | ['Médium', 'Bug Bounty', 'Hackerone', 'Hacking'] |
Immigrant, Harvard Dad, NYC Cab Driver: A Son’s Tribute to a Father Lost to Covid-19 | Whenever one of his kids accomplished something, Mohammed Jafor broke out in a grin. “He would light up,” his son Mahtab Shihab said. “One thing that stood out to me was his pride in everything that me and my siblings did.”
Jafor immigrated to New York City from Bangladesh in 1991. He lived in Jackson Heights, Queens, delivered food, and worked at McDonald’s. He later brought his wife and oldest son to the U.S. from Bangladesh. And in 2000, Mahtab was born.
Mahtab told us: “He was a very devout man…He was very involved in the Bengali community in New York.” When immigrants came over from Bangladesh, Jafor would give them a place to stay for a few weeks, helping them get acclimated.
Jafor became a cab driver in the early 2000s. He worked six-days per week — often 12-hour shifts, to give his family “the best opportunities they could possibly have.”
Heartbreakingly, Jafor’s wife passed away a few years ago from colon cancer, leaving him as a single parent to three children.
“He was someone who always put his family first,” Mahtab said. “He worked hard to make sure that his family back in Bangladesh, and here in America, were taken care of.”
He also believed in the power of education: Mahtab is a sophomore studying history and economics at Harvard University, while his younger sister goes to the Trinity School in New York City.
By early March, the Covid-19 outbreak began taking hold of the region. Jafor took precautions, such as wearing a mask inside his cab. Soon after, when his son came home from school around March 14th, he stopped driving and socially isolated with his children.
But a week later, he began to develop mild Covid-19 symptoms: a fever, cough and more. He eventually began experiencing extreme shortness of breath. On March 26th, his family called him an ambulance.
He was sent to Montefiore Medical Center, where he was put on a ventilator soon after his arrival. Since his condition accelerated so quickly, his family wasn’t able to speak to him. The doctors tried to save him with everything they could: hydroxychloroquine, and a few other medications. None of the treatments worked, and Jafor died on April 1st at the age of 56.
“It was a lot to take in,” Mahtab said. “It happened all of a sudden, and it was very unexpected. It’s like: ‘What happens from here? This wasn’t supposed to happen.’”
“My dad worked really hard for everything,” he added. “It’s sad… he won’t be able to see the fruits of his hard work through the paths of me, my brother and my sister.” | https://medium.com/wake-up-call/immigrant-harvard-dad-nyc-cab-driver-a-sons-tribute-to-a-father-lost-to-covid-19-274aa5e452dd | ['Katie Couric'] | 2020-04-22 10:01:00.820000+00:00 | ['Victims', 'Health', 'Wellness', 'Coronavirus', 'Culture'] |
Trump Gets His Holiday Miracle | Confounding his critics in the press, Operation Warp Speed has delivered on Trump’s promise of a vaccine by the end of the year.
President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
U.S. Gets the Vaccine
On Monday, registered nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first health care worker in New York to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine. Lindsay received her vaccination during a live-broadcast press conference held by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“It is rooted in science, I trust science, and the alternative and what I have seen and experienced is far worse,” Lindsay said of the vaccine. “So it’s important that everyone pulls together to take the vaccine, not only to protect themselves but also to protect everyone they will come into contact with.”
Lindsay said she wanted to “instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe.”
During his conference Gov. Cuomo said, “we prioritized health care workers at the top of the list to receive the vaccine because we know that you are out there every day putting your lives in danger for the rest of us.”
“So this is the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “But it’s a long tunnel and we need people to continue to be doing the right thing. And the smart thing, all through the holiday season. And hopefully, when we get to about June, they estimate the vaccine can hit critical mass, but the health care workers will get it first because we know that you’re super stressed during this holiday season.”
Moments after the vaccine was administered, President Trump tweeted “First Vaccine Administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!”
President Trump had made various remarks on the timeline of the vaccine, many times insisting the vaccine would be available before 2021.
On May 14, President Trump wrote on Twitter “Good numbers coming out of States that are opening. America is getting its life back! Vaccine work is looking VERY promising, before end of year. Likewise, other solutions!”
Later that day he reiterated to reporters that “I think we’re going to have a vaccine by the end of the year.”
However, his statements were met with ridicule from major media outlets. Skeptical experts were quickly assembled to express their doubts about Trump’s optimistic timeline. ProPublica reporter and CNN analyst Jessica Huseman responded to the president’s tweet, writing “Go ahead and flag this tweet for when we do not have that vaccine by the end of the year.”
“I would bet my left arm that Donald Trump can’t spell vaccine, let alone be able to make a prediction about when we’re likely to see one,” Steve Schmidt, Lincoln Project co-founder and MSNBC contributor, told Joy Reid on May 15.
“Trump says COVID-19 vaccine is coming ‘within weeks’. Experts say that’s not possible,’ proclaimed the Miami Herald.
Kyle Griffin, NBC News Reporter tweeted, “NBC Fact check: Coronavirus vaccine could come this year, Trump says. Experts say he needs a ‘miracle’ to be right.”
The NBC Fact Check quoted Emory professor Dr. Walter Orenstein, who said “a lot of things could go wrong” and a vaccine in a minimum of 12 months was only “technically possible, it is unlikely.”
“Experts say that the development, testing and production of a vaccine for the public is still at least 12 to 18 months off, and that anything less would be a medical miracle,” wrote reporter Jane C. Timm.
However, Trump’s prediction was, after all, correct. Was this an erroneous fact-check, or is it a miracle? Some media pundits are finding themselves the target of inner-industry criticisms for fact-checking Trump’s prediction in the first place.
Glenn Greenwald, former founding editor of the progressive news site, the Intercept, wrote on Twitter; “CNN’s @JessicaHuseman (of @propublica) also confidently assured everyone Trump was wrong & there could not be any vaccine by year’s end. Obviously, all they cared about was telling anti-Trump partisans what they wanted to hear, not the truth.”
The Spectator’s Amber Athey wrote “the media could have accepted that the President probably has better insight into the timeline of vaccine development and approval than those not involved in the process. Instead, they roundly mocked his prediction, declaring with the backing of so-called ‘experts’ that it would require a ‘miracle’ for the vaccine to be ready by 2021.”
Trump’s unlikely prediction all those months ago- that the U.S. would have a vaccine by the end of the year- has proved true. This is good news for the U.S.- and indeed the world.
Less good is the news that each instance of mass media fact-checkers and gatekeepers being pre-emptive, then later being proven wrong, further undermines faith in the media- at a time when faith in the media would help Democrats most.
(Contributing journalist, Allegra Nokaj) (Contributing writer, Brooke Bell) | https://medium.com/@munrkazmir/trump-gets-his-holiday-miracle-ecb53a8d56c6 | ['Dr. Munr Kazmir'] | 2020-12-15 21:10:17.047000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Democrats', 'Media Criticism', 'Trump', 'Politics'] |
Week in the Study Leave—Episode 02: Research methods | Which research methods?
I have been pondering about which UX research methods to use in order to collect qualitative data on employee experiences of my interest (e.g. learning journeys, development discussions, feedback sessions, 1:1 meetings e.g.)
I’m already familiar with a number of methods however I have been questioning myself wether exist methods that would be more “appropriate” or empathetic for such contexts (which can be rich in emotions and taboo topics such as trust or money, for example) in contrast to usual methods commonly used in customer experiences research.
I had a few informal interviews with service designers to hear about their processes and research methods for designing for employee experiences. I wanted to hear of specific methods they had used in EX cases, if and how they have differed from the choices in CX cases. One of the designers was someone who had been involved with a project that sparked my interest because it baked playfulness in the personal development context.
A key insight emerged from these conversations was that Double Diamond and similar established processes used in service design may not feel iterative enough for the employee experience context. In short, the common opinion was that co-creation with end-users must occur as often and early as possible. The approach of spending time on deep understanding before any concept prototyping, specially in employee experience design context, slows down the process and may affect user’s perception of the value proposition. The approach needs to follow a more lean startup mindset (build, measure. learn).
Designing for employee experience should be much more about facilitating stakeholders to re-imagine their ways of working and giving them tools to do that, rather than delivering value-add solutions.
How is Empathy part of this?
The aim of my research is to find ways how a workplace can better support employees in their personal development. While I am at making the process more employee centric, I also want to explore the possibility of making the self-development journey as fun and enjoyable as possible.
—Hello! I’m Empathy, the buzz word 👋 I’m often invited to make reference to someone’s capacity to imagine and try to experience the emotions, thoughts or lives of others.
Empathy is a passion theme of mine, I recently chose to write about it on my my first Medium post and I’m happy I did it. I’ve been recently thinking a lot about this, actually believe motherhood might have ignited it on a new level. I need to practice more empathy and everyone else in this world is needing it, too. As a designer I don’t ever have a feel I do enough of it – it’s actually part of my own personal development.
So I have decided that by personal development I’m framing a more holistic look at employees as humans. So, beyond growth within the professional scope and technical skills, with my research I want to expose how employees strive to be not only better professionals and colleagues, but also aspire to grow their skills in being better citizens, partners, parents, friends.
Could the workplace support us in our holistic personal development? Could the workplace at least learn to look at employees with the holistic lenses instead of the simplistic value-creating human resources view? Then maybe we could develop more empathetic processes, that could perhaps contribute to a higher perception of meaningfulness of work and support people achieve life goals holistically.
Stats this week
Location Laurea, Oodi, my workplace
Watching Watchmen, Silicon Valley S06, The Walking dead🤦🏾♀
Reading A few articles about experience research, design games
Happy moments Slept late, participated in a sketching workshop 😍🖍️ | https://medium.com/@liviarimolo/week-in-the-study-leave-episode-02-research-methods-43c7392395da | ['Livia Hakala'] | 2020-02-18 00:58:41.646000+00:00 | ['Play', 'User Experience Design', 'Service Design', 'Employee Engagement', 'Masters Degree'] |
My journey to gamedev world. (part 1) | It was a friday in August 2019, the work at Blackraken Design was relatively slow and lunch-time was almost up, my brother and partner Rod enters the office, walks to my desk with a smile and tells me we have an interesting meeting with one of our best clients, lets go!.
I hate driving, specially at lunch time in downtown Monterrey, Mexico, things tend to get pretty chaotic, but luckily Rod doesn’t seems to mind it much so we hop on his car and get on our way, the meeting is at a ramen restaurant not too far away. During the ride my brother tells me that Andrés (our client) has some kind of business proposal for us that he wants to discuss, by the time we get to the place my curiosity is almost palpable.
Andrés is already there, we exchange greetings, sit at the table and do some small talk while we browse the menu and place our orders with the waitress, not long after, we start talking about what brought us all here. Andrés is a firm believer that one’s income should not depend on a single source: the more diverse your income roots, the better, and right now our incomes depended from just one source: for Rod and me it was Blackraken Design, for Andrés it was his job at an international company, and that needed to change.
On that meeting I learned that they were working on starting together a new business of DIY modern furniture that was extremely easy to assemble without the need of any tools: Rod would input his knowledge on design, materials, processes and the intangible lessons about being an entrepreneur in México, while Andrés would be in charge of financial planning, administration and business smarts so … where did I fit in all this? As it happens they would need to outsource all things related to graphic design, and there was a golden opportunity that had presented itself: The international company’s local branch in which Andrés worked was thinking on outsourcing most of their graphic design requirements and Andrés was in charge of the selection process.
What they proposed was totally outside of any expectations I had on the way to the meeting: I was to create a company that would meet the needs of both businesses, and it had to be done ASAP or the opportunity window would disappear. I felt the familiar fluttering in the stomach that comes when you have to make critical decisions that alter your future in unplanned ways. Think about it but don’t sit on it too long, he said, should you accept you need to move quickly. The meeting was over soon after, we took a picture to commemorate the occasion:
Andrés, my brother Rod and myself on that day.
I had always dreamt that one day I would create video game but I had never seen a clear path that would take me closer to that dream, until that very moment. That was the opportunity I had been waiting for: the chance to start a company as the sole owner so that I could take it anywhere I wanted, no partner meetings, no joint decisions, no convincing others. Doing graphic design projects for this two companies would ensure I had a regular income as long as I could keep up with the work, the rest of the time I would be able to focus the company resources on making video games, how hard could it be? even the required skills for making both things were similar enough, or so I though.
Before I got into bed that night I was convinced, I could do this! The world is for the bold, the ones who take risks, every worthy decision is preceded with this feeling of fear and resistance to change, so that’s how I know I must go forward with this… that was my mindset and what I told myself, after all if I didn’t take the chance then, when? I was 34, no significant other, no kids, my plan of getting a place for myself could wait a little longer, no pressing responsibilities other than Blackraken. I falled asleep feeling excited for the future.
The next morning I told my brother I was in, I had a plan: I would hire a graphic designer, sub-rent the storage room next to the kitchen, commission a desk from the spare materials in Blackraken’s workshop, get a computer and start working, I would take care of my responsibilities as head of the design department in Blackraken during the day and supervise and work as needed on the new company in the afternoon, after all both were in the same place, no need to commute anywhere.
The following weeks I started the legal paperwork with Hacienda (Mexican IRS), opened the business bank account, decided on the name, commissioned the logo ( I didn’t created it myself because I consider it would be biased, like a psychiatrist treating himself) and prepared the storage room to become an office space:
Chronograph Office renovation
I interviewed ten candidates for the position, could only afford to hire one person and I was making sure that besides their skills as graphic designers they were interested in doing videogames and were good illustrators, after some time I found the right person for the job, all that was left was to get paid, Andrés had accepted the quotation I sent him, he had offered a four month contract paid in advance, we would have to take a crash course in the company’s policies, regulations, product image guidelines and brand rules.
The new business bank account was not ready to receive any payments yet, so the only solution was to get paid through Blackraken, which in turn would outsource the work to Chronograph (my new company), I would lose Blackraken’s utility margin but it was the only way. The payment got trough and the crash course was already scheduled, my designer and I would take it and start working in November, which was two weeks from now.
Then, the worst thing that could happen, happened: Andrés was laid off, rendering all plans of Chronograph working with the international company extremely unlikely.
Te be continued… | https://medium.com/@rick-dev/my-journey-to-gamedev-world-part-1-3313e1be2bf7 | ['Ricardo Bojorquez'] | 2020-11-24 23:18:19.501000+00:00 | ['Game Development', 'Indiedev', 'Startup Life', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Videogames'] |
Spending a long weekend in Belgium? Here’s how to do it right | Day 1 — travelling to Brussels and beer tasting!
I was traveling from London to Brussels using the Eurostar. The journey takes two hours.
The Eurostar is always a pleasant experience. If you have a small family, this is definitely the travel route I would recommend. The Eurostar has few luggage restrictions — which is good news if you want to bring back bottles of Belgium beer!
Top tip: book your train tickets well in advance. Travel earlier in the morning to get cheaper deals.
After arriving at Brussels Midi station, we took the tram to Grand Place, the centre of Brussels. You will need to buy a ticket to use the tram. There are machines and helpful staff on hand to help you. Read this guide to learn more about public transport in Brussels.
Top tip: stay in the centre of Brussels (Grand Place). Everything is walking distance so you don’t need a travel day pass.
We settled into our accommodation, before heading out to explore what the Grand Place had to offer.
The first place we visited was the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (shopping arcade). The arcade is home to famous chocolatiers and shops.
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. The shops are a little pricey, but the quality is assured.
At this point, we were hungry so it was time to try one of Belgium’s most famous delicacies — French Fries! One of the most popular places to try French Fries is Bij Chez Pappy.
Go for the special with Onions, Mayonnaise and Ketchup. Delicious!
Continuing our journey, it was time to see Brussel’s most famous icon — Manneken pis.
Manneken pis. There’s a tradition of dressing up the statue in different costumes.
Next, we saw the Everard T’serclaes. It’s right next to the Grand Place.
Everard T’serclaes.
Grand Place time! The centre is a large public square surrounded by bars, cafes and restaurants. It’s lively and always buzzing.
Grand Place!
Grand Place at night. It’s the perfect place to have a late night picnic. Bring Belgium beers and some snacks. | https://dharmeshchauhan11.medium.com/spending-a-long-weekend-in-belgium-heres-how-to-do-it-right-23a3374e726b | [] | 2018-06-24 10:58:16.927000+00:00 | ['Belgium', 'Travel', 'Travel Tips', 'Food', 'Culture'] |
My Personal Sexual Abuse Story | Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash
I grew up in a traditional household in Portugal and then moved to England. I was nine years old. We became immigrants in the Southwest of England and my parents didn’t really fit in. I don't know that they were very good at it. So, I didn’t really have many friends either, outside of school. I mention this because the lack of social life as I grew into a teenager contributed to a perfect storm. As I was entering my teen years my father’s behavior started altering towards me, it felt strange but I didn’t really have any other family to compare it to so I didn’t overthink it. I was probably around 12 or13 years old and my body was changing, I was becoming a woman. I remember feeling awkward about the way that my father looked at me and the way that he would sometimes just offer to give me a massage, how his hand always slipped. Yeah… really icky behavior like that. I was way too young to even know what was happening. I just knew that it felt like an invasion of my space and it terrorized me profoundly.
My father and I had never had a good relationship, my parents were depressed all the time and always yelling at me and my brother so to suddenly show this interest in me was very unsettling, although I was happy to have some attention from my father, I clearly did not want it to be of a sexual nature.
Photo by Luke Leung on Unsplash
I should clarify right now that I was never fully “raped” which means that for about five or six years of my formative teenage life, I lived in a sort of murky grey area, where his stares and massages and touching were only suggestive, subtle forms of abuse but never full-on rape. So my story was always shoved to the side because it was never “real”. It wasn’t a real sexual abuse story and therefore wasn’t considered to be true. My whole life became about trying to fix myself, rid myself of my past, and learn to trust again because since I lost trust in my own parents it’s very difficult to then trust anyone else. It created a very thick barrier between me and the rest of the world. This was definitely an experience that changed me significantly. I think it’s important to share it, not only because of women’s rights and the rise of the #metoo movement but because it’s important to share real things that created trauma because if I could have seen a video or read an article of someone else going through what I was going through, it would have made me feel so much better. It would have relieved some of the pain in my young heart.
I would go to bed every night terrified that, that night would be the one my dad just walks in goes through with it. I basically lived in dread for about four or five years. I didn’t really know how to approach this and my mom wasn’t a very easy person to talk to. Plus, we were living in a different country and I didn’t really have any close friends. I have nobody to compare myself to and no one that I can confide in. It was certainly a heavy burden for a young teenage girl to handle alone.
But then, my grandparents came to visit. My grandmother pointed out to my mum that there was some sort of strange behavior with regards to my father and me and that she should intervene. My mom told her to not meddle in our relationship and that it was completely innocent and accused her of having a dirty mind. My grandma felt that she needed to come and tell me about it herself since my mum wasn’t willing to. She asked me if sometimes my relationship with my dad felt strange or as if it crossed a line. I burst into tears. Finally, someone saw it. Someone saw what I was going through. It was so good to not feel so alone. Because since nothing “actual rape” happened then it could have just all been all in my mind. Maybe I’m perverted in some way! This is what I was thinking of myself at that time. After that conversation with my grandmother, I realized my fear and discomfort was justified.
Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash
There was a huge fight and my mom asked my grandparents to leave. They returned to Portugal and I was left alone with them again. I decided to talk to my mom about it and explain that there was something wrong. Bear in mind that I’d never even had the birds and bees conversation with her due to her strict Catholic upbringing. So it was really weird for me to talk about sex. I was trying to tell her that I felt like sometimes the way dad touched me wasn’t right, that I didn’t feel good, and that grandma told me that she also saw it and it helped me to understand that it wasn’t all in my mind and so on…
The surprising thing is that my mother’s reaction was to tell me that my grandma was just creating conflict. She also told me and that I clearly had a filthy mind. She was very angry with me. She eventually asked if he had ever explicitly touched me in my private area. I explained that technically it was always an accident. That was all she needed to know. She proceeded to force me to go outside and apologize to my dad. He was working on his car. She’s a scary woman, I could never impose myself to her so I went to him to tell him that I was sorry for thinking that the way he was looking at me and touching me was wrong and I cried desperately. It was strange because he wasn’t expecting it so I’m just there, apologizing. He turned pale in the face and told me — it’s fine, it’s fine, just just go upstairs go to sleep.
In hindsight that was my mother’s way of making me do the dirty work for her, in speaking to my father about it directly without her needing to face any of it.
Not surprisingly his erratic behavior continued for a long time after because that was the tone that was set; which ultimately put me in a position of having to deal with it on my own. Throughout the following years, I suffered from nightmares, I was terrified of him wanting to touch me on a daily basis. I was always scared. It consumed all my days and nights. Some days I would need to tolerate him walking in on me in the shower and staring at my naked body before pretending he didn’t know I was in there. Or insisting I kiss him goodbye on the cheek before leaving for school so that he could grope me without it looking suspicious. I, of course became more and more terrified of the possibility that he might go through with it one night when everyone else is asleep.
Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash
Later that night, after the conversation with my dad, I was in bed looking up into the darkness and I remember thinking that there must be something seriously wrong with me. I am messed up in my brain because i actually thought these things about him and it’s all in my head. I’m disgusting! For most of my teenage years I lived in total hell, mostly because I believed that everything that my father did was just me overthinking it and making it seem perverted with my own dirty imagination because I was twisted and jaded and probably clinically mentally ill. I was a monster.
The biggest sin towards teen-me, asides from the obvious, was the excruciating mental abuse. My parents preferred to blame me rather than face this incestuous behavior. They didn’t have the tools to even begin to handle it so, in not knowing how to handle it, they unconsciously made the decision of leaving it to me. I was a virgin, i was still figuring out my femininity and my womanhood. I had nowhere else to go. I didn’t have any form of comparison in other families because we were so far away from home and were “new immigrants”. I lived in total dread for most of my teenage years. I was afraid of my thoughts more than anything. I was afraid of him. I was afraid of my mom hating me. But ultimately, I had been convinced that I was a pervert. I really believed that I was crazy, which now seems ridiculous to me, but in my teenage mind, that’s what was going on.
I carried that with me for 2 decades. It took me almost 20 years to figure out that deep down in my heart of hearts, there was a little voice telling me “you’re weird, you’re perverted, you’re disgusting!” — it goes to show that the things that we are made to believe when we’re young become a part of our personality so strongly. It took me a long time to clean up the mess my parents made in my psyche. Mainly because sexual abuse was such a taboo subject that I couldn’t go up to a teacher or a friend and ask them about it. When I later spoke about it in any circle, be it familial or social, I was blamed for the abuse immediately or once again convinced that I was imagining it. Until one night when I received a phone call from my father. At this point I’m 19 years old living at University Campus. He was calling from a bar, he was drunk and confessed all the sexual things he wanted to do to me. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to endure. In fact on that very night, I went up to the roof and thought about jumping. To hear your own father tell you he wants to kiss you and …well I won’t get into details … it was no easy thing. However, it released from the erroneous belief that I was the perpetrator.
I had proof that I wasn’t crazy! Finally. There’s proof. Later on, my mother confessed to me that she had caught him a few times, up in the middle of the night watching me sleep. In fact, she once slept on the floor outside my bedroom door to prevent him from going in. To this day, in my family, he’s considered to have been a brave man for controlling himself for that long. He never raped his daughter even though he was so terribly attracted to her. It must have been very hard for him to control his natural urge. —
This is why I want to share my story. Because double standards and sexism run so deep that as a teen girl, I had absolutely nothing to hang on to for dear life. People were offended if I spoke of it and I was looked at as a temptress, a provocateur. I was simply a scared young girl in a dangerous position.
Anyhow, I wanted to show myself in my entirety and not make it look like it was easy to become confident and comfortable in my own skin. It wasn’t. It was because I had so many setbacks, testing moments, and lonely depression that I trained myself to appreciate and to work towards a healthy mind and body and an overall joyful state. That’s my story. I hope you can take something from it, what was once voiceless can now be heard. For me, this is no small feat. | https://medium.com/@pattiemartins/my-personal-sexual-abuse-story-93644a99c9ed | ['The True True With Pattie Martins'] | 2020-10-06 11:03:01.245000+00:00 | ['Sexual Assault', 'Metoo', 'Feminist', 'Psychology'] |
8 Things You Should Do After Moving | Moving to a new city can leave you feeling disoriented and anxious as if you don’t really belong there. Although time will usually help you get over the initial shock, the post-move phase can be extremely difficult at first, especially if you have no idea what to do.
However, the post-relocation period does not have to be difficult. The checklist below will help you figure out what to do once you’ve moved into your new home.
The truth is that if you properly arrange your time, you won’t have to deal with any unpleasant or perplexing situations. Are you ready to start filling up your post-move checklist?
You know what comes next: unpacking, but how about knowing about your new home’s secrets? Sure, you’ll have to change your mailing address, but have you discovered any reputable healthcare providers? Yes, you should register your automobile following your cross-country move, but isn’t it more important to make new friends?
What should you do when you’ve relocated? How, when, and why should they all be done?
1. Schedule your post-moving activities
Your professional movers, by the way, didn’t overcharge you for Moving Services, did they? Your post-move period begins the moment you walk through the door of your new home or apartment.
You’ll probably find that the first day following moving into a new home is largely marked by relief that the house move is finally over and that you can finally shake off that nerve-wracking build-up of stress and anxiety.
Unfortunately, because there are so many things to accomplish while moving into a new home, you won’t have much time to settle in, at least not right away. In actuality, it’s critical that you plan your post-relocation period as efficiently as possible.
Do you recall how much your personal moving calendar forced you to make the most of every hour of every day leading up to your residential relocation? You’ll need to do something similar now.
Yes, you should consider making a fresh new to-do list that includes all of the chores you’ll need to finish now that the move is completed. Do you have any new errands to run around the house? New responsibilities in the city? It’s far too important to waste your time, so go to work. Again.
2. Take down the mound of boxes
Unlike packing for a move, the best part about unpacking is that you can stretch it out over time and accomplish it at a much more leisurely pace. Unpacking after a move is necessary, and it’s time-consuming nature should not be overlooked, but you don’t have a pressing deadline (your moving day) to meet.
The first boxes you should unpack are your essentials boxes, which contain the most important stuff. Then, start opening all of the Bedroom and Bathroom labeled containers, as those are the two rooms you should prioritize setting up. After all, aren’t your thoughts focused on taking a fast shower and relaxing in your comfortable bed?
3. Get to know the ins and outs of your new home
In most situations, your new house will be completely unfamiliar ground for you, so it’s time to channel your inner explorer and take a tour of the property. Look for any traces of previous damage, check for leaks in the pipes, and keep an eye out for any symptoms of infestation.
While you’re on your tour, make mental notes about whether your new home is appropriately guarded against unauthorized entrance (theft) or against Mother Nature’s destructive forces. If you have a small child, your new home should also be thoroughly child-proofed.
4. Update your mailing address
The postal address of your new residence will be different regardless of whether you moved across town, to a new city within the same state, or across the nation. And that means that unless you take the time to update your address soon after the transfer, you’ll continue to get normal mail at your previous address, which is inconvenient.
The chore of changing your address should not be put off among the many things to accomplish after you move into a new home. Instead, have it done as soon as possible. Here, you have two choices:
1) go to your local post office and fill out a change of address card in person, or
2) make use of the global network and do it online on the USPS website.
5. Locate qualified healthcare providers after Moving
You never know how your body and mind will respond to the stress of a recent transfer or the new city’s conditions. One potential issue is that the doctor you’ve known and trusted for years will no longer be able to see you and examine you if you have a cold, grow more dangerously ill, or simply require specific paperwork from a doctor.
Finding a new family physician for you and your family, as well as a new veterinarian for your pet, if relevant, is another critical job on our moving into a new house checklist. Recommendations from people you can trust are still the best approach to identify the best health care provider for you, just as they were with the school.
6. Be sure to register your vehicle
If you’ve just crossed a state line to get to your destination, don’t forget to register your vehicle in the new state. You may also need to transfer your driver’s license, for your information. The good thing is that both of these activities are rather simple, so all you have to do now is schedule a visit to your local DMV office to complete them.
7. Create new friends
Moving into a new house can be a stressful experience for all parties involved. A syndrome known as separation anxiety could be a probable adverse effect of the recent residential change. The fact that you have moved away from your wonderful friends and family is enough to make you upset, if not melancholy. To make matters worse, you are unlikely to know anyone in your new city. Not yet, at least.
Among the many things to do following the relocation, making new friends is the one that will help you settle in quickly. Say hello to the neighbors next door to get to know them better. After work, spend time with your coworkers and be open to fresh and maybe unpredictable opportunities to meet new individuals. Join a new group, take dance lessons, or consider taking up an activity that allows you to engage with people who share your interests.
8. Learn all there is to know about your new city.
So, what else is there to do when you’re relocating to a new city?
Of course, you should get to know your new city a little better! Apart from the strictly practical aspect of knowing where to find the most important places in town (supermarkets, banks, medical centers, post offices, car services, schools, banks, important government institutions, and so on), the more familiar you become with the new place, the more at ease you will feel living and working there.
Take frequent exploratory walks, starting in your area and working your way across the city. Get to know the city’s sights, learn a little more about its history, and perhaps even try to comprehend how the residents live in general. In short, dare to leave the comfort of your new house more often, and you’ll be on friendly terms with the city you’ve just moved to in no time.
Wrap up with Moving
If you are planning to move to another state or town, you can also check out how to reduce removal costs from one place to another, so you can also save a lot and be stress-free. Compare and check the reviews of reputable moving service providers to find the best one for you. | https://medium.com/@wearemover3978/8-things-you-should-do-after-moving-2e4cd1c0baa2 | ['Mover Services'] | 2021-08-05 13:17:31.454000+00:00 | ['Storage', 'Movers', 'Australia', 'House', 'Moving'] |
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Informations Quarashi Network:
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Author
BTT: Uzair11
BTT Profile Link: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=3164524
Wallet address: 0xF7AB80084E1aCa2b2e2D636B593d796768270002 | https://medium.com/@uzairmoti11/quarashi-network-aa5321163d5a | [] | 2021-12-29 11:21:36.749000+00:00 | ['Qua', 'Bsc'] |
Losing a Child to Suicide | My daughter Holly was 28 when she took her own life two years ago. Losing your child to suicide is a devastating and life-changing experience. It is not something you can get over — recover from — come to terms with — heal with time.
Holly is dead. She did not choose to go, and she is not in a better place.
I am still here. I am trying to make sense of my life now that my beautiful, brilliant star of a daughter succumbed to a fatal mental illness.
This story is not about Holly. It is about how grief became my wake up call.
In the weeks before her death, I had lost all sense of direction. Scroll back several years, and you see my business collapsing and with it goes my sense of purpose.
I was a creative activator going into schools and the corporate world using music and drumming. I was passionate about connecting people and facilitating their creative spirit. After the crash of 2008 money started being withdrawn from educations arts budgets. I began ploughing money into marketing to schools. Nothing could reverse it. Profits disappeared and soon became losses.
Unlike others in a similar position, I refused to diversify. A passion had driven me for ten years, and I was not willing to make compromises. My inability or unwillingness to create a pivot point for the company was disastrous. The business folded, and so did my sense of adventure.
I decided to go back into teaching to keep up the mortgage payments. I could write for weeks about what a disaster that was.
I limped from one teaching job to the next with resignations and discontinued contracts piling up behind me. Alongside this, I was downsizing and trying any other way to make my finances work, and my debts go away. Somehow, I found myself making an official complaint that my line manager was bullying me.
Amid this sorry tale, I woke up one morning to find I had gone deaf in one ear. Long story short, I had a brain tumour. It knocked out all hearing in one ear and disrupted my sense of balance. It is now a dormant tumour and has been for three years.
So in the few months before Holly died, I retired as a teacher, walked with a stick, took on a menial admin job for 20 hours a week and did very little else.
It is not all doom and gloom here. I had paid off all my debts and was living in a beautiful seaside location. I walked to work across the beach and sometimes swam in a sea pool on the way. There was some contentment there but no purpose or meaning to my life.
The trauma of bereavement by suicide
As the organisation Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide states:
A death by suicide is usually sudden, often unexpected and may be violent. These factors increase the degree of shock and trauma experienced compared to many other types of bereavement. Survivors may struggle to make sense of what has happened and fundamental beliefs may be challenged.
I have had excellent support from Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide and in the process met with others coping with this trauma. Some are still needing support 30 years after the event. For most, it is a life-changing experience.
I remember stepping outside of Holly’s London flat 36 hours after she had died there. We were on our way to identify her body. We decided to walk across London parks rather than take public transport.
I was sleep-deprived and groggy, but as I stepped into the sunshine, I felt my spirits lift.
“How can I be enjoying the sunshine when Holly is dead?”
I realised at that moment that life for me was going to continue. I realised that this loss and devastation would be with me forever, but I had some choice on whether I allowed the trauma to paralyse me or to energise my life.
Now I realise it does both concurrently.
I am embracing joy and pain.
“We shake with joy, we shake with grief. What a time they have, these two housed as they are in the same body.” ~Mary Oliver — Evidence 2010
Two years have passed. Holly is with me always. I am not necessarily thinking of her, but I am aware of her presence. She sits on my chest sometimes as I wake, and it takes a considerable effort to ease her off and get on with my day.
I had a moment of paralysis sitting in my van watching a woman chatting and laughing. For five minutes there was part of me that believed Holly was not dead at all. Here she was with her hair plaited and her eyes shining.
The logical mind and my soul’s yearning fought it out for a while. I felt the pain of losing her and the joy of who she was, come together. I got out of the van and continued my day with both moving me forward.
The thing I find hard to admit.
I have renewed purpose in my life since Holly died. I find it difficult to admit that. As if it is disloyal. I should be sad — lying in a darkened room tearing out my hair. The grief police will descend on me at any minute and arrest me for doing it all wrong.
The truth is I have come alive in many ways and particularly in my creative life. I am writing regularly. I have dusted off a “five years in the drawer” novel and now work with an editor to make it ready for publication.
I have created a YouTube channel and systematically record my repertoire from the many years I was a professional storyteller. I compose music and find ways of sharing it. I bake or cook something new almost every day.
Responding to the wake-up call.
I threw away my walking stick a few days after Holly died. I had been using it for a year because my balance was so compromised. We were walking daily through London, meeting with Holly’s many friends, family and colleagues. One day on Westminster Bridge, I realised that using a stick as support was ridiculous. My brain would only learn to compensate for the loss of a balance organ if I walked unaided and got used to it. I left the stick in a bin on the bridge.
A few days later, I signed up to train to be a counsellor. I spoke to a local trainer and explained my background. Two months later, I began the basic level course, and now I am a year away from qualifying.
Becoming a counsellor was something I had always almost done but never taken the plunge. We had been encouraging Holly to see a counsellor. I could impact someone in a similar situation to her. The course is providing meaning and purpose for my life that was sadly lacking.
Rediscovering meaning and purpose.
Important to note here that I am not religious in any way. I don’t ascribe to a higher purpose or serving a greater good or a spiritual path.
Yet, I have rediscovered meaning and purpose in my life.
Werner Erhart’s words: “Life is empty and meaningless” resonate with me. It gives us the freedom to create, in the moment, whatever meaning we want for our lives.
He also says:
It is important that you get clear for yourself that your only access to impacting life is action. The world does not care what you intend, how committed you are, how you feel or what you think, and certainly it has no interest in what you want and don’t want. Take a look at life as it is lived and see for yourself that the world only moves for you when you act.
So to rediscover meaning and purpose — every day, I take action. I am creative, and I don’t need to narrow that down to the activities that make me money or seem noble.
One day I feel moved to write, and the next I make music. Another day I create videos. Some days I bake cakes and make bread and go for a long cycle ride.
My life had lost purpose. I had narrowed down my actions to those that made money to the exclusion of all else. I had some illusion that I had to decide to be one thing to the exclusion of everything else to survive. I had to be a teacher or a musician or a storyteller or a drumcircle facilitator or a videographer or a counsellor or a writer.
I can now change all those “or”s to “and”s.
Main points of the wake-up call.
Joy and pain can coexist.
Anything that you consider meaningful is meaningful.
Your purpose is to take action wherever and whenever you feel moved.
Creativity has no limits unless you impose them yourself.
Useful links: | https://medium.com/invisible-illness/losing-a-child-to-suicide-12dcb8762a35 | ['John Walter'] | 2020-08-06 19:17:34.383000+00:00 | ['Growth', 'Depression', 'Self', 'Grief', 'Suicide'] |
Musings Under the Moon | The pull and power of the holiday moons, the Earth, water, and airs swirling and Snows falling, Trees bending, heavy with that snow that looks so fluffy but weighs evergreens bent to breaking. Christmas was the best ever.
I could not face the managing of a tree on my own. Not this year, no crawling to the ample storage boxes and papers holding decorations. Every one special, the fairies, wizards, Hawaiian Santas, forest animals and musical instruments circled by garlands of our planet’s people and celestial stars. Those boxes stayed tucked into the eaves.
I am the only person in this big home. I sit surrounded by my greens, pruned by friend David, from in front of the house to create a bowl of scent and beauty. Cards and sweet presents (always a surprise) are tucked into the arms of the kids stuffed animals. All that soft cuddliness of love still imbued in the vibration of each stuffed adorable wild thing. The imprint of my kids holding and loving their floppy bodies, then grandkids squished them too. Dragonfly from Amy, a bell from Santa’s last visit to the grandboys, and the snow globe Gabe gave me of Rainbow life in Kauai.
Yes, I miss my kids, Gabe, in Hawaii, now with white creeping onto his sweet scalp and he not missing the white of snows here one bit. All three grown up and succeeding in marriage and occupations. Sarah, Gabe and Hannah. Sigh.
Beeswax Solstice candles are safely lit at sunset. The bronze sconces from my family dining room light the portrait in golden hues, as they did for so many family meals shared with my parents. I am simply surrounded by love.
I did manage to teach a class on Reading the body this summer. Parts of this will be offered on my website www.earthsongherbals.com or Facebook. My personal page has reached the maximum number of friends. Really?! I can only have 5000 friends? Not to worry, you can be a friend on the business site Margi Flint, Earthsong Herbals still has room for me to share with 2 thousand more!
Virtual Clinic circles are twice monthly, sliding scale for the client, $75–200 and $65 for practitioners. Six practitioners for each intake, you will have a job whether I or one of the others shares the consultation. (9:30 am EST to 12:30)
I have cleaned out my shed, have 2 far infrared heaters, a carpet and chairs, Herb infused Covid spray on hand, so that open-door, masked, private consultations and friends can be seen safely. I am a social being! Covid test and careful? Book a consultation.
Staying busy and learning to enjoy the new world, in the new era, in my new self. Busy updating The Practicing Herbalist, the continued purging of my possessions and enjoyment of my pod people.
If you care to, enjoy my musings……… | https://medium.com/@margiflint/musings-under-the-moon-37a392d82b7e | ['Margi Flint'] | 2020-12-27 04:40:09.645000+00:00 | ['Musings', 'Family', 'Covid Christmas', 'Memories'] |
Don’t flatter yourself. | Don’t flatter yourself.
Photo by Manuel Meurisse on Unsplash
What I bring you today is a bit out of my comfort zone as a blogger: it’s a piece of common knowledge, not at all groundbreaking or unpopular. Nonetheless, despite how common it is, we tend to forget it from time to time. I’m here to remind you about it.
Caroline McHugh dwells on this very same topic (while elaborating it in her own special way) during the timeless TED talk below. I think everyone should watch it at least once, so in case you haven’t, feel free.
Honestly, I could quote her entire presentation here because it marked me the first time I saw it, and I keep rewatching it on youtube. Every single word she says is relevant and important to the ultimate point she’s making about individuality. However, there is one thing mentioned in the video that ties in perfectly with the specific lesson I’m bringing you today, so here it goes:
“If you have a superiority or an inferiority complex, you need other people around. […] Interiority [on the other hand] is entirely unrelative. It’s the only place in your life where you’ll find no competition.”
Could competition be at the root of people’s unhealthy self-centeredness?
Something I see a lot, all over the internet and beyond, is self-centered commenters. It’s a ridiculous phenomenon, I find it quite entertaining: even in news articles if you scroll through the comments, you’ll see people taking things personally, as if the journalist wasn’t talking about this piece of news that concerns thousands of people, but John, the commenter, instead. It’s as if a lot of people just assumed the world spins around them, and everything they ever read or see — no matter how impersonal — was actually about them, a personal attack. Then they think “goodness… I must defend myself from this threat”.
Me, me, me.
But if you look beyond this veil of self-centeredness and “superiority complex”, beyond this need to go talk to the manager… It stems from a deep-rooted sense of competitiveness, doesn’t it? Behind every egotistic comment that takes impersonal things personally, there is a desire to “one up” to the author of whatever it is you disliked. Internet commenters hope to gain more likes and follows than the blogger who dared share a fresh new perspective with them — just like teenage troublemakers seek validation from their impressionable peers when they’re interrupting class at school. They start out with no power, and set out to look for loyal followers in order to feel more powerful than whatever authority figure they were feeling threatened by; But it’s without a cause, just for the sake of appeasing the ego.
It tends to be “type A personalities” who make a scene for attention, exactly because they see every wee thing in life like a merciless competition, and are woefully bad at just relaxing.
Photo by Lux Graves on Unsplash
Aye, there IS a personal element to this article. It wasn’t at random that I decided to write it now. I sometimes get asked why am I such a snob and won’t reply to comments on my articles, even though they aren’t too many (which implies that I definitely have the time to reply to them, I just don’t wanna). The assumption is correct: I just don’t wanna.
Perhaps if one day I receive a comment that is truly constructive and worth my time, sure, I’ll even take a break from work to go there and reply to it. I give my audience due importance (or else I wouldn’t even bother writing), and I wholeheartedly believe there are mature people among my readers who just happen to not feel like commenting — and when/if they do, I’ll totally talk to them. Nobody’s audience is entirely made up of those who engage. (I mean, there are studies that confirm what I just said). I write for those who are interested in my content; The commenters, however, don’t seem very interested in my content. Instead, what they want is to provoke me in hope that I’ll give them attention, even if it’s negative attention. Well, they’re naive. I am well past that phase in life. They should have tried that on 13-year-old Meron, not the 30-something-year-old version of me.
I’m not just talking about “hate” and bad language. Those are trolls, and a topic for another article entirely. Today I’m talking about those who aren’t trolls, but also aren’t emotionally mature enough to realise they’re projecting their own shadows onto me.
So what if I wrote something you consider ridiculous, invalid, or unthinkable? A mature person could still have these opinions, oh yes, absolutely — but you know what a mature person would do with these opinions? Keep them, then maybe tell a friend and laugh at my article with this friend in private, or maybe not even that, maybe just scroll by and go read something else. You don’t write a letter to every author of books you didn’t like, or do you? I bet you just abandon the book and move on, rather than try and find a way to “fix” it or turn it into what would be a good book in your opinion. That’s because books aren’t interactive platforms, don’t have “like” buttons for comments and won’t gather you a following of fellow haters.
So, dear hater: don’t flatter yourself. You aren’t the centre of attention. You aren’t doing a charitable thing to the wider Medium readership by pretending to debunk a point I made. Because if you were, you would actually do it, not just pretend. And no, I don’t value this kind of engagement. I couldn’t care less whether you stay or unfollow. Quality over quantity is my motto.
No, I’m not exaggerating or being petty. Just look at the comments I tend to receive if you’re in doubt . I’m for freedom of speech, I don’t delete anything. (Although, let me remind you, freedom of speech is NOT the same as entitlement to a response). They’re sometimes dressed up as “real concern” for a point I made or whatever, but ultimately boil down to “oh, well, Meron, what you said is invalid because I’m guessing you are this and that and [insert ad hominem here]”. That’s miles away from an actually helpful constructive criticism. It’s criticising my [perceived — again see Caroline’s video] character as a person, not just the logic behind my words, and it’s trying to invalidate my personal experiences as if I didn’t have the right to exist unless I fit into a box they are used to. These comments tend to boil down to an assumption, completely unfounded and borne out of guesswork, about which standard societal “box” I might fit into and what stereotypes apply to me, rather than just making space for me to exist in my actual individuality. It’s low-effort… So why exactly should I put time and effort into engaging with them? One-way road? I don’t think so. I’m already being quite generous by writing this article (but I’m only doing it for the convenience of linking to it in the future if I need to).
I’m not saying “I hate invalidation” (whether or not I hate it, I don’t feel like sharing — feel free to guess). What I am saying is “invalidate me to your heart’s content, I just won’t respond to it”. Because seriously, how would I even respond to it? By trying to prove you wrong? What for? I don’t need your approval. There are people who already approve of me, so why the hell would I try to please the entire world? Keep disapproving and keep upholding your opinion, you’re entitled to it — but there’s a difference between having an opinion, VS weaponising an opinion to try and boss me around. You aren’t the boss of me. Who do you think you are?
Ultimately, when you try to get a negative reaction out of someone by provoking or invalidating them out loud, you’re also showing your own need for validation.
It’s inevitable. Projection is a human habit — but so is pooping, aye? There’s a time and a place for that.
By the way: aye, go ahead. Read into the very existence of this article. Point it out to me if you will. I am human just like you, and not afraid of my own humanity. I’ve already noted and embraced it, so if you point it out to me, I won’t be seeing anything new. Will you be seeing something new, though? Am I a mirror to you? — That’s quite possible. Think about it.
Happy holidays. | https://medium.com/@meron-cruithne/dont-flatter-yourself-8d7cb6692512 | ['Meron Nic Cruithne'] | 2021-12-26 22:02:31.219000+00:00 | ['Internet Comments', 'Internet Marketing', 'Audience Engagement', 'Psychology', 'Projection'] |
Forecast on 3 Levels: Introducing Scalecast Pt. 3 | Forecast on 3 Levels: Introducing Scalecast Pt. 3
Photo by Chor Tsang on Unsplash
Welcome back to the concluding part of the scalecast series. Part 1 introduced forecasting on one series. Part 2 scaled the approach to many series. This part shows how to model the same series on different levels and compare the results fairly and easily.
Why should we care about levels?
Some consideration has to be taken to any given time series before forecasting it to ensure that it is stationary, meaning its mean and variance do not change randomly over time. Otherwise, much of what you will try to model will be random. Models such as Prophet and Silverkite deal with non-stationary data by using piecewise functions— Prophet uses a bayesian regression approach while Silverkite uses a linear model with regularization. ARIMA stands for Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average; “Integrated” in this case refers to a mechanism within ARIMA to handle non-stationarity. Exponential Smoothing weighs recent observations more heavily than earlier observations. In all the above ways, non-stationary trends are handled so that accurate forecasts can be evaluated.
Other machine learning models commonly used for forecasting, such as decision trees, non-piecewise linear regression functions, k-nearest neighbors, support vector machines, and neural networks, give no consideration for non-stationary data. In cases where you try to feed them such data anyway, the random trend variations heavily influence the models, leading noise to be interpreted as signal and spurious results. You may get lucky and still obtain seemingly good forecasts, but your model is likely to not be generalizable for many steps into the future.
To remedy this, we can take a series’ first or second difference before feeding it to certain models; every observation in the time series then becomes the difference of the previous observation and itself. Thusly, much of the noise is stripped out of the series, leaving behind the cyclical signals, such as seasonality, lagged effects, and/or specified covariates, which can be modeled. The only downside to this strategy is a loss of interpretability and more work on the back-end to make the forecasts usable to others.
A good statistical test to determine if your data is stationary is Augmented Dickey Fuller. Its null hypothesis is that the data you give it is not stationary and if you want to be safe, this should also be your default assumption when working with time series generally. It is far more of a serious sin to assume your data is stationary when it is not than vice versa, at least this is what my econ teachers always told me.
Run models on different levels
What do you do when you want to compare forecast results from models that take stationarity into account and others that don’t? One answer is to run all models with stationary data to be safe, but a more dynamic approach is to run some series on level data and others on differenced data. Error and accuracy metrics can then be compared based on each model’s performance on level data.
Executing this strategy can be challenging, but it is easy when using scalecast (see the full script used in the example here). First, install the package and take care of other requirements:
pip install scalecast
pip install pandas-datareader
pip install lightgbm
pip install fbprophet
pip install greykite
Next, import libraries and load data:
We examined this data fairly well in part 1. We use the same preprocessing steps this time— differencing the series to make it stationary; specifying test and validation periods; and adding seasonal regressors, autoregressive terms, a time trend, and a few other variables.
Let’s apply four models to the differenced data — K-nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, Light Gradient Boosted Machine, and Multi-Level Perceptron. We can also select four models that are supposed to work well on data whether or not it is stationary: ARIMA, Holt-Winters Exponential Smoothing, Facebook Prophet, and LinkedIn SilverKite. We apply the latter four on the data at its original level. We also add two combination models for each of the two model types, leaving four combination models total.
To tune each one of these models, we place a Grids.py file in the working directory. An easy way to do that is by using:
from scalecast import GridGenerator
GridGenerator.get_example_grids()
When running your own applications, you are encouraged to manually alter the grids in this file as you see fit.
Visually compare results
The interesting part of the analysis comes when comparing results. First, for the sake of brevity, let’s select a single error/accuracy metric to trust (comparing several metrics could be more interesting, but it is outside the scope of this post). Since forecasts were run at different levels, we should choose one that makes sense for all series. I like LevelTestSetMape . When delivering forecasts to senior decision makers in an organization, people are usually most concerned about how far off the results are expected to be from actuals. It is appreciated in those situations when you can quickly state a percentage point — that way, no confusion about scale or statistics arises. Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) allows us to do that, and LevelTestSetMAPE usually evaluates fairly on any series you are likely to forecast. Let’s explore the plotted forecasts, ordered best-to-worst according to this metric: | https://towardsdatascience.com/forecast-on-3-levels-introducing-scalecast-pt-3-eb725e0be6c9 | ['Michael Keith'] | 2021-07-28 14:31:53.397000+00:00 | ['Jupyter', 'Data Science', 'Forecasting', 'Flexible', 'Python'] |
What It Will Take to Evolve a Society that Works for Everyone | In 1970 Lewis Powell, who would soon be appointed to the Supreme Court by Richard Nixon, wrote an insightful and prescient memo about what was needed to save capitalism. There were more than 1700 bombings of businesses in 1970 and Powell and his colleagues had every reason to be concerned about the threat to their interests. Powell’s memo has been widely credited with prompting the efforts of the business community to assert their influence. He described the many ways that business could be promoted such as by creating a class of scholars and pundits who could influence public opinion and by efforts to gain political control. He warned that it would require effort “over an indefinite period of years.”
Over the past fifty years, wealthy conservatives have followed Powell’s advice. The result has been the deeply divided country we now live in.
As I predict in my new book, Rebooting Capitalism: How We Can Forge a Society That Works for Everyone, the problems we face will not be eliminated through one or two victorious elections cycles. Our differences are too deeply rooted to think that we can simply eliminate them through even the most sophisticated electioneering techniques.
Many of our problems are unintended consequences of the extensive, well-funded, and largely unnoticed efforts by wealthy conservatives to advance their interests. Their goal was to increase their political power by promoting free market ideology as the way to advance freedom and prosperity. An increasing proportion of our intellectual and political leadership became convinced that government regulation was harmful and that the unfettered pursuit of profits would benefit not only the business community, but the society as a whole. There were so successful that by the 1990s a democratic president could proclaim that the era of big government was over.
Many are inclined to vilify the architects of conservative hegemony. However, in this case — and I believe in every other instance of harm that has been created — a more effective way of thinking about it is in terms of the selection of behavior and practices by their consequences. The network of conservative interests did not set out to increase the oppression of black people, or the proliferation of guns, or the often violent efforts to restrict abortions. They simply set out to win elections because doing so benefited them financially. However, to do so it worked to create a war on drugs in black neighborhoods, to cultivate and align with the evangelical movement and the gun rights movement, and to use dog whistle racism to garner support of the white working class.
Jane Mayer has documented the extensive network of organizations that it has taken to achieve conservative political power. A coalition of conservative billionaires nurtured the careers of thousands of conservative intellectuals, pundits, and career politicians. They realized that to gain political power at the federal level they would need to take control of state governments so that they could gerrymander districts both for state legislators and Congressional candidates. They also realized that they needed to take control of the judiciary, which they have succeeded in doing.
Democratic Party leaders failed to see the deeply rooted system that conservatives were creating. They continued to compete at the level of winning the next election. They lacked a coherent analysis of how society works and what conditions are needed to ensure people’s well-being. Indeed, to a great extent they bought into the free market doctrine. As a result, they did not address the needs and interests of working class Americans.
In Rebooting Capitalism: How We Can Forge a Society That Works for Everyone, I lay out the reforms that are needed in every sector of society. Foundational for this reform is an alternative to free market ideology. That alternative is the scientifically supported understanding of the nurturing conditions that people need in order to thrive. I laid these out in detail in my earlier book The Nurture Effect.
I have created a nonprofit, Values to Action, which organizes study circles — small teams of people who work on a specific aspect of our many problems to produce products that can advance nurturance in society. We are examining the extent to which each sector of society is contributing to the well-being of the entire population. We seek to promote practices that do so, and to eliminate those that harm segments of the population. Here are the areas we plan to address:
· In business we have corporations that market harmful products. In every case we need policies that ensure that corporations lose money as the result of such harmful practices.
· Healthcare is profitable to insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and many providers, but fails to address the social determinants of ill health. need much greater investment in the prevention of social conditions that lead to ill health and premature death.
· Higher education is investing far more in physical sciences than in the behavioral sciences. We need to train a generation of behavioral scientists and practitioners who can deliver the family school and community programs and policies that have proven benefit in increasing the well-being of the population.
· The harm that the criminal justice system is doing — especially to people of color — is increasingly understood. We need to promote programs and policies that can address these problems.
· We are currently promoting an effort to invest far more in research and practice to reduce concentrated disadvantage in our many high poverty neighborhoods.
· We also need to counter the harmful impact of social media, which has greatly amplified racism, discrimination, and division. Watch Social Dilemma, if you have not yet done so.
· Finally, we are working on climate change. I lead a task force that is working to increase the use of behavioral science research on addressing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Currently the federal government is funding almost no research on this problem.
· These reforms are foundational for evolving a political system in which it is taken for granted that public policies need to be founded on the goal of ensuring the well-being of every person.
All of these efforts will help to create a society that ensures everyone’s wellbeing. However, progress will be slow if we do not also address the fact that as many as 73 million Americans supported Donald Trump. We need to find ways achieve a rapprochement with this diverse segment of the population. The disappointing election results for down-ticket democrats shows that we will not do this simply through political campaigns.
Study circles focused on this problem will begin by summarizing what behavioral science research shows about social influence and how it can be used to begin to reach reconciliation among the diverse groups that are currently feeling so hostile toward each other.
Join us! | https://medium.com/@tonybiglan/over-an-indefinite-period-of-years-b09b3714b751 | ['Anthony Biglan'] | 2020-11-23 16:40:40.767000+00:00 | ['Progressive', 'Reform', 'Capitalism', 'Criminal Justice', 'Community'] |
Random Thoughts about Using Vulnerability in Marketing | In a conversation this week with one of my clients, we were discussing social media topics. We always pick a monthly theme to focus on. As we were reviewing all the upcoming topics we had planned, she asked, “Have we done anything on vulnerability?” My interest level suddenly piqued. Ooh, I love the topic of vulnerability! My client is a leadership and team development coach and I’m guessing vulnerability often shows up as something people are somewhat afraid of in the workforce. Yet it is so necessary for us, as human beings, to embrace that at the heart of vulnerability, is the permission we crave to be 100% ourselves.
BUT WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO BE VULNERABLE IN OUR MARKETING?
Even as a huge proponent of vulnerability, I still question how honest I should be in my marketing. Yet I know it works. If I am completely honest, the individuals I love to follow have mastered the art of vulnerability in their marketing. It is their authenticity, their humanness and their ability to be raw that draws me in.
But is there a “right” or “wrong” way to be vulnerable in marketing? I don’t know if it’s really about right or wrong, as much as it is what feels comfortable for you and your audience. Here are some random thoughts I have about vulnerability in marketing. Pick what resonates with you.
Thought #1 — The world is craving vulnerability
I don’t care how people show up on the outside. At the core of who we are is our humanness. And all humans were born with feelings and a heart. It is only the conditioning over time that has made it more difficult for some people to connect to the heart and feelings. Yet if we are honest, it is the stories of personal adversity and inspiration that open our hearts. These are the stories that go viral. Why? Because the vulnerability it takes to share these stories is what connects us all as human beings. These stories remind us we are all the same on some level. They give us encouragement, hope, and touch our hearts.
So don’t be afraid to share your personal stories in your marketing. The people you are destined to work with will relate and connect to you.
Thought #2 — Never be anyone but yourself — 100%
There is so much noise and people vying for attention in the online marketing space. It can be easy to get sucked into comparing yourself, in an effort to stand out. But what if we just committed to just being ourselves — 100%? Who cares what anyone else is doing? Who cares what works for others? Just be you.
One of my clients recently lost touch with herself. In an effort to grow her business, she got too caught up in what her competition was doing. To reconnect with her authentic self, she stopped following all the people whom she was comparing herself to. Because in reality, she is completely different than her competition. She is truly unique.
We all are unique in our own way. Part of being vulnerable is having the courage to be who we are — to think the way we think, feel the way we feel, and do what feels right for us. It requires us to overcome our fear of being judged, rejected, or failing. Being vulnerable means we “show up” in this world with no guards shielding us from our authentic nature.
When you are yourself in your marketing, your messaging will resonate with all the right people. Speak from your heart. Tell the truth when you teach — your truth. Be willing to express your feelings and thoughts, even when people may disagree. Let your uniqueness shine through.
Thought #3 — Share your failures and pain
I’m sorry but I am so sick of hearing about all these business people that tout how they’ve built a 7-figure business from nothing. Their marketing makes it look so easy. Why? Because many don’t share the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get where they are. I’m guessing if they told you how difficult it really is, you wouldn’t buy their services and courses.
But you know what? There are experts out there that do both — built a financially strong business and shared the failures and pain along the way. Brendon Burchard does a great job with this. I love his story. It’s real. It’s honest. He shares so many stories about the failures and the pain he has been through over the course of his entrepreneurial life.
One of my former clients had a life story that many would not want to go through. But her story of triumphing over her past is heroic. She is vulnerable, honest, and unafraid to share her pain and failures. She once had a marketing “expert” tell her not to share her personal story because it will hurt her business. I call bullshit on this. There will be plenty of people that will relate to her pain and more importantly the hope she gives to others that change is possible.
While you may not want to focus solely on all your pain and struggles, letting people know you are human, and not a “superhero,” may just connect you to the everyday “real” people in this world.
Thought #4 — Let people inside your personal life
On my website, there are all kinds of fun facts about me, and also some controversial things as well:
I am a black belt in Taekwondo
My obsession with having beautifully designed nails that match the season or holiday
I love puzzles and am currently working on a beautiful one of Paris, France
I am a gay woman (GASP! You shouldn’t share that!)
I celebrate diversity and even get angry at the racism and inequalities in this world. (I am married to a wonderful black woman so you can bet I get hypersensitive to this topic.)
How much of your personal life are you sharing in your marketing? If I visit your website or your social communities, will I know who you are personally? Or will I just learn all the business stuff about you?
I want to know you on a personal level. If I can’t relate to you personally on some level, I am likely not going to do business with you. What values shape your life? Do you have kids? Do you love dogs or cats? What do you like to do in your free time? What are your pet peeves? Tell me who you are as a human being.
I’m gonna be 100% honest with you. If I can’t be friends with my clients, it normally won’t work out. Life is too short for all these stuffy business relationships. I don’t have to be the best of friends with everyone, but please allow me inside your life. Let me know you are just like me — a human being with both a personal and business life. And I also know that lots of people will disagree with me — and I’m okay with that too. The right people will agree and embrace who I am.
Thought #5 — Don’t let vulnerability get out of control.
In my humble opinion, some people go too far with being vulnerable. There is a time and place for vulnerability. There is a level of vulnerability that will work and also a level that won’t. You have to find that balance. It’s called boundaries.
I am as open as they come, but even I am not going to share every little detail of my personal or business life. And I will be selective about who I share with, and what I share. I will share more with my team than I will with my clients. I will share more with my clients than I will with the public.
And I will never get so raw with the public that I scare people. When it comes down to it, everyone has a different tolerance level for vulnerability. We were all taught different beliefs about what vulnerability means, how and when it should be expressed, etc. So I think we have to be sensitive to the fact that each of us is in a different place on this subject. And it’s okay.
So be thoughtful. Be respectful. Practice healthy boundaries. At the same time, if you or I don’t do our part to share our vulnerability in the world, the world will never evolve past where we’re at right now.
Bottom line. Is it okay to use vulnerability in your marketing? I think it is. The world needs you to show up as you 100%, share your stories of pain and humanness, and let people into your personal life. Only then can we see our similarities instead of our differences. And these similarities will connect us all together.
Lori Young is the founder and chief marketing specialist at Amazing OBM — a boutique content marketing agency dedicated to heart-centered entrepreneurs focused on personal transformation. For more information on our services, visit www.amazingobm.com. | https://medium.com/@helpme_70759/random-thoughts-about-using-vulnerability-in-marketing-52d352f3437f | ['Lori Young'] | 2020-02-20 17:49:13.505000+00:00 | ['Marketing Strategies', 'Vulnerability', 'Authenticity', 'Marketing Communication', 'Content Marketing'] |
The Lord God: His Providence Reigns | Return to the only fear we are to have — Fear the Lord (Matt. 10:26–33)
Fear — it is all around; there is no escaping it.
In November, a Chinese-made virus was the last thing anyone was talking about, but it would soon become the most influential catalyst in the world…
In November, the American economy was in its longest expansion in the history of the Republic, stock markets were hitting all-time highs, and unemployment was at its lowest rate in 50 years, but that all came to an end in February, a few short months later…
In November, the presidential election was a year away, but the country was on the verge of being thrust into a period of chaos and civil unrest that would start with a vote…
In November, newly released music from Kanye West topped Billboard for the no.1 spot, but it was Christian music. There was talk of a new Great Awakening, but just a few short months later the church would be forced to stop singing and meeting — in some places indefinitely...
Life, as was known, was good. There was health, wealth, hope, and faith present all over society. People, businesses, politics, and the faithful were all prospering. The prosperity meant that the only fear present was the fear that it would all end because the other political party would take over. There was no good fear though, there was barely any fear unless you frequented cable news. But where there was no fear (or very little of it) would soon change in an instant. A microscopic spark lit a tinder of fear, unease, and panic, which grew into a scorching flame that is destroying everything.
Where there once was no fear, now there is only fear.
People are afraid to go outside, travel, go to work, and go to church. Businesses are fearful of or complacent to the “Marxist mob” as they kowtow to any social pressure to affirm the Left. The MLB (Boston Red Socks), NBA, NFL, and eighteen multibillion dollar corporations (Amazon, DoorDash, Microsoft, Airbnb, etc.) to name a few have cowered to the vocal mob that demands the abandonment of property, the family, and the Constitution.
Conservatives fear a civil war and liberals fear a contested presidential election. Both are fearful of one another and that has only continue to heighten. Fear only increased in the church as Christians forgo reading the Bible but have become interested in the end times events associated with what is currently transpiring. But this fear of everything is not good, in fact, it is evil and must be corrected with the one and only true answer to fear.
To all of the fear present throughout society there is one answer: אֱלֹהִים — Elohim.
Elohim is a Hebrew name of God that denotes power, judgment, and rulership. In essence the name is meant to convey that God is the supreme one. It is important to understand that God’s supremacy is not conditional upon a person letting him into his life, when the right people are in political office, there is not a pandemic or death everywhere. God’s supremacy “is over all” in every circumstance and situation: “The Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all.”
The paramount piece of God’s supremacy is in the realm of fear. Throughout the entire Bible man is only ever called to fear one thing: God. Because God is supreme over everything we have only him to fear; he is above sickness and famine, instability and war, worry and all fear in this life.
When godless-fear is allowed to persist it naturally forms into idolatry. If sickness and death are the fears then idolatry of self, of doctors, and of medicines/remedies are made God. In all truth, God is the one who allows sickness and disease, as in the times of the Moses in both Egypt and the wilderness wanderings. Health is not God’s goal because sickness is a result of sin and sin will persist until we are in Paradise with God.
The lack of physical needs are not to be a concern, for the Lord is he who provides for one’s basic needs. Finances, food, shelter, et al. are those things which the Lord provides his faithful, because he is love and he does not abandon his own. What is to be feared properly is the Lord; without this fear then there is more to fear than not having the needs of the body. Fear of tomorrow and fear of lack is misplaced and idolatrous — Christ provides because he created all.
Government is the age-old idol of all mankind. Fear leads to people placing their trust and reverence in government to abate all uncertainly. He who is elected and holds the power is the coveted leader who becomes the savior of a people. Under the façade of control, especially in a democracy or republic, there is belief that the people pick their leaders, but the Lord says otherwise. The Lord raises and lowers those who are “in control” for his purposes, just as he is currently doing. Regardless of who is in power, our Father is behind the course of man’s events and actions. Since the Lord is fully and exclusively in control he is the one who should be feared, for this thought alone shows his immense power and might.
Even those institutions that are good can become vehicles of improper fear, such as the church. Misplaced fear concerning the efficacy of the church leads to religious Pharisaicalism that leads one to become concerned that the church is the only means by which one can be saved. In truth, Jesus the Messiah is the exclusive way to the Father, not the church. The church is the Lord’s body and is not so because of what the church does, but what Christ has done. Fear of damnation leading to concern for where one will end up after this life is a healthy concern, but if the fear leads to trust in a religious system then the fear is damning in and of itself. Fear of damnation leading one to Christ is healthy fear since it ends in fear of the Lord, and not damnation.
There is so much to fear in America; there is even more to fear in the world. Chaos is abundant and growing by the day. Instability and uncertainty characterize today, and both are catalysts for fear. But fear arising from these current situations that mankind is experiencing should not lead to misplaced trust and fear in anything beside the Lord. He alone is to be feared for all else is temporary and matchless when compared to Elohim.
Elohim is to be our sole fear object. Fear of him as reverence is that which brings about salvation because a proper understanding of who he is directly expels any and all other fear. Once this reverential fear of the Lord is had, then all else becomes miniscule. Regardless of the tyranny, chaos, horror, uncertainty, instability, or evil that runs rampant in the world, the Lord is still on his throne. He is above all and nothing or no one can stand against what he has established.
In the end, the Lord’s plan will prevail despite the onslaught of sin and evil. Because of this truth now is the time to trust in the Lord and fear Elohim, for Providence reigns as it always has. | https://medium.com/@jeremiahlee41/the-lord-god-his-providence-reigns-754565ec1158 | ['Jeremiah J. H. Lee'] | 2020-12-22 06:25:13.730000+00:00 | ['Fear', 'Jesus', 'Covid 19', 'Elections', 'God'] |
Creating Video Tutorials for Poly Machines | We’re all about creating new and exciting puzzles here at Polyup. That’s why we have given you the creative power to create your own machines as well!
At this point you may have created a new machine filled with many different chips, but how will people know how to complete the chips? The answer is this tutorial! Here we will go over how you can create a tutorial script for newly created machines to correspond with video tutorials. A video tutorial script is a step-by-step walk-through of the concepts presented in the machine.
If you’d like to learn more about creating machines, please review this blog post.
Every tutorial should correspond to the first chip (or most basic chip) in the machine that introduces each player to the overall concept of the machine. From there, the scripts should follow the same basic formula:
Introduction: In the video tutorials introduction, it is important to acknowledge the viewers first with a greeting. After the greeting, you should follow with an explanation of what mathematical concepts the players will be learning by playing your machine. Briefly explain what the concepts are, try to keep it clear and concise! This should be no more than 2–4 sentences. Explaining the Problem: Now we can move onto solving the first chip of the machine. Begin by describing what is in the machine. For simpler machines, this can be as easy as describing the available blocks on the palette and on Poly’s main stack. This should also be no more than 2–4 sentences. Solving the Chip: Explain the reasoning behind solving the chip, remember that we’re trying to show the thought process of arriving at the solution and not just giving the viewers the answer right away. Describe what blocks to put in and in what positions. This should be no more than 2–3 sentences. Conclusion: Once we have arrived at the solution, congratulate the players! Let them know that they are ready to complete the rest of the chips in the machine. This should be no more than 1–2 sentences.
These scripts should aim to be ~1 minute in length, with about 30 seconds of leeway in either direction. We want to be able to explain the concept thoroughly and in a timely manner, while also presenting the player with an easy example demonstrating the concept that they can use as a reference to solve the rest of the chips in this machine.
For examples of these type of tutorials, please explore some of the tutorial videos we have created available on our YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there! | https://medium.com/polyup/creating-video-tutorials-for-poly-machines-7ed664105704 | ['Pay Estakhri'] | 2019-05-07 20:33:05.828000+00:00 | ['Mathematics', 'Edtech', 'Tutorial', 'Computer Science', 'Creativity'] |
Ethereum Security Analysis Tools: An Introduction and Comparison | Ethereum Security Analysis Tools: An Introduction and Comparison
The three tools we’ll look at in this article
Security is hard. And it’s harder when you have user’s money at stake. Fortunately, the Ethereum ecosystem has matured over the last few years, and there are now various high-quality tools that will scan your Ethereum smart contracts for security vulnerabilities. (Spoiler: None of them can replace a real audit).
In this article, we’ll introduce three of the more popular security analysis tools—Slither, MythX, and Securify—and walk through the following steps for each so you can see how they compare:
Setup process Running scans Analysis of results
As we’ll discuss in the last section, these tools are not exactly a 1:1 comparison and results should be taken with a grain of salt. Also note that all tools will be run on macOS Catalina for this article, so the steps and commands may differ depending on your operating system. This article will assume you have experience with Python 3, Git, and Solidity.
Tool Introductions
Let’s start with a high-level overview of each tool. As far I can tell, none of these tools support Vyper and they all require you to be using Solidity.
Slither
Slither was developed by the security organization Trail of Bits, and describes Slither as “a Solidity static analysis framework written in Python 3. It runs a suite of vulnerability detectors, prints visual information about contract details, and provides an API to easily write custom analyses. Slither enables developers to find vulnerabilities, enhance their code comprehension, and quickly prototype custom analyses.”
Slither also comes with a handful of other useful tools, such as a flattener, the ability to detect conformance to various ERCs such as ERC20 and ERC721, and checks for contracts using the delegatecall proxy pattern for upgradable contracts.
The Trail of Bits team also has written a few blog posts about the tool, which you can find here and here.
MythX
MythX—a ConsenSys project—can “automatically scan for security vulnerabilities in Ethereum and other EVM-based blockchain smart contracts. MythX’s comprehensive range of analysis techniques — including static analysis, dynamic analysis, and symbolic execution — can accurately detect security vulnerabilities to provide an in-depth analysis report. With a vibrant ecosystem of world-class integration partners that amplify developer productivity, MythX can be utilized in all phases of your project’s lifecycle. Our team of security experts is dedicated to the research and improvement of our tools and techniques used to fortify your code.”
The MythX team has their own blog, which can be found here, as well as a curated list of related resources and tools. It’s also worth noting that MythX is a full security service, and not just a scanning tool.
Securify
The last tool we’ll look at is Securify, developed by ChainSecurity. Securify supports 38 vulnerabilities, implements novel context-sensitive static analysis, and can only analyze contracts written in Solidity versions 0.5.8 or above.
Note that we’re looking at Securify v2.0 here, which is the successor to the original Securify.
Setup Process
We’ll assume you have a project ready to use, but if not feel free to clone the FakerDAO project to follow along. This is a good project for this article since it’s fairly simple, as the only contract used after deployment is Faker.sol in the contracts folder.
Slither
Slither is just one tool in Trail of Bits’ suite of Ethereum security tools, so if you’re interested in the rest you can check them out here. This means there are two ways to install Slither:
Install the full suite of tools using Docker via docker pull trailofbits/eth-security-toolbox Install only Slither using Python
Either approach works great, but we’ll be using Python later anyway so we’ll use approach 2 here. Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the eth-security-toolbox is 15GB in size. I had an old version on my machine, hence the error. Thanks to Dan Guido and the Trail of Bits team for pointing this out.
In the project folder, create Python virtual environment using python3 -m venv venv and activate it using source ./venv/bin/activate . We can now install Slither by running pip install slither-analyzer . (Make sure to add venv to your .gitignore file).
And you’re done! Slither is now ready to use, but we’ll hold off on using it until we install the rest of the tools.
MythX
Recall that MythX is more than just a scanning tool, so the setup will be a bit more involved. First you’ll need to create an account by heading to the MythX website and clicking Sign Up.
Now let’s generate our API key and save it in a file called .env with the contents export MYTHX_API_KEY=yourApiKey . Make sure to use that exact name, since MythX will look for a variable with that name. Be sure this file does not get committed to a repository.
You’ll see theres a few options for running MythX—a VSCode plugin, a Truffle plugin, a Remix plugin, and a command line client. We’ll try to keep things tool-agnostic here so, with our Python virtual environment still active, let’s install the command line client with pip install mythx-cli .
That was a bit more involved than Slither since we needed to create an account and get an API key, but still pretty easy. You’ll see shortly why we needed to create an account.
Securify
This can be installed manually with Python, but the process was quite involved and I was unable to get Securify to run using that approach. Instead, we’ll use Docker to install this tool. If you’ve never used Docker, it lets you create or install what are called containers that can run on any machine, regardless of the operating system with all dependencies included. If you don’t know how to use Docker, that’s ok—just follow these installation instructions and later you’ll simply run the specified commands.
In the project root, clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/eth-sri/securify2.git , then cd into that directory and build the Docker container with sudo docker build -t securify . (don’t forget the period).
Once that finishes, we’re done installing all the tools and can start running some scans.
Running Scans
Ok, now it’s time for the fun stuff. Let’s learn how to run each of the tools, and afterwards we’ll compare the results. Make sure to cd back to the project root first.
Slither
If we want to run Slither on every contract in our project, it’s as simple as running slither . (note the dot). We only need to run it on one file, so instead we’ll run slither path/to/contract.sol , which in our example case becomes slither contracts/Faker.sol .
If you’re using the FakerDAO example, the first thing you might notice is that @ style imports are not supported. So you’ll need to change import statements from import “@openzeppelin/contracts-ethereum-package/contracts/math/SafeMath.sol”; to the more explicit import “node_modules/@openzeppelin/contracts-ethereum-package/contracts/math/SafeMath.sol”; .
Now try running the command again, and you’ll get the results printed to the terminal very quickly! The results of the various detectors are shown, where a detector is simply a category of bugs/vulnerabilities. The full list of supported detectors for Slither can be found here.
You should now see the results color-coded by severity, with high-severity detectors printed first, followed by the medium-severity and low-severity outputs.
They’re sorted by detector type, so after a section of results you’ll see a line starting with Reference: which contains a link to the documentation where you can learn more about that particular detector. And that’s just about it! You can see an example of the output below. After reading through each individual message and the corresponding documentation, you should be better informed to determine what changes you need to make to your code.
Sample output when running Slither
Slither also comes with an assortment of printers, which print different contract information. For example, a call graph can be printed with the call-graph printer, inheritance relations can be printed with the inheritance or inheritance-graph printers, and function IDs can be easily obtained with the function-id printer. Printers do not directly point you to security issues, but instead give you additional tools to help check things and make sure the code is structured as expected.
For example, we can get the contract’s call graph using slither contracts/Faker.sol — print call-graph . This will create a .dot file for each contract, and viewing it will show a call graph like this one:
Sample call-graph output from Slither
It’s also worth noting that Trail of Bits offers a paid product called Crytic, which enables access to additional detectors, GitHub integration, and more. I haven’t used this tool so cannot comment on it, but it seems similar in Scope to the MythX platform, in the sense that it’s a full service as opposed to just a scanning tool. Without Crytic, you will need to manually version control any scan results that you want to keep and reference later.
MythX
MythX offers different plans, and each unlocks different depths of analysis. The paid plans offer 7-day free trials, so we’ll leverage that to take a look at three plans here.
Recall we configured an environment variable earlier, so first run source .env to set that. Now we can run mythx analyze to analyze every Solidity file, but here we’ll use mythx analyze contracts/Faker.sol to just analyze one file. (There’s a few other options you can specify as well which you can read about here). The first time this is run it can take quite a bit of time as dependencies are compiled, so please be patient! Subsequent runs will be faster.
Just like with Slither, @ style imports are not supported, so make sure to change the import paths to explicitly list the node_modules folder. Once complete, you’ll see an output like the one below. Be aware that by default this command will run MythX in Quick scan mode—soon we’ll look at the Standard and Deep scan modes.
Sample output from the MythX Free plan, Quick scan
Notice the warning that the free version states it does not detect all vulnerability types. However, I was unable to find a page containing a list of which vulnerabilities can and cannot be detected on each plan type. Though it wasn’t totally clear from the documentation, my understanding is that the MythX tiers provide access to functionality as follows:
Free plan → Quick scan only
Developer plan → Quick scan + Standard scan
Professional plan → Quick scan + Standard scan + Deep scan
After upgrading to the Developer version and re-running, you’ll see that warning is removed, and because it was the same scan type there were no additional vulnerabilities found.
Sample output from the MythX Developer Plan, Quick Scan
So we just ran a Quick scan, now let’s run the Standard and Deep scans. These modes take up to 5, 30, and 90 minutes respectively. To run a Standard scan, use the --mode flag, e.g. mythx analyze contracts/Faker.sol --mode standard .
Below are the results of the Standard and Deep scans.
Sample output from the MythX Developer Plan, Standard Scan
Sample output from the MythX Professional Plan, Deep Scan
For the FakerDAO contract we are using here, the Quick scan was nearly instant, the Standard scan took about 20 minutes, the Deep scan took about 45 minutes. And we can see the increasing tiers do in fact find more potential vulnerabilities. In the next section we’ll compare these results in more detail.
Recall that MythX is more than just a scanning tool. In the images above you’ll notice a URL to a dashboard containing a report. The API key you created is linked to your MythX account, so you can login anywhere and get a history of all analyses. This includes the date and time it was ran, the source files tested, and the vulnerabilities found. Below are three different pages you’ll find in your dashboard, shown for the Standard scan we ran above.
MythX Dashboard “View Analyses” page
High-level overview of a given scan
Details page for a given scan
Securify
On to the last tool of the bunch. Securify currently only supports flat contracts, meaning our import statements are not supported. So to use Securify you’ll have to manually replace the imports with the full Solidity files instead. There are flattener tools that can do this for you, such as solpp, truffle flattener, solidity-flattener, another one called solidity-flattener, and even one that comes with Slither as mentioned above.
Once you’ve done that, you can run an analysis with sudo docker run -it -v <full/path/to/contracts>:/share securify /share/<contract.sol> . In our case, since we only want to run the Faker.sol contract we’ll use sudo docker run -it -v $(pwd)/contracts:/share securify /share/Faker.sol .
Here’s a quick overview of what that command does if you are unfamiliar with Docker:
sudo docker run : Run a docker container as an admin (I’m not sure why it needs admin access)
: Run a docker container as an admin (I’m not sure why it needs admin access) -it : Run the container as an interactive process (this lets you enter commands into a terminal within the Docker container)
: Run the container as an interactive process (this lets you enter commands into a terminal within the Docker container) -v $(pwd)/contracts:/share : Share our local contracts directory, specified by the full filepath $(pwd)/contracts , with the Docker container’s /share directory. The Securify tool lives within the container, so this lets the container read our local contract files.
: Share our local directory, specified by the full filepath , with the Docker container’s directory. The Securify tool lives within the container, so this lets the container read our local contract files. securify /share/Faker.sol : The command to run within the Docker container to execute the analysis
Now we wait for the analysis to run, and you should see something like the images below. The output here is a bit confusing because the colors don’t seem to correspond to the severity—notice how yellow messages are both Medium and High, while red messages are Info, Medium, High, and Critical. Furthermore, notice how the top two messages are both a Medium level Missing input validation , but they are shown in different colors. Be careful when reading the output here to avoid misinterpreting anything.
Securify v2 output
Additional Securify v2 output from the same run
Analysis of Results
Before getting to the results, we should note that this article is far from comprehensive and there is plenty that can be expanded upon, such as the following:
These tools are not exactly a fair 1:1 comparison. For example, MythX will run a static analysis, a symbolic analyzer, and a fuzzer. Slither, on the other hand, is only a static analysis tool, and the associated symbolic analyzer and fuzzer are broken out into separate tools called Manticore and Echidna, respectively.
We did not dive too deep into Slither’s printers and did not cover its API.
We did not touch on the other tools offered by Trail of Bits, such as its fuzz tester Echidna or symbolic analyzer Manticore.
We did not look at the full suite of services offered by each tool, such at CI/CD integration, GitHub integration, or support.
We did not account for the cost of the products.
Ok, now we’re ready to compare results!
We’ll use the SWC Registry — the Smart Contract Weakness Classification Registry — to compare against. This contains a list of potential contract weaknesses and vulnerabilities, along with explanations, references and test cases for each.
Below is a table listing the results of each scan. A few notes regarding this table:
SWCs that were not found by any tool are hidden for clarity
Not every tool mapped directly to this registry, so there’s parentheses explaining the specific issue as described by the tool.
SWC IDs with an asterisk are made-up ones that I added because I could not find a good match for a tool’s output in the SWC Registry. The names of these “new” SWC IDs were pulled from the tool outputs.
I did not manually verify the validity and accuracy of each report against the contract, so take this table with a grain of salt.
Do not assume that the one with the highest count is the best.
Without further ado, here are the results!
Summary of results
So what can we take away here? A few thoughts that come to mind:
No security tool is thorough enough to replace an audit! If there’s one thing you remember, let it be this.
No single security tool caught everything: Only Slither mentioned the strict inequalities, only MythX mentioned timestamp dependence, and only Securify mentioned input sanitization and uninitialized state variables.
Even when tools caught the same vulnerability category, they catch different instances and frequencies of it.
It’s also worth noting that the Securify outputs in particular are a bit odd and contain a few false positives. Aside from the confusing color-coding mentioned above, some of the outputs don’t quite make sense and there is no provided URL to find more information. For example, the Uninitialized State Variable message is failing to detect that those variables were initialized in the constructor. Similarly, it’s not clear what the concerns about Unrestricted write to storage are, and what inspection it’s looking for as the remedy.
Security scanning tools like these certainly have their place in the contract development process, and should always be used. Using multiple tools instead of relying just one seems to be the best approach for catching potential bugs, but no tool or combination of tools can replace a full audit.
If you must deploy to mainnet without an audit, please litter your website and code with warnings and consider capping the maximum amount of funds held by your contract.
Good luck!
Disclaimer: This article was written as part of a Gitcoin bounty funded by the MythX team in exchange for an objective comparison of the above tools. | https://medium.com/coinmonks/ethereum-security-analysis-tools-an-introduction-and-comparison-1096194e64d5 | ['Matt Solomon'] | 2020-08-22 15:44:46.201000+00:00 | ['Solidity', 'Ethereum', 'Cybersecurity', 'Ethereum Security', 'Security'] |
How to Upload Large Files to AWS S3 | How to Upload Large Files to AWS S3
Using Amazon’s CLI to reliably upload up to 5 terabytes
Image by the author
In a single operation, you can upload up to 5GB into an AWS S3 object. The size of an object in S3 can be from a minimum of 0 bytes to a maximum of 5 terabytes, so, if you are looking to upload an object larger than 5 gigabytes, you need to use either multipart upload or split the file into logical chunks of up to 5GB and upload them manually as regular uploads. I will explore both options.
Multipart upload
Performing a multipart upload requires a process of splitting the file into smaller files, uploading them using the CLI, and verifying them. The file manipulations are demonstrated on a UNIX-like system.
Before you upload a file using the multipart upload process, we need to calculate its base64 MD5 checksum value:
$ openssl md5 -binary test.csv.gz| base64 a3VKS0RazAmJUCO8ST90pQ==
2. Split the file into small files using the split command:
Syntax
split [-bbyte_count[k|m]] [-lline_count] [file [name]] Option -b Create smaller files byte_countbytes in length.
`k' = kilobyte pieces
`m' = megabyte pieces. -l Create smaller files line_count lines in length.
Splitting the file into 4GB blocks:
$ split -b 4096m test.csv.gz test.csv.gz.part- $ ls -l test*
-rw-r--r--@ 1 user1 staff 7827069512 Aug 26 16:20 test.csv.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 user1 staff 4294967296 Aug 26 16:36 test.csv.gz.part-aa
-rw-r--r-- 1 user1 staff 3532102216 Aug 26 16:36 test.csv.gz.part-ab
3. Now, multipart upload should be initiated using the create-multipart-upload command. If the checksum that Amazon S3 calculates during the upload doesn’t match the value that you entered, Amazon S3 won’t store the object. Instead, you receive an error message in response. This step generates an upload ID, which is used to upload each part of the file in the next steps:
$ aws s3api create-multipart-upload \
--bucket bucket1 \
--key temp/user1/test.csv.gz \
--metadata md5=a3VKS0RazAmJUCO8ST90pQ== \
--profile dev {
"AbortDate": "2020-09-03T00:00:00+00:00",
"AbortRuleId": "deleteAfter7Days",
"Bucket": "bucket1",
"Key": "temp/user1/test.csv.gz",
"UploadId": "qk9UO8...HXc4ce.Vb"
}
Explanation of the options:
--bucket bucket name
--key object name (can include the path of the object if you want to upload to any specific path)
--metadata Base64 MD5 value generated in step 1
--profile CLI credentials profile name, if you have multiple profiles
4. Next upload the first smaller file from step 1 using the upload-part command. This step will generate an ETag, which is used in later steps:
$ aws s3api upload-part \
--bucket bucket1 \
--key temp/user1/test.csv.gz \
--part-number 1 \
--body test.csv.gz.part-aa \
--upload-id qk9UO8...HXc4ce.Vb \
--profile dev {
"ETag": "\"55acfb877ace294f978c5182cfe357a7\""
}
In which:
--part-number file part number
--body file name of the part being uploaded
--upload-id upload ID generated in step 3
5. Upload the second and final part using the same upload-part command with --part-number 2 and the second part’s filename:
$ aws s3api upload-part \
--bucket bucket1 \
--key temp/user1/test.csv.gz \
--part-number 2 \
--body test.csv.gz.part-ab \
--upload-id qk9UO8...HXc4ce.Vb \
--profile dev {
"ETag": "\"931ec3e8903cb7d43f97f175cf75b53f\""
}
6. To make sure all the parts have been uploaded successfully, you can use the list-parts command, which lists all the parts that have been uploaded so far:
$ aws s3api list-parts \
--bucket bucket1 \
--key temp/user1/test.csv.gz \
--upload-id qk9UO8...HXc4ce.Vb \
--profile dev {
"Parts": [
{
"PartNumber": 1,
"LastModified": "2020-08-26T22:02:06+00:00",
"ETag": "\"55acfb877ace294f978c5182cfe357a7\"",
"Size": 4294967296
},
{
"PartNumber": 2,
"LastModified": "2020-08-26T22:23:13+00:00",
"ETag": "\"931ec3e8903cb7d43f97f175cf75b53f\"",
"Size": 3532102216
}
], "Initiator": {
"ID": "arn:aws:sts::575835809734:assumed-role/dev/user1",
"DisplayName": "dev/user1"
}, "Owner": {
"DisplayName": "aws-account-00183",
"ID": "6fe75e...e04936"
}, "StorageClass": "STANDARD"
}
7. Next, create a JSON file containing the ETags of all the parts:
$ cat partfiles.json
{
"Parts" : [
{
"PartNumber" : 1,
"ETag" : "55acfb877ace294f978c5182cfe357a7"
},
{
"PartNumber" : 2,
"ETag" : "931ec3e8903cb7d43f97f175cf75b53f"
}
]
}
8. Finally, finish the upload process using the complete-multipart-upload command as below:
$ aws s3api complete-multipart-upload \
--multipart-upload file://partfiles.json \
--bucket bucket1 \
--key temp/user1/test.csv.gz \
--upload-id qk9UO8...HXc4ce.Vb --profile dev {
"Expiration": "expiry-date=\"Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT\", rule-id=\"deleteafter365days\"",
"VersionId": "TsD.L4ywE3OXRoGUFBenX7YgmuR54tY5",
"Location":
"https://bucket1.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/temp%2Fuser1%2Ftest.csv.gz",
"Bucket": "bucket1",
"Key": "temp/user1/test.csv.gz",
"ETag": "\"af58d6683d424931c3fd1e3b6c13f99e-2\""
}
9. Now our file object is uploaded into S3.
The following table provides multipart upload core specifications. For more information, see Multipart upload overview.
Finally, Multipart upload is a useful utility to make the file one object in S3 instead of uploading it as multiple objects (each less than 5GB).
Split and upload
The multipart upload process requires you to have special permissions, which is sometimes time-consuming to obtain in many organizations. You can split the file manually and do a regular upload of each part as well.
Here are the steps:
Unzip the file if it is a zip file. Split the file based on the number of lines in each file. If it is a CSV file, you can use parallel --header to copy the header to each split file. I am splitting here after every 2M records:
$ cat test.csv \
| parallel --header : --pipe -N2000000 'cat >file_{#}.csv'
3. zip the file back using gzip <filename> command and upload each file manually as a regular upload.
http://lifeatexpediagroup.com | https://medium.com/expedia-group-tech/how-to-upload-large-files-to-aws-s3-200549da5ec1 | ['Harish Kotha'] | 2020-09-03 14:01:03.369000+00:00 | ['AWS', 'Multipart Upload', 'S3', 'Software Engineering', 'Big Data'] |
Talentoday Launches New Website and Logo as U.S. Operations Expand | Talentoday is excited to announce updates to its brand, including the launch of a new website and logo, as operations expand to deepen our presence in the United States.
Talentoday was founded in Paris, France in 2012 to provide science-backed, data-driven talent insights to individuals and businesses. In 2018, Medix, a U.S.-based organization specialized in workforce solutions and recruiting skilled personnel in the Healthcare, Life Sciences, Engineering & Construction, and Technology industries, acquired Talentoday with the goal of enhancing both organizations’ service offerings. Since then, our team has grown to become a global leader in predictive people analytics, providing powerful career, team and workforce intelligence to the world.
“Talentoday has always been a purpose-driven organization, and since expanding into the U.S. market, our core purpose of empowering growth has only grown more important to the work we do,” said Talentoday and Medix CEO Andrew Limouris. “As we find new ways to help businesses and individuals unlock their true potential, our continued, strategic growth in North America will allow us to better serve our clients and community members.”
The completely redesigned logo, website and new brand elements align with significant expansion of Talentoday’s service and product offerings in 2021 and beyond, focused on supporting Corporate HR and Hiring Managers, Higher Education, HR and Coaching Firms and HR Tech Companies.
“The growth of our organization over the last few years has been invigorating, and the new look of our website and brand is designed to reflect and build upon the passion and energy that brought us here,” said Jordan McGuire, Managing Director at Talentoday. “Today, our people intelligence database includes 4+ million profiles from individuals in more than 160 countries. Despite the broad and expanding reach of our tools and technology, we are a company that measures success in people — the careers we support, the teams we build and the businesses we advise.”
Experience the new look of Talentoday and access our latest people analytics products and solutions at www.Talentoday.com. | https://blog.talentoday.com/talentoday-launches-new-website-and-logo-as-u-s-operations-expand-98463fe13e43 | [] | 2021-05-03 15:06:51+00:00 | ['People Analytics', 'Logo', 'Web Design', 'Product'] |
Cutting Through the Self-Driving Hype: A Realistic View of an Exciting Opportunity | By: Ian Ferguson
Weak economic conditions and technical challenges make the short-term prospects for higher functioning self-driving cars unrealistic. Longer term, the marker looks better.
Earlier this year, AI analyst Emerj pointed out that despite the bullish public pronouncements of the auto industry CEOs, it is “still a long way off before self-driving vehicles become available to people at any legitimate scale.”Of course, even that cautious analysis predates the incredible changes that almost every individual and family on the planet is facing right now in the reality of COVID-19. Yet, whilst we shouldn’t underestimate the scale of the long-term disruption COVID will cause, I think the opportunity for self-driving cars remains extremely exciting even if the short-term prospects look difficult.
The self-driving opportunity
If pre-COVID industry sales projections for established classes of vehicles are for the birds, making any kind of demand forecast for a completely new vehicle concept is essentially impossible. However, it is helpful to highlight some trends.
Oil prices have dropped substantially, making it a longer time horizon argument for electric vehicles to yield a total cost of ownership benefit over traditional vehicles. Whilst self-driving cars don’t have to be hybrid or electric, the standard 12V power architecture of fossil fuel vehicles is already struggling with the circa 2kW demanded by today’s features, let alone the estimated 2–4kW required by the additional on-board sensors, actuators, and computers needed. The 400V plus power architectures of plug-in hybrids and EV’s are much more able to cope. We are entering into a recession. This will not only affect the appetite of individuals and businesses to replace their vehicles but also create an incredible surge in unemployment, reducing the cost of labor and hence the return on automation technologies. It is unlikely that this situation will recover very quickly. People are noticing the benefits of lower pollution levels. For example, they can see the Himalayas from India for the first time in ages. I think people and governments will be tremendously encouraged by this change and continue to push incentives for people to switch away from fossil fuel-driven engines. 2020 will see a substantial fall in the death rate from road accidents. Worldwide, 1.25 million people die in road accidents every year, and it is the leading cause of death for people between 15 and 29 years old. This should enhance the safety case that advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) deliver.
The environmental and safety arguments convince me that the long-term prospect for self-driving vehicles remains extremely exciting, and I think the financial case will improve when the economy recovers. In the meantime, the weak economy, which damages the ROI, makes the immediate opportunity extremely challenging. Overlay the technical challenges in the post-COVID economic context, and it is very apparent that widespread deployment of vehicles able to drive in all conditions without a driver being present is unrealistic anytime soon. Some companies will certainly go bankrupt.
Despite the recent closing of the doors at Starsky Robotics and the weak labor market, I think the near-term focus and opportunity for self-driving vehicles will be in the trucking business. There is a much clearer return on investment argument when hauling valuable freight safely and quickly (with less need for drivers to rest) than for the consumer. The focus of development for these has been around level 4, where the vehicle would be in complete control for specific segments of a journey. The use cases envisaged include trucks that operate only on a limited area of private land, or that can drive themselves in some contexts like good weather on the highway, leaving the driver to rest and then take over in demanding environments like a town. For private automobiles, I suspect that several of those more grandiose programs, especially at the traditional suppliers, will be delayed as they focus on level 2 functionality that can be sold more profitably in the near term. Level 3, sometimes referred to as conditional automation, is a challenging middle ground, which I believe will be largely ignored. Many people claiming level 3 really have simply added some functions deemed to be level 3 to what is really a level 2 system. Transitioning back to human control from the machine drive is extremely challenging to achieve safely. In April, Audi announced they were abandoning their level 3 plans for the A8, focusing instead on level 2.
In summary, I think the automotive industry is going to have a challenging time post-COVID-19, particularly with higher-level autonomous vehicles. The long prognosis is good, though. We WILL be enjoying safe journeys in vehicles that drive themselves inside a bounded set of conditions. In the meantime, a more gradual evolution of this exceptionally safety-critical development is likely no bad thing and will allow the opportunity for companies to work through the significant challenges in creating the software platform. The activities I see underway in the industry show that it is on a journey to make dramatic changes to the cost, footprint, and power consumption of these highly complex platforms to ensure they are fit for purpose: solid, stable, and reliable for widespread use on the roads.
See also: A New Wrinkle in Autonomous (and Manned) Vehicles | https://medium.com/rtinsights/cutting-through-the-self-driving-hype-a-realistic-view-of-an-exciting-opportunity-db319b96ade4 | ['Rtinsights Team'] | 2021-02-01 15:01:55.794000+00:00 | ['Autonomous Cars', 'Autonomous Vehicles', 'Self Driving', 'self-driving vehicles', 'Covid 19'] |
Refactor Code By Using the Ternary Operator in JavaScript | Ternary operator vs “if” statements in real life
When I was in my first year in software development, my first mentor preferred to write long but readable code. He believed that if ... else ... is more readable than condition ? true case : false case .
So I put it in my mind to never use the ternary operator because it is too complex. Something like:
ternary operator like a hell
However, a few years later, I got in trouble in code reviews in my next company about if ... else ... statements. My co-worker preferred to use ternary operators to shorten the code. He believed shorter code made it more clean and simple.
I’ve read clean code, and I think that simple code is always better. But it’s easier said than done. I blamed it on the feature for being complicated, not my if statements.
I have no problem with a simple ternary operator like:
simple ternary operator example
But, for complicated cases like the hell above, I do not know how to handle it. My co-worker asked me to try to shorten my code and reduce the number of if statements. | https://levelup.gitconnected.com/refactor-code-by-using-the-ternary-operator-in-javascript-56ef0817d180 | ['Tran Son Hoang'] | 2020-05-30 14:58:41.030000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'ES6', 'Engineering', 'Programming', 'Front End Development'] |
Functional Programming in Python | Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
“A language that doesn’t affect how you think about programming is not worth learning ” — Alan Perlis
Python is one of the most top Ranked programming languages in the Modern World. It is a High-Level Language. Syntax In the Python is similar to the English Language. Python has used in Big range. Python has a large community to help resolve any problems. Biggest Companies like Google, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Netflix use the python for the Development Process in their Companies. Mathematics, Web Development, Software Development are some areas use Python. Python has its capabilities to consider it as a Functional Programming Language.
Meaning of the Functional Programming is that we bind everything in pure Mathematical Style. Python has its inbuilt functions. Reducing the time of the coding is an advantage of the functions. Using predefined styles and rules are some problems that arise when using the functions. When we need Concurrency or Parallelism and doing mathematical Computation we can use Functional Programming.
Pure Functions
Let’s create a pure function to multiply numbers by 2:
def multiply_2_pure(numbers):
new_numbers = []
for n in numbers:
new_numbers.append(n * 2)
return new_numbers original_numbers = [1, 3, 5, 10]
changed_numbers = multiply_2_pure(original_numbers)
print(original_numbers) # [1, 3, 5, 10]
print(changed_numbers) # [2, 6, 10, 20] src- https://stackabuse.com/functional-programming-in-python/
The original list of numbers are unchanged, and we don't reference any other variables outside of the function, so it is pure.
Functional Programming also called as Pure Functional Programming. There are some rules to identify pure functions. Always the function should produce the same result at any given time. This is the First Rule. Meaning of this rule is that the result of the function cannot be changed with the time. Then the next rule is that function should not be affected by the outside world. Meaning of that is, the function should only work with the range of the function. Advantages of the pure functions that easy to debugging and testing and restricting the side effects from the outside world help to execute the function without any exception.
Filter Function
# list of letters
letters = ['a', 'b', 'd', 'e', 'i', 'j', 'o']
# function that filters vowels
def filterVowels(letter):
vowels = ['a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u']
if(letter in vowels):
return True
else:
return False
filteredVowels = filter(filterVowels, letters)
print('The filtered vowels are:')
for vowel in filteredVowels:
print(vowel) src- https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/methods/built-in/filter
Here, we have a list of letters and need to filter out only the vowels in it. In this function, we need to provide the function name and iterable as the arguments. when we need to filter to the iterable object using a function and get another output without affecting the original input, Then we can use the filter function in Python.
Zip Function
number_list = [1, 2, 3]
str_list = ['one', 'two', 'three']
# No iterables are passed
result = zip()
# Converting itertor to list
result_list = list(result)
print(result_list)
# Two iterables are passed
result = zip(number_list, str_list)
# Converting itertor to set
result_set = set(result)
print(result_set) src- https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/methods/built-in/zip
In this function, we need to provide the iterable to the function. Zip function can use to get the output as a whole from the given inputs. When we provide lists as an input to the function and output will come as a whole. In the output will arrange according to the index of the lists. These means in the output list, at the index (0) all the values from the given list are put into a single tuple and put into the index (0) of the output list. This will continue through the whole list.
Reduce Function
from functools import reduce
numbers = [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
def my_sum(a,b):
return a+b
result = reduce(my_sum,numbers)
print(result)
In the python, we need to import reduce from the functools . This use to apply a particular function passed in its arguments to all of the list elements mentioned in the functions passed away.
Lambda Function
# Program to filter out only the even items from a list
my_list = [1, 5, 4, 6, 8, 11, 3, 12]
new_list = list(filter(lambda x: (x%2 == 0) , my_list))
print(new_list) src- https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/anonymous-function
The function without a name is called the lambda function. It is an anonymous function. We use the lambda keyword when we implement lambda functions. For the use of the short period, we can use lambda functions
Conclusion
Python has functions programming capabilities as some programming language in use. Having a strong understanding of Functional Programming is key to writing good programs with better performance. This article has explored some ways to use Functional Programming in Python that I hope will assist you in completing your work more accurately.
I’d like to thank you for reading my article, I hope to write more articles on Python in the future to keep an eye on my account if you liked what you read today!
References
https://docs.python.org
https://www.learnpython.org/en/Map,_Filter,_Reduce | https://medium.com/python-in-plain-english/functional-programming-in-python-bfa5f1f391d6 | ['Pasindu Ukwatta'] | 2020-11-09 18:46:58.145000+00:00 | ['Python3', 'Programming', 'Functional Programming', 'Software Development', 'Python'] |
Last Requests | Last Requests
Poetry
Image by author
We don’t unmask ourselves to each other
skin thickened by a thousand cuts
veins bled dry.
We become our facades
and retreat
impenetrable by necessity.
So I begged you,
“Come away with me to the desert
give up your heavy garb of stoicism”
Alone with each other we might speak
of wordless truths
of moths
silently seeking the globular moon
harmonizing with sage and crickets.
And here,
I lay my thoughts before you
small stones in the sand
for ants to interpret
with their Formic myth.
And I don’t remember being so bare and cast out
as I was in the fury of loves ocean.
Will you take me now?
My quivering old flesh?
Call me blade of grass
cut my trembling shaft
then bear my body away.
Call me snail or tortoise
I live inside myself
permanently masked
for the comfort of all.
Andrea Juillerat-Olvera 2020 | https://medium.com/scrittura/last-requests-2dbd08fec5e7 | ['Andrea Juillerat-Olvera'] | 2020-12-08 10:22:53.439000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Desert', 'Scrittura', 'Poem', 'Solitude'] |
Machining Design to Expand Machined Parts Manufacturing Services | ONTARIO, Canada — June 08, 2018- For over 50 years, Machining Design Associated Ltd has been engaged wholeheartedly in producing high-precision custom CNC milling parts, CNC turning parts, CNC machined parts and more. The company has been highly praised by the customers and the auditors alike for creating quality components and parts in tune with customers’ specifications, timely delivery, and feedback loop system. The company specializes in producing a variant of CNC turning parts, including bolts, washers, rivets, shafts and more. Apart from producing precision machined parts, MDA Ltd. also has an extensive experience in curating and deploying superior surface finishes. The company has recently announced an expansion in terms of machined part manufacturing services.
Machining Design Associated effectively encounters both low-volume and high-volume orders shared by enterprises. The company has experienced machinists, advanced machining equipments, and hi-tech infrastructure to supply custom machining parts on-time and under the given budget. Machining Design Associated Ltds’ provides a wide range of custom machining services to different industry verticals that include Medicine, Hospitality, Aerospace, IT and more.
According to the spokesperson, the company is now going to provide precision screw machining and fabricated parts to companies across the vertical. This decision was taken after the flood of orders they received for the specific services.
To know more about the company and the services offered, please visit the company site: https://mdaltd.ca/
About Machining Design Associated Ltd (MDA)
Machining Design Associated Ltd. is an ISO: 9001:2015 certified company dedicated to producing superior-quality CNC machined and custom metal parts to customer specifications. With a strong focus on continual improvement, our company only utilizes best-practices to ensure that the work we do for our customers is done in the most efficient, precise and cost-effective way possible.
The focus for Machining Design Associated has and always will be on developing and maintaining lasting relationships with customers. MDA is proud to be large enough to handle our customer needs yet small enough to offer the personal attention customer appreciate. After 50 years in the business, we are a recognized leader in the manufacturing of precision metal and plastic parts.
Media Contacts
Norm Grimberg Founder and CEO Machining Design Associated Ltd
Phone: 905–738–0070
Toronto Line: 416–632–7887
Toll Free: 1(888) 440–4435 (Outside Greater Toronto Area)
Email: [email protected]
Originally published at news.thomasnet.com. | https://medium.com/cnc-machine-in-canada/machining-design-to-expand-machined-parts-manufacturing-services-e63218b028fd | ['Norm Grimberg'] | 2019-03-07 07:33:18.320000+00:00 | ['Manufacturing', 'Cnc Machining', 'Cnc Machined Parts', 'Industry', 'Cnc'] |
6 Fun Ways to Incorporate Core Words into the Morning Routine Through Sabotage | I know I’ve posted a lot about how important routines are for building language.
They are repetitive and provide lots of opportunities for hearing the same language over and over again.
They are sequential; so are good for teaching sequences and structures to go with the language.
They are great for building core words; the same core words can be used simply and easily:
on, off, up, down, hot, cold, more, stop…. you get it
If you follow me on social media, you’ll have noticed I’ve been posting a lot of photos recently with lists of core words that can be used during specific activities; including daily routines, play activities, outings, and more. Scroll through my Instagram feed to check them out.
It’s easy to add some fun and playfulness, too. Especially during all of these months stuck at home, a little goofiness just might be welcome.
Try putting socks on hands: no, wrong, different, stop, not there, silly
Try hovering over the cereal bowl with the orange juice carton: no, stop, wrong, different, silly, yuck, not like, not that
Try putting a button-down shirt or pants on backwards: turn, stop, different, wrong, not, back
Try putting yogurt on the toothbrush: not that, different, wrong, other, stop, this one, don’t like
Try putting pants on over his head: no, silly, not that way, not there, down, not up, silly, funny
Try giving him a fork to eat soup or cereal: no, not work, can’t, need different (be careful with this one; have the spoon readily available — you don’t want to cause frustration or a meltdown).
Try some of your own “goofs” or sabotages. Have some core word fun. | https://medium.com/@susanberkowitz/6-fun-ways-to-incorporate-core-words-into-the-morning-routine-through-sabotage-2164af6a2d30 | ['Susan Berkowitz'] | 2020-12-21 16:46:57.531000+00:00 | ['Corewords', 'Autism', 'Augmentativecommunication'] |
Product Backlog — Assessment and Recommendation | Product Backlog — Assessment and Recommendation
Simple model to quickly assess your backlog maturity level. Use it often to improve and make your backlog special.
Original meaning of the word “backlog” is— a large log placed at the back of a fire to keep the blaze going. We groom/prepare the log using various techniques. Similarly, an agile product development team uses a backlog to blaze/inspire and a grooming technique to charge/fire.
In my previous article “Product Roadmap — Five Key Points to Keep in Mind”, I mentioned some points to consider while building a product roadmap. I also provided a high level preview of a product backlog and demonstrated how a product backlog aligns to a product roadmap. To summarize — a product roadmap is a strategic plan and product backlog is a tactical execution plan. In a typical lean-agile setting, product manager is accountable for the product roadmap and product owner is accountable for the product backlog.
Every item on a product roadmap should align to the product vision through product strategy. If any roadmap item doesn’t help us get any closer to the product vision, strategy says — NO. Product strategy rule #3 in my article “Top Five Rules of Product Strategy” demonstrates this in detail.
Similarly, every item on a product backlog (tactical execution plan) should link to an item on the product roadmap. If you are not able to find that connection, say “no” to that piece of work.
Below is a comprehensive visual representation (including summary roll ups and linkages) of the alignment/connection between various product terminologies described above. | https://medium.com/product-center-of-excellence/product-backlog-assessment-and-best-practices-293dd39f22f0 | ['Harsh Vardhan'] | 2020-10-12 01:34:54.096000+00:00 | ['Innovation', 'Leadership', 'Agile', 'Technology', 'Product Management'] |
Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of Conversion Rate Optimization | You’ve heard it a hundred times — the digital marketplace is more competitive now than ever. Whether you’re a marketer, a business owner, or a CEO, we’re all reading articles, attending seminars, registering for workshops endlessly searching for answers to the same question — How do I increase my site’s conversion?
The truth is, as of June 18th, 2021 there were over 1.86 Billion websites across the globe. Here in the US, there are over 56 billion web pages indexed through Google and roughly 200 million active websites (Techjury.net). Now isolate just the online retailers and you have just under 8 Million worldwide with 2.1 million being operated within the US. So yeah, BIG competition.
Standing out in a crowded sea of competitors is hard enough but when you are investing substantial marketing dollars into building brand awareness and driving qualified leads to your site you need your site to convert to yield a return on your investment and if it isn’t, you need to figure out why and fast.
This is where my favorite acronym of all time comes into play — CRO.
The biggest mistake in CRO is action without a strategy. Successful digital strategy starts with data analysis. Even with free analytics tools, like Google Analytics, one can evaluate their conversion rate. But what is conversion rate exactly? And how do you know if your conversion is good or bad?
What is Conversion Rate Optimization?
CRO is the practice of getting the maximum percentage of your site visitors to perform a specific action. In eCommerce, the main conversion goals we optimize for are — capturing email leads and ultimately transactions. Digital Marketing and Advertising activations bring the visitors to your online store but CRO is the path you design to guide those users through your sales funnel.
What are the benefits of Conversion Rate Optimization?
Deploying CRO tactics across your online store allows your team to monitor your site visitor’s behaviors, patterns and needs. Just as A/B testing your ad creative can identify trends in a content strategy that has a higher likelihood of strong engagement, CRO strategy helps you better understand how those visitors navigate your site.
This deep dive into your site visitor’s behavior will 1. allow you to identify roadblocks and 2. Give you the tool kit you need to layer on solutions to these roadblocks such as optimizing your product pages or, merchandising your landing pages — as these are the first steps to implementing on-site strategy in an effort to maximize the ROI of your marketing and advertising efforts that are driving your site traffic.
What is a good conversion rate?
Conversion rates vary pretty dramatically depending on your industry. At the GM Agency, the majority of our eCommerce clients fall under the Apparel & Accessories category. Q4 2020 data found that the average conversion rate for eCommerce shoppers in the US is 1.57% (on mobile devices), slightly lower than the global average of 1.80% percent. But how does this break down across industries?
As of April 2021, the arts and crafts industry has the highest eCommerce conversion rates of 3.21%. Next was pet care at 3.01% and after that, health and wellness came in at 2.92%.
After these three top categories, conversion rates were found as follows:
Kitchen and home appliances: 2.82% Fashion clothing and accessories: 2.19% Electrical and commercial equipment: 1.82% Food and drink: 1.76% Sports and recreation: 1.76%
Stats provided by OBERLO
When it comes to our brands at the GM Agency we set our benchmarks at a minimum of 3% conversion rate for the entire store — this is based on how much marketing dollars are being spent. We work with our brands to invest anywhere from 2% on the low end up to 6% on the high-end of their Gross Sales volume back into their marketing efforts.
It is important to note here that in order to be successful these marketing dollars need to be allocated between customer acquisition, i.e. generating new customer leads as well as customer retention, i.e. converting new customers into brand loyalists.
For us, an online store with less than 3% conversion has room for improvement and this is where our conversation rate optimization plan begins. | https://bettermarketing.pub/why-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-conversion-rate-optimization-c88435110f76 | ['Amelia Castellanos'] | 2021-09-06 15:23:45.479000+00:00 | ['Ecommerce', 'Conversion Optimization', 'Digital Strategy', 'User Experience Design', 'Web Design'] |
How You can Scrape Instagram with Python | How you can use the instaloader package in Python to scrape Instagram data
Source: Mematic (created by me)
This Article is for You
If you want to learn:
Automatically download pictures (or videos) along with their captions and other data from Instagram
How to use the instaloader package in Python
How to process your downloaded data in a clean excel file
Install Instaloader
Instaloader is a tool to download pictures (or videos) along with their captions and other metadata from Instagram.
Install Instaloader with the pip command and import the package
! pip install instaloader
import instaloader
Write your scraping function that uses the instaloader features. Replace the strings “username” & “password” with your own or a new Instagram account to avoid errors.
def get_instagram_posts(username, startdate, enddate):
# Create an instaloader object with parameters
L = instaloader.Instaloader(download_pictures = False, download_videos = False, download_comments= False, compress_json = False)
# Log in with the instaloader object
L.login("username" , "password") # Search the instagram profile
profile = instaloader.Profile.from_username(L.context, username
# Scrape the posts
posts = profile.get_posts() for post in takewhile(lambda p: p.date > startdate, dropwhile( lambda p : p.date > enddate, posts)):
print(post.date)
L.download_post(post, target = profile.username)
This function will now save all instagram posts and related data to a folder in you current working directory.
Let’s call this function on the instagram account of “realdonaldtrump”. This might take a while so be patient and let the script do its magic.
import os
import datetime # instagram username
username = "realdonaldtrump" # daterange of scraping startdate = datetime(2020, 9, 1)
enddate = datetime(2020, 10, 1) # get your current working directory current_wkdir = os.get_cwd() # Call the function. This will automatically store all the scrape data in a folder in your current working directory get_instagram_posts(username, startdate, enddate)
You notice that this data is not yet in the right format since each post has a separate json file. You will need to process all these json files to a consolidated excel file in order to perform analyses on the data.
Example of output
def parse_instafiles(username, path):
"""
This function loads in all the json files generated by the instaloader package and parses it into a csv file.
"""
#print('Entering provided directory...')
os.chdir(os.path.join(path, username))
columns = ['filename', 'datetime', 'type', 'locations_id', 'locations_name', 'mentions', 'hashtags', 'video_duration']
dataframe = pd.DataFrame(columns=[])
#print('Traversing file tree...')
glob('*UTC.json')
for file in glob('*UTC.json'):
with open(file, 'r') as filecontent:
filename = filecontent.name
#print('Found JSON file: ' + filename + '. Loading...')
try:
metadata = orjson.loads(filecontent.read())
except IOError as e:
#print("I/O Error. Couldn't load file. Trying the next one...")
continue
else:
pass
#print('Collecting relevant metadata...')
time = datetime.fromtimestamp(int(metadata['node']['taken_at_timestamp']))
type_ = metadata['node']['__typename']
likes = metadata['node']['edge_media_preview_like']['count']
comments = metadata['node']['edge_media_to_comment']['count']
username = metadata['node']['owner']['username']
followers = metadata['node']['owner']['edge_followed_by']['count']
try:
text = metadata['node']['edge_media_to_caption']['edges'][0]['node']['text']
except:
text = ""
try:
post_id = metadata['node']['id']
except:
post_id = ""
minedata = {'filename': filename, 'time': time, 'text': text,
'likes': likes, 'comments' : comments, 'username' : username, 'followers' : followers, 'post_id' : post_id}
#print('Writing to dataframe...')
dataframe = dataframe.append(minedata, ignore_index=True)
#print('Closing file...')
del metadata
filecontent.close()
#print('Storing dataframe to CSV file...')
#print('Done.')
dataframe['source'] = 'Instagram'
return dataframe
You can then use this function to process the Donald Trump Instagram data.
df_instagram = parse_instafiles(username, os.getcwd() ) df_instagram.to_excel("DonaldTrump_instagram.xlsx")
Output of excel
You now have a nice excel file with all the posts of Donald Trump in the month September until October. This format is perfect for visualisations like:
word cloud of Trump’s posts
Evolution of # likes per post
Engagement per post
…
Happy programming!
Cheers,
Ewoud | https://medium.com/@strategyanalytics/strategy-analytics-in-python-2-scraping-instagram-30710399cc0b | [] | 2020-12-09 10:20:00.954000+00:00 | ['Analytics', 'Pandas', 'Python', 'Web Scraping', 'Instagram'] |
Legality of online Insurance sale — Law Insider | Less than a decade ago, buying and selling products online was quite unthinkable but with the advent of digitalization, digital platforms have become vogue and people tend to move towards e-tailing and moving further from retailing. Online shopping is not just restrained to fashion, electronics, or travel, in contemporary times insurance has also started the path of online sales.
There were times when people were pushed by insurance brokers into buying insurance but with increasing risk factors and awareness, customers now tend to choose appropriate insurance for life, health, education, vehicles safeguarding them from all kinds of risks.
In our daily life insurance policy plays a big role because it ranges from life, health, travel, technologies, etc. If you are a 90s born, we probably know insurance agents coming home and trying to convince our parents on buying insurance. It has changed a lot that we understand with millions of internet users in our nation.
The idea of buying insurance is profitable, fast, and effective and there is so much interference from brokers or intermediaries. Customers are few clicks away from buying insurance policies and such policies can be tailor-made as per the requirement and comfort of the customer.
What is online insurance?
Customers demand tailor-made insurance policies without going through the trouble of standing in queues and to save the commission amount which they have to pay to brokers.
With the increase in demands, it has become necessary for insurance companies to shift to an online mode of selling insurance where customers can buy insurance with just a click. The Covid-19 crisis has also accelerated the need for digitization and forced many sectors to shift to online platforms including insurance.
“E-Insurance companies operate on a direct-to-consumer model via online channels to sell policies and service customers without physical agent and broker led setups coming into the fray.
Using technology, we are able to transform something that’s long and tedious to something that’s quick and easy. Customers can buy or claim or renew a policy on the website, the process is as easy as shopping online through any eCommerce platform,” says Biresh Giri, Appointed Actuary, Head of Product Development & CRO, at Acko General Insurance.
A majority of insurance companies are driven by offline channels like brokers, baking agents, and intermediaries but the shift to online platforms and increasing demand of customers has compelled them to choose e-methods.
The online insurance industry is a fast-growing space and more than 50–60% of the business is contributed by web aggregators. Only 30% of the Insurance buyers in India are completely non-digitized and it is fast decreasing, according to the BCG analysis. Digitalization of the Insurance Industry not only accelerates growth but also lowers costs.
Why buy insurance online?
Companies selling insurance online provide opportunities to compare various insurance plans. This way the customer can make an informed decision and buy the right plan that fulfils his requirement. The online comparison includes comparing policy benefits, features, exclusions, premiums, etc.
In this busy era, people postpone buying insurance because of tedious paperwork and the long process of getting insurance. Online insurance makes this process fast and hassle-free with less paperwork making it time-efficient. In the case of online purchases, customers can make purchases from the comfort of their homes at any convenient time.
Also buying insurance online makes it almost 50% cheaper because it is bought directly from the insurer and there is no expense on brokers or intermediaries and companies also provide policies at lower rates.
There is also overall transparency because each and everything about the product is online. Beginning from the features of the policy to the customer experience and details of the insurer. There is nothing that the insurer can hide.
Guidelines on insurance e-commerce
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has issued guidelines on insurance e-commerce, thus paving the way for electronic platforms that will market as well as service insurance products.
The guidelines, IRDAI said, are being issued “to promote e-commerce in insurance space, which is expected to lower the cost of transacting insurance business and bring higher efficiencies and greater reach.”
Any insurers or intermediaries, like web aggregators or insurance brokers-who have a website-will now have to get an ISNP license.
“The idea of these guidelines is to standardize e-commerce rules across different entities selling insurance online. Anybody who now wants to sell insurance on a digital platform will need to set up an insurance self-network platform (ISNP) and follow the rules for it,” said Yashish Dahiya, co-founder, Policybazaar.com.
Insurers, brokers, agents, intermediaries, or other entities recognized by IRDAI can sell policies on the online platform.
If any unregistered participant is enrolled by the applicant’s ISNP, then it will be viewed as a violation. Also, applicants are not allowed to redirect internet traffic references from other market participants.
In terms of pricing, the rules state that insurers can offer a discount on a product when it is sold through its ISNP. However, the differential price for products offered on the digital platform will remain the same, whether it’s offered through the insurer or the distributor.
The rules also state that no cashback, promotional incentives, or payments will be allowed by payment gateway companies. As per the rules, apart from allowing electronic payments through credit cards, debit cards, net banking, and e-wallets, payment can also be done through cheque and demand draft.
Even cash is acceptable if the insurer can give an immediate acknowledgment on either the policyholder’s email address or mobile phone number, or having received the premium.
The guidelines make an e-insurance account mandatory. An e-insurance account lets the customer hold policy in a digital format. As per the notification, the creation of an e-insurance account will have to be done within 15 days of selling the insurance policy on the applicant’s ISNP. | https://medium.com/@editor-64745/legality-of-online-insurance-sale-law-insider-85edf2953d2c | ['Law Insider'] | 2020-12-18 11:54:16.907000+00:00 | ['Online', 'Insurance', 'Irda'] |
The Time Series Playground | The Time Series Playground
A new web-based tool to get insights from time series forecasting Daitan Follow Jun 8 · 2 min read
Time Series forecasting comprises a set of algorithms that are designed to predict future behavior based on historical data. Here at Daitan, time series forecasting has been one of the most important applications of machine learning and today, we are pleased to announce the first (to our knowledge) time series forecasting playground. Inspired by the Neural Network Playground and the GAN Lab, the The Time Series Playground is an interactive open-source tool designed to provide intuition on how to train AutoRegressive Feed Forward Neural Networks for time series forecasting.
In the tool, one can define, configure, and train Neural Networks using four different time-series “toy” datasets. For each dataset, users can experiment with different kinds of input formats, and play with up to 5 different training hyperparameters, including the learning rate, the choice of activation function, the batch size and many more.
Also, one can start, pause, or resume training at any given moment; or even choose to train a model for a single epoch at a time. When a given training process is finished or paused, the tool automatically displays one-step-ahead forecasting for the test set in the main graph, along with the 95% confidence intervals. Besides the hyperparameters, users can define their own choices of train and test splits, or even customize the input data format to be used for training.
The time series playground is designed to be an educational tool. We hope that the tool can provide valuable insights and spark curiosity so that more people feel interested in dive deep in this interesting subarea of machine learning.
If you want to learn more about time series forecasting, we highly recommend our series of articles on the topic.
Thanks for reading.
The Innovation team at Daitan. | https://medium.com/daitan-tech/the-time-series-playground-89249eee857b | [] | 2021-06-08 11:59:40.378000+00:00 | ['Time Series Forecasting', 'Programming', 'Data Science', 'Technology', 'Machine Learning'] |
Dear White Women: Here’s Why It’s Hard to Be Friends With You | White women’s aggression
When most people see the word “aggression,” many people imagine fist fights, name-calling, shouting, and possibly the throwing of dishes.
They never see relational aggression as multiple punches in the face from multiple people. They don’t see gossip as name-calling and shouting. They don’t see passive-aggression as the same as throwing a plate on the ground.
In order to keep their place within society’s hierarchy, white women can’t be openly aggressive like white men can without being thought of as “hysterical.” So they practice their aggression covertly, sometimes without even realizing what they are doing because their (valid) anger is so buried they don’t even realize it’s there.
Most of the abuse I’ve experienced from white women came in a covert form. I’ve had nasty rumors spread about me, which ruined me emotionally, socially, and even financially (it’s hard to keep a job where a white co-worker turns your supervisors against you, all of whom are also white women and more likely to be sympathetic to your co-worker).
I’ve experienced triangulation, which is where a person within a conflict invites a third party into it instead of dealing with the situation themselves. The person forming the “triangle” controls all of the communication, often telling the third party what a horrible person their (in this context, often imagined) adversary is. It’s a tactic used to alienate and isolate someone.
Lots of people who don’t even know me think that I’m just the worst person ever thanks to white women I had mistaken as friends. In conflicts between white women and Black women, triangulation especially works out well for the white woman if they can get a white man or a second Black person involved, so long as they maintain control of all of the communication.
White women are the reason why I have very little tolerance for passive-aggression. Passive-aggression isn’t just being indirect or making sarcastic remarks. It can be avoiding somebody, playing the silent treatment, stonewalling, lying (either blatantly or by omission), and other unseen tactics used to maintain total control over a relationship which should involve two people, not just one.
You might argue that women in general behave this way towards each other, which is sad. But within the context of relationships between white women and Black women, the effects of their toxic behavior is devastating, even life threatening. I’ve had a white woman make a false report about me to the police. I’ve had white men threaten violence on me because of the words of a white woman. I’ve had white women attempt to get me fired from jobs, which would have prevented me from supporting myself.
They did all of that because they felt they were losing control over our friendship or whatever connection we had. White women are taught that they are above Black women and therefore they should have power over us.
It’s true that it can be dangerous for white women to be open and honest because they’re constantly under scrutiny within a patriarchal society. So they adopted covert and manipulative tactics just so that they can survive, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You never give the devil the truth.
The problem is, white women view Black women as devils, too. We’re supposed to be objects to be pitied. Mammies for when they need an emotional dumpster. Background props for their life story. At best, we’re sidekicks with no life story of our own.
However, because Black women are human beings and not stereotypes or background props, we will never completely fit that role. This is especially true within friendships, where we are supposed to be able to let our guards down and be ourselves.
Once white women realize Black women are not what they were taught we were supposed to be, we become competition. We become threats to be eliminated as quietly as possible.
I became a more frequent target of white women’s aggression when I began to be more vocal about my thoughts and experiences regarding white supremacy. I made the couple of white women friends in particular feel very uncomfortable and threatened. We stopped being friends because they pulled almost all of the above tactics on me and then demonized me once I realized what they were doing. It was easy for them to demonize me because they were aware that I also suffer from mental illnesses, so they used that against me, too. It took almost very little effort on their end to paint me as the “angry Black woman” out to get them.
Obviously, our breakup was for the better. | https://aninjusticemag.com/dear-white-women-heres-why-it-s-hard-to-be-friends-with-you-61ba6e497f1a | ['Savannah Worley'] | 2021-04-19 14:37:35.264000+00:00 | ['Internalized Oppression', 'Patriarchy', 'Racism', 'White Supremacy'] |
Top Android Screen Recorder Application with best features | You can capture the screen of your smartphone to make videos, instructional videos or play your games. Many Android screen recording applications are available for both rooted and non-rooted devices enabling you to record a lot of powerful features on your computer, here are some of the top android screen recorders application.
Many apps come with an embedded on-screen watermark. But there’s also plenty of free Android video recorder show that has no watermark. They also provide Android recording screening tutorials. We’ve assembled a listing of the exceptional Mobile video recorder functions that have a variety of features to it.
Like most display recording apps, Mobizen Video Recorder provides many great features that make it worthy of being the primary screen recording utility for your smartphone. With this feature, you can choose any 240p–1080p resolution, 0.5 Mbps to 12 Mbps bit rate, and 5 FPS to 60 FPS frame rate. Having options like a video editor, touch recording, countdown and face cam as well may not come as a surprise and one of the best android screen recorders.
The app has a “Clean Recording” mode that creates a recording without the watermark, air ring, and timer, as you might have expected. You can replace the Mobizen watermark with a custom mode when this mode is off. You can also show the length of the recording to keep track of time. While all of the features of the app are available, ads can be seen in the app sometimes. With an in-app purchase, such classified ads can be disabled.
AZ Screen Recorder
AZ Screen Recorder is a famous Android display recorder. You’d probably have heard of it already. Like DU Recorder, AZ Screen Recorder affords many settings to file the display screen of your phone.
The similarities include 240p to 1080p resolution selection, 1 Mbps to 12 Mbps bit rate, 24 FPS to 60 FPS frame rate, external audio, and touch recording, and up to 60 seconds countdown. In addition, you can build your screen’s time-lapse video, ranging from 1/3rd to 3x speed. Finally, in the settings of the app, you can set up multiple ways to stop recording, such as shake and screen off.
Super Screen Recorder
Super Screen Recorder is an outstanding Android screen recorder with a user-friendly interface and impressive features for video editing. It does not require a rooted machine and does not have a recording time limit.
The app provides different resolutions, frame rates, and bit rates for high-quality recordings. During recording, you can pause and resume and also hide the floating window.
There’s a Facecam, GIF Builder, and tool for drawing brush over your movie. By definition, it doesn’t have a watermark. Nevertheless, if you want, you can use the watermark feature to show your product. The app is free and supported by advertising that contains in-app purchases.
DU Recorder
Of over 10 million downloads, DU recorder is one of the best Android screen recorder devices. It helps you to capture a video of anything that happens on the screen of your phone and the top android screen recorder Application
You can also use the built-in editor to edit the video later. It does not require root access, and there is no recording time limit. However, it includes a watermark that is shown in every video you create.
Certain features include various resolutions, frame rates, bit rates, front-facing camera, shake motions, GIF creator, etc. All the functions are available without any in-app purchases in the free version itself. Also, the Android screen capture app works in 20 different languages and has no ads.
Game Screen Recorder
Game Screen Recorder is a top-class recreation and display screen recording app.
Without root, you can record your video game and share it easily with your friends.
What is the game screen recording capacity to do?
Identify the game automatically without any time limit on your mobile!
Prolog Editor: You can edit and add the prolog to your video.
Record Button Option: You can set the record button’s transparency while recording, you can even upload your own photo to customize the record button, more important, right?
Stop by notification bar: turn off the “Stop by Record Button” if you don’t want to display the Record button.
Whenever you want, you can pause and resume recording.(Need Advanced Engine)
How to record screen without an app on Android?
How to record the screen without apIt on Android does not at all mean that the best Android screen recorder should only exist on Google Play. What if you don’t want to download some additional apps on your phone? We have already protected you from that situation.
On many custom ROMs, such as OnePlus ‘ OxygenOS, Xiaomi MIUI, etc, you can find an integrated Android screen recorder. The devices that are preloaded provide more functionality you’d imagine. It can also be as convenient to use them to press a single button in the list of quick actions. So, check them out as well.
Have you found this list of best apps for Android screen recorder helpful? For more informative articles, share your views in the comments and keep reading TechieZee.
Originally published at https://www.techiezee.com | https://medium.com/@mdzeeshan4590/top-android-screen-recorder-application-with-best-features-9aaefd0f8694 | ['Mohammad Zeeshan'] | 2020-04-26 08:51:28.660000+00:00 | ['Android Screen Capture', 'Médium', 'Android Application', 'Screen Recorder'] |
Magical Snowman Suspected in a Series of Crimes | SEATTLE — Police say a snowman is responsible for breaking into local businesses, setting car fires, and threatening to stab passersby with a carrot. The mayhem started yesterday afternoon outside the Goodwill on Capitol Hill.
Karen Foray and a group of her friends were shopping at the Goodwill when they came across an old top hat. The 17-year-old and her friends purchased the garment. “I recently bought this emergency snowman kit that came with a corncob pipe, button, and three pieces of coal,” she said. “Best $25 I’ve ever spent.”
Foray and her two friends decided to build a snowman outside the Goodwill. “We may or may not have been higher than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve,” she said.
The three set about building the snowman. “We gave him balls,” said a chuckling Paul Frees. “But then we thought it was super messed up to gender a snowperson so we opted for the classic design instead which itself is problematic.”
Something happened once Foray placed the old top hat atop the snowman’s head. “Dude came to life,” said Frees. “Said his name’s Frosty and that he wanted to have some fun before he melted away.”
Have you seen this snowman?
“Fun” in this case meant rampaging through a local Whole Foods. Witnesses say the snowman screamed at anyone who came down the produce aisle. “He kept saying the carrots were his, that he needed options for a planned nose job,” said Whitney Banks. Banks says an assistant manager came over and tried to intervene but the snowman threatened to “stab him in the brain” with the root vegetable.
From there the snowman made his way back outside where police say he smashed through a window at Target. “He saw this display featuring Olaf from Frozen and just went ballistic,” said Foray. “We told him to chill but I don’t think he could hear us. Frosty just kept muttering something about unrealistic body standards and Disney commodifying his culture.”
Foray said she and her two friends left at that point. Police allege the snowman managed to get his hands on a lighter and a box of premium La Vieille Ferme boxed wine. “We believe the snowman was intoxicated when he used the remnants of the boxed wine as a propellant in a series of car fires,” said Sergeant Nicholas Corneilus of the Seattle Police Department.
Not much is known about the snowman’s whereabouts following the incidents. Some speculate that the snowman melted under the intense heat of the vehicle fires. Indeed, multiple people in the area report hearing piercing screams of “I’m melting, I’m melting” and “Oh what a world” around the same time.
Police did recover an old top hat from the scene. Still, they’re not taking any chances. “We’re asking the public to be on the lookout for a snowman, white, about six feet tall, with a corncob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made of coal,” said Cornelius.
When asked about a motive, Corneilus said, “there must have been some magic in that old top hat.” “We’re also not ruling out the possibility that ANTIFA or some other leftist organization was involved in some way.” | https://medium.com/@ericwilsonedge/magical-snowman-suspected-in-a-series-of-crimes-c982b0a8910a | [] | 2020-12-08 21:54:39.657000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Christmas', 'Satire', 'Humor', 'Fake News'] |
Let’s Create A Nest, Nx, GraphQL, Prisma Single Data Model Definition | Every framework and library seems to have its own SDL format for data models. This leads to model definition duplication at best and complete and utter chaos at worst.
This article details one approach that is fairly simple and useful when you have both libraries and applications that need to share data models across business domains.
The selected DMF (Data Model Format) is Prisma’s schema and from this schema I show you how it can manage your SQL DB model, API Server and React Client data model as well as how to bind the model to a generated GraphQL service with app level control of exposed model properties. It sounds more complicated than it is.
With that stated, let’s dive in!
Part 1. What we’re doing
To state the goal of this again, what we are trying to do is setup our project workspace such that we have a single node library that holds the data model and any application that imports that data model library can quickly and easily setup and expose a GraphQL api endpoint with the parts of the model it chooses to manage. The desire is to have a single definition of what the data model is and have all the “implementing systems” use that singular model definition. This will allow us to avoid data model definition duplication and simplify some aspects of our data management.
To make this a complete example I will detail some basic setup for an Nx workspace (not comprehensive). Read up on Nx here. For this example setup, we will use an sqlite3 database but in production you will probably want to use postgres or similar. Also, note that the data model we will use for this example is a bare minimum model borrowed from the Prisma example schema slightly modified to run on Sqlite (removed the enum for Role).
Part 2. Setup workspace
First step is to setup our directories, create the workspace, generate the skeleton app and lib and then install the needed npm modules.
At this point we have a bare skeleton of a workspace setup. We will need to add some tasks to our workspace to simplify our data model migration steps. Lets do that now — in the project directory open the file named workspace.json
Have a look at lines 85–125 above. I added these tasks to wrap the Prisma migrations. It is a preview feature (previously — like last week at the time of writing this post — it was in experimental mode so its likely that in the near future it will be a full feature).
Now, as I mentioned, for this example project we will use sqlite — you should open the file <project-root>/libs/data-model/prisma/schema.prisma
Here is what my file looks like:
With this file in place and the changes made to our workspace.json all you need to do now is modify the <project-root>/libs/data-mode/.env file to have the following contents which will tell our Prisma schema what the value should be for the environment variable it uses:
DATABASE_URL="file:./dev.db"
Now, run the following from the project root:
nx run data-model:migrate-up
When you execute this task you should see something like:
> nx run data-model:migrate-up
Environment variables loaded from .env
Prisma schema loaded from prisma/schema.prisma
Datasource "db": SQLite database "dev.db" at "file:./dev.db" SQLite database dev.db created at file:./dev.db The following migration(s) have been created and applied from new schema changes: migrations/
└─ 20201214205941_/
└─ migration.sql ✔ Generated Prisma Client (2.13.0) to ./../../node_modules/@prisma/client in 97ms
You can check the status of this by running:
> nx run data-model:migrate-status
Environment variables loaded from .env
Prisma schema loaded from prisma/schema.prisma
Datasource "db": SQLite database "dev.db" at "file:./dev.db" Status
1 migration found in prisma/migrations Database schema is up to date!
At this point, you might be inclined to write a small script to seed your database, and you would be right to do so but in our example we will skip that and setup a GraphQL mutation so that way we can insert and read data using the api. Here is the part we have setup so far:
What we have setup so far in our example workspace
Here is what my workspace looks like directory & file wise:
Part 3. Wire up our Prisma schema and expose a GraphQL API
Now comes the meat of our example — setting up automatic generation of a rich GraphQL api from the Prisma schema and client. For this example I am using NestJS (though you could use another framework or simply roll your own approach — milage may vary). Remember that app we created when we first setup the project workspace? Ya, that app the one called “my-api”.
Before we jump into the code there are some additional libraries we should install:
npm i @nestjs/graphql @nexus/[email protected] graphql-scalars apollo-server-express --save
Quick side note — if you see an error that says something about a type mismatch at any point like this:
The types of 'config.fieldDefTypes' are incompatible between these types.
It means you may have an incompatible (or broken) version of the nexus plugin prisma node nodule. For this example I am using:
"nexus-plugin-prisma": "^0.26.0" and "@nexus/schema": "^0.19.2"
It turns out that 0.27.0 is broken at the moment. Just be aware.
Ok, so now let’s do the fun part of writing some actual code. Open the app.module.ts file in the <project-root>/apps/my-api/src/app directory. Change the file so it looks like:
The app module imports the GraphQL library from nestjs and defines that the configuration for the graphql api (the schema, types and resolvers) comes from the class GraphqlConfigService. This service class is what we will create next.
Create a new file in the same directory called gql.config.ts and it is in this file that the magic happens. Here is what you should place in the source file:
Now there is a lot going on here. The TL;DR; summary is that this class is defining an injectable configuration for the GraphQL api based on what is available in the generated prisma client that was created when we “built” the data model from the schema.
The first thing to note is we are using the nexus/schema module to make a schema based on the config object we provide. The config object includes the plugin nexus-plugin-prisma (see line #32). We pass a config to the plugin telling it to generate crud operations — which come from the generated Prisma client code based on the schema.prisma we setup in the library earlier.
The second thing of note is where we define the types (lines #36–78) that the application will make use of along with a set of queries and mutations that we want the app to expose. This is a great way to separate concerns and while there is a slight duplication of whats in the data model schema this is forgiven because of the ability to selectively choose what the graphql api will expose from that model definition.
This is the section we just completed
We are now ready to insert data using the GraphQL API we just setup. Lets start the server and insert our first user.
nx serve my-api
You should see some output in your console telling you the server is listening on http://localhost:3333/api — open a browser and go to http://localhost/graphql and you will be presented with the graphql playground. Lets create a new user:
Now that we have created some users we can query for them as well
You can swap the db for a postgres or mysql one (maybe use a docker container or some other service provider). You are only limited by what Prisma supports and even then, there is nothing stopping you from creating an adapter for a currently unsupported database (maybe Big Query? or Elastic?)
There is a lot you can do with this — while I would like to go deeper here, this post is already very long. I must stop writing more and trust that what we have covered makes sense (clap for it and or leave a comment if this was useful to you).
So where do you go from here? Try these resources: | https://javascript.plainenglish.io/nx-nest-prisma-graphql-single-data-model-definition-e601eaa372c6 | ["Kristan 'Krispy' Uccello"] | 2020-12-15 18:02:19.259000+00:00 | ['GraphQL', 'Nodejs', 'Software Development', 'Programming', 'Prisma'] |
ICO is dead, long live TTO. | At Attic Lab we think that retail investor participation in funding start-ups is of paramount importance for the blockchain sector to realise its full disruptive potential. We are pleased to announce we’re partnering with SignalX to bring their Trusted Token Offering (TTO) service to market to restore investor confidence in blockchain venture funding.
If you’re an aspiring project seeking to raise funds, this is your opportunity to build a decentralised trusted start-up venture funding model together with us. All you need to do is complete a brief survey.
“If we want the sector to move forward, we must rebuild capital formation from the ground up. We believe the SignalX TTO model empowers projects globally to raise capital with trust at the core, allowing investors to better assess their risk and make more informed decisions on the projects they choose to support.” Jonathan Hooker — CEO — SignalX
Recent research from Ernst & Young found as many as 83% of ICOs are scams that have destroyed billions of dollars of investor capital. Not surprisingly, investors have retreated and as a result, legitimate innovative projects now struggle to access funds they need to commercialise their concepts.
To restore confidence and trust we must answer two questions:
· Investors — Which projects can I trust?
· Projects — How do I prove legitimacy and trustworthiness to investors?
The SignalX TTO rebalances the risk between start-up founders and their investors, by placing investor protection at the core of the funding model. Project trustworthiness and legitimacy is established by making the founders accountable for their claims and performance.
In the SignalX TTO model projects failure to perform as contracted, may result in the unspent funds held in the custody contracts being returned to investors. Projects establish funding contracts up-front detailling the basis of their eligibility of funds to be released to them throughout the lifecycle. Investors no longer need to trust the project founders to do the right thing instead they can place their trust in the SignalX contracts and independent assurers to protect their interests.
We are excited to be working with SignalX, aspiring start-up projects and regulators to create the new standard for trustworthy capital formation in the blockchain sector. A standard that better serves all market participants and we believe can restore confidence and reinvigorate sector innovation.
The SignalX TTO model is the first decentralised capital formation model built with transparency and accountability at the core that was missing from ICO v1.0.
Again, if you’re a project rising capital, we would love you to take 5 minutes to complete this survey.
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Telegram Chat: https://t.me/atticlabeosb | https://medium.com/eosatticlab/ico-is-dead-long-live-tto-14c80861ee72 | ['Attic Lab'] | 2019-03-22 17:39:29.194000+00:00 | ['ICO', 'Tto', 'Blockchain', 'Atticlab'] |
Let’s revisit March 2020 Song / Poem of the Day | Authored by Suzanne Mondoux
Photo source: piano-1655558_1920 pixabay
1 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Fool in love
Candle light dinners
Your pillow talk is so sweet
You even showed me what a life together would look like
The jokes’ on me, isn’t it darling
I’m a fool in love
You wore all the right dresses
My favourite perfume and the colour of your lipstick
I’m a fool in love
So sweet our love affair
One of so many other fools in love
Loveable is what your are
You set the bait well, darling
I’m a fool in love
I’m seduced and can’t see going back
It’s the beginning of the end, time to move on you say
There’s another at your feet to take my place
I know your every move
I thought I knew what made you smile, what made you cry
I’m a fool in love with a woman I created in my mind
You never accepted my ring, you asked me to wait
There’s a knock at the door, it’s time for me to go
You kiss me on the forehead and say it was nice
I’m a fool in love with a woman I created
Another will easily take my place
A fool in love, that’s what I am, in love
I’m a fool in love
Suzanne Mondoux
1 March 2020
2 March 2020 Song/Poem of the day — Tangerine
Bright as you are my love
My tangerine love you make me smile
Together in our live, our laughs together
Come here my darling by my side and sit with me
Oh my tangerine love, so bright our love
In the length of life our love survived
My tangerine love dance with me
In the sweetness of our life you gave me so much love
My tangerine love
In the depth of our struggles we shine so bright
My tangerine love
My darling I smile because you smile
In the sorrows of our life you held us up high
My tangerine love thank you for such love
In the end of our life you left with the bright light
My tangerine love
All I can say is I love you
My tangerine love
What a life, so bright, so sweet
My tangerine love
Suzanne Mondoux
2 March 2020
3 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Stardust
Twinkle in my eye, stardust, stardust
Like diamonds dangling from the sky
You bring a twinkle in my eye
Kiss me baby before I go crazy
You leave a trail of stardust everywhere you go
My heart burst into stardust
Carry me away
When I look up at a the starry sky you’re all I could see
I see all of you, I feel all of you
I close my eyes, I dream of you
Stardust from heaven to earth
It’s blissful when you’re in my arms
A burst of stardust all around
So pretty you are, so luminous
Kiss me baby before I go crazy
Stardust, stardust, you’re the twinkle in my eye
My heart of hearts, the love of my life
Come here baby and dance with me
Leave a trail of stardust at my feet
All is right when you’re in my arms
It’s all I need,
A little bit of your stardust on my lips when I wake to start the day
Stardust, kiss me before I go crazy
My heart is made up of your stardust
Stardust
Suzanne Mondoux
3 March 2020
4 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Snowflake
No two the same in love no matter where you look
No matter how far you go, no two the same
Love is like a snowflake
You are nothing like I’ve seen before
You are nothing like I’ve felt before, nothing like I’ve loved before
Baby you’re love is like a snowflake
Gentle and light
But it’s I who melts in your hand
You’re love is like no other
All it took was to see you once
When you smiled at me, my heart melted like a snowflake
All I could do was smile back
From the other end of the room I found my way to you
It was so easy when I saw you
I recognized no two are the same
You were dressed in white, I whispered snowflake
Snowflake, that’s how you’ll forever be in my heart
How could I be so lucky
There you were like a snowflake drifting down from the sky
I put out my hand and there you are
Gentle and light your love
Like a snowflake, but it’s I who melts in your hand
I had given up on love, ’til I realized no two are the same
Snowflakes and love, no two are the same
Now winters are bright and the sky is blue
The grey in my life is gone
It only took one snowflake to open my eyes
And see the bright blue sky of the coldest winter of my life
Snowflakes and love, no two the same
Snowflake, a wonder of life
No two the same
Suzanne Mondoux
4 March 2020
5 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Harvest Moon
You grace me with your presences and still I shy away
I’m a stranger to these feelings
You shine so bright like the harvest moon
It seems I can reach out and touch you
You make it so easy to get a good view
Your light wraps around the sky
The air is cool in the glow of the harvest moon
Yet you warm my heart
The harvest moon illuminating path guides me to you
The fallen leaves under my feet sing to me
It’s the season to open my heart to love
Can my heart grow as big as the harvest moon
Will it shine as bright, can it give such love
I’m frightened of my own light
So tender such a heart, will it hurt again
Am I worthy, can I reap such love from this harvest moon
This harvest moon of the cool season of my life
Giving me its light to open my heart
A rare beauty before me
Can I reap the love of this harvest moon
The harvest moon of my life
Is there courage in my heart to step into the light
I see it clearly in the night sky
With grace the glow smiles back at me
With grace my heart turns to the harvest moon
So gentle my reach to embrace its light
Suzanne Mondoux
5 March 2020
6 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Stop You Crying
I’m sorry for what I’ve done and I know I’ve hurt you
So much gone wrong in what was a beautiful situation
I know you can’t go on and I’ve made you cry
Trust me when I say I want to stop you crying
There’s a whole world out there but you stayed
Baby you take my breath away and all I’ve done is made you cry
I want to stop you crying and make you smile
Darling it’s been a long road, even more for you
I don’t want you to go but I’ll understand if you do
Even when you say never will you go
I want to stop your crying if it’s the last thing I do
Before it’s too late and there’s no more life in me
This is what’s left of my mind, some sweet moment
Some more lucid then others, just enough to say I love you
You’re my darling, my best friend, my partner for life
Sometimes I remember good moments, you were not crying
Then the tears came, you held my hand and stayed at my side
I would change all this to see you smile for a day
When my mind is vile, know that I love you, know it’s not me
For a day will come when it’s all calm, the end has come
I would change it all and make it soon to stop you from crying
You tell me not to worry it’s just what you do to get by
Today you smiled, I saw you
You folded this letter and placed it near your heart
These are my last words to say I love you
My last wish was to stop you crying
All it took was my smile, lucid enough to blow you a kiss
You turned out the light and kissed me goodnight
Suzanne Mondoux
6 March 2020
7 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Find you Loving
How did we get here, I feel it’s the end for us
So much change and there’s no turning back
I find you loving another and there’s nothing left for me
So easy for you to move on, it seems
I find you loving another, is it so easy for you
Show me you have a little bit of pain
Is there anything you want to keep from us
Can it really be so over where finding you loving another is all there is
I’m in a class of my own, broken hearted and alone
You composed yourself so well and fell in love with another
I may just fool around for a while, I don’t see myself loving another so easily
But you’ve always been strong
You never hang on to things, you let go so easily
I could never know if that was good or bad
But I don’t want to judge, I just want to be able to love as you do
Even when I find you loving another
It’s so crazy how we’ve come to this crossroad
Finding you loving another was always going to be it seems
Am I crazy to think so, am I wrong
And finding you loving another doesn’t seem so wrong
Finding you loving another may be the best thing for me
May be the best thing for both of us
Of course life goes on and sometimes it involves loving another
Has it always been our destiny finding another to love
Everyone says to me take your time
There’s plenty of fish in the sea
But deep down I never wanted anyone else but you
I found myself in love with you and only you
Finding you loving another is the way now
Finding you loving another is part of me now
That is what I’ll keep from us
There’s no compensation for this but to move on
Suzanne Mondoux
7 March 2020
8 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Cash In
Throw out the trash and keep the best that you have
Out with the old and in with the new
Cash in what’s left and keep looking ahead
Some say you’re done and others say you’ve just begun
Cash in your chips and ignore all those stupid rules
Never mind what is and follow your dreams
Some say how things are done and they think they know better
Cash in what you have and flick that finger to all that hold you back
Cash in your own opinion before any other
Fill your head with the sound of your music instead of everyone else’s noise
Act from inspiration and lean into your dream
Cash in your dreams and more will come
Be different then the herd, be you, it’s so much easier
Wear your different clothes that exposes who you are
Wear your hair in your wild and free style
Cash in all that you have and let go and have fun
Cash into yourself and watch the magic before your eyes
Get to know your soul, see who you really are
Cash in all and fly to the sky
Keep your head up high and look to yourself
Dance to the beat of your own drum
It’s all that you have and all that is worth anything
Cash in into your rhythm, dance dance dance
Move wildly into your own space, feel your soul
Cash in your own life no matter how hard others try to steal it
There’s nothing to cash in when you give it away
Keep your life close to your heart and cash it in to the highest bidder
You,
Cash in to you
Suzanne Mondoux
8 March 2020
9 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Where are We
What chance do we have, what chance is there really
Is this the moment we asked each other where are we
It’s been a long road of beauty and love, yet where are we
How can we go on without knowing what we really want
Where are we without the truth between us
It could bring us close or tear us apart
How scared are we to know where we are
Sometimes saying I love you just isn’t enough
Love of my life scares me so because where are we
We have it all, don’t we
Can things change so fast once we know where we are
Maybe we will never let each other go
Is this what we want, is this what we really know
Where are we now if there is more we want
Are we enough for one another
Is what we want really elsewhere
Where are we my love
Is almost everything I give you enough
Is almost everything you give me enough
Where are we my love
Where are we in our love
Where are we my greatest love
So brave you are to ask where are we
Where are we
Suzanne Mondoux
9 March 2020
10 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — No Tomorrow
Fancy a dance baby, today is our only day
Come and move your body with me to the tunes on the jukebox
Or I can sit at the piano and sing you a song
But you must dance baby since there’s no tomorrow
No tomorrow for me and you
At the strike of midnight we must part ways
There you were sitting at the end of the bar
A cocktail in one hand and tears in another
You sat next to me at the piano and sang us a song
Your melancholy blues poured out of you
You sang no tomorrow for me and you
It’s been a long day even when your family is waiting for you at home
No tomorrow for me and you
No matter how I love the touch of your hand
No matter how you feel next to me at the piano
There’s no tomorrow for me an you
Each night I tickle the ivory but never yet for someone like you
I sing to myself with voices humming in the background
Never before for someone like you
It pains me that there’s no tomorrow for me and you
I leaned in to kiss you and you smiled
You took my hand and placed it on your cheek
And whispered, there’s no tomorrow for me and you
Yet it was the moment I fell in love with you
I still don’t know your name
But when you hear this song you’ll know it’s for you
There was no tomorrow for me and you
But we were in the moment and for that, who needs tomorrow
Suzanne Mondoux
10 March 2020
11 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Believe in Me
It’s been a struggle just being here and being me
For others who see me as someone else for their sake
Believe me when I say believe in me instead
See me for who I am no matter the fame around me
Believe in me for me
Someone who can have a broken heart
It makes me want out of this glory and fame
Believe me when I say I want to go home sometimes
And leave all this behind
Life goes on for my dreams are stronger than your scandals
You call my life my sins and you splashed them all over the front page
Believe in me to live my life without shame
I am me, I am free when I don’t need to apologise to you or them
My fame does not give you the right to steal my soul for your glory
Believe in me to be of tender heart who cries just like you
You said you loved me once, then you sold me out for a few dollars
This is more a reflection of you, you don’t give more of damn about you
Then you do for me
You didn’t believe in me and you succeeded in breaking my heart
I will bounce back, I believe in me
I listen to love and kindness, I believe in me no matter the scandals
Love believes in me, so I believe in me
I’m tender with me and I rose from the ashes
It could have been a tragic end, but I believe in me
My heart is renewed, I’m renewed
I believe in me despite your scandal
Suzanne Mondoux
11 March 2020
12 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Last Drummer
In the grandest of halls where the walls sing out loud
The blues, opera to rock n roll they hum the tune of the last drummer
Curtain call and everyone moves to the beat of the drum
The last drummer rises and bows to say goodbye
The last drummer of the night, of this life
Every layer of the earth beats to the sound of the last drummer
The universe closes into the beat of the drum
Boom bang bang, a heart beat away for the last drummer
The beat of the drum expands all around
Everyone leans into the rhythmic sound
Each step forward with the beat of the last drummer
The end of is near, follow the beat, it’s your last drummer
The crowd goes silent to the beat of the drum
Last drummer rises and looks down at the crowd
Hooray shouts out the people, the dance of the last drummer
So long the others, this is their last drummer
Others danced to the beat of the drum
Others sang to the beat of the drum
The walls beat in and out to the sounds of the many drummers
Curtain call, the last drummer in the grandest of halls
The show must go on as it always does
Every beat of every show captured in these walls
What great ending for the last drummer
In death or in life, same difference
Beat of the last drummer, so long and goodbye
Suzanne Mondoux
12 March 2020
13 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Where’s my Guitar
I’m alone in this cell
I’ve done the crime and doing the crime
But where’s my guitar
My soul has left me, I feel nothing without my guitar
What I’ve done can’t be undone
I have regrets, I always look back, and beg for forgiveness
Where’s my guitar, if I strum a few notes maybe I can make something right
No improvising in here, it is what it is
What have I done, now I know
Where do I go from here and how can I go on without my guitar
It’s all I know and all I had and I threw it all away
My guitar, my best friend, so foolish I was
Where’s my guitar, saviour of my soul
All is right when I feel you next to my heart
You rest on my lap and hold me tight
My guitar, how can I say I’m sorry for letting you go
Too easy my crime, it was so long ago
Can’t take it back
I’d give you my guitar to say I’m sorry
Where’s my guitar, where’s my guitar
Where’s my guitar on the side of these bars
Calling on all angels, put aside your harps to strum a guitar,
Just for a while
Let me hear you, especially when I day dream
I cry myself to sleep for the crime I’ve done
I cry myself to sleep for letting go of my guitar
What’s my life now without my guitar
Where’s my guitar to hold next to my heart
My heart strummed with love with my guitar
Where’s my heart without my guitar
Where’s my guitar so I can find my heart, feel my heart
Suzanne Mondoux
13 March 2020
14 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — You’re My Sweet Boy
Hey little baby where have you gone
A gift from the heavens you were
You gave me a chance at life, to live again
Now you’re a man
You’re my sweet boy, forever in my arms
Closer to my heart, even when you made poor choices
You made it through the hard times
You’re soul so dark at times, yet you found your way out
Every step of the way you’re my sweet boy
Sometimes you cried for all those time out
Then you smiled back to where you really wanted to be
My sweet boy, you made it this far
I’ll always keep a candle burning so you find your way home
You’re my sweet boy, I see you’re light
It’s there for all to see, do you see it
Keep opening your heart and shine bright
You’re my sweet boy for all of my life
No more, no less, no matter what
That’s love for you’re child, my sweet boy
Even when it’s time out
You’re my sweet boy, my heart, in all your disguises
I see you for all that you are
You now know the light so well from you’re darkness
In and out, you come and go
My heart always cradles my sweet boy
When you let go my hand, I was never too far
I see the light of my sweet boy
No matter how dark the places you hide away
You’re my sweet boy, you have light that shines
Shine bright my sweet boy
Shine bright, it’s who you are
Suzanne Mondoux
14 March 2020
15 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Cried So Much
It was so long ago but I remember you so well
You were just a boy playing in the back yard
Yet you were so sad, you cried so much when you were a boy
How lost you were, your soul detached
You cried so much as a boy
You knew who you were but no one would listen
In front of the mirror with your short hair you wanted to let grow
With your little boy shirt you’d soon replace with your sister’s dress
The expression of you only you could see
Only you knew what was true
I remembered how you cried so much as a boy
You spent most of your time alone in the tree house playing your records
Music sooth your soul, I could hear you sing to rock n roll
On your make-believe piano you made music for hours
You sang yourself to sleep after you cried so much ’til there were no more tears
You’re heart ached for change, you body and soul searched for you
You cried so much as a boy
Could there be so many tears in such a small boy
Sometimes I saw you smile, you showed a glimmer of hope
A sunshiny day was possible for such a boy who cried so much
I see that boy now and again who cried so much
My hair is long and I don’t have to hide in my sister’s dress
Only yesterday on my birthday she took me shopping for a new dress
No need to cry anymore she said
I remember how I cried so much as a boy
I wear my favourite dresses most the time
But I wear very nice pants once in a while
The expression of myself, I decide
Suzanne Mondoux
15 March 2020
16 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — First Love
Our first walk in the park the sun shone brightly upon us
It was a beautiful day in every possible way
You let me hold your hand all day
For the first time I knew what love felt like
First love, baby, you’re my first love
What a feeling, what ecstasy my love
I’m all grown up and I thought I knew what love was
I knew nothing until I met you
It’s a new life to be so in love with your first love
I see and feel everything deep in my heart
For the first time I feel the beating of my heart
I feel me, and my soul smile at me
You’re my first love, a true love darling
Life will last forever now
All life changes and this is for the better
I see my own wonder and joy in life
I went weak in the knees when you first kissed me
I never knew how this could really be
You saved me from me, my first love, what a wonder
It’s magic all around, a new light in life
Creating a new life together is so blissful
My first and one and only love, forever my darling
How this has come to be, making this a right time in my life
Frist love baby, lets live this every day
I give you my heart and my soul for just one more kiss
Darling, first and only true love
This it’s what it’s all about, you and me a life I could never have known
Baby, oh first love of my life, I’m down on one knee, take my hand forever
I’m so lucky I get to dance with you forever
Love leads all the way
First love of my life, I’m all grown up and you’re the best part
This life, full of light, first love, baby, you’re my baby
I bow my head to you, my first love
You will always reign in my heart
Suzanne Mondoux
16 March 2020
17 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Fading Away
Where was I all this time during the confines of such a life
Was I too busy hiding away or did I see something else
Everyone in the crowd can see each other but me
I’m the only one in the room amongst so many voices
It feels I’m fading away amongst the shadows all around me
I see glimmers of me in the mirror and imagine someone is looking at me
Are they looking my way at me, can they see me
Am I fading away from the life I’ve created for something new
I can still smell my favourite perfume, is it still me
When I look down at my feet I’m wearing my favourite red shoes
Is it still me or am I like a butterfly fading away into something new
Fading away from the past into the present day
Fading away into the present day, what an extraordinary place to fade into
I’m light on my feet in my red shoes and I dance around a new crowd
I see smiles looking at me, it’s me they see
Fading away from out of the fog into the sun I let others see me
I go on into this new light and fading away from the opinions of others
I’m fading away from all those fingers pointing at me saying how wrong I was,
And how hard it will be
Taking all the best of my old life into the new
I’m fading away towards the rainbow ahead of me
It’s me I see, the me I recognise
I almost lost her forever fading away into a crowd I didn’t know
Fading away is the best thing I’ve done for my soul
Fading away to find my way
Fading away to stay true to myself
Fading away to meet me all over again
Fading away realizing and living my dreams
Suzanne Mondoux
17 March 2020
18 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Ghost
There’s a kink in my chain and I’m stuck in this house
Like a ghost I search for life room by room
Sadness and destruction is all I can see
Quietly I float all around
I’m a ghost in this house and no one sees me
I can make a sound and some look up but it’s not for long
Is there life in this house except for the ghost
It’s me you see right through, and it’s in front of me you self destruct
Are there other ghost in this house or am I alone
Let me see you and come play with me
Sometimes I feel you next to me
I see your face, the same face on the photo hanging on the wall
I’m a ghost amongst the dead in this house
Sometimes they stick a needle in their arm
Sometimes they put something in their mouth
Then they all look dead amongst the ghost in this house
I creep around with a book in my hand
I look up at night and wish upon a star
Each morning I wake as a ghost in this house
Sometime to a smile, most of the time to cries
I smile at the ghost in the mirror and keep wishing upon a star
There’s something else outside this house away from the dead
There is life for this ghost amongst those living
I’m coming, I’m preparing with the books in my hands
Suzanne Mondoux
18 March 2020
19 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Through the motions
It’s started as a normal day going through the motions
Then I realized how mundane life was each day
The same, day after day, the same complaints and the same of everything else
I wondered if there was more than this, going through the motions of this dull life
Going through the motions for the sake of a pay check
It’s how we manage fear day in and day out
How crazy is this way of life, going through the motions with no hope in sight
No hope in sight for any change for a better reality of my life
It’s how it is, they say, so we swallow it whole
It’s what society say we must do, swallow it whole
No point of being a dreamer, it doesn’t put food on the table or pay the bills
Some of us have kids you know, that’s what going through the motions is for
Can this be real, is it really the reality of our life
Going through the motions just to get through the day to get to the next
Round and round we go until we are dead and buried in the ground
That’s going through the motion to our grave, it isn’t going anywhere
The grave waits patiently for us, it isn’t going anywhere
Going through the motions shepherd’s us there, and we don’t even know it
What a life we live, it’s how it is, so be it, they say
Is that so, for some of you it is
For this soul, there is more, there is going through the motions for something new
A life without mundane repeat just for the pay check
Life is not a motion, life is alive for living
Go through the motions for your life, live it, no matter the cards you dealt for yourself
You made this reality, you can change it by going through the motions for desiring something new,
It’s but one life for living, motion into it
Motion towards your best reality
Suzanne Mondoux
19 March 2020
20 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Kindness
It’s never too late to be kind
Acts of kindness take no effort and makes everyone smile
You decide each act of kindness for your self
Goodness and kindness trickles easily throughout everyone and everything
Kindness towards others reflects kindness for self
It’s never too small or ever too big
This is the world we live, we can create our own kindness
C’est la vie, this can be kindness
Is it a cruel world or a fearful world
Either way kindness for all makes it a better world
Now is a good time to act only from your heart
Kindness can easily prevail and never overwhelm
Let it be so for just one act a day and see the smiles all around
We can do this together even when isolated from one another
More kindness for self allows for more kindness towards others
Kindness in grace under pressure and when in fear
Kindness is for you and me and everyone you believe doesn’t desert it
Kindness is connection to another, and most of all with yourself
How else would you like to live day in and day out
Imagine all that can be with kindness all around
It’s so easy being cynical instead of extending good will
Tender loving care for others is tender loving care for yourself
Be kind to yourself to remind yourself you have what it takes to be kindness
Being kindness is a way of life and opens your heart to receive kindness
It’s never too late to be kindness
Suzanne Mondoux
20 March 2020
21 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Open Arms
Open arms baby, come to me and let me hold you
Together we can embrace one another and the world around us
It’s a magnificent time for magnificent things for being together and for one another
In your loving arms my darling in see the world in a new light
A world with open arms a magnificent moment for me and you and for all
Come closer darling and let me see you
I open my arms and heart for you to see and embrace me
It’s so easy to receive such love with open arms
Sit here by my side and lets talk all night
I’ll keep you close with my arm around you
Open arms with one another is open arms to the world around us
How do others live short of tenderness and love
How can open arms sooth their pain and bring them smiles
Together with love open arms starts with us, my love my best friend
We can share this love, our open arms to the world around us
There’s enough love to go around
Open your arms to your friends and neighbours and bless them with a smile
Keep your smiles on your faces, you never know who you’ll meet
It’s a small world and open arms can reach us all
Together in harmony with love open arms welcomes us all
It’s a magnificent time for magnificent words and actions
Open your arms to your love ones and someone new
Plant this seed of connection joy and love
Together it’s a magnificent time for open arms
My darling, come closer and embrace us with your love
See me closer in your arms and feel my love next to your heart
Baby it’s a great world in your arms together we share with our friends and strangers
Open arms a perfect stance for love
Suzanne Mondoux
21 March 2020
22 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Roar of the Crowd
Come, get closer and gather round
See the show up close and feel free to participate
Shout out and sing along
Feel the roar of the crowd and be part of the sound
Sing out loud with the roar of the crowd
Feel the music in the air and dance all around
Cheer to what pleases you
Let the rumble of the crowd inspire you
Hooray the music goes on and on in the distance
All ears wait for the roar of the crowd
No silence for those sitting on their rocking chair on the porch
Their feet tap along with the beat and stand to the roar echoed all around
All hands in the air to celebrate the journey of the sound
Roar of the crowd drifting high above the clouds
The stars glitters to voices on the ground
Each voice creates the music and units the crowds
Roar of the crowd the healing sound of the human voice
Together as one with the music and any cause
For life and wellness the roar of the crowd ignites
Hello out there, together we are one
It’s so easy diving into the roar of crowd
It caresses and invites all to lean on one another
The wave of bodies swaying all around
In the roar of the crowd hearts expand and everyone holds hands
Suzanne Mondoux
22 March 2020
23 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Can you hear me singing
From way out there all by yourself can you hear me singing
This song is for you darling, and only for your ears
It’s the longing for you that inspires me to sing to you
To create for you and to love you more and more each day
So far and yet so close and how far we’ve come
I sing for you day and night
Can you hear me singing, this is to keep us alive
For you my love, soon we will be together
Can you hear me singing so deep in the dark
Or is there light for you to sing to
I know one day you’ll wake, one day you’ll open your eyes and smile
Each day with you is a wonder, a blessing
I feel your life in my hands, with each breath you take I sing
Can you hear me singing to you my darling
It’s a long sleep but one day you’ll wake
I will sing you awake in my arms
Follow the sound of my voice, this love song is for you
It’s hear you’ll find your way, into the music of our voice
Remember how you sang to me, remember our voices together
Can you hear us singing, it’s how you’ll find your way home
Can you hear me singing my love, it’s all for you
This long sleep has kept you from me but soon I know you’ll sing with me
Life is still with you and in you, in this love song for you
You can hear me singing, I feel it in your hand
Listen to my voice, listen to me singing, I’ll guide you home
Can you hear us singing together again, it’s one voice, one heart, our love
Can you hear me singing, it’s all for you
Suzanne Mondoux
23 March 2020
24 March 2020 Song/Poem of the day — Making It To The Top
What does it take to be happy in such a place
Where do I go from here to where I want to be
Who do I become to be who I am
What has to be done to making it to the top
I’m a showgirl and the show must go on
Whether I’m tired and can barely pay the rent
Making it to the top seems so far away
But yet with my fingertip I can touch this light ahead of me
It’s the showgirl in me that makes me survive
Will I know when I’ve made it to the top
Will I recognize myself in the limelight
How much further do I need to go to make it the top
Making it to the top is it as far as I think it is
Why search for something different from where I am
The show goes on, I’m a showgirl reaching for the top
Each night I play the piano, sing and dance for a crowd calling out my name
I headline in the dives of all dives
The showgirl that I am believes the show must go on to make it to the top
One night changes my entire life, it’s one step closer to making to the top
A new stage and new lights, new faces in the crowd call out my name
I’m a showing girl making I to the top
My life on stage, in lights and in a crowd
I face the audience and take my bow
I’ve made it to the top
Making it to the top did not make me become me
It took who I was and to be me to make it to the top
Making it to the top is many steps that go on an on
Suzanne Mondoux
24 March 2020
25 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Where’s my Voice
It may be a small part but it’s a part of this life nonetheless
No matter how big or small somewhere out there there’s a place for me
Where’s my voice in all of this, can it be heard from near or far
I’m but one soul amongst the crowd who shout louder than me
Where’s my voice in all this noise in my head
What creates quiet, a moment of listening to my own voice
I have a role in history for myself, where do I start
Do I wait and see what will be my first words
Is everything already written or do we write our own story
A chance at writing your own story, in your own voice
Where’s my voice when I need it
It’s thrilling knowing there’s one there, my own voice
My voice, how do I find such a thing
Can you hear me amongst the noise
I won’t leave myself alone until I find where my voice is hiding
Emotions linger in my heart, my heart longs for me
Where’s my voice in this every day world filled with so many voices
Do I kill part me to find my voice
In this crazy world there’s has to be a place for me, for my voice
It’s but a moment away to make this life more than what it is
Am I black and white all around without a way out
Is killing part of me the only way to find my voice
Where’s my voice in all of this life around me
In this life, is there such a thing as my voice
Is it worth living with hope to find your voice
More of my life can only be lived in my own voice
Where’s my voice in all of this, inside of me
Inside of me is where I’ll find my voice
Suzanne Mondoux
25 March 2020
26 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Just a Breath Away
Can you hear the orchestra playing in the distance
Our love is like the music in the air
Together we breath as one no matter how far you are from me
It’s all about love this life, I hold you in my heart
Your just a breath away my darling no matter how far apart we are
A day is but a moment and I remember your smile as though you’re just in front of me
All but a life with nothing more to ask when you’re just a breath away
No regrets for the time we are apart, be happy baby, you’re just a breath away
Soon with time we will unite and no time will be felt before we are together again
You’re just a breath away and I look to this day, it’s a moment away
Sing out loud to the music in your heart darling, I’ll hear you no matter how are far apart we are
A chance at life with you is worth every moment apart
We are just a breath away and I look to this day
Soon enough darling we’ll be in each other’s arms
I love you for your courage and your glory of heart
Never is it a lifetime away for when we can reunite
We are just a breath away and lets embrace this moment
Can’t you see how love keeps us united in the greatest of challenges
How wonderful you are to be so brave and keep your heart open to our love
Just a breath away in a moment in time I embrace
Patience is not required, love keeps me in peace
Just a breath away is my destiny to be with you
I’m just in love with you, that’s all, and just a moment away from seeing you again
We will fly away together in a moment in time
Just a breath away for you and me
I’m doing well knowing you’re in my heart
I see your face everywhere I go
I smell the roses on my walk and just a breath away I’m back in your arms
Embraced in your perfume my darling, life with you in a rose on my heart
Just a breath away you’re the rose on my heart
Suzanne Mondoux
26 March 2020
27 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — If I Can Lose You
What chance do I have when you can have anyone you want
You look at me once but not twice
Do you know that I’m there
If you were mind what chance would I have
If I can lose you to another, what chance do I have
So easy your love, it comes and goes
You tease me like no other
You seduce me with just a smile
You kill me so easily with just a look
You whispered you’d give me your heart and I believe this
My heart says to look out for your dangerous side
If I can lose you to another, what chance do I really have with my heart in your hand
Can you hold me with such tenderness to make me feel I can never lose you
You can have anyone you desire, and how much do you desire me
If you can desire me so easily, can I lose you to another so easily
I know that it’s true your tenderness for me but deep in my heart what is there for me
Is this a dream to desire someone so much as you
Is it my destiny to lose you so easily
You make me want you and ache for you it shows in my face every time you smile at me
But this won’t last forever for my heart tells me I can lose you so easily
It’s a chance that I take to give you my heart and I know it’s me who will pay the price
Everybody warns me not to love you and to let you go
It seems I can also lose you so easily just because you want to leave
You yearn for solitude and isolation and draw in your lovers when you desire
I could lose you so easily so you could live on your own
What’s in this for me if I give you my heart that you draw me into with such sweet kisses
You seduce me into your arms with such passion and release me so viciously
If I can lose you my heart will always cry out for what could be
I’ll go mad first before I lose you to your solitude
Suzanne Mondoux
27 March 2020
28 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — How To Find a Lover
Hmmm, Hmmm, Hmmm, it’s so hard to find you
How do I search for you and where do I find you
The days are long and lonely without you
How do I find you, how do I find a lover
La, La, La, for love, in love, how do I find a lover
My bed is cold with just me to warm it on my own
A quiet and lonely heart lies beneath the sheets
So sweet my dream of you
I long for your hand against my skin and lips to kiss me
How do I go on with such a hard life of loneliness
Distress easily consumes me with a heart eager to love
How to find a lover in this world, in this life
I claim this place in my heart for you when I find you
How to find a lover in all this noise around me
I wish upon a falling star for you to show yourself
God let me see my lover
Did I miss you walking pass me, was I blind at one time
Now I want to see and find a lover, the one whose in front of me and did not see
How to find a lover, hmmm, hmmm, la, la, la, I may have missed
Life, give me another chance to let me see what I may have missed
What did I miss with my judgment for the lover that stood before me
How do I find a lover once there for me, all for me and only me
I take a chance to open my heart again and let you claim that place in my heart for you
I free this place for you, my lover, how do I find you
I’m searching for my words to find you, to regain my sight so I can find you
Hmm, Hmm, ooh, ooh, la, la, la, in search of you
How do I find a lover that once stood before me
Hmm, ooh, Hmm, my lover, how do I find you, let me see you
Suzanne Mondoux
28 March 2020
29 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — I’m In The Dark
What’s this life I’ve made for myself with no wind in my sail
Drifting away on my own in the dark, where there’s no sunrise
I’m in the dark with my soul and my fading dreams
Where do I belong in this vast sea of life so deep with no light
Hmm, Hmm, Whoa, Whoa, Hmm
How can I go on in the dark corner of my soul
Will I ever find myself again when I can’t even hear my own voice
Someone or something is calling out to me but I can’t make it out
The dark waves are rising around me, encroaching on the only glimmer of light
I’m in the dark with no hope in sight of getting out of this life I’ve made for myself
Hmm, Hmm, Whoa, Whoa, I’m in the darkest place of my soul
I’m in the dark and I cry out for help in a place where no sound is heard
I watch for the tide recede but I fear it will take me with it, deep and far away from home
Hmm, Whoa, Hmm, Hmm, I’m in the darkest of all darkest places my own heart
How can this be, how did I let it be this way
Will I ever find me again, oh dear what have I done to my soul that shone so bright
Hmm, Hmm, I’m in the dark
I went to this deep dark place knowing where I was going
The waves rise, higher and higher, horizon out of sight
The darkest creature inside me rises from the sea, so deep inside me
It frightens me
I’m in the dark with the creature I gave birth to
My mind divides into so many phantoms to make sense of all this
Whose the real me in this darkest place of my soul
Can I wake from this darkness
Hmm, Hmm, Whoa, Whoa
I’m in the dark, I brought me here
Suzanne Mondoux
29 March 2020
30 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Leaving Love Undone
It’s a song in my heart that goes on and on
I turn from a crowd when they speak of love
What a feeling this undone with no one to go to
You made me love you with all my fears
Why did you have to go so soon our love wasn’t done
Leaving love undone pains me more than I could ever know
So short your journey in this world
Leaving love undone leaves nothing else for me but the pain my heart and my soul
Hmmm, Whoa, Whoa Hmm,
We had so much more life to live together
I had so much more love to give you
There’s nothing left for me to do when leaving love undone
My heart was all and only for you
You were taken from me too soon and suddenly my heart has no where to go
It’s a struggle each day living when leaving love undone
My heart beats for you and each night I cry myself to sleep
No one told me how painful life would be living a life with leaving love undone
Leaving love undone, Hmmm, Hmmm, Whoa, Whoa
It hurts too much leaving life undone
All my dreams and hopes dangle from the stars, too far out of reach
The heavens took you from me, hmm, hmm, whoa, whoa
Leaving love undone is more than I can bear
With every breath I hang on by a string and wish you next me
Hmm, hmm, hmm,
As you closed your eyes you told me it was time to go
You smiled and whispered love is never done
Suzanne Mondoux
30 March 2020
31 March 2020 Song/Poem of the Day — Intoxication
To feel this life in all it’s glory even for just a moment
What my heart sings raptures my soul
Forever living the moment of ecstasy and wonder
What lies beneath the silent voices of such a life
It’s intoxication I feel for you and me in this world of wonder
Intoxication flowing through my veins
Like fire rushing through the forest to stay alive
Each breath of intoxication fills my body with overwhelming love
I walk through the streets in a trance
So close and yet so far from everything real and imagined
My intoxicated eyes follow the dreamy world around me
The intoxication of the world created in my mind
The wind carries me over the hills and sets me down into the valleys
I rise and fall in and around the clouds
My intoxicated body on the ground looks up at the stars
An intoxicated heart in a body sometimes with life, sometimes without
Hmm, whoa, hmm, whoa, intoxication of my soul
In love with the ideal of me, to befriend when truly known
Intoxicated life alone in my mind
I look down at my hands to see that I’m there
Intoxication of a heart on fire for love
Intoxication of a life to be known
Suzanne Mondoux
31 March 2020
Year 2020 collection Song/Poem of the Day captured on my website (https://suzannemondoux.com/blog/). Thank you to all my readers and followers. Very much appreciated. List of my novels also available https://suzannemondoux.com/ | https://medium.com/illumination/lets-revisit-march-2020-song-poem-of-the-day-f181bea11fa4 | ['Suzanne Mondoux'] | 2020-08-27 17:12:19.555000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Songs', 'Lyrics', 'Singing', 'Poetry'] |
“Are you fulfilled? IKIGAI.” | My excursion for Ikigai
I have been working as an Entrepreneur since (actually during) my university times and was never really “choosing” what I would do next but rather saw an opportunity that I wanted to capture. I literally worked day & night for a decade always chasing for the next opportunity.
These opportunities made me start a business with little knowledge nor experience on how to run a business. They made me jump on a plane end of 2011 to manage a portfolio of eCommerce businesses without knowing where all of these countries are actually located on the world map (seriously!); or even start a health tech business in Singapore without ever working in Singapore nor in Healthcare. These opportunities were often driven out of Profession or out of my Vocation — but it never fully satisfied me. Yes, I had some of my greatest (perceived) moments but deeply I was never fulfilled.
People came often to me and said “Wow, you achieved this or that” or “You have done this or that — that’s crazy” but I barely felt proud of these accolades. In fact, I felt uncomfortable as any outside success has been accompanied by a lot of sacrifices. And only I knew myself that I didn’t feel complete (or fulfilled). I had known about the Ikigai concept for years but I have never BEEN in the space of Ikigai. I was checking all the boxes for “What I am good at”, “What I can be paid for” and “What the world needs”. But something was missing.
I have also seen my friends working for either top consulting or law firms, are investment bankers or “hired guns” aka CEOs or operating in other leadership positions. The common denominator I observe: all of them are really good at what they do, they are paid (very) well for what they are doing and there is an occurrence that the world needs their talent. The crux: most — if not all of them — hate their job.
Some of them get drunk very often, some have fundamental problems in their private life, some convert their problems into being a workaholic with some serious long-term effects in both their relationships and personal health. They are chasing for something bigger. There is the occurrence that there is always more. More opportunities, more money, more to be achieved. But deeply — as I had it as well for a number of years — they are not fulfilled. They, and I, have not yet found our Ikigai.
Not until I was awakened to realize that what I deeply care about, “What I love”, is the key to unlock my Ikigai. It was when I become a father. BEING a father has been one of my biggest personal transformations. It added a new dimension to my life and gave me a much deeper purpose and helped me to realize that there is much more than “just work”.
It was the first time that I choose to be an active father — and not just a weekend Dad. It was the first time that I decided to move to a new country (=Vietnam), not because of a business opportunity but because I wanted to be a loving and caring partner & father. It was the first time that I choose to go to a new place without a plan. There were so many firsts. And these firsts led me to start working with Mekong Capital and the wonderful team here.
It has been the first time that I can say that I am in my space of Ikigai.
I have a passion for Digital Transformation. I LOVE what I am doing. I am present both at work and at home. I can see my boy every morning and nearly every evening.
I have a mission to reinvent Private Equity and generate breakthrough results while being a loving father & partner.
I am (hopefully) a more centered person (at least that is the feedback I have received over the last couple of months). My colleagues and investee teammates acknowledge me for my contribution.
Max leading one of Mekong Capital’s coaching sessions
I experience growing in my profession from BEING a CEO/Founder to BEING a coach and causing (instead of ‘just’ producing) results, helping others grow in their profession and work — and the best of it: I am getting paid for it (Profession & Vocation).
Operating in the state of Ikigai
— “How much are you paid for at Mekong Capital?”.
Some of my lovely friends have asked me (and believe you do wonder as well) if I get enough to balance the four forces. This is the “moment of truth” to hold my ego back and remind myself that I found my Ikigai and that it’s not about “What you can be paid for”.
There are more equally important dimensions to operate in the space of Ikigai. I am in THE place where there is a deep connection between my personal vision & purpose and Mekong Capital’s vision & purpose. The purpose of Mekong Capital is to re-invent Private Equity, generating breakthroughs, wealth, and fulfillment. Especially the last word (“fulfillment”) is difficult for most people to define. But for me, fulfillment is being in a state of Ikigai.
And now I am happy. I am fulfilled. I am right at my Ikigai — the intersection of these four forces! What else is there “more” to have?
Thus, I remind myself regularly that I am happy to operate in a space of Ikigai. That there is nothing “more” I can ask for. That I am grateful for what I can do, with the people I want to work with, for the fact that I am adding value to Vietnam (and thereby to the world) and that I am getting paid for it — all while fulfilling Mekong Capital’s (and my personal) vision & purpose.
2020 has been a special year for all of us. So as we are coming close to the end, let’s reflect ourselves to embrace the larger picture: | https://blog.mekongcapital.com/are-you-fulfilled-ikigai-8add1509d19a | ['Hac Tran'] | 2020-12-25 05:11:52.431000+00:00 | ['Private Equity', 'Mekong Capital', 'Ikigai', 'Corporate Culture', 'Fulfillment'] |
Wandering Warblers | Alaska’s Songbirds
Wandering Warblers
Tiny Migrant Songbirds with Arctic Aspirations
Townsend’s Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) is arguably the most striking warbler species that breeds in Alaska. 📷 Intermountain Bird Observatory/Zak Pohlen
Of fifty warbler species regularly found throughout the U.S. and Canada, 11 make their way to Alaska each summer to breed. Like many other migratory birds, warblers take advantage of abundant insects and prime nesting habitat to raise young in the U.S. and Canada, before traveling to warmer areas like Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean to spend the winter.
Several species of warbler breed in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the summer, all using the treed or shrubby habitats found in the southern portion as well as the Brooks Range and its foothills. Here, Arctic Refuge’s Porcupine River cuts through the surrounding boreal forest creating picturesque cliffs and canyons. 📷 USFWS/Callie Gesmundo
Migration is no easy task for any bird, let alone warblers, which average less than the weight of one AAA battery! Prior to our understanding of bird migration, people had many interesting ideas about where migratory birds went during the colder winter months. Centuries ago, people thought birds hibernated underground or underwater, while others proposed they transformed into new species (as people noticed seeing different birds at different times of the year). Some even thought birds flew to the moon and spent the winter there. The truth is that these minute creatures (made mostly of feathers and hollow bones) traverse the globe, some doubling their body weight to survive non-stop flights across oceans.
In the 17tth century an English educator named Charles Morton wrote the first extensive work on bird migration, in which he wrongly suggested birds migrate to the moon. 📷 Michele Lamberti via Flickr
As birds go, Alaska is unique among North American states and provinces. Numerous species travel several flyways (migration routes) to meet in Alaska during the summer months. These migratory birds come from wintering grounds in the Americas, eastern Asia, Oceana, and Africa before arriving on their breeding grounds here in Alaska. And Alaska’s warblers are no exception to the incredible journeys and diversity of migratory routes and wintering locations.
Blackpoll Warblers
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata). 📷 USFWS/Zak Pohlen
Blackpoll Warblers are a summer breeder in the northern coniferous forests throughout Alaska and Canada. Males sport a striking black cap during summer (superficially similar to the Black-capped Chickadee) and sing an insect-like high pitch trill to attract a mate. Though not as flamboyant as other warbler species, it makes up for it with its fascinating migratory feats.
This map shows animated weekly abundances of Blackpoll Warblers throughout the calendar year. The data used to create this animation was collected by citizen scientists who submitted sightings of Blackpoll Warblers to eBird.
Attaching small devices known as geolocators, scientists tracked Blackpoll Warblers from their breeding grounds to their wintering grounds, uncovering one of the most impressive migrations among birds. Blackpoll Warblers that breed in Alaska travel up to 12,400 miles roundtrip each year, crossing the entire North American continent before making a non-stop 3–4 day transoceanic flight to northern South America.
Scientists use geolocators to collect light level data (i.e. daylight) to estimate an individual’s location. In order to collect the location data, the geolocator must be retrieved from the tagged individual, downloaded, and analyzed. 📷 USFWS/Zak Pohlen
Before they complete this amazing leap across the ocean, they spend a month fattening up along the eastern seaboard, doubling their body weight with fat reserves in order to survive the arduous oceanic crossing.
Birds do not grow feathers on every part of their body, but rather in uniformed sections called feather tracts or pterylae. Scientists check a bird’s condition by lightly blowing along the featherless spaces (called apteria) to check the amount of muscle and fat present. 📷 Intermountain Bird Observatory/Callie Gesmundo
Blackpoll Warblers have lost over 90% of their population since the 1970s. Understanding where these birds go is critical to our understanding of what’s driving this population loss.
Wilson’s Warbler
Wilson’s Warblers can be spotted in nearly all parts of the United States at some point during the calendar year. | https://alaskausfws.medium.com/wandering-warblers-ef003a77e358 | ['U.S.Fish Wildlife Alaska'] | 2020-11-11 15:18:17.651000+00:00 | ['Arctic', 'Migration', 'Birds', 'Science', 'Alaska'] |
NULS ChainFactory Application Project-count Exceeds 100 | NULS Bimonthly Report - Second Half of August
Technological progress
1. NULS desktop wallet v2.4.4 was released, which optimizes the transfer displaying function and supports display of locked NRC20 tokens.
2. Nabox Android v1.0.9 was released which optimizes its functions and supports display of locked NRC20 tokens.
3. NTC continues testing NerveDEX and optimizing the interface layout and stability.
4. Nabox’s iOS version has been released for internal testing, and community members can now participant. After completion of the development of cross-chain asset transfer, it will be launched on Testflight.
Business & Community Progress
On August 14, 2020
LianShiJie community wrote an article with the title of " Definite Rewards, Infinite Possibilities". The article talked about how NerveNetwork’s cross-chain staking provides ETH and NULS holders with deterministic rewards.
Details are as below: https://news.huoxing24.com/20200814193234455585.html
On August 18, 2020
More than 15.4 million NULS joined the NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork for staking.
On August 18, 2020
NerveNetwork test-net reward address was released on NULS forum:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/nervenetwork-testnet-is-beta-nervenetwork/1415/339
August 19, 2020
OKEx completed the NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork(NVT) airdrop distribution for NULS holders.
On August 20, 2020
BitZ exchange added NULS staking function. NULS can be staked for NVT 30% ROI.
On August 23, 2020
NULS SCO ecosystem project ALEPH issued announced that due to the high cost of ETH gas, it will charge 10 ALEPH as swapping gas fee. ALEPH suggested that community members refrain from swapping small quantities
On August 24, 2020
EOS gravity community shared the news that more 100 projects have submitted an application for building their blockchain with NULS ChainFactory.
On August 24, 2020
ICC（Iron community coin）joined the NULS SCO ecosystem.
Details are as below:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/lcc/2258
On August 24, 2020
NULS forum released an updated tutorial with instructions on how to stake on NerveNetwork
Details are as below:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/nerve-video-tutorial-update-nerve/2259
On August 25, 2020
NULS and its ecosystem projects launched a giveaway activity for celebrating Chinese Valentine’s day on NULS Weibo while celebrating the milestone of having 100 projects applying to build on NULS ChainFactory.
On August 25, 2020
NULS SCO project Vibook launched Dualshock to establish a deeper connection between the e-book Vibook and cultural products.
Details are as below:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/vibook-contest-dualshock/2262
On August 26, 2020
NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork announced that for the long-term stable development of NerveNetwork, parameters such as heterogeneous cross-chain service fee, increasing or withdrawal node deposit, staking deposit withdrawal, and unlocking time will be adjusted.
Details are as below:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/nervenetwork/2266?from=timeline
On August 28, 2020
NULS SCO project DATT was first listed on Uniswap.
On August 28, 2020
NULS SCO project TPU founder was invited by NULS+Nerve community to share that TurboNVT application will be integrated into the Nabox wallet and some of its latest development.
Details are as below:
https://nulsnice.com/nuls2-0/2189.html
On August 28, 2020
The Food Authority of Singapore cooperated with the NULS ecosystem project veriTAG and ST Engineering to develop a blockchain-based food safety system to track the entire food supply chain process. The solution system provided by veriTAG for the Singapore Food Authority is based on the NULS public chain and cooperates with ST Engineering to support food GPS tracking equipment.
On August 28, 2020
Lily and Reaper, NULS co-founder were invited by ANTCHAIN in ChengDu to join a blockchain summit.
Global Progress
On August 17, 2020
NULS announced the winners of the giveaway to thanks NULS users for staking. Congratulations to all the winners!
On August 20, 2020
WeBitcoin reported that NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork released the staking tutorial, and the ROI was as high as 60%.
Details are as below: https://twitter.com/WeBTCoficial/status/1296173255217287170
August 20, 2020
Berzeck, founder of NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork, submitted a proposal on NerveNetwork’s support for Binance Chain cross-chain in the Binance community.
Details are as below:
https://community.binance.org/topic/3074/proposal-for-nervenetwork-to-support-cross-chain-operations-with-binance-chain
On August 20, 2020
NULS Turkish ambassador released NerveNetwork’s proposal to support cross-chain transactions through Binance Chain (Turkish version).
Details are as below:
https://koinmilyoner.com/binance-chain-ile-capraz-zincir-islemlerini-desteklemeye-yonelik-nervenetwork-onerisi/
On August 21, 2020
NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork released the assets staking ROI. Staking rewards of NULS & NVT was above 34%, and the ETH was above 24%.
On August 24, 2020
NULS heterogeneous cross-chain ecosystem NerveNetwork announced support for cross-chain transfer of assets: NVT, NULS, ETH, USDT, DAI, USDC, HT, SAX, WBTC, ENVT, etc. You can enjoy a fast transfer experience with almost zero service fee and 2 seconds confirmation.
Details are as below:
https://twitter.com/nerve_network/status/1297881347487346688
On August 24, 2020
NULS community member released an article “Why Choose NULS/Nerve Ecosystem?”
On August 27, 2020
StreetInsider.com reported that the Singapore Food Authority and VeriTAG cooperated to develop a food safety system based on the NULS blockchain.
Details are as below:
https://www.streetinsider.com/Business+Wire/veriTAG+Leverages+NULS+Blockchain+to+Solve+Asias+Food+Safety+Problem/17294011.html
On August 28, 2020
VisionaryFinanc reported that veriTAG leverages NULS blockchain to solve food safety problem in Asia.
Details are as below:
https://twitter.com/VisionaryFinanc/status/1299048100712116225
Community governance
1. The third quarter (June-August) volunteer proposal of NULS community is completed, and the new volunteer proposal has not yet been submitted.
2. The third quarter content contribution proposal of the NULS community has been passed, and is currently being implemented. The proposal is a continuation, and will continue to focus on publishing and disseminating NULS community content.
Details are as below:
https://gov.nuls.io/proposal/proposalDetail?id=33
3. NULS Turkish ambassador released his work report from June to August.
Details are as below:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/turkey-june-july-and-august-report/2267
4. NULS Portuguese ambassador released his work report from June to August.
Details are as below:
https://bbs.nuls.io/t/portuguese-community-leader-report-june-july-august/2268
5. NULS African Ambassador’s proposal has passed, and the proposal is being implemented.
Details are as below:
https://gov.nuls.io/proposal/proposalDetail?id=37 | https://medium.com/@nuls/nuls-chainfactory-application-project-count-exceeds-100-58e31e5898aa | [] | 2020-09-06 11:58:22.507000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'Lightning Network', 'Btc', 'Blockchain', 'Digital Marketing'] |
On the meaning of the missing | On the meaning of the missing
He is the absent who does not attend, and I am the longing who does not forget …
To miss something means that your soul is taken from you every time you feel this feeling, and the loss may be a person, a memory, or a homeland.
There is always nostalgia for something, an idea that dominates the mind, makes the soul attached to it, makes the soul satisfied and happy, without a reason, although summoning that loss makes sadness a world in which we live, and we tell those around us that it is not a desire for a distance, but it is the need for sorrows to be nurtured when it reproduces. “
Longing, it may be a blessing or a curse depending on the thing that we long for, if it is a person who is difficult to reach, because of his forgetfulness of us, we continue to blame ourselves for just remembering it, and if it is longing for a reality we want to live and coexist with, that makes us enter into the corridors of our dreams; So that fate leads us to a reality similar to that which we wish.
Struggling to overcome its longing, makes things more and more difficult, and may make it worse by making us impossible to forget. They say forgetting is a blessing from the Almighty, and it is a fact that we praise Him Almighty for it often, but sometimes you sit with yourself and keep praying That there never comes a day when you forget those who miss, those who yearn, those you yearn for and your body cannot reach, and you have no hope of communicating with them except remembering them, even though that may bring you much trouble.
For everything there is wisdom, and the wisdom of lack, in my opinion, increases the connection between you and those who miss, and makes you only able to remember every wonderful moment that you passed by with him, or through him, it is God’s wisdom that we live on beautiful memories that accompany us in the journey of our life.
miss as you wish, for today you miss and tomorrow it will come to you to miss others, and at that time you will wish that someone who misses you did not feel as much as you did when you missed, but life makes us miss and misses, nostalgia is a disease and medicine, and inevitably you will get sick At the time, you will say, "Treat me with what was the disease." | https://medium.com/@historicalgirl40/on-the-meaning-of-the-missing-6fd268d827b2 | [] | 2020-12-17 00:19:20.987000+00:00 | ['Missing Persons', 'Memories', 'Nostalgia'] |
JavaScript VS JScript: The Ultimate Comparison | There are a lot of different programming languages in the world. Some of them appear and win the hearts of programmers, and some of them disappear without success. Today we will look at two languages that have long been the favorites of programmers: JavaScript and JScript.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a full — fledged dynamic programming language that is applied to an HTML document, and can provide dynamic interactivity on websites. It was developed by Brendan Eich, co-founder of the Mozilla project, Mozilla Foundation, and Mozilla Corporation.
JavaScript is incredibly versatile and friendly to beginners. With a lot of experience, you can create games, animated 2D and 3D graphics, full-scale applications with databases, and much more!
JavaScript itself is quite compact, but very flexible. Developers have written a large number of tools on top of the main JavaScript language that unlock a huge number of additional features with very little effort.
What is JScript?
JScript is a scripting programming language that can be used to create (write) scripts that will be interpreted by the Windows Script Host component.
At first glance, JScript is very similar to JavaScript (ECMAScript), and this is natural, since the syntax, some objects, methods, and properties are similar to JavaScript. But this is still not JavaScript, namely JScript. JavaScript (ECMAScript) is focused on browser objects, and JScript is already focused on components of the Windows operating system.
Differences between JavaScript and JScript
Compilation
JavaScript: We don’t need to compile JavaScript codes. Our browsers run them themselves.
JScript: The codes which are written in JScript support conditional compilation. At the same time, we can place codes in the comments to the block and execute them selectively. Starting with Microsoft Internet Explorer 11, conditional compilation is not supported.
Syntax
JavaScript: JavaScript syntax is similar to C++ and Java. If you have experience with C++ or Java, The JavaScript syntax will seem familiar to you. However, the inner workings of JavaScript are closer to a dynamically typed, interpreted language such as Python or Ruby. Here, we write codes inside the script tag in HTML.
JScript: In JScript we write the same syntax as JavaScript.
Object Access
JavaScript: JavaScript cannot access objects within the web browser.
JScript: JScript can access objects provided by Internet Explorer. An example of such an object is ActiveX.
Client / Server language
JavaScript: Usually used on the client side.
JScript: Usually used on the client side.
Browser compatibility | https://medium.com/code-carbon/javascript-vs-jscript-the-ultimate-comparison-c010ff5f94ee | ['Zeba Academy'] | 2021-03-03 07:54:07.281000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'Java', 'Mobile App Development', 'Programming Languages', 'Programming'] |
Zones in Dart: Open Heart Surgery for Environment | Hello! My name is Dima, I’m a frontend developer at Wrike. We write the client part of the project in Dart, and we often deal with asynchronous operations. Zone is one of the most useful and powerful tools that Dart provides for this purpose. I decided to dig into it myself and share my knowledge with you.
Disclaimer: All the code used in this article only pretends to be a copy paste. In fact, I’ve greatly simplified it and got rid of the irrelevant details. For this article, I used Dart version 2.7.2 and AngularDart version 5.0.0.
I hadn’t heard much about zones before Dart. They aren’t typically used directly and have quite specific features. As the dart:async import hints to us, they make sense particularly for asynchronous operations.
In Wrike (as well as any other project on AngularDart), you can usually find zones in pieces of code like this:
Advanced Dart developers call it ancestral knowledge — just do what others did before you and it’ll work.
However, if you look under the hood of some libraries, you’ll find that zones are often used to:
Simplify the API in utilities that use asynchronous operations.
Fix some drops in app performance.
Catch unhandled exceptions and fix bugs (which are sometimes caused by zones but are irrelevant now).
There are a few resources about zones in the Dart community, except for the issues on GitHub. This is the API documentation, an article from the official site of the language, which explains the case of catching asynchronous errors, and a few talks such as the DartUP conference. Therefore, as the most complete guide I suggest the code itself.
In this article I’ll show you code examples from the libraries that we use in the project:
package:intl ;
; package:quiver ;
; package:angular .
Let’s start with the basics.
Intl and temporary locale switch
The Intl package is part of our localization engine. The principle of operation is quite simple: When the application starts, we look for a locale selected by default, load it, and each time we call the message or plural methods, we return the required text for the passed key.
Keys are named this way:
Sometimes we need to change the locale temporarily, i.e., a user enters a time period and we need to parse it from the current language. If we can’t do it from the current one, then we’ll try a fallback language. We use the withLocale method provided for this purpose:
Here we’re trying to parse user input first in the default locale, and then in the fallback locale.
It looks like withLocale changes the current language to the specified one, executes the passed callback, and then returns everything as it was.
But the parseText method returns with Future, because the necessary locale may not be loaded yet, which means we need to wait for the result. While we’re waiting, the user touches something in the interface and it starts to re-render. Since the current locale at this moment is Russian, the interface also changed the language to Russian. And when the operation is over, it’s back to English. No good.
What we want here is Future itself to report that the asynchronous operation has ended, then to pass on control and the result. In that case, the algorithm could switch the locale at the right time.
1. What’s under the hood of Future?
The good news is it’s possible! We’ll call ab asynchronous function and get a Future instance at the output:
When creating an instance, Future remembers the current zone. Now we’ll need to plan the processing of the result by using the then method:
Interesting! First, we’ll tell the current zone which callback will be executed in the future. Then we’ll create a new Future, schedule it to process the result of the asynchronous operation, and return it. The new Future remembers the zone where it was created — Zone.current . After getting the result thanks to the runUnary method, it executes a callback in the saved zone. Zone knows when the callback was added and when it should be executed, which means the execution process can be managed!
2. What’s a zone, where does the current zone come from, and what does “run inside the zone” mean?
“It’s an execution context.” — Brian Ford, zone.js author
Zone is an object that can be described by the word “context.” It can carry contextual data and behavior. All entities that know about zones use the data or behavior of the current zone in one way or another. When working with Future, we’ve already seen that if it needs to execute a callback, it delegates this work to the zone using the run* family of methods. And it already imposes final features and side effects on the execution of the callback.
The current zone is the zone currently referenced in the _current field. Zone.current is a static getter for accessing _current . In the code it looks like this:
This field differs from a global variable because it can’t be easily changed. To do this, you need a set of run* methods the zone instance has: run , runUnary , and runBinary . In the simplest case, these methods temporarily write their zone in the _current field:
Before executing the callback, a new zone is written in the _current field, and the old zone is returned after execution. To execute inside the zone means replacing the zone in the Zone.current field with the one selected for the duration of the function.
That’s it! You can even say that if the current field had a setter, these two code pieces would act similarly:
An important difference is that run* methods guarantee the current zone will not only switch to the necessary one, but will also return to the previous one when the callback is finished. The switch will be only temporary. Instead, the developer may forget about switching or simply consider it unnecessary.
Now you see that the Intl service should be fine if it uses zones under the hood. They’ll help control the switching of the locale.
3. How does Intl service use zones?
Let’s go back to the service and look at the withLocale method:
That’s something new! Let’s start at the beginning.
The runZoned function executes a callback inside the zone. But we don’t provide an instance of the existing zone, because runZoned creates a new zone and immediately executes a callback in it. And the run* methods execute a callback in an already created zone.
The second interesting detail here is the zoneValues map — powerful tool that allows you to save data in the zone. You can put any type of data in zoneValues with a unique key (our piece of code uses Symbol).
Now let’s see where the data is read:
Voila! First, we’ll check if the locale ID is in the zone. Next, we’ll return either the locale ID or the default locale. If a locale is recorded in the zone, it’ll be used.
Data in the zone is read using the [] operator, which searches for the value in the zone and its parents (we’ll discuss them later). But the []= operator is undefined, which means that the data assigned to the zone during creation can’t be changed. This is why the withLocale method uses runZoned :
A pre-created zone wouldn’t work here, so we’re constantly creating a new zone with the current data.
Finally, let’s go back to the beginning:
Now we know the callback of the withLocale method will be executed in the zone, and the locale we need will be written in it. Moreover, each Future created in this zone will save a link to the zone and execute its own callbacks in it. This means that the locale will switch to the specified one each time before executing _parseText and return immediately after executing _parseText . Just what the doctor ordered!
Now we also know how Future can interact with zones. Future, Stream, and Timer are “soaked” with such interactions with zones inside and out. Zones are aware of almost every step they take; that’s why they have such capabilities and power. We can learn more about them from the following example.
FakeAsync and fast asynchronous code testing
In our team, all frontend developers write unit tests. Sometimes we need to test code that works asynchronously. Dart out of the box has great testing tools, i.e., the test package that can work with asynchronous tests. When we need to wait, it’s enough to return Future from the callback of the test function, and the tests will wait for the call of the expect function until Future is completed:
In this fairytale, I’m not satisfied with one thing: waiting. What if we’re testing a stream with debounce per second or an operation has a one-hour timer? In such cases it’s worth using the mock from the outside, but this isn’t always possible.
We’re back to the problem of asynchronous tasks. But now we know we can ask zones for help. Authors of package:quiver have already done this and have written a FakeAsync utility.
This is how it works:
We’ll create a FakeAsync object, an asynchronous operation will start with it, and all timers and microtasks will be reset. And then all the scheduled work is executed.
Let’s imagine ourselves as Penn and Teller again and see how this magic works.
1. How FakeAsync actually works
Let’s take a look at the run method:
Create your own zone, run a callback in it, and return the result. There’s nothing to it.
But from the first line we’ll meet two new details: fork and specification.
When starting the Dart app, we always have one zone already: the root. It’s so special that you can always access it via the static getter Zone.root . Each correct zone must be a root fork, since all the basic features are implemented in the root zone. Remember this run piece that should switch the current zone?
That was a cheat similar to the old school rule that you can’t divide by zero. In fact, the code should look more like this:
So under the guise of a normal zone, the real game changer was hidden!
All other zones are forks of the root zone. You need them to add side effects to your main work.
2. How ZoneSpecification affects the behavior of the zone
ZoneSpecification is the second important public interface for zones, along with zoneValues :
These are all possible ways to influence the behavior of the zone and, consequently, the environment. Each of the specification getters is a handler function. For each handler the first three arguments are the same, so we can use the example of a single function to explore several.
Let’s analyze a small theoretical example by calculating how many times the code will ask you to do something in the zone:
Here we create a zone with its own specification. All callbacks called using the run method will pass through the run handler. The handler side effect is an increment of the global counter, so we’ll calculate it.
There are some points of interest here.
When we call any method from a zone, it calls the corresponding handler from its specification under the hood. This method helps minimize the number of arguments that we pass to the handler function. It substitutes the first three.
The forked zone is a node of the tree. When we call the zone method with some arguments, they must be “passed” from the node to the root through each parent. If the chain is broken, the work we’re counting on may not be completed, because nothing will reach the root zone. This makes sense for cutting off extra work, but not in our example.
The first argument is the zone that owns the handler.
The second argument is the parent zone delegate, which is used for “passing” further. If we don’t call it, the root zone in the example won’t be able to switch the current zone to the one we need, and there’s no other way to write in the _current field.
The third argument is the zone where the call initially happened. Sometimes we need to know it because the zone that owns the handler may not be the last in the hierarchy. When this argument reaches the root, the value of the current zone in the example will change to it.
This sounds complicated, but it usually comes with practice. Another small example is illustrated by a diagram:
Here we have a hypothetical hierarchy: You can see step by step what happens if you execute your work in zone B while the current zone is D.
The first arguments for all other handlers work the same way, which means the same patterns apply to them.
3. What side effects needs FakeAsync
Now back to FakeAsync. As we recall, in the run method the current zone is forked, and a new one is created using the specification. Let’s take a look:
First we see the scheduleMicrotask handler. It’ll be called when something asks to schedule work in a microtask so it runs immediately after the current execution thread. For example, Future is required to process the result in a microtask, so every single Future will ask the zone to do this at least once. And not only Future — asynchronous Stream also actively uses it.
It’s an easy way FakeAsync schedules microtasks — they’re stored synchronously under the hood for later, without any questions.
Next is the createTimer handler. You can call the createTimer method for a zone to get a Timer object, oddly enough. You might be asking, “What about its own constructor?” Let’s take a look:
The Dart timer is just a kind of wrapper over the environment timer, but the zone wants to be able to influence the process of creating it, i.e., if you need to create a dummy timer that doesn’t count anything. This is exactly what FakeAsync does: It creates a _FakeTimer , and the only task is to save the callback passed to it.
Unlike our example with the run handler, the parent delegate isn’t used here because we don’t really need to schedule anything. The chain is broken, so there will be no timers or microtasks in the test environment. In fact, the point of the FakeAsync zone is to collect all callbacks for timers and microtasks that are scheduled by any asynchronous structures or actions during code execution.
All of this is done in order to then execute them synchronously in the right order! This can happen by calling the flushTimers method:
The method iterates through the scheduled timers, synchronously calls their callbacks, and then synchronously iterates through all their scheduled microtasks. It does this until there are no tasks left. As a result, all asynchronous tasks are executed synchronously!
We learned how zones are created and talked about ZoneSpecification, but there are still many handlers not mentioned.
This is what they can also do:
Catch and handle errors ( handleUncaughtError , errorCallback )
, ) Modify the callback at the creation stage ( registerCallback* )
) Create a repeating timer ( createPeriodicTimer )
) Affect standard logging ( print )
) Influence the zone fork process ( fork )
That’s it for today. In this article we looked at examples of using zones in two small libraries and hopefully understood their basic features. In the next article, we’ll analyze details that aren’t self-evident on AngularDart — a framework that has slotted into our frontend life more than others.
Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts. I’d be more than happy to answer your questions! | https://medium.com/wriketechclub/zones-in-dart-open-heart-surgery-for-environment-3ba599cf6178 | ['Dmitry Elagin'] | 2020-10-08 10:35:27.507000+00:00 | ['Zone', 'Dartlang', 'Async', 'Dart'] |
Howey do you do? | An analysis of the Elepig project: security vs. utility
Many investors are hesitant to invest in Initial Coin Offerings and Token Offerings because they are unsure whether such investments might fall under US Securities laws, rules and governance.
Fortunately there is a relatively simple test that can be applied to any project to determine the likely classification of a token (security or utility). Crypto may feel bleeding-edge at times, but the Howey test is nothing new. In fact, it has existed since 1946 when it was applied by the US Supreme Court to Howey orange grove investments in Florida.
Serious crypto projects will proactively complete the Howey test and publish the results publicly, which is the purpose of this article for the Elepig project.
TLDR: Elepig is UNLIKELY to be deemed a security, as per the well-regarded and long-established Howey test
Element 1 concerns any potential investment of money.
Q1.1 Is there an investment of money?
This is a straightforward yes/no test. Elepig will be selling tokens in exchange for value (Ethereum) in a crowdsale, this is clear-cut.
Score for Question 1.1 = 100
Score for Element 1 = 100
Element 2 is referred to as “Common Enterprise” and it seeks to determine the level of independence and autonomy that a token holder may seek to profit from, regardless of the actions of other holders and the project.
Q2.1 What is the timing of the sale?
Elepig’s crowdsale will occur when a test network (Exchange) is operational. If there is a functioning network there is less likely to be a common enterprise where the profits arise from the efforts of others. The closer the sale is to launch of the network, the less likely there is to be a common enterprise. Importantly, Elepig tokens can only be bought and sold on the Elepig Exchange, so there it is extremely implausible that a common enterprise could occur.
Q2.2 What do token holders have to do in order to get economic benefits from the network?
This question relates to whether token holders can earn more tokens by conducting certain actions on the network, or whether the benefits to token holders are consistent. As all Elepig holders get 50% off exchange transactions forever (when they pay with EPG) the benefit is consistent.
Score for Question 2.1 = 60
Score for Question 2.1 = 25
Score for Element 2 = 85
Element 3 concerns the Expectation of Profit that potential investors may reasonably have.
3.1 What function does the token have?
This question explores the wider question of the token functionality, plus any rights bestowed upon token holders.
The Elepig token will have a very specific function, which is to enable tokenholders to pay for exchange transaction fees and receive half price transactions. Token holders will also have the right to take part in alpha/beta testing of the exchange and help shape the service by providing feedback and participate in key decision making via a token holder voting platform. Finally — although our service support will be world-beating for all users — token holders will receive a premium support service with expedited Service Level Agreements (SLA’s).
Q3.2 Does the holder rely on manual, off-blockchain action to realize the benefit of the token?
A token whose value depends on someone taking specific manual action outside of the network means that the token is not functional in and of itself. Instead, the token relies on a level of trust in a third party taking action off-blockchain. This sort of token is more likely to be bought for speculation — i.e. the expectation of profits. In contrast a token which is built with all the necessary technical permissions means that the token holder does not rely on manual actions of any third party. This means that the buyers are more likely to purchase the token for use rather than with the expectation of profit from the efforts of others.
All user actions will be conducted within the Elepig Exchange ecosystem, and all transactions will be on-chain.
Q3.3 What is the timing of the sale?
Same question and answer as 2.1 — it is scored again in this section as it has a slightly different implication in terms of expectation of profit.
Q3.4 Can the token holders exercise real and significant control via voting?
If the collective approval of token holders is required in order for the development team to access the funds raised in the crowdsale, then any value realized by the token holders is more closely tied to their own decisions, and less reliant on the efforts of others.
We have a Founders, Team, Advisors and Angels Vesting Plan coded into the logic of our smart contract. The founding team’s tokens are split over five payments (four years) and will be tied to explicit milestones and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The community will get to vote and decide whether or not these KPI’s have been met.
Q3.4 How is the token sale marketed?
The headline on our website refers to a ‘token sale’ which is the preferred term. Whilst it is true that the term “ICO” is also used (in our whitepaper), this is because it is industry shorthand referring to the specific structure of our token distribution event, not because we are trying to attract speculators. We are very careful not to use any language referring to “high ROI” or “investor profits” and we go to great pains to explain the utility and purpose of the token, which is to obtain half price transaction fees when buying and selling other cryptocurrency pairs. By necessity the EPG token will be tradable with other cryptocurrencies but the primary purpose of this is to enable seamless purchase from multiple crypto wallet types, not as a vehicle for an investment or speculation.
Score for Question 3.1 = 0
Score for Question 3.2 = 0
Score for Question 3.3 = 10
Score for Question 3.4 = -20
Score for Question 3.5 = 0
Score for Element 3 = -10
OVERALL RISK SCORE = 0
In order to be deemed a security, the project must pass certain thresholds in all three Elements. Whilst Elepig passes the thresholds in the first two Elements, it scores an extremely low (minus figure) score in the last Element and an overall risk score of 0.
Therefore Elepig is UNLIKELY to be deemed a security, as per the well-regarded and long-established Howey test.
This article should not be treated as financial, investment or legal advice. Elepig always implores you to DYOR. | https://medium.com/elepig/howey-do-you-do-ca032c2b2f57 | [] | 2018-06-05 21:18:34.292000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto', 'Bitcoin', 'Ethereum', 'Blockchain'] |
South Africa : Chances of an L-Shaped Recession | This is a follow-up article to V-shaped or U-Shaped Recovery.
COVID19 and the Credit Rating Downgrade are laying havoc on the South African economy. What are the chances that South Africa will never recover from this? Or to phrase it better, what are the chances that South Africa will not get back to the 2019 GDP level in the next 10 years? Can we lose a decade or more?
Usually, this discussion will be framed in the context of a GDP growth rate (in percentage) on the vertical axis and time (in quarters) on the horizontal axis . For this one , we will use absolute GDP numbers on the vertical axis and years instead for quarters on the horizontal axis. The damage the economy has taken takes the discussion beyond a few quarters.
I will briefly hoover-over the following areas of concern and then weigh-up the chances:
Impact of COVID19 to the economy, how low will GDP fall? Impact of Credit Rating downgrade on the economy IMF loan. Land Reform Currency Collapse Extended Commodity Super Cycle Downswing So what are the chances?
But first ,the definitions and overview.
An L-Shaped recession curve is the doomsday scenario. The economy drops sharply and the drop is followed by a constant-line trajectory. In short the economy does not recover for years and years. Its the Zombie Apocalypse for economists. Its a painful issue to process and put into written words, unless if you are a schadenfreude and you really enjoy watching the country burn. I am an optimist but sometimes it is good to give yourself a healthy dose of reality.
Lets get into it, lets see the examples of L-shaped curves. The following examples use United States Dollars as the measurement currency because it takes into account currency weakness and strength, which makes sense in a globalized world where currency stability matters because it directly affects lives via imports and exports. Real GDP measured in local currency only takes into account domestic inflation.
Example 1: Algeria
Algeria L-Shaped recession ,lost decade. GDP measured in USD. This shape looks roughly like an L, GDP returned to the 1990 level in 2003.
Example 2: Brazil
Brazil is an example that is much closer to the level of South Africa because both of these countries make part of BRICS.
Brazil’s GDP in USD terms dropped sharply in 2014 and has never recovered.
Using Brazilian real , GDP is said to have contracted by 8% but in USD terms the contraction is actually 26.5%. That’s a quarter of GDP wiped out. Brazil is still going its lost own lost decade. COVID doesn't make things better.
SA GDP
Below is SA GDP from 1960. Its generally an upward and onward trajectory, except for the last decade.
SA GDP in USD from 1960 to 2018
Lets zoom in from 2011 (just after the World Cup).
SA GDP was declining from 2011–2016 and picked up in 2017 and 2018
In 2011, SA GDP was 416 billion dollars , in 2018 SA GDP was 368 billion dollars. Its a massive drop. According to Trading Economics , SA GDP for 2019 was USD350 billion.
So we will take 2019 GDP of $350 billion as our point of reference and ask how long will it take for the economy to get back to that level. Some might argue for using our highest USD GDP peak in 2011 of 416 billion as the proper point of reference. For argument’s sake lets develop selective amnesia ignore the distant past that some analysts refer to as the “Zuma Years”. | https://medium.com/@ryangosha/south-africa-chances-of-an-l-shaped-recession-dfae7d9d8eac | ['Ryan Gosha'] | 2020-04-23 05:22:49.727000+00:00 | ['Coronavirus', 'L Shaped Recovery', 'Covid 19', 'Recession', 'South Africa'] |
Breaking down the Kafka architecture | What is Kafka?
Kafka is an event-streaming platform that is designed to process high volumes of data in real-time. Developed by LinkedIn in 2011, it has quickly become the infrastructural backbone of companies like Netflix, Twitter, and Spotify.
Why do we need Kafka?
In today’s data-driven world, tracking information like user clicks, recommendations, and shopping carts can be invaluable for a company’s growth. With these analytics, companies can make the product improvements needed to boost user engagement and conversion rates. However, on sites with millions of daily users, collecting and analyzing this data is nontrivial.
Kafka was designed to streamline this operation, acting as a robust tool that maintains efficient, real-time processing capabilities with incredible quantities of data. For instance, as of late 2019, LinkedIn’s Kafka deployments were managing more than 7 trillion messages per day.
How does Kafka work?
Kafka provides a structured architecture through which you can track and analyze events in your application. This design is fairly nuanced and there are many moving parts, so the focus of this article will be to demystify the Kafka architecture.
The “bulletin board” analogy
To keep things simple and concrete, let’s start off by thinking of Kafka as a simple bulletin board. It allows you to keep track of the various messages being posted throughout the day. Individuals can interact with the bulletin board in two ways:
An individual can “post” a message onto the bulletin board An individual can “read” a message from the bulletin board
Let’s call those who post messages “producers”, and those who read messages “consumers”.
Topics
More specifically, our bulletin board can be broken down into various categories. Let’s call these “topics”. Our producers can choose to post messages to specific topic(s), and our consumers can choose to read messages from particular topic(s).
In a non-technical setting, these topics may be sports, politics, fashion, and food. For a more technical use case, each topic may represent an event that we want to track, let’s say these will be posts, messages, network, and profile. We want to record information about what posts users are making, what messages they’re sending and receiving, who they’re networking with, and which profiles they’re viewing. Here’s a picture so you can visualize our bulletin board (in other words, our Kafka system) so far.
Our Kafka “bulletin board”
Breaking down topics
Now, let’s zoom in on one of these topics. For this article, we’ll choose “Posts”. We’re going to dig a bit deeper to see how each topic works under the hood.
Within our “Posts” topic, Kafka will store events in a queue. This ensures that we can retain the correct order of incoming messages. However, with large volumes of data, that single queue can quickly get overwhelmed. So, Kafka is going to split our data up into multiple different queues, each of which we will call a “partition”. This idea is similar to data sharding/partitioning in systems design. In our example, let’s say posts whose title starts with A-M will go in partition 0, and posts whose title starts with N-Z will go in partition 1. Here’s a diagram to make this more concrete:
Our “Posts” topic
Each partition will store a series of events in order. In Partition 0 (A-M), we can see the chronologic breakdown of posts whose title starts with A-M. First, someone posted about getting a job. Next, someone posted about their GitHub repo, and so on. Underneath each queue, you can see the indices within our queues; these are referred to as “offsets”.
This design allows producers to seamlessly post messages to each topic, in addition to making it easy for consumers to read data in the correct order. Now that we’ve covered the architecture, here’s a picture that shows the high-level data flow through a Kafka system:
Overview of the Kafka architecture
A few notes on precision
It’s worth refining our language when talking about consumers. It is true that our consumers are reading events from various topics. However, to be more precise, consumers “subscribe” to specific topics. This allows them to read the events from that specific topic. There are 2 finer details I would like to highlight:
The arrows are pointing from the consumers to the “bulletin board”, not the other way around. Kafka does not push messages out to consumers. Instead, the consumers extract necessary information from Kafka. Kafka does not store any information about what messages a particular consumer has already seen. Instead, whenever a consumer is going to read data from a topic, it will provide a specific offset (in other words, index) that tells Kafka where to start reading from.
Finally, let’s try to be more precise about this “bulletin board”. The Kafka architecture is composed of “brokers”, which are just servers containing one or more topics, similar to the bulletin boards in our analogy. A Kafka “cluster” is simply a group of brokers. You can think of this as distributing a large number of messages across several different bulletin boards.
Summary
Kafka is a design architecture that acts as a “bulletin board”, allowing producers to send messages and consumers to read messages (by subscribing to topics)
Each topic stores data in various partitions (or queues) to preserve the order of information
Kafka’s structured approach to processing information enables companies to monitor event-driven data to inform product and engineering decisions
One final note: since Kafka applications are complex, there is always room to improve both redundancy and efficiency. To see how you can track critical metrics like the amount of data flowing through your system and the amount of time your system uses to process each request, check out this article I wrote about kafkaQ! | https://medium.com/@shreshthsrivastava2/breaking-down-the-kafka-architecture-ea36d3124f0b | ['Shreshth Srivastava'] | 2020-11-11 21:29:17.744000+00:00 | ['Pub Sub', 'Kafka', 'Distributed Systems', 'Visualization', 'Streaming'] |
The Rusesabagina Family and Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation Thank Congresswoman Maloney for her courage and dedication to human rights | The Rusesabagina Family and Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation Thank Congresswoman Maloney for her courage and dedication to human rights #FreeRusesabagina Dec 17, 2020·2 min read
By, Alyson Chadwick
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) showed great courage and a commitment to human rights when she wrote Rwandan President Paul Kagame and urged him to release Hotel Rwanda hero Paul Rusesabagina. In her letter, Maloney stressed what the Rusesabagina family and Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation have said all along; that he was kidnapped and taken to Rwanda, where he was arrested and detained. He never would have gotten on the Gain Jet plane had he known its real destination was Kigali and not Burundi.
Mahoney further states that when Kagame took Rusesabagina against his will, Kagame violated international and United States law. She underscored that by resorting to clandestine methods, he ignored all legal processes used to extradite suspected criminals from another nation. There is a process that provides basic protections to people in the United States while allowing people who have been accused of crimes to be sent back to the country that wants to prosecute. The United States has deported four people to Rwanda over the course of the last 20 years. Additionally, four others are currently in American prisons and will be sent back to Rwanda once they have completed their sentences. If Kagame had credible evidence, he would have gone through the normal process as he had with other cases. This alone is reason to let Rusesabagina go.
Rusesabagina said in open court that he was tortured after he was taken. He was bound and blindfolded on the GainJet plane and held incommunicado for several days. Furthermore, he is a cancer survivor who has several health problems such as hypertension, and other cardiovascular problems. The Rwandan prison where he is being held has been reported as being one of the worst places for Covid-19. Rusesabagina has been taken to the hospital a few times. Despite this, he has been denied access to the medicine he needs. Maloney underscores the humanitarian reasons to release Rusesabagina.
Rusesabagina is a human rights activist. His bravery saved 1,268 people during the Rwandan genocide. In 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is not someone who deserves to be treated this way.
By sending Kagame this letter, Congresswoman Maloney stressed the importance of due process, the rule of law, and the United States commitment to human rights. She let Kagame know that Rusesabagina has the full support of the United States government. She should be thanked and applauded for her courage, resolve, and commitment to helping people like Rusesabagina who is a permanent United States resident. | https://medium.com/@freerusesabagina/the-rusesabagina-family-and-hotel-rwanda-foundation-thank-congresswoman-maloney-for-her-courage-f93c16f59724 | [] | 2020-12-17 20:43:19.555000+00:00 | ['Congress', 'Rwanda Genocide', 'Rwanda', 'Carolyn Maloney', 'Paul Rusesabagina'] |
The Genetic Algorithm in Solving the Quadratic Assignment Problem | The Quadratic Assignment Problem is one of the fundamental problems from the group of combinatorial optimization problems. It is an NP-hard problem, i.e. one for which finding an optimal solution is impossible in polynomial time. This problem appears in many practical issues in economics, ergonomics, electronics, architecture, and IT. First introduced by Koopmans and Beckmann in 1957.
The problem models the following real-life problem:
There are n facilities and the same amount of locations. The distances between the cities and the flows between the facilities are known. The problem is to assign all facilities to different locations so that the assignment cost is the lowest.
Consider a task with five factories and five cities. The distances between cities and flows between factories are shown in the graphs below.
Distances between cities
We assume that the route between the cities in both directions is the same.
Flows between factories
The line between a pair of facilities indicates that flow is required between them. The thickness of the line corresponds to the value of this flow. The flow can be considered, for example, as the number of supplies transported between two facilities.
Proposal for solution
Consider a situation in which factories are already located in cities. What is the cost of the assignment?
The total cost of assigning factories to cities is the sum of the products of the flow function values between the facilities and their distances:
The cost of factories located in such a way is 4195.
Intuition tells us to place factories where the flow is high in cities closer to each other. Are these the most optimal locations for our factories in the proposed solution? To check this, you need to find out if there is another better solution than the proposed one.
QAP formal definition
The formal definition of QAP is as follows:
There are two sets
and
Then the quadratic assignment problem is to:
The above formula describes the cost function for the QAP problem.
To solve the task, we will use a genetic algorithm that works well for solving these types of problems. Genetic algorithms search the space of alternative solutions to find the best solution. Knowing what the cost function is, one knows what to consider when determining individuals’ quality in a population.
Basic concepts of the genetic algorithm
Population — a set of individuals (chromosomes) from one environment. It is a space of alternative solutions, randomly generated at the beginning.
Chromosome — an individual of a population. It is an ordered sequence of genes. The chromosome can be considered as one of the possible solutions.
Gene — the smallest part of a chromosome that makes one or more traits inheritable.
Selection — a selection of individuals best suited to the reproductive process.
Crossover — a random intersection of two chromosomes at one random point and the swapping of divided parts (genes).
Mutation — a sudden, random change in the order of genes on a chromosome.
Genetic Algorithm
Step 1. Generate an initial random population of individuals.
First, one needs to generate a random population. By defining an individual’s size and the population’s size, generate an initial space with solutions.
Step 2. Assess the fitness of all individuals in the population.
To determine which individual in the population is better, you need to calculate its fitness value. A better-adapted individual in the population is one that represents a lower assignment cost. The quotient of the entire population’s cost and the individual’s cost is the fitness function’s value.
First, you need to calculate the cost of each individual in the population.
Then, knowing each individual’s cost, you calculate each individual’s fitness score by dividing the entire population’s cost by its cost.
Step 3. Use the selection method to select the best-suited individuals for the reproductive process.
Two selection methods for selecting the best chromosomes are outlined below. In each of the methods, weaker, less adapted individuals “die”, and the stronger, with a higher value of the fitness function, have a reproduction chance.
Roulette wheel selection
Imagine a roulette wheel whose disc is divided into several slices of different sizes. Each individual receives an area of size directly proportional to its fitness function value. The roulette wheel is moving. When it stops, the indicator shows the selected individual who has a chance of reproducing. The larger the area of the cutout an individual received, the greater the probability of choosing it. The probability function defines the area’s size, the value of which is within the range [0, 1].
If by f(i) denote the value of the fitness function of the i-th individual, then you can calculate the probability of selecting it from the formula:
Tournament selection
It consists of drawing an n-element group from the population (usually 2 or 3 individuals) and then selecting an individual with the best adaptation. We repeat the entire operation as many times as there are individuals in the population. Tournament selection is free from the roulette wheel method’s inconvenience, where the maximization of the fitness function is required. The only thing that matters is information about one solution’s “superiority” over another in a tournament.
Step 4. Perform evolutionary operations on selected individuals.
Crossover
From the population, select a random even number of candidates for reproduction. Pair them, and cross. The crossing consists of cutting two individuals at a random point and exchanging the divided parts (genes). In this way, new individuals are born.
Offspring are created by exchanging the genes of parents among themselves until the crossover point is reached.
The new offspring are added to the population.
Mutation
A mutation, as in the case of DNA, is the random change of a gene. The results of such an operation are difficult to predict. Still, it can lead to creating a chromosome that will prove to be an excellent solution, which does not necessarily come from a combination of individuals from the previous generation.
Step 5. Choose the best individual from the population.
The best chromosome in the resulting generation is the result. If the result is not satisfactory, go to step 2, otherwise exit.
Final result
Source code with examples:
At the link below, you will find the code and numerous examples with which you can experiment by selecting the mutation and crossover probability parameters and adjusting the population size to the task size.
Conclusions
While writing this article, I focused on presenting one of the approaches to solving this type of problem and showing from the practical side how the genetic algorithm works.
References | https://medium.com/sandstreamdev/the-genetic-algorithm-in-solving-the-quadratic-assignment-problem-9bde6ead47ab | ['Krystian Boruciński'] | 2020-12-18 08:09:20.887000+00:00 | ['Genetic Algorithm', 'Combinatorics', 'JavaScript', 'Optimization', 'Programming'] |
Netflix’s Russian Doll & The Pandemic | Fast forward to a few months when I am sitting with a friend watching TV, socially distant 6-feet apart, she looks at me and says, “Have you seen Russian Doll?”. I respond with yes I have and how it freaked me out and I stopped watching it. She asks me if I want to give it another shot and I hesitate, but eventually agree.
I spend the next entire day binge watching the show, completely enthralled by Nadia and Alan’s adventures in finding reason for their absurdity. The show isn’t just about a timeloop, its about internal struggles, second chances (sometimes even 15th chances), and how they affect us and the ones we love. Nadia’s cynicism is rooted in her trauma and Alan’s condition is reflected on his personal relationships. Both our protagonists are struggling with their own wars and we find over time, with each episode, that they must work together to solve this crisis, or as Nadia would put it: find the bug in the system.
We find Nadia reliving her birthday over and over again finding variations to exploit the day and to somehow free herself from this misery. She questions her existence, even the possibility of something supernatural as a cause, but she was never a believer herself. Alan has the idea that they are being punished for an unknown sin or crime. Both characters struggle with their sanity and try to make amends to people they have wronged, perhaps with the belief that somehow their conditions would be reversed and they would live to see a Thursday.
Through trial and error Nadia realizes that they must recreate the day they first encountered each other unknowingly. As the day resets we find both our protagonists in the same day, but in different timelines. In Alan’s timeline, Nadia refuses to recognize him and in Nadia’s world, Alan is still a drunken mess. The finale hinges around both our protagonists convincing each other of their impending doom and consequently saving each other’s lives.
The ending is left open to interpretation, just the way any timeloop movie/show should be. We don’t know if Nadia and Alan find peace, but do we know that they live to see another day. And one can hope that when this lockdown ends and the pandemic goes away, we too will live to see a Thursday. | https://medium.com/@syds/netflixs-russian-doll-the-pandemic-60ac946947cd | ['Syd S Journal'] | 2020-12-23 08:10:36.160000+00:00 | ['Netflix', 'Review', 'Lockdown', 'Pandemic', 'Russian Doll Netflix'] |
Conversations with K.O. McGee. Here at the AAMBC, we were so excited… | Here at the AAMBC, we were so excited to sit down with K.O. McGee. Especially with her upcoming release, Hang On The Mistletoe.
The AAMBC: Where do you get your inspiration?
K.O.: I get inspiration from music, movies, and tv shows. I enjoy watching people interact, which helps me to create new ideas.
The AAMBC: When did you realize you wanted to be a published author?
K.O.: At the beginning of 2020. I started with five goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year. I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. I felt like it was natural for me to want to write my own novel.
The AAMBC: What did you learn while writing the book?
K.O.: I have learned that everyone will not understand your craft or your processes. You should always trust your instincts and keep and write from the heart. You should write anyway.
The AAMBC: Were any of the characters inspired by real people?
K.O.: No, all of my characters are fictional people. They are a combination of people and personalities that I have had the chance to encounter in my lifetime. My imagination serves as a creative canvas for my books.
The AAMBC: What is your writing process like?
K.O.: My writing process is not structured at all. I don’t utilize an outline or any formal tools. I usually began by using a writing application on my phone to quickly jot down ideas or scenes while away from my computer. I then copy and paste the content into my document and add the details.
The AAMBC: What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?
K.O.: The first advice that I would give is to just start writing. Find a creative space that will allow your thoughts to flow freely. Whether it’s with an outline or just free thoughts, I feel that you should get your ideas out, write now and edit later.
The AAMBC: What are some of your goals as a writer?
K.O.: As, new writer, I set a goal to publish three books by January. I want to continue to perfect my craft. I also want to connect with more writers and build relationships within the writing community. | https://medium.com/the-aambc-journal/k-o-mcgee-an-interview-abe8745c2c31 | ['Aambc Review Community'] | 2020-12-02 00:48:27.583000+00:00 | ['Holiday Romance', 'Book Recommendations', 'Book Review', 'Black Women Writers', 'Black Authors'] |
Calling functions of other contracts on Solidity | Bytecode & ABI
As Ethereum uses EVM(Ethereum Virtual Machine) as a core component of the network, smart contract code written in high-level languages needs to be compiled into EVM bytecode to be run. EMV Bytecode is an executable code on EVM and Contract ABI is an interface to interact with EVM bytecode. For example, if you want to call a function in a smart contract with your JavaScript code, ABI plays a role as an intermediary between your JavaScript code and EVM bytecode to interact with each other. The below diagram shows the architecture of Contract ABI, EVM bytecode, and outside components(dApp and network). The left side is a process of compiling and the right side is interacting.
Smart contract languages like Solidity cannot be executed by the EVM directly. Instead, they are compiled to low-level machine instructions (called opcodes). In order to efficiently store opcodes, they are encoded to bytecode.
More about EVM can be found here.
In Ethereum, Contract ABI is an interface that defines a standard scheme of how to call functions in a smart contract and get data back. Contract ABI is designed for external use to enables application-to-contract and contract-to-contract interaction. For example, if you want to call a smart contract function from your dApp, you call via Contract ABI. Contract ABI is represented with JSON format like below.
[{"inputs":[],"stateMutability":"payable","type":"constructor"},{"inputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"_guess","type":"uint256"}],"name":"guess","outputs":[],"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"}]
Contract ABI defines function names and argument data types. It is used to encode contract calls for the EVM and to read data out of transactions. There is a clear specification of how to encode and decode Contract ABI.
You need to compile your code into an application binary interface (ABI) and bytecode (bin) for deploying onto the blockchain.
Interacting with Smart contracts
If you have the function signatures or the actual source code of the contract — already deployed on the Blockchain — with whom you want to interact, you can interact with its address on the Blockchain.
contract AlreadyDeployedContract { function Test(uint _num1, uint _num2) public returns (..return values) {} } contract TestABI {
Deployed dc;
function Existing(address _t, uint _num1, uint _num2) public {
dc = AlreadyDeployedContract(_t); //Here _t is the address
// of the contract
// already deployed on the Blockchain.
dc.Test(_num1, _num2);
}
This is easy and actually the recommended way to interact with deployed contracts. However, what if we don’t have the ABI of the deployed contract?
We have four options at our disposal to explore if we don't have the ABI of the deployed contract:
call : Execute code of another contract
: Execute code of another contract delegatecall : Execute code of another contract, but with the state(storage) of the calling contract. When a third contract calls a delegate call to some function in callee on behalf of the caller and storage changes are made in the caller’s value and nothing is reflected in callee’s storage. This means that a contract can dynamically load code from a different address at runtime. Storage, current address, and balance still refer to the calling contract, only the code is taken from the called address.
: Execute code of another contract, but with the state(storage) of the calling contract. When a third contract calls a delegate call to some function in callee on behalf of the caller and storage changes are made in the caller’s value and nothing is reflected in callee’s storage. This means that a contract can dynamically load code from a different address at runtime. Storage, current address, and balance still refer to the calling contract, only the code is taken from the called address. callcode : (deprecated)
: (deprecated) staticcall : This is basically the same as a call, but will revert if the called function modifies the state in any way.
Note: DELEGATECALL was a new opcode that was a bug fix for CALLCODE which did not preserve msg.sender and msg.value . If Alice invokes Bob who does DELEGATECALL to Charlie, the msg.sender in the DELEGATECALL is Alice (whereas if CALLCODE was used the msg.sender would be Bob).
Note: Prior to version 0.5.0, .call, .delegatecall and .staticcall only returned the success condition and not the return data.
They all take a single bytes memory parameter and return the success condition (as a bool ) and the returned data ( bytes memory ). The functions abi.encode , abi.encodePacked , abi.encodeWithSelector and abi.encodeWithSignature can be used to encode structured data.
To understand the different encoding techniques available in solidity, Please look at the different encoding and decoding schemes.
abi . encode(...) returns (bytes memory) : abi-encodes the given arguments
: abi-encodes the given arguments abi.encodePacked(...) returns (bytes memory) : Performs packed encoding of the given arguments. Note that packed encoding can be ambiguous!
: Performs packed encoding of the given arguments. Note that packed encoding can be ambiguous! abi.encodeWithSelector(bytes4 selector, ...) returns (bytes memory) : ABI-encodes the given arguments starting from the second and prepends the given four-byte selector
: ABI-encodes the given arguments starting from the second and prepends the given four-byte selector abi.encodeWithSignature(string memory signature, ...) returns (bytes memory) : Equivalent to abi .encodeWithSelector(bytes4(keccak256(bytes(signature))), ...)`
: Equivalent to abi.decode(bytes memory encodedData, (...)) returns (...) : ABI-decodes the given data, while the types are given in parentheses as second argument. Example: (uint a, uint[2] memory b, bytes memory c) = abi.decode(data, (uint, uint[2], bytes))
Example:
To call the function Test with arguments 12, 35 on AlreadyDeployedContract deployed at address addr.
bytes memory payload = abi.encodeWithSignature("Test(uint, uint)", 12, 35);
(bool success, bytes memory returnData) = address(addr).call(payload);
require(success);
It is possible to adjust the supplied gas with the gas modifier:
address(addr).call{gas: 1000000}(abi.encodeWithSignature("Test(uint, uint)", 12, 35));
Similarly, the supplied Ether value can be controlled too:
address(nameReg).call{value: 1 ether}(abi.encodeWithSignature("Test(uint, uint)", 12, 35));
Lastly, these modifiers can be combined. Their order does not matter:
address(nameReg).call{gas: 1000000, value: 1 ether}(abi.encodeWithSignature("Test(uint, uint)", 12, 35));
In a similar way, the function delegatecall can be used: the difference is that only the code of the given address is used, all other aspects (storage, balance, …) are taken from the current contract. The purpose of delegatecall is to use library code which is stored in another contract. The user has to ensure that the layout of storage in both contracts is suitable for delegatecall to be used.
Warning: All these functions are low-level functions and should be used with care. Specifically, any unknown contract might be malicious and if you call it, you hand over control to that contract which could in turn call back into your contract, so be prepared for changes to your state variables when the call returns.
Note: Most of the things explained in this blog have been copied from other impressive and astounding blogs. | https://medium.com/@houzier.saurav/calling-functions-of-other-contracts-on-solidity-9c80eed05e0f | ['Graphicaldot', 'Saurav Verma'] | 2020-08-16 09:56:46.340000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Solidity', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Ethereum'] |
4G+AI Creates Another John Deere But No Longer In USA | If you paid attention to our earlier newsletter, you probably noticed that we are very interested in the applications of AI+IOT in Agriculture. Since Agriculture is the pillar of ASEAN, there is huge room for Agr-itech when infra investment accelerates and labours are moving to the urban.
In China, the agricultural sector has emerged as a huge opportunity for drone makers in recent years. Competition among Chinese commercial drone makers in the space is expected to remain heated in large part because of the duel between DJI , the world’s largest drone maker, and XAG ,the Guangzhou-based drone maker we will talk about today.
Founded under the name XAircraft in 2007, XAG rebranded in 2014 is now known for its agricultural drones that help with tasks such as seeding, spraying crops, fertilisation and plant protection. Other products include remote sensing drones and an unmanned ground vehicle that helps with protecting crops, scouting fields and delivering materials on farms. Just in this month, XAG raised US$182 million in a new funding round led by Baidu Capital and SoftBank Vision Fund II when claiming their sale revenue exceeding 150M USD.
Make AI-driven Precision Agriculture Practical
Artificial Intelligence, through continuously analysing massive data related to climate, lands, crop growing, etc., while automatically designing and optimising algorithms for decision-making, can help farmers diagnose plant diseases, predict natural disasters and employ appropriate resXAG’sces to close the yield gap. At XAG, AI-powered intelligent devices such as drones and sensors have been leveraged to establish digital farming infrastructure in rural areas and enable precision agriculture which, for example, accurately target pesticides, seeds, fertilisers and water to wherever it is needed. XAG has applied its drone-based direct seeding system — called JetSeed — from the testing stage to commercial adoption on more than 650 million square metres of rice fields in 11 provinces across China since April last year, according to the company.
Efficiency: The efficiency of an unmanned aerial vehicle is 60–80 times that of traditional manual work, which can save more than 30% of pesticides and 90% of water resources. Cost: The average price of XAG’s 2020 agricultural drone kit has been reduced by 20,000 yuan (3000USD). In 2018, the product price was more than 70,000 yuan(11000USD), and in 2019 it was about 52,000 yuan（9000USD）
AI-backed Digital Finance for Smallholder
Another problem that XAG is trying to solve is lack of financial resXAG’sces in the rural regions of developing countries. Smallholder farmers are dedicated their lives to producing food for the world, but without financial support to adopt new tools and approaches, most of them can hardly make ends meet on their lands.
Now with information such as farming, crop growth and transactional records being digitalised and shared, AI can be harnessed to build individual credit risk scoring system for farmers. In China, XAG has established strategic cooperation with some of the biggest national financial institutions to offer farmers, even those without credit card or collateral, convenient, equal access to loans and claims. Based on their accumulated digital credits earned from Alipay mobile payment, farmers and service providers can even rent the P Series drone without any deposit. This is making new technologies available to a broader group of smallholders, while helping them obtain necessary resXAG’sces to improve productivity and generate decent incomes.
When Covid-19 loomed over the spring planting season, XAG said it helped mobilise drones for use by various rice farmers, who had already been challenged by rural worker shortages, to directly seed their paddies. Direct seeding refers to the process of sowing seeds into the fields without nursery cultivation and transplantation, while cutting down on water use and preserving the soil.
The current application scenarios of drones are mainly in big field like Xinjiang, Heilongjiang and northern Jiangsu, Jianghan Plain and North China Plain. Myanmar and Vietnam are buying XAG’s products already. In addition, sales in neighboring countries such as Japan and South Korea are also much larger market than Europe and the United States.
The coverage of 4G networks in China’s farmland exceeds 95%. While in the United States except in places with large populations, 3G signals are only available occasionally, and 4G is even less available. The network plays the role of interconnection, allowing drones to concentrate computing on the cloud. This makes China one of the countries with the best use cases.
The United States began the process of agricultural modernization very early. The vast land has nurtured outstanding agricultural machinery companies such as John Deere. Nowadays, the rural infrastructure has given China the environment and soil for smart agriculture, which will definitely boost a group of emerging Chinese agricultural technology companies like.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW NOW YOU KNOW
Japan is the first country in the world to use drones for plant protection on a large scale. Take rice as an example. In 2014, ground machinery plant protection accounted for about 22%, and drone plant protection accounted for 36%. In 2015, Japan’s total arable land area was about 4.5 million hectares, and there were about 2.09 million agricultural practitioners, of which farmers over 65 accounted for more than half, with an average age of 66.4 years. | https://medium.com/@jenc-yincubator/4g-ai-creates-another-john-deere-but-no-longer-in-usa-f046bd547478 | ['Jenny Chan'] | 2020-11-25 04:57:43.867000+00:00 | ['Drones', 'AI'] |
Day01 20191201 ASP․NET Core 3 開發實戰：從入門到進階 (台北) | .NET Core 新手上路
🔨練習:用 .NET Core CLI 建立 .NET Core主控台專案
先建立並進入一個空白資料夾
mkdir solution1
cd solution1
dotnet new -l 列出可以建立的專案清單
列出可以建立的專案清單 dotnet new console -o console1 -o:輸出到資料夾
-o:輸出到資料夾 cd console1
編輯 Program.cs
查看 console1.csproj
dotnet restore
dotnet build 建置.NET Core 應用程式
建置.NET Core 應用程式 dotnet run 從專案目錄直接執行應用程式(會自動建置)
從專案目錄直接執行應用程式(會自動建置) dotnet clean 清除建置時所輸出的相關檔案
清除建置時所輸出的相關檔案 dotnet publish -c Release 發行.NET Core 應用程式
發行.NET Core 應用程式 dotnet bin\Release
etcoreapp3.0\console1.dll
Release出現的檔案中裡面的.exe檔案 其實只是執行
dotnet console1.dll
🔨練習:用 .NET Core CLI 建立 .NET Standard專案
cd.. (回到Solution1資料夾) dotnet new classlib -o classlib1 -f netcoreapp2.2 如果沒加 -f netcoreapp2.2 默認是2.0 cd classlib1 編輯Class1.cs 任意原始碼(請新增一個Go()方法並回傳字串) 查看classlib1.csproj(請注意TargetFramework 屬性) dotnet bulid dotnet build -c Release dotnet msbuild /p:Configuration=Release dotnet clean dotnet pack 打包Nutget套件 dotnet publish dotnet publish -c Release dotnet msbuild /t:Publish /p:Configuration=Release
🔨練習:用 .NET Core CLI 建立 .NET Core單元測試
cd.. (回到solution1資料夾) dotnet new mstest -n classlib1.test cd classlib1.test dotnet add reference ..\classlib1\classlib1.csproj 編輯UnitTest1.cs單元測試檔 查看classlib1.test.csproj(請注意 TargetFramework 屬性) dotnet test -t (列出專案中所有測試案例) dotnet test (執行測試) dotnet build dotnet vstest bin\Debug
etcoreapp3.0\classlib1.test.dll
.NET Standard
.NET Framework 微軟已經沒再更新了
選擇 .NET Standard 版本時，您應該考量下列取捨：
版本越新，可供您使用的 API 就越多。
版本越舊，可實作它的平台就越多。
版本規則
新版本的API 只增不減( Additive )
舊版本的API 絕不改變( Immutable)
多目標架構(Multi-TargetFrameworks)
可以讓一份sorce code 產生多版本的dll檔案
官方資料
作法：
TargetFramework=>TargetFrameworks
以分號隔開版本
使用 Visual Studio 2019 只需要在專案上點兩下就可直接編輯 .csproj 專案檔。
設定完成後，Visual Studio 2019 會提示必須重新 Reload 所有專案、這時點選 Yes 即可。
這時再重新編譯會發現，成功編譯了！
這時候在進入relase資料夾底下可以看到產生兩個資料夾
🔨練習: 將 net standard專案支援多版本
請參考附件連結
TargetFramework => TargetFrameworks
=> 以分號隔開版本
dotnet pack solution1.sln
用zip開啟 .nupkg 可看到兩個版本
🔨練習: 將 .net framework 4.6.1 專案升級為 .net standard 2.0
升級專案的簡單幾個步驟：
建立兩個新專案 將CsProject以外的所有檔案Copy到新專案裡面去 修改套件版本
單元測試比較麻煩一些，package.JSON定義了nuget裡面安裝了哪些package
所以需要比較一下，這些套件再剛剛單元測試裡面有沒有出現，如果沒有出現，就需要自己想辦法加進去
建立新專案 將csproj,appconfig,obj 資料夾,bin 資料夾以外的檔案搬過去 (特別注意 Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs )
3. 修正套件版本(單元測試專案有package.config)
📓保哥技術分享
設定讓 Visual Studio Code 開啟 *.csproj 的時候，自動切換到 MSBuild 語言模式，請參考一下 VSCode 設定值：
"files.associations": {
"*.csproj": "msbuild"
},
按下 Ctrl+, 就可以開啟設定視窗
📓保哥技術分享
你只要在 Visual Studio Code 中使用滑鼠右鍵點選 *.csproj 檔案，就可以直接 建置 (Build)、執行 (Run) 或 **執行測試 **(Tests) 👍
vs code 常使用的快速鍵
ctrl + shift + b 可以直接build
+ + 可以直接build ctrl + space 可以跳出提示，但要修正輸入法
+ 可以跳出提示，但要修正輸入法 ctrl + ,
+ ctrl + .
+ 容易被新注音輸入法吃掉建議修改以下設定Windows 8 小技巧: 繁體中文語言如何變更預設輸入法(英文) | The Will Will Web
.Net Core 應用程式部署方法
.net core 真正的主程式是.dll檔，產生的exe 裡面其實只是在執行.dll檔
Framework 相依部署 (FDD) => .net core 2.2以前預設
dotnet publish -c Release -p:UseAppHost=false
Framework 相依可執行檔 (FDE)
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> --no-self-contained
自封式部署 (SCD)
適合電腦環境不是自己能控制的地方
-r = runtimes的意思
可以針對，特定作業系統產生runtimes所需要的dll檔
缺點：檔案太大
優點：不用再安裝.net core平台
可以透過dotnet — info 查RID
一般只需要記得最常用的三個
win-x64 linux-x64 osx-x64
樹梅派 可以跑 .net core 不過速度很慢
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> --self-contained
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> -p:PublishSingleFile=true
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> -p:PublishTrimmed=true -PublishTrimmed=true 會幫你把沒用到的code移除掉 可以減少檔案大小
-PublishSingleFile 幫你壓縮成一個檔案
- -p:PublishSingleFile=true執行的時候，會自動解壓縮到特定目錄
1.windows command line => %TMP%\.net\
2.windows powershell => $env:TMP\.net
3.linux => /var/tmp/.net/
4.osx => $TMPDIR.net
📓保哥技術分享
今天課程提到一個 .NET Core 發行的命令：
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> -p:PublishSingleFile=true
他會將 SCD 佈署的所有檔案壓縮成一支可執行檔，但執行的時候，會自動解壓縮到特定目錄，我特別找出這個目錄的位置 (如下)，如果以後硬碟不夠用的時候，可以從以下目錄找出這些暫存檔案，隨時可以安全的移除這個目錄下的所有檔案！
命令提示字元
%TMP%\.net\
Windows PowerShell
$env:TMP\.net
Linux bash (請同學幫忙驗證一下 macOS 的路徑)
/var/tmp/.net/
🔨練習不同的發布方法
注意類別庫專案不會產出exe…用self contained會跳錯
UNIT 1 • 練習實作進度回報
請先建立 ASP․NET Core MVC 專案
dotnet new mvc -n m1
cd m1
然後練習不同的 .NET Core 發行方法
dotnet publish -c Release -p:UseAppHost=false dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> --no-self-contained dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> --self-contained
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> -p:PublishSingleFile=true
dotnet publish -c Release -r <RID> -p:PublishTrimmed=true
Asp .Net Core開發實戰
可以裝載 .NET CORE的執行環境
Kestrel: .NET CORE內建的高速伺服器，雖然可以直接開PORT對外，但微軟不建議這樣做，通常還是會再配合其他的(IIS/NGINX/APACHE…)
ASP.NET Core — Kestrel Web Server
.NetCore 可以透過 Kestrel直接對外連線
優點：執行速度特別快 (但是官方不建議這麼使用)
缺點：沒有任何保護，可能會有安全性的弱點
參數化的方式可以避免sql injection,不可用組字串的方式
asp .net core 包含哪些東西
SignalR(簡單來說是一個即時連線的應用程式)：實作了四種不同的通訊協定（包含 Web Socket），只要與伺服器建立連線後，使用者便不太需要擔心斷線重連的問題；另外因實作多種通訊協定，IE即使不支援Web Socket也能自行換一種通訊協定連線。
適合應用的情境：聊天室、即時的報表監控、客服系統
官方有做壓測過可以百萬人連線
Blazor：一種基於WSS的框架，可以使用C#做到類似JavaScript的效果。傳統的WebForm或MVC會傳整個View回來client端，但Blazor只會傳最少量的東西(通常是有變動的值和畫面)回來client端，這意味著Blazor的效能較佳。曾有實驗壓測速度能支援 1 核心到 2 萬人連線。
利用WebAssembly的技術讓c#的dll檔直接跑在瀏覽器上，想要做到離線會有機會用到
BlazorService 會用WebSocket 切換頁面時事實上是在service端把結果算好，再傳送至前端
📓保哥技術分享
如果想在 Windows PowerShell 或 Bash/Zsh 環境下使用命令列自動完成，請參考這篇文章進行設定喔！ 👍
#macOS也能用命令列自動完成
參考資料
ASP.NET Core 3 開發實戰：從入門到進階 (第一天學習評量測驗) | https://medium.com/@as880074/day01-20191201-asp-net-core-3-%E9%96%8B%E7%99%BC%E5%AF%A6%E6%88%B0-%E5%BE%9E%E5%85%A5%E9%96%80%E5%88%B0%E9%80%B2%E9%9A%8E-%E5%8F%B0%E5%8C%97-377a1a4a3752 | ['Nick Chi'] | 2019-12-01 00:00:00 | ['Dotnet', 'Dotnet Core'] |
Writing Goals: 2021 [Part 7] — Time Management | 10 part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.
We pick up from last week with our year-end attempt to help Go Into The Story readers set and achieve their writing goals for 2021. To revisit the process of self-reflection from last week, here are the links:
Part 1: Looking Back
Part 2: Assessing Where You Are
Part 3: Where Do You Want To Go As A Writer?
Part 4: Practical Matters
Part 5: Going Public
This week we shift the focus to a more pragmatic part of the discussion, considering a variety of tips about how to manage time and projects more efficiently. Here is what we have thus far:
Part 6: Schedule
Today: Time Management
If there is a consistent refrain I hear about the problem with writing — and one I find myself muttering as well — it’s this: “I don’t have enough time.”
The simple fact is that may be true, especially so for writers who are working on the craft as an avocation or second job. While writing may be their number one creative priority, there is the small matter of keeping the lights on and the rent or mortgage paid, so on the fiduciary front, writing by necessity must take a back seat to bringing home the bacon. Depending upon the amount of hours they have to pull to cover their work, combined with family, friend and significant other responsibilities, their desire and energy for creative writing can run into a daily buzz saw of zero time.
What can a writer do in that situation? For one thing, reassess their goals. Perhaps they have to scale back their expectations. Instead of pounding out a spec script every two months, what about a more realistic goal? Remember it’s possible to create two scripts per year by writing 1 page a day.
But for a majority of people, including even those who appear to have no apparent time to write, there is another reality: In fact, we do have time, we just aren’t using it efficiently which in effect dissipates the amount we think we have.
Let’s imagine a writer. We’ll call him Sammy Glick. He is working on a spec script. He sleeps 8 hours per night. He works at his white collar job 10 hours per day. Let’s knock off another 2 hours for eating and handling daily household related chores (e.g., paying bills, laundry, bathing the dog). That leaves 4 hours per day of what we may call ‘discretionary’ time.
But what about exercise? Free time? Watching movies? Reading scripts? Yes, Sammy needs that, too. Okay, so let’s cut away another couple of hours leaving him with a mere 2 hours to write each day.
Here’s the thing: Sammy can do amazing things in 2 hours. If he’s in first draft mode, he should be able to write a scene every hour, maybe even more [depending upon the type of scenes, of course].
I think it’s fair to suggest the issue isn’t so much about Sammy not having time, it’s Sammy managing the writing time he has. Therefore, I’d like to offer three suggestions, starting small and working my way up in scope:
The Timer Approach: You may remember my posts about the Pomodoro technique, where a person works on something for 25–35 minutes, then takes a 5 minute break. Each work segment is called a pomodoro and I’ve found it extremely helpful when I’m doing non-’creative’ writing [e.g., blogging, lectures, email]. In fact, I can look at my daily list of tasks and break them down per how many pomodoros I think each will take. Since 35 minutes is too short, at least for me, in terms of creative writing, I use a timer and set it for an hour, ninety minutes, two hours, however long I feel the scenes / pages ahead of me require complete concentration. The key here is once you start the timer, that’s it: You write. No distractions.
Daily Routine: Setting a specific time — the same time — every day provides perhaps the biggest bang for your buck in terms of maximizing your time writing. Why? Because you create a pattern to which you become accustomed psychologically, even physically [I know plenty of writers who say they literally feel antsy or out-of-sorts if they miss a scheduled writing session]. I don’t have any facts to support my thesis, but I am willing to bet every single cent I have made hosting this blog that writers who have a regular routine get more accomplished with their writing than those who write only when they can find the time.
Prep-Writing: This is how Sammy Glick used to write: He would do a minimal amount of research and story prep, then super excited to get started on his story, he would type FADE IN and leap into page-writing. However, most of his writing sessions were frittered away staring at the monitor because he didn’t know what to write. Then Sammy became a prep-writing convert. Once he started cracking the story and putting together an extensive, detailed outline before he typed FADE IN, Sammy rarely got stumped in his writing sessions, instead he was able to jam through a first draft by making the most of his precious few hours a day to write.
Here is how I have come to think of my writing time: It’s not so much managing it as it is protecting it. When I have those hours blocked off and I shut the door to write, I fight to preserve that time.
How about you? How do you manage your time? Do you have any software programs to recommend on this front? There are even programs that will shut down access to the Internet for whatever time period you set. And since we know the word “Internet” is actually technobabble for “Distraction,” whatever advice members of the Go Into The Story community have specifically on the Web front will be greatly appreciated.
Write a RESPONSE and share your thoughts and advice.
Tomorrow: Thoughts on writing the first draft. | https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/writing-goals-2021-part-7-time-management-2717006c938c | ['Scott Myers'] | 2020-12-16 14:03:24.360000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Productivity', 'Fiction', 'Screenwriting', 'Creativity'] |
The Building Blocks for PEACE | On October 24, 2017 I had the honor of presenting on UN Sustainable Development Goals and the intersection with UN Security Resolution 1325 on Human Trafficking, Women, Peace and Security Act and advancing international human rights for all. This event was hosted by Epsilon Kappa Omega Chapter of the AKAs in Milwaukee, in collaboration with Senator Lena Taylor. The theme I chose was “Women, Peace and Security; Why We Can’t Wait” Because the content was worth sharing I am providing the highlights of this talk in this blog, as women’s rights, womanism and feminism are at the heart of building peace globally.
Why we can’t wait? Because we are currently fully funding war, but defunding vital health and human needs that would protect the quality of life in communities.
Pentagon spending annually eats up over half of the discretionary budget ($625.2 Billion) and squeezes out needed investments in our communities such as housing, education, healthcare, infrastructure and more.
Now more than ever we need Responsible fiscal discipline and accountability at the pentagon!
Department of defense needs to conduct an audit and stop funding slush funds
The United Nations has identified 17 Sustainable Goals to advance peace. These can be viewed as the building blocks for peace.
Of these goals, the following have the greatest impact on women and girls:
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
Each and every goal in their sustainability plan is linked in the strategy to advance peace. We must work to fuse these goals into local work throughout cities to ensure peace, productivity and an excellent quality of life.
Defining Human Trafficking:
Based on the implementing of Security Resolution 1325 to end Human Trafficking, the United Nations updated and shared the working definition of trafficking in persons.
If one condition from each category is met, the result is trafficking. For adults, victim consent is irrelevant if one of the Means is employed. For children consent is irrelevant with or without the Means category.
During my talk I discuss elements of my earliest intimate partner relationships. These relationships in many cases fit the categories that you see in this matrix. So many of us have been in these imbalanced and unhealthy relationships, but didn’t know how to define it. I often present the power and control wheel in these discussions, because it has very similar components that help us name and frame our unhealthy relationships. The key is to face the reality of these situations and work through it. Get out of unhealthy places and seek safety. And no longer accept anything that fits these definitions in our lives. Do you see elements of these categoric columns in your intimate relationships? Please consider making a change if you are in any situation that looks like this. Seek out a strong program or organization locally that can help you with this.
Please reach out to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center if you need help getting connected to these resources at: (888) 373–7888 (US number)
We envision a world with just and fair inclusion into society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
Domestic Advocacy Peace Processes
Peace processes consist of a complex range of informal and formal activities.
Informal activities include peace marches and protests, intergroup dialogue, the promotion of inter-cultural tolerance and understanding and the empowerment of ordinary citizens in economic, social, cultural and political spheres. Formal peace processes generally include early warning, preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peace-building.
Our, Community Mediation Program is a training designed to equip trusted community organizations to recognize, transform and resolve conflict. Participants will learn essential skills from trained mediators who will increase their cultural and emotional intelligence, recognize the intersectional issues of community conflict and to find solutions that serve the entire community. Mediation is often used in pending court cases, but is a global skill that can be applied in local communities. Studies suggest mediation programs improve cohesiveness of communities.
Our goal is to establish peacekeeping centers in high risk communities to decrease rates of violent crimes and violations of human rights. We train community members to become mediators and they will maintain relationships with organizations that discourage conflict in these areas. Community Mediators have an opportunity to engage in international peace treaty work on issues that affect their community by partnering with sister cities in communities entrenched in human rights conflict.
As we work to build out partnerships to advance human centered system design, we hope that you join us in our mission to transform communities. Please reach out if you are interested in having a Community Mediation training to get your team ready to transform conflict! | https://medium.com/@lashawndravernon/the-building-blocks-for-peace-8f1a0bdb8412 | ['Lashawndra Vernon'] | 2020-12-24 20:26:02.419000+00:00 | ['United Nations', 'Pentagon', 'Conflict Resolution', 'Spending', 'Community Mediation'] |
1feb18::Threesday | Krantz, Carlock, Genus getting ready to play the best set of music I’ve seen this year
Going to see music is a blissful affair, sure. But if you squeeze multiple shows in a night, the chances of increasing that joy seems to increase exponentially with each stop. And then there are nights like the one I had on Thursday, where the different portions of the evening snapped together with a self-satisfaction, the final pieces of a cosmic jigsaw puzzle.
I headed in with a plan. Parked a block away from the Stone, I walked up to a short line which started moving a minute after my arrival, as if they were waiting for me to get started. Once inside, there was one seat left in the front row, or more specifically in the center of the front row, certainly being held my my solo self by the livemusicgods. Fifteen minutes later the musicians — Mary Halvorson and Ben Monder — took their places in front of me. Couldn’t have planned it any better.
The Stone closes at the end of the month and so it was a little bittersweet to be there knowing it would be one of the last times. Still, the music will live on somewhere in some form, it always does, and if it’s anything like the set I saw Thursday, thank goodness! I have seen Halvorson many times over the years and she’s a killer guitar player… but I feel like a lot of those times she’s been competing in some way, in a larger ensemble, or with a second guitar player or, more recently, to make space for herself sitting in with Yo La Tengo. Thursday was one of the first times I’ve really just had an hour of unadulterated Mary Halvorson. Of course, she was in duet with Monder, but she was really the centerpiece of the night. Whether by design or coincidence, it was, easily, the best I’ve ever seen her. I’ve seen my share of guitar duos in the past couple years and I’ve often described them as “conversations” — two people speaking back in forth in the language of guitar music, sometimes deep thinking stuff, sometimes more of an argument. The Halvorson/Monder set was more of a choreographed dance: at times a ballet, at others something more interpretative, others a complex Astaire/Rogers affair. Mary played long, lovely, elegant melodies while expertly employing effects along the way. Her use of effects was really something else, actually, like she had these friendly gremlins inside her amp, sometimes creating a ghostlike echo, others adding brief blips of backwards weirdness within otherwise beautiful playing. Between these effects and sharp wrinkles of dissonance, she created fabulous tapestries of guitar. I feel like I’m shortselling Ben Monder’s playing, which was excellent… but even his solos felt like they were complementing Halvorson. She’s got two more nights at the Stone, hoping to make it to one more.
From there, I hopped in the car and drove across Houston and up to the West Village, parked my car directly across from the 55 Bar and hopped on a very long line. Sometimes there’s a line there at 55 Christopher on a Thursday night and sometimes there’s not, but it’s rare you see one quite this long. I wasn’t worried about getting in, my plan was to buy a ticket to secure a space for the late set and come back later… I was worried that the line would move fast enough for me to get to my second stop without any stress. Things progressed slowly, the door guy trying to cram as many people into the club as possible for the early set, me checking the time periodically, until he called it quits on that endeavor and finally started on with selling for the second set. While he negotiated with some still hoping to make it in, I handed him my money, grabbed my ticket and skipped/walked up a few blocks to the Village Vanguard; walked downstairs, sat down in a mostly-empty-and-thus-very-comfortable back of the club and, with a few minutes to spare, awaited set number two. Another perfect landing.
This week at the Vanguard is the Donny McCaslin Quartet. In the past couple years they’ve gained a little extra notoriety as being the backing band on David Bowie’s last album, but they also are, what I like to call, a band of NYC late night all-stars, the kind of guys who have toiled for years in a variety of regular after-hours gigs throughout the city. I actually got a little extra sense of satisfaction realizing that they are all veterans of 55 Bar from where I had just come and would be going afterward. McCaslin on saxophone, Mark Guiliana on drums, Nate Wood on bass and Jason Lindner on keyboards. For a lot of their late set Thursday, they also featured Eric Taylor on vocals for a large portion of the songs. This quartet is a very electric jazz band, with McCaslin occasionally employing some light effects and Lindner really spinning all sorts of noises with his various keyboards. They were really locked into something special Thursday. I had heard a lot of that-guy-was-annoying feedback on Taylor’s singing with the band (in reviews of recent Winter Jazz Fest set), but I didn’t find it distracting in the least. If anything, he seemed to spur the band to really dig deep in their playing over, under and all around the vocals and then in some thrilling improvisation in between. I’ve always loved McCaslin, but must admit, the band was even more enjoyable when he laid back and let the backing trio go. I call this phenomenon a real “back-to-front band” and this was a perfect example. In fact, the real powerhouse was Guiliana and drums and, even more so, Nate Wood. There’s a little something special when the bass player is the dominant voice in a band like this, especially an electric bass in a room like the Vanguard… I guess the technical term for what Wood did on Thursday was blow me away. Oof! Just non-stop, lead-from-behind bass playing, often taking sweet lead runs and then laying these room-filling bombs of slightly affected low end, the kind of stuff you absorb during a Krantz set down the street. Superb stuff.
I took off right when they finished and made my way back down the few blocks of 7th Avenue to 55 Bar. Thursday nights = Wayne Krantz nights. Even more special because Keith Carlock was on drums. Or should I say Keith fucking Carlock on drums. James Genus would be filling in the bass playing spot. I got there right about as they had finished clearing out the folk from the early set. In the end, I probably hadn’t needed to buy a ticket in advance; in fact, there were empty seats for the late set, which, considering that Carlock was making an all-too-rare appearance and the stellar track record of these shows in the last couple years, feels like an indictment on everyone at home in bed or out elsewhere. Still, I was glad to be inside early, secure what I now consider my spot standing at the end of the bar… I like this spot because it’s more or less akin to standing on the “stage,” gives me the freedom to move my body should the need arise (rhetorical, of course, it arises… it arises) and an unobstructed view of both drummer and bassist. Makes for good photos as well.
Well, I don’t need to gush over Wayne Krantz. If you’ve read anything by me in the past XX years, you know how this music moves me. That being said, this was one of the better ones… one of the best ones, I think. And, in a strange twist, it wasn’t because of Keith Carlock, although he was, as the kids say, fucking sick. Wasn’t because of James Genus, either, although he was as good as you could ask for. No, the thing that made Thursday extra special was Wayne Krantz finding another level that you kind of forget he has. Actually, his playing was in a place that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen. I mean, he’s always one-of-the-best-period good, but he was in another zone this week, his solos sticking out from the trio, finding some serious Anastasio-esque peaks that he doesn’t always go for. And funky as all heck. My mind reeled back the hours to Halvorson’s use of effects watching Wayne takes his completely different approach. For all his skill and expert thoughtfulness in his playing, his use of a variety of effects is as unique and artful as you’ll find. So, yeah, it was mindflippingly amazing, the kind of off-the-charts electric that makes you think he should just kneel down and light his guitar on fire at the end. Fittingly, they finished the set with Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” Usually when these sets finish I’ve had my fill, mentally, emotionally and it’s-1:30-in-the-morning physically. This week I was so juiced and buzzed from watching these guys play I was ready for another hour. Easily the best set of music I’ve seen in 2018 so far. Still, I walked out knowing I had gotten my money’s worth and hell, what a perfect night! The everything’s-coming-up-Milhouse capper was the GPS routing me around a certain 30-minutes-worth construction delay on the way home.
TL;DR: go to the Stone. go see Wayne Krantz. Nate Wood is sick (especially when he’s playing with Wayne Krantz. | https://medium.com/livemusicn-with-neddy/1feb18-threesday-8a82157b546d | [] | 2018-02-03 19:34:34.181000+00:00 | ['Wayne Krantz', 'Music', 'Keith Carlock', 'Mary Halvorson', 'Donny Mccaslin'] |
Dun & Bradstreet’s Anthony Scriffignano on a life in data | Dun & Bradstreet’s Anthony Scriffignano on a life in data
Digital Bulletin speaks all things data in an exclusive interview with the Chief Data Scientist of the Year 2018, Anthony Scriffignano
Dun & Bradstreet is an organisation that sits in rarefied air; the company provides commercial data, analytics and business insight services for around 90% of the Fortune 500 companies, a group that accounts for something in the region of two thirds of the U.S. GDP.
The backbone of the company is its Data Cloud, which Dun & Bradstreet says is the most detailed of its kind. Comprising over 330 million business records, more than 120 million hierarchy members, and with 375 million data elements updated every day, it provides a depth and breadth of business information that is arguably unrivalled.
The data is used by some of the world’s leading organisations to make decisions on credit risk, vendor management, marketing and lead generation, compliance and master data management.
The man behind the numbers is the company’s Chief Data Scientist Anthony Scriffgnano, who is something of a legend in the data community. Scriffignano, who was recognised as the U.S. Chief Data Scientist of the Year 2018 by the Chief Data Officer Club, is routinely invited to provide thought leadership for senior executives and high-level government officials globally.
Anthony Scriffignano
Recently, he briefed the US National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and contributed to three separate reports to the President, on Big Data Analytics, Emerging Technologies Strategic Vision, and Internet and Communications Resilience. In short, he is a man in demand.
All of which means that when Digital Bulletin was offered the chance to pick Scriffgnano’s brains on all things data, we jumped at the chance.
Speaking from Dun & Bradstreet’s HQ in Millburn, New Jersey, Scriffgnano says he has worked in every part of the organisation that touches data over the last two decades, “which is just another way of saying I’m old,” he jokes.
“We’ve been doing big data since before big data was a term, way before. We curate arguably the largest global database of its type, which is updated millions of times a day. It comes from hundreds of countries where there are different laws, languages and rules around data localisation,” he says.
“We have to be on top of all of that, while data regulation is changing all over the world, so our data strategy is pretty much focused on governance, compliance and quality.”
Scriffignano breaks off from the narrative, keen to address an untruth about how Dun & Bradstreet collects, processes and uses its vast records of data.
“A lot of the data that we have never gets seen outside of these four walls, but there’s a common misconception that we just buy a load of data from around the world and put it in a database and sell it — nothing could be further from the truth.
“We have to make a lot of the data through imprints, triangulation, adjudication, and we take great information from data that never gets exposed, like signals and detailed pieces of trade information that simply can’t leave the company.
“There is a huge effort that goes into making sense of data to uncover opportunity and risk, fraud adjudication, and patterns of behaviour.”
“The first thing the best bad guys will do if they suspect that they’re being watched is change their behaviour”
Score settled, Scriffignano moves on to the increasing role of disruptive technology and how it can be utilised in the field of big data. He is effusive in his belief in artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is being leveraged in the world of data, listing off a number of use cases carried out by Dun & Bradstreet.
“We are using AI to curate the data, which again looks at triangulation around the truth and can be very helpful to use conversational linguistics,” he says. “We’re also using something called semantic disambiguation, which is looking at unstructured data and trying to discern which elements of what we think are true are true, because not all data comes nicely packaged with a dictionary that tells you how to use it.
“Most of the really good stuff is raw and you have to be able to use it in that form — AI is extremely useful for that.”
Scriffignano and his team are also using AI for advanced anomaly detection in a bid to work out what the “bad guys” will do next.
“The first thing the best bad guys will do if they suspect that they’re being watched is change their behaviour. If you’re just doing simple modelling on prior bad behaviour, you’re going to be modelling on ways that the bad guys no longer behave. It’s called an observer effect,” he says.
“AI and solutions that are not improvised — so not based on the past — can be extremely helpful in finding emerging types of behaviour that might represent new maleficence. So, advanced anomaly detection is absolutely being revolutionised by not only the availability of data, but also the availability of compute power.
“Deep learning is a great example of that; it is not a super new concept, but you need an awful lot of data and an awful lot of horsepower to do something like that, and we didn’t have that available to us when these ideas were being conceived. There were examples but they were really theoretical, but the results we’re seeing now are real.”
But away from Dun & Bradstreet, companies are finding it difficult to come to terms with what could be considered — to the likes of Scriffignano, at least — pretty elementary data challenges. He riffs on a number of topics, including the challenge of aligning cloud and data strategies, but settles on data silos as an issue to drill down into.
“Companies are absolutely struggling. Almost every single day I talk to someone that has an issue where there’s a corpus of data that would help that issue, but they either don’t have access, don’t know about it or can’t see it, and the list goes on. And many times, this is in the same enterprise, which is even sadder. And this happens in corporate America, it happens in academia, medical research — it happens everywhere,” he says.
“Almost every single day I talk to someone that has an issue where there’s a corpus of data that would help”
“Sometimes siloing is a necessary evil to protect privacy or legal considerations, very often it’s just noise or the way we set up our systems, or departments not communicating very well, so a lot of siloing happens by accident.
“The challenge is that data is increasing at an immeasurable rate; data begets data, so this whole data is the new oil thing is silly, because oil does not beget oil.”
Scriffignano asks himself rhetorically: “So what do you do about it?”
He breaks data down into three buckets: the data a company has and can be seen; the data a company knows exists and can access if it’s prepared to invest time and resource; and data that is simply not accessible.
“When you’re talking about problems, you want to try to get an estimate of the size and the quality of each of those corpora of data. If we’re going to make a decision about enterprise risk and you know that there is data sitting in the office, you have to decide whether going and getting it is going to change the decision you’re going to make or not,” says Scriffignano.
“Companies can’t start the conversations saying: ‘okay, let’s bring all the data together’, there’s too much data and they don’t have time, so you have to purposefully choose the data you want, and you have to know what you didn’t use and why you didn’t use it. That is the best strategy I can advise.”
Another factor companies are struggling to get to grips with is the ever-changing landscape of data governance, rules and regulations, says Scriffignano, who draws parallels with a theory first discussed in Alice in Wonderland, no less.
“There are a number of GDPR-like regulations around the world, and companies that ignore them will find themselves in a lot of trouble,” he says.
“In computer science, there is what is known as a Red Queen Problem, which comes from Alice in Wonderland, during which Alice says to the Red Queen: ‘this is a really odd place, I’m running and running and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere’. The Queen replies: ‘That’s the kind of place this is, you have to run as fast as you can just to stay where you are’.
“With a lot of this regulation we find ourselves in a Red Queen Problem, we can’t stop running, stop everything and assess the regulations and figure out how to comply with it and start up again, you always have to keep running.
“My advice is to be humble, because the problem you’re working on is very likely to be bigger than it looks”
“But what I would say is that everyone has been given notice. Companies need to step up what they’re doing and look at those broader issues. They need to develop a strategy that is inclusive of the regulations they are concerned about, but also includes future regulations that they know are going to come. Otherwise you’ll never get out from behind it.”
With the interview drawing to a close, Scriffignano is keen to address the future and, in particular, a new generation of graduates and employees that will solve the data challenges of tomorrow.
“We have to look forward because if we don’t we’ll just continue to have the same conversations,” he says. “My advice is to be humble, because the problem you’re working on is very likely to be bigger than it looks. Don’t be convinced that you have a view on everything, bring other people in and expand the table you’re working on.
“Secondly, be minimalistic and break problems down into chunks. You’re not going to be able to implement AI across the enterprise, it’s too big an initiative, so think about what the problem is you are trying to solve and how is AI going to address those issues, what should you solve first, then break it down from there.
“And lastly, when you’re driving ahead and solving problems, remember to pick your head up from time-to-time. I used to play water polo and while you might be able to swim faster by just keeping your head down, it does mean the ball is going to hit you in the head every now and then, which can be embarrassing.” | https://medium.com/digital-bulletin/dun-bradstreets-anthony-scriffgnano-on-a-life-in-data-69d54a2cfc17 | ['Digital Bulletin'] | 2019-09-30 13:20:46.638000+00:00 | ['AI', 'Big Data', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Data Analysis', 'Data'] |
This Is To All The Women In My Life | Photo By: Stephanie Love
I think your mind is your beauty.
The way you create art with your hands. Building empires out of nothing.
The way you flow into each day. Giving your mind, body, and soul.
The way you give yourself without asking for much in return.
The way you reinvent yourself. Even when you’re afraid-
you jump.
Even when you hit the ground-
you soar.
The way you bring calm to a storm.
The way you manage to care for your family, friends, and self is a skill that you shouldn’t take for granted.
The way you take on each day with a smile, even when it’s the most difficult of times for you.
The way you welcome strangers, with a kind and open heart.
The way you don’t let failed relationships close you off to new beginnings.
The way you’ve lost love, yet continue to love in abundance.
The way you’ve managed to carry the world on your shoulders never asking for anything in return.
The way life has left scars on you mentally and physically, and you, you’ve taken only the lessons and left anything else behind.
The way you send light to those who have hurt you, and let them go.
The way you explore new destinations; moving mountains.
The way you show strength through resilience, you are the river that continues to flow.
The way you left behind security to travel across the world to follow your dreams. To discover new dreams.
This is for you.
You do so much, put up with even more. I just want you all to know that it is okay to be vulnerable, to feel sad, to say NO, to love your body whatever shape and size. Don’t ever let anyone tell you anything less. Don’t ever let someone make you feel as if you are not enough or that it’s your fault. It’s not. You are enough, more than enough. This is to all the wild women in my life, please continue to take up space in this world. It just wouldn’t be the same without you all. | https://medium.com/warm-hearts/this-is-to-all-the-women-in-my-life-b84377238e05 | ['Stephanie Love'] | 2020-11-22 00:02:18.239000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Life', 'Women Supporting Women', 'Goddess', 'Women Empowerment'] |
How to make a website for small business | How to make a website for small business
The Guide Consists Of 3 Steps
Step 1
Choosing the right platform to build your website.
Step 2
Choose a domain name for your website (www.).
Step 3
Install and modify your website to suit your own taste.
Step 1
Choosing the right platform to build your website
Before thinking about color, site design, and domain, you must first choose the appropriate platform on which you will build your website.
What do we mean by “platform”?
Back in 2004, websites and pages were built using HTML (code), CSS, and Flash, all of these things take a long time to learn and master.
For this reason, most people think that creating a website from scratch is a difficult task that is suitable only for experts, or at least those with a background in design and programming, but this is no longer true.
In 2016, content management software (CMS), such as WordPress, made it possible for everyone to build their own websites with ease.
Content management programs (or website building platforms) are easy-to-use platforms that anyone can deal with, their task is to build your website and manage its digital content away from tiring HTML codes and pages.
Most popular website building platforms
As you can see in the chart above, about half of the websites on the Internet run on the WordPress platform.
Why is WordPress better than other platforms?
Easy to use (especially for beginners).
You must be using Microsoft Word, yes? Here you already know how to add content to your site, and WordPress is not much different from the programs and applications that you use on a daily basis.
The WordPress platform can accommodate any type of site with so-called “plugins,” attractive company or product pages, personal blogs, forums, or even a social network. WordPress “plugins” will enable you to include buttons to share content on Your site on social networks, or adding fields that make it easier for your visitors to send messages to you, and many more.
Small big website? Did not matter…
From a simple blog to an online store, WordPress can handle any type of website, no matter how big or small. Do you know who uses the WordPress platform? A huge number of companies and major websites such as eBay store, Reuters, channels such as CNN and BBC, PlayStation Corporation, even NASA uses this platform.
Your website will be compatible with all mobile devices and smart devices.
The website you will build will be compatible directly with all mobile devices and tablets of all types and sizes, you do not need a web developer to do the work for you.
There is a huge community of users of this platform, you can use them at any time.
With so many users (website developers, bloggers, theme and plugin designers), it becomes easy for you to get help whenever you need it. Any problem you encounter with WordPress, write it on the Google search engine, and you will inevitably find an answer to it.
Of course there are other platforms for website building / content management (CMS) :
Drupal is a powerful platform that is popular among web developers and experienced programmers, but the tutorials and educational materials explaining its use are scarce, which is why the Drupal platform is not the right choice for beginners.
Joomla is a platform similar to WordPress, and it works great for online stores, although you will need some experience in coding and programming to get the desired result.
But for beginners, we always recommend choosing WordPress.
Whether you are a startup or an established company looking for the simplest and inexpensive way to build your website, or even you are an artist or blogger who wants to own their own website, WordPress is the right platform, its flexibility and ease of handling make it the best choice for everyone…continue reading == > https://bit.ly/3wtlJnr | https://medium.com/@top5webtools/how-to-make-a-website-for-small-business-5fd50a7568e6 | [] | 2021-07-06 00:13:59.324000+00:00 | ['Small Business Owner', 'Small Business', 'Website', 'Small Business Marketing', 'Business Development'] |
Build Not Hotdog from HBO’s Silicon Valley using OpenCV | By: Ben Zhang
Of the questions innovators ask themselves, there’s one that nags and frustrates: “How do I frame problems such that my solutions are creative, intelligent, and elegant?”
HBO’s Silicon Valley chronicles the (often futile) exploits a group of startup founders undertake as they try to adequately address the above issue. A popular example of such a project is Not Hotdog — an app that determines whether objects are hotdogs or not. Since its creation, the app affected a profound change in perspectives regarding food, creating a rigid dichotomy between foods that are hotdogs and foods that aren’t.
You might wonder — what’s the driving force behind Not Hotdog’s success? Just as cannonballs must have physical weight to be effective, applications must have technological heft to be impactful. Not Hotdog’s heftiness lies in its use of machine learning, a mysterious subfield of computer science and statistics that has matured rapidly in recent years. Despite the recent abundance in machine learning applications, solutions that incorporate neural networks are often heavy-handed, lacking in the aforementioned elegance of execution. I demonstrate how to integrate neural networks into a computer vision app. I hope that, through this example, you’ll develop a better understanding of when and how to apply machine learning.
Before we begin, here’s a link to my own Not Hotdog codebase.
Setup
Python and OpenCV are necessary for this project. Refer to this guide for Windows and this guide for Unix-based systems.
Loading ML Models into OpenCV
Since OpenCV allows developers to load deep neural networks from popular frameworks (like Caffe2, Tensorflow, and Torch) through its dnn library, we can load a pre-trained image classification model from a framework of choice. Tensorflow’s Inception model is particularly refined as it accurately classifies roughly 1,000 classes, and it is quite fast.
To download the version of Inception that we’re using, click here. Unzip the “inception5h.zip” file and put its contents directly into your project in the directory of your choice.
Here’s the code for loading a neural net in OpenCV:
def initialize_dnn():
class_names_path = os.path.join(inception_path,’imagenet_comp_graph_label_strings.txt’)
model_path = os.path.join(inception_path, ‘tensorflow_inception_graph.pb’)
class_names_descriptor = open(class_names_path, ‘r’)
class_names = class_names_descriptor.read().strip().split(‘
’)
inception_net = cv2.dnn.readNetFromTensorflow(model_path)
return inception_net, class_names
Preprocessing For Inception
Because Tensorflow’s Inception only takes images formatted in a very specific manner, we need to pre-process our images using more traditional OpenCV functionalities.
1. Resize the Image: Many modern neural networks consume images of exactly 224x224 pixels, a characteristic shared by Inception. We need to resize the image as close as possible to 224x224, then pad any remaining space with white. For example, an image may end up looking something like this:
Note the white padding.
2. Blob It: BLObs, or Binary Large Objects, are the serialized inputs that Inception takes as input. We can convert an image to a BLOb using the following OpenCV command, where “resized” is the image after processing:
blob = cv2.dnn.blobFromImage(resized, 1, (224, 224), (0,0,0))
net.setInput(blob)
Usually, image classifiers operate only on images that are regularized in a particular manner. To fulfill this constraint, most people that use classifiers have to regularize the colors in whatever dataset they’re classifying. Since Inception regularizes its input, we won’t be modifying any images this way.
Time to Classify
Since we’ve set up Inception and formatted its input correctly, it’s time to classify! Normally, we’d have to train the model ourselves. However, Inception is fully trained, and one forward pass through the network produces accurate confidence intervals to work with. Filtering through these confidence intervals, it’s possible to determine the confidence interval in which the image is or is not a hot dog. The histogram below demonstrates this principle: the neural network produces a probability distribution in which the biggest bar on the graph corresponds to which kind of object the image belongs to.
Bells and Whistles
Finally, we have to produce an output image. Using OpenCV provisions for drawing, it’s possible to produce an image that looks like this:
I hope that in the process of building this classifier, you’ve developed a better understanding of how to design machine learning applications. If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment here. You can also find me on Linkedin here. | https://medium.com/tribalscale/build-not-hotdog-from-hbos-silicon-valley-using-opencv-34592aa0c4cf | ['Tribalscale Inc.'] | 2019-04-25 15:46:33.796000+00:00 | ['Software Development', 'Development', 'Silicon Valley', 'TensorFlow', 'Machine Learning'] |
Round 1 & 2: Just a warm-up? | Okay, so back to the really good stuff. After my first failed attempt at a 5-minute date (the story does have a good outcome, so just keep reading to find out more). I had a brief 30 seconds to down a gulp and start to choke as the concoction decided to proceed down my windpipe just as my computer decided to buffer me into my next intended. (Oh Bridgerton, how you have changed the way I speak about love and courting, not to mention dance cards!) She smiled at me as I managed to keep it together. As my eyes started to clear and I could see what was happening in front of me… I perked up a bit. Okay, this person looks nice and interesting. “Let’s do this!” I had all kinds of questions, but I let her take the lead, after all… what was I even doing here? “lookin’ for love in all the wrong places, lookin’…” nevermind I won’t finish that song. Tip: listen carefully and remember the details, they may come back to help you later on.
We had a pleasant conversation about traveling and poor movie choices/recommendations and before we knew time was up and I felt stuck. As our little windows reappeared in the group call, I could not help but feel sort of sad I was not able to talk to that person again, like right then and there. Speed Dating during the pandemic does not allow you to chase after the person post-event, so you have to wait… and wait, AND hope that person is as good at replying as you are sending. Tip: Follow-through, do not wait. Matches at an online speed dating event have expirations. Honestly, I spent the rest of the evening just focused on her whenever we had the chance to meet back up in the group call. There is no way to flag someone down, unless you try to message them privately — — I did not know this was an option until later. So another tip: Message them immediately if you want their information, don’t wait. | https://medium.com/@lesthread/round-1-2-just-a-warm-up-78f85c56d269 | ['Les Thread'] | 2021-02-02 17:25:50.515000+00:00 | ['Speed Dating', 'Dating', 'Women', 'Risk', 'Lesbian'] |
Black Lives Matter and the Last Reconstruction: A Letter to my Younger Siblings in the Streets | Black Lives Matter and the Last Reconstruction: A Letter to my Younger Siblings in the Streets
James Matthew Daniel / ACLU
Wonderful people,
I see you marching by the millions, raising your voices in dissent, shouting “Black Lives Matter,” demanding an end to police violence. On a single day this summer, more than half a million people join your demonstrations: in every state, in cities and small towns, in red states and blue. Fifty thousand in Philadelphia, 20,000 in Chicago’s Union Park, 10,000 blocking traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and thousands more on freeways in Los Angeles and Seattle, disrupting business as usual, demanding that we hear and know the rage you feel, challenging us to know that we are all hurting.
I see you and I see your comrades at your side: Asian, Latinx, Muslim, queer, trans, Indigenous. They have marched with us before, knowing that concentration camps, border walls, and transphobic murder are all kin to anti-Blackness. I see your white siblings marching with you too, more than I have ever seen before. I see you and I am filled with pride, joy, and gratitude.
Our Constitution promised a government for the people and by the people, a government that would make its chief purpose providing for the people’s welfare. The propertied white men who made this promise never intended to keep it. I am a law teacher, Constitutional scholar, and abolitionist. For more than 50 years I have taught my students to use law in the struggle for humanization, to work against subordination, not for it. I still believe we can make democracy work and live out the promise of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. We can reconstruct law to work against oppression, to heal the wounds of 400 years and birth a nation where every life truly matters.
Police Killing, COVID-19 Killing, and the Truth We Know in Our Bones
On May 25, George Floyd is killed by a Minneapolis police officer. His murder is captured on video by a young Black girl: Floyd on the ground, a white police officer’s knee on his neck, the officer’s body language casual and contemptuous. For more than eight agony-filled minutes, Floyd pleads with the officer, “Please. Please. I can’t breathe,” until he falls silent and no longer moves.
A few weeks earlier, a young Dominican American woman stands outside a New York City hospital. Her mother is in intensive care, intubated and hooked to a ventilator. The last time they spoke, the daughter stood outside her mother’s apartment door, her mother on the other side looking through the peephole, already sick with the virus. Now the daughter stares at her cell phone. A medical worker has arranged a call. The worker pans her camera to the bed; her mother is still alive, fighting for her life, but she does not respond to the young woman’s voice. It is as if she has been swallowed by the machine that keeps her alive.
“Mama linda,” the young woman says to her mother’s image on the screen. “My beautiful mother. I love you so much.”
Sixteen days later her mother dies, the same way most of the pandemic’s more than 300,000 victims have died: alone without friends or family, the final consolation of her daughter’s voice coming through a phone held by a stranger.
We have witnessed death by police and death by disease as the government turns its back on our trauma. Our lives did not matter. We know these truths because we are witnesses who carry the knowledge that we could be next in a country that learned to devalue all life when it devalued Black life.
This is what you force us to see as you march.
Black bodies are made vulnerable to police by racist tropes filled with fear of Black invasion, domination, and sexuality. Black folks know this truth in our very bones. We see it in the white officer’s face, casual and confident in his contempt for the life expiring beneath his knee, confident he will escape judgment. We watch this knowing that we could be George Floyd, that he could be our father, brother, son. We know anew the slave-driver’s lash, the lynch mob, the Klan riding in white hoods. We come of age disciplined by the presence of this terror. These killings mark the measure of our worth and tell us Black lives do not matter.
COVID-19 reminds us of the vulnerability of our bodies to disease in a country where health care is not a right. The inequities of racism and poverty bring death disproportionately to Black, Brown and poor bodies. Why did we let this happen? Why did the world’s richest country let more than 300,000 people die? We keep our distance, strategizing to save ourselves, each of us alone and lonely as we face a killer disease.
Scientists tell us we can stop the death count through aggressive public health measures, just as other countries have done. But our politicians will not act. Our helplessness in the face of state inaction reveals a harsh truth: The disease that threatens our bodies is born of a sickness in our body politic, the vulnerability of our democracy.
A Nation Constituted in Dehumanization
How have we become a people that tolerates inaction while disease carries off thousands of people each week? The connection between the vulnerability of the Black body and the vulnerability of our democracy begins with the middle passage: 12 million Africans kidnapped from their families and brought here in chains. This history binds us to one another, the killer to the killed. We know if we dare to look, to imagine ourselves in the hold of the slave ship — hundreds of bodies chained, the dark, the sickening smell, the screams, the moans. We know if we dare consider the embodied reality of the hundreds of years — both before and after the founding of the nation — when rape, torture, forced labor, the taking of children from parents, and the sale of human beings was foundational to American law and American wealth.
At the Memorial for Peace and Justice in Alabama, 800 weathered steel columns hang from the roof, the name of an American county where Blacks were lynched etched on each one. The names of victims of the lynch mobs line the walkway, telling the story of each killing:
“Parks Banks, lynched in Mississippi in 1922 for carrying a photograph of a white woman.”
“Zachariah Walker, burned alive by 1,000 men, women and children.”
“Mary Turner, who after denouncing her husband’s lynching by a rampaging white mob, was hung upside down, burned and then sliced open so that her unborn child fell to the ground.”
Only one generation separates us from these murders. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, my mother sat at her best friend’s kitchen table when neighbors brought news that her friend’s father was taken from his place of business, hanged, and burned. The trauma of this violence is bequeathed to me and to the children and grandchildren of the crowds who gawked at lynchings, bringing along their children and their picnic dinners. America’s psychic wound is a habit of inhumanity written deep in public memory. In George Floyd’s murder, our past is made present; a contemporary lynching now scars our children, too.
The founding fathers committed the nation to slavery as its economic means of independence. Their law made people property and made ownership of property basic to individual freedom. The contradiction between human property and liberty required that Black people be less than human. American freedom — white freedom — relied on Black people’s lack of freedom. This blood-soaked truth is the material and psychological residue of the history that shaped this country’s character.
A History of Resistance
Alongside the history of dehumanization is the history of resistance. Black people ran away by the thousands, challenging the system of slavery and subverting the primacy of property over humanity. Together with white abolitionists, the enslaved and their free Black kin moved the country to do the unprecedented and transcendent: to abolish slavery and declare Black equality. In the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the Constitution’s contradiction was confronted, and our first Reconstruction began.
Whenever resistance movements challenge and disrupt racist structures and institutions, there is backlash. Whenever we move toward freedom the plunderers deploy the politics of fear to disrupt progress.
In the first Reconstruction, Black people ran for and held office; created their own schools and organizations; demanded work, land, autonomy. Soon, the government abandoned the freedom movement. Former masters employed fraud, economic coercion, and a reign of terror to strip Blacks of the franchise and economic autonomy. The 14th and 15th Amendments were effectively nullified.
A new generation of freedom fighters took up the fight for our democracy: the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Congress of Racial Equality, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Panthers. They called us the New Abolitionists; we called ourselves “the movement.” Organizing, teaching, learning, and speaking out in the face of violence; caring for and being cared for by the communities we organized; disturbing the moral comfort of white America. We learned the beauty and strength of our own humanity. With each act of resistance, we gained a growing recognition that we could alter the conditions of our lives.
You know this truth. Revolutionary transformation comes out of active resistance. It comes from what people in the movement learn about themselves and their power to change their conditions. This is your legacy, the construction of American freedom you carry to the streets.
A Train Called Freedom: Demand Everything We Need
Throughout America’s history, two trains have run side by side. One train carries the deadly cargo of violence, slavery, and white supremacy. It carries the collective trauma of our history and the structural inequities that leave us vulnerable to police killings and pandemics. This train carries the language and politics of hate, of neo-Nazis proclaiming white power, and crowds cheering a bully who calls immigrants criminals.
The second train, the train you ride and conduct, is the freedom train. You are the newest abolitionists. You insist that we face the horrors of our past and present, reminding us that we are not Nazis; that freedom does not require lynch mobs, concentration camps, or border walls. In forcing us to respect Black life, you demand that our country live up to its promise.
I hear my father singing a refrain from a spiritual that his father sang to him: “This train is bound for glory, this train.” Just as we are bound for our destination, we are bound to one another. We will create this freedom together.
Your movement is about more than resistance to racism. When you chant, “This is what democracy looks like,” you ask us to look at the collective beauty of the people who march in solidarity with you. There is joy in your fight for our democracy. Your chant illustrates the world we are fighting for, a world where basic human needs are a collective responsibility.
“This is what democracy looks like” says “we the people” are our Constitution’s framers. We will make a Third Reconstruction, to finally achieve the transcendent purpose of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments; to replace the Constitution of slavery with the Constitution of freedom. This chant calls for a transformation that redistributes privilege; it says there is no such thing as too much justice.
If reconstruction requires transformative law, history teaches us that too often, reform efforts have merely modified systems of racial and social control: slavery reformed to segregation, segregation to mass incarceration. Our transformation must demand laws that name and quantify the material conditions of inequality created by racism. We must demand that those conditions end. No more study commissions to tell us what we already know, no more confessions of white fragility, no more hiring a diversity consultant to sit by the door. The mistake in this moment is to ask for too little.
Habits of Inhumanity: Why Black Lives are All Lives
White supremacy taught us to look away from human suffering, and so it continues unabated. Historically, our efforts to ameliorate ill health, poverty, and suffering are met with an old trope: “Those people” are not worth spending money on. Some people are justifiably poor, ill-housed, sick. Spending tax dollars will not help them, the logic goes; it will just encourage their natural indolence.
A version of this rhetoric persists in every effort to solve social problems. The binary of insider and outsider, worthy and unworthy, is grounded in anti-Blackness, learned in slavery’s schoolhouse, shackled to our democracy.
In a democracy, every citizen participates to create a polity that best meets the needs of every citizen. The deliberate and persistent exclusion of Black citizens is the reason our weakened democracy has so readily bent to meet the demands of the wealthy and so rarely met the demands of the least advantaged. In demanding full equality for Black people, we demand democracy in fact. Every civil right, every civil liberty, depends on undoing anti-Blackness. As we fight racism, we bring democracy from the streets and into our lives. Our success is measured by the quality of those lives.
In 1963, when I was young and our nation was on fire, our older brother James Baldwin wrote a letter to his nephew. Baldwin used the metaphor of a mirror to capture how white supremacy is prolonged and propagated by our denial:
“[A] vast amount of the energy that goes into what we call the Negro problem is
produced by the white man’s profound desire not to be judged by those who
are not white, not to be seen as he is, and at the same time a vast amount of the
white anguish is rooted in the white man’s equally profound need to be seen as
he is, to be released from the tyranny of his mirror. All of us know, whether or
not we are able to admit it, that mirrors can only lie, that death by drowning is
all that awaits one there. It is for this reason that love is so desperately sought
and so cunningly avoided. Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”
The tyranny of Baldwin’s mirror, the fear of being judged by those whom you have oppressed, is also the fear of seeing oneself. The love Baldwin describes constrains the denial that keeps white Americans from seeing how anti-Blackness renders their own humanity unworthy of respect and love. When a raging virus kills them by the thousands and the government does nothing, it is not just Black lives that do not matter.
You call on to us to turn away from the mirror, to see how racism has harmed and harms us still; to see that freedom for one does not require subjugation of another, that freedom exists for none in a killing field.
The stakes now are as high as they have ever been. Our democracy is in crisis. It has struggled under a president who made fearmongering his platform and science-denial his strategy. We have watched men with guns bring murderous hate to places of worship. We have watched elected officials decline to criticize libelous conspiracy theories or gun-toting race-war militias as the siren call of white supremacy attracts increasingly vocal followers. Regardless of who is in office, we must rid our nation of the racist ideology and structures that make Trumpism possible.
From Shared Pain to Shared Freedom
When we acknowledge the suffering that comes from oppression, racism, alienation, and violence, there is a moment of epiphany. We see that our pain is shared, and we can breach the barriers that divide us.
Your pain brought you to the streets. As you march, you scream “stop killing us,” and “hands up don’t shoot.” You tell us, this hurts too much — we cannot bear to watch our mothers, fathers, children, and siblings be killed again. “I am Breonna Taylor. I am Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Ramarley Graham, Vernicia Woodard, Oscar Grant, Latasha Harlins.” The roll call goes on.
Your t-shirts reading, “I can’t breathe,” George Floyd and Eric Garner’s dying words, speak for all of us. Racism constricts our throats and souls, knees always on our necks. “I can’t breathe” is a battle cry. “I can’t breathe” is an alarm, a warning that racism and injustice suffocates everyone. The ordinariness of the violence hurts even more; the knee on George Floyd’s neck is not the aberration. It is repeated ritual. These murders do more than punish without due process; they signify the state’s contempt for black humanity. You reject this contempt. You demand recognition. You call for the nation to fulfill our Constitution’s promise — every right, every dignity, everything we need, embracing everybody.
We are at the crossroads of great turmoil and amazing possibility. We will either take the road backward to fear, terror, and annihilation, or roll forward on the freedom train to a reconstruction that includes all of us, truly equal, fully human, recognized, protected, cared for, and supported. This is what democracy looks like. This is the last reconstruction.
In love and struggle,
Charles Lawrence | https://medium.com/@aclu/black-lives-matter-and-the-last-reconstruction-a-letter-to-my-younger-siblings-in-the-streets-eccecff5b2fc | ['Aclu National'] | 2020-12-14 22:48:00.303000+00:00 | ['Racial Justice', 'Democracy', 'Race', 'Protest', 'BlackLivesMatter'] |
Diaz, Galiz highlight Dodgers’ international signings | by Rowan Kavner
The Dodgers agreed to terms with 22 international players, including top international prospects Wilman Diaz and Jesus Galiz.
Comprising the Dodgers’ international class of signings are 12 pitchers, three catchers, four infielders and three outfielders.
Wilman Diaz
Diaz, a shortstop from Maracay, Venezuela, is rated the №3 international prospect by MLB.com. The 17-year-old is a 60-grade hitter with “five-tool potential,” according to his scouting profile. He is the top teenager and shortstop of the 2020–21 class and comes from the same program as catcher Diego Cartaya, a 2018 international signee who is currently the Dodgers’ №5 overall prospect. This is the third straight year the Dodgers have signed the top prospect out of Venezuela after signing Cartaya in 2018 and outfielder Luis Rodriguez in 2019.
Galiz is the top catching prospect in the international signing class and is rated the №8 international prospect by MLB.com. The 17-year-old from Maracaibo, Venezuela, moved from middle infielder to catcher two years ago. His skills as an infielder have translated behind the plate, where he’s intrigued scouts with his soft hands, quick feet and release and strong arm.
Half of the Dodgers’ international signees come from Venezuela. Here’s the full list: | https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/diaz-galiz-highlight-dannounce-international-signings-e39a1afa708b | ['Rowan Kavner'] | 2021-01-19 22:21:45.768000+00:00 | ['Transactions', 'Dodgers', 'International', 'Signings', 'MLB'] |
Things to consider when hiring a web design & website development company | When hiring a web design and development company you should consider some important key points as you are going to take your business online you should have the knowledge of some things that you need to know. These basic things will help you in hiring a web development company, and you can make the right choice in choosing the best company that can serve you fully and can make your business grow. In order to do so analyze the company’s own website and follow these simple tips
1-Make a list of the Companies
Google is the most used search engine these days and every small or large business is online nowadays search different web development companies and make a list of them that grabs your attention when making a list to visit the website and properly analyze the website design and its usage. Do check If the website design is professional and the website is working properly? Also, open the website on mobile and check its responsiveness if the mobile view is not responsive you should delete the company from the list.
2-Properly checking services provided by companies
Do check their services properly what they offer and what they did not? Then compare it with your requirement what type of website do you want? i.e. if you need a website for your online store do they have services for e-commerce websites if yes then what type of e-commerce website they develop. In general, check Do they have designing services and do they provide content management services or web hosting services. If a company is providing you designing, development, content management, and hosting services then you should go for it but if you ignore these things you have to hire someone else to do these tasks for you, it will be time taking and a wastage of your money so do consider these things when hiring someone to shorten your list according to the tips
3-SEO Services
Another important thing to consider is SEO services mostly the clients ignore it and when they do not get the desired result they blame the web development company for it but if you dive deep the web development and SEO are two different things you have to do SEO of your website to rank it on google so do consider if a company is providing SEO services or not if yes make sure you have mentioned it in your requirements. Your focus should be on local SEO and make sure to include it in your list of requirements
4-Customer review and feedback
One of the most useful things in online services is customer or clients feedback do check the website’s comment or feedback section what their previous customer’s reviews are if there are all positive then it’s not good and if there are all negative then it is also not what you need to consider going for the company having both the positive and negative feedbacks because if all feedbacks are positive then the company must have deleted negative feedbacks or have banned negative comments and if the company have all negative feedbacks their services must not have fulfilled client’s requirements.
5-visit website developed by the company
By following the above tips your list must have been shortened by now next you should visit the website that is developed by the company you have shortlisted at least one website or two to check what they delivered to their previous clients and how well their website is working
Web design for a service providing agency
6-Budget
The most important thing to consider is your budget whether the company is providing all the services you need within your budget or it's exceeding your budget limits or if there is another company providing all services within your budget but is a new company does consider a new company because they want clients, and they can do a lot in minimizing the expenses as they will want you to give them project as they are new and want a chance so do consider them.
7-Technology
Don’t hesitate to ask the company which tech stack will they use to develop your website or which hosting service they are providing dedicated or shared Google the tech stack according to your requirements and then discuss it with them
These were some tips you should consider while hiring someone to design and develop your website while considering these things to make sure you are clear about what you want in a website and what your requirements are.
Seerat from Advance Era Tech a web design and development company | https://medium.com/@seeratsaghir56/things-to-consider-when-hiring-a-web-development-company-1b28e56d59e8 | ['Advance Era Tech'] | 2021-01-26 08:13:28.728000+00:00 | ['Web Design', 'Website', 'Web Development', 'Hiring', 'Webdesign And Development'] |
50 Tamil movies to watch before you die — 30 — Mouna Raagam | There are only a few movies that become a cultural icon for generations. When a film is slated in that list, the people anticipate it to have a path-breaking story or a social message (Mother India is a perfect example). But how a simple love story that talked about the post-marriage relationship between a girl who doesn’t want to get into wedlock due to unrequited love and a husband who falls in love with her, can become a movie celebrated even after 38 years after its release. It happened, and the film was Mouna Raagam.
Mouna Raagam (1986) — (The Silent Symphony)
The story starts with Divya (Revathy), a happy go lucky girl, and the parents inform her that a potential groom, Chandrakumar (Mohan) would be waiting to see her in the evening. To avoid the whole process, she arrives late after enjoying the entire evening with her friends. Surprisingly, Chandrakumar waits for her and meets her in private. Despite her requests, Chandrakumar says he likes her and Divya is emotionally forced by her family to accept the wedding proposal after her father has a heart attack.
Chandrakumar, a loner, takes her to New Delhi after the wedding. From day one, Divya shows her repulsion towards Chandrakumar despite his repeated attempts to impress her. When he asks her what the first gift she would like, Divya asks for a divorce, and because of Chandrakumar’s insistence, at an emotional moment, she opens up about her unrequited love of the past.
The story gets back in time when Divya met Manohar (Karthik). Divya implicated him in a street brawl and robbery case. After realising his good intentions, Divya bailed him out. Manohar expressed his love towards her at the first instance, and although she couldn’t approve of his revolutionary activism, she fell in love with him as he was irresistible. At one point, Divya stopped him from an attack he was planning. Manohar proposed to her that he would end his activism if she accepted to marry him the next day. Police arrested him the next day for the attack he was not part of and to keep his word to Divya, he tried to escape and was shot dead by the police in front of her eyes. Divya could not overcome the loss, and that’s the reason she had been putting off her marriage for so long.
Chandrakumar understands her, and they meet a lawyer who informs that they have to be together for a year to file for divorce. They start living apart in the same house, and one-day Chandrakumar gets attacked by his factory workers. Divya saves him and nurses him during the recovery. While nursing, she understands him and gradually falls in love with him. Chandrakumar becomes indifferent and hurts her at every moment. He arranges for her travel back to Chennai and at the railway station, he hands over the divorce papers. Divya tears them apart, breaks down and expresses her love towards Chandrakumar. He chases the train, and they both unite to restart their life.
Mouna Raagam had Mohan, Revathy and Karthik in the lead supported by VK Ramasamy, Ra Sankaran, Vani and Kanchana. The movie had a brilliant musical score from Ilaiyaraaja with PC Sriram wielding the camera. It was produced by G.Venkateswaran (in short GV, brother of Mani Ratnam) under Sujatha movies banner and directed by Mani Ratnam.
Why is it so special?
Honestly, the theme of the movie was nothing new when Mani Ratnam worked on it. Multiple interpretations of love that blossoms after wedlock had been made in Tamil cinema but Mani Ratnam showed his finesse in the way he maturely handled the subject. The two love stories in the movie are opposite in nature. If the love between Divya and Manohar can be termed as a storm that every girl would expect to sweep off their feet, then the love between Chandrakumar and Divya is a breeze that is mellow and matured. The other notable divergence that Mani Ratnam made was that movie was made from the women’s perspective and not the two men. And Revathy carried the role with aplomb. Two scenes stand testimony to the brilliance of Revathy — one when she breaks down to express her anguish that she had been keeping in her heart for so long for Manohar. It’s even a surprise for the audience because until then her character is shown as a girl who is happy go lucky, prankish, and some might even hate her for not liking Chandrakumar. The other one during the climax when she expresses her love to Chandrakumar. Probably, most of the audience, when you utter the movie’s name, they would immediately scream in unison, ‘Karthik!!!’. Karthik as Manohar stole the heart of people with his effervescence and irresistibility. I can bet that women would have wanted a lover like him (if your mom was in the 20s or teens when the movie was released, don’t forget to ask this question). Mani Ratnam arguably wrote the best cameo ever in Tamil movie history with Manohar’s character. The total time on the screen for Karthik is around 25 min, but the impact he creates is humungous. Mohan’s character had to be played with subtlety, and he cake walked it with deftness. The dialogues of Mani Ratnam. According to him[1], short, one line dialogues came into his repertoire with this movie. One of the best scenes in the film is the one when Divya asks her mom before her first night after marriage, “Thaali kattina mattum ellam sariya aayiduma, rendu nalaiki munnadi enna avarkita ippadi anuppichiruppiya” (Is it enough that he tied a wedding thread? Would you have sent me to him two days before)? Mani Ratnam’s screenplay started with this one thought. If you ask any music lover who knows Tamil music, this movie’s songs and score by Ilaiyaraaja will rank in the top 5 of anyone’s list. It’s not an exaggeration, and if I start writing about the score, I have to dedicate my entire blog post to that. It’s just awesome.
Mouna Raagam Audio Jukebox
Mouna Raagam Original Score
Why it should be on the list?
Mouna Raagam announced the arrival of one of the most prolific auteurs that Tamil cinema ever saw (check the trivia why I say so). For showing the story of unrequited love and the problems of arranged marriage through the eyes of a woman. For producing one of the most loveable characters of Tamil Cinema that is unbeaten till date. For Ilaiyaraaja’s music.
Trivia
Mouna Raagam was Mani Ratnam’s fifth movie and third Tamil movie after Pagal Nilavu and Idhaya Kovil. In Baradwaj Rangan’s book “Conversations with Mani Ratnam, he candidly admits that Mouna Raagam was his first hit movie. In fact, he didn’t want to make Idhaya Kovil, and he admits that the only thing that was great about that movie was Ilaiyaraaja’s music[1]. Mouna Raagam was the second script of Mani Ratnam and was initially titled “Divya”. The original idea was to make a movie about how a timid young girl was coping with an arranged marriage. Karthik’s character was an afterthought (yes it is true) and his role was inspired by Anil Kapoor’s character from Pallavi Anu Pallavi (Mani Ratnam’s debut in Kannada). In fact, Mouna Raagam would have been a Kannada movie, but it didn’t work out. This is the first script that he wrote in Tamil and was initially written as a short story[1]. Mouna Raagam won the Best Regional Film National Award for 1986 and was the official entry for foreign film Oscar from India[2]. Mouna Raagam has inspired many movies after its release. The recent one I would say is Raja Rani. Mani Ratnam comes from a family of movie producers. He completed MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Sciences (JBIMS) and started his film career with Pallavi Anu Pallavi in Kannada which won a state award. It also served as the debut movie of Anil Kapoor[2]. Mouna Raagam was dubbed in Telugu with the same title and was remade in Hindi as Kasak with Rishi Kapoor (playing Mohan’s role), Neelam Kothari and Chunky Pandey (playing Karthik’s character). Needless to say, the movie didn’t do well at the box office[3]. The song from Idhaya Kovil “Naan Paadum Mouna Raagam” gave the title for the movie[1]. Kanchana did a small one scene role of a lawyer in the movie. Mani Ratnam has used actors in small parts but changes the shape of the story. Kanchana’s character makes Divya stay back in Delhi. He has utilised Aruna in Idhayathai Thirudathey (Geethanjali) in the same way[1]. It seems one of the ladies in the censor board, argued that Mouna Raagam should be given an “A” certificate as she couldn’t accept a housewife asking for divorce[1]. Anjali was initially planned with Revathy and Mohan with the idea of what would happen after ten years in their marriage (Main Ratnam calls it just a theoretical exercise). Nonetheless, it seems Mohan’s dates couldn’t be worked out[1].
List of References
YouTube link to the movie | https://medium.com/sylvianism/50-tamil-movies-to-watch-before-you-die-30-mouna-raagam-d56f0d08b2f7 | ['Sylvian Patrick'] | 2018-06-21 10:17:40.713000+00:00 | ['Mani Ratnam', 'Movies', '50 Best Tamil Movies', 'Best Tamil Movies', 'Tamil Movies'] |
How to React to the new way Mendix widgets are built | The low-code platform Mendix brings a lot to the table, but eventually, once you start to develop more complex applications, you can be in a situation where something isn’t possible out-of-the-box. This is where custom widgets come in.
Pluggable widgets
Custom widgets have previously been developed within the Dojo framework. Without going into further detail about it, I am happy to say it now has changed. The Mendix Studio Pro 8.0.0 release has introduced a new way of building custom widgets.
The now called Pluggable widgets are built with the React library. Mendix has stated that these widgets use simpler and more powerful Mendix APIs. This also comes with the powerful capability to use external dependencies and install them using npm.
React
Another huge benefit, in my opinion, is that React has a smaller learning curve than the Dojo framework. React has a small API to learn, for the rest, it’s just JavaScript. Writing a custom widget is mostly like any React component. As Mendix itself is been using the React library under the hood now, learning React is a good investment for any low-code front-end developer.
While walking the learning path of React, I do get excited about this news and believe this gives more possibilities in making faster widgets. In the past, I developed JavaScript functions outside of Mendix rather than inside a Dojo widget. For me, it would just take too much extra development time combined with the Dojo learning curve. React is a library that helps create components faster, just like Mendix. The two technologies complement each other in my view.
Start building pluggable widgets
Mendix has provided a how-to for creating a simple widget yourself. Further documentation seems to be absent at the time of writing. As the how-to helps develop a simple widget step-by-step, I intend to make a very compact list of the steps.
First-time set-up
Before implementing any of this, you need some tools and knowledge to get started. Some experience with Mendix, JavaScript (React, Typescript) and HTML/CSS is recommended. Furthermore, you need some tools: an integrated development environment (IDE), the Visual Studio Code. Lastly, you have to install the following:
Point 2 till 4 can be directly downloaded through the built-in command line from Visual Studio Code.
npm install npm@latest -g
npm install yo -g
npm install @mendix/generator-widget -g
Create new
Now that you’ve done all that, it’s time to create something new. The last program that you need to download, the Pluggable Widget Generator, helps to build from the root folder of an existing Mendix project. Open the project folder with Visual Studio Code. From the root, use the built-in command line:
mkdir CustomWidgets
cd CustomWidgets
yo @mendix/widget TextBox
The code creates a folder containing one or multiple widgets. The name of the widget (TextBox) could be anything. The script will ask some questions where Mendix would recommend TypeScript while my preference today is JavaScript ES6.
Development
Open the widget folder in VSCode and start the development process with the following command:
npm run dev
Now you're all set to develop the pluggable widget with React.
Work in progress
The pluggable widgets are brand new. Documentation is constantly being updated and new features come with the latest studio releases. With the latest release of Mendix 8.7, it is now possible to load your own list of data. Create your own custom carousel, listview, datagrid, … this is exciting!
Takeaway
This is a good time to start learning how to develop pluggable widgets. The documentation on the Mendix part is changing with every studio release and there is a ton of documentation on developing with React. This will be simpler to learn than the Dojo widgets. The Mendix Yeoman generator provides a good starting point. | https://medium.com/mendix/how-to-react-to-the-new-way-mendix-widgets-are-be-build-675e43599925 | ['Rob Duits'] | 2020-03-17 08:11:50.491000+00:00 | ['Mendix', 'JavaScript', 'Pluggable Widgets', 'React', 'Ui Ux Design'] |
God, Guns, Country | God, Guns, Country
Photo credit: Amazon
By Jeff Cann
The sign appeared one day on the normal route. That’s what Susan and I call the loop around our neighborhood, the normal route. It’s neat how names develop. “Which way do you want to go?”
“Let’s take the normal route.” Eventually it sticks. Sometimes we walk it, sometimes we run it. We’re not the only ones. Seniors actually drive to our neighborhood to walk the loop. People from the Y, located a half mile away, come here to run. It’s a good place to put up a yard sign. People see it.
I live in Trump-country. In 2016, two-thirds of my county voted for Trump. But because I live close to town, things skew a little left. Judging by the yard signs I see this year, I’d say allegiances approach fifty-fifty. We don’t have a Biden sign. In fact, I’ve never had a political sign in my yard with the exception of when a family friend ran for county commissioner.
In 1992, I put a Clinton bumper sticker on my car. A friend asked me to create a spreadsheet to help track the effectiveness of Clinton’s political advertising. In exchange, I received a sticker. A couple of nights after the election, my girlfriend, appalled by my support of such a conservative candidate, grabbed the edge of the sticker and shouted “Can. we. please. take. this. off. now?” as she struggled to rip the sticker from the bumper.
Instead of a political sign, we have a Black Lives Matter flag. It’s a modest thing, twelve by eighteen inches, black with white lettering, and a fist. I nailed it to a pillar on our front porch. It really pops. I feel it says the same thing as a Biden sign, and so much more. Unlike my boss who routinely has her Biden sign vandalized, no one has touched our BLM flag.
The sign I saw on the normal route is a Trump sign. The top border reads “GOD, GUNS, COUNTRY.” Susan and I don’t talk much as we run or walk. We use it as meditative time to veg-out or troubleshoot or problem solve. Every now and then, one of us will bring up what’s on our mind, but usually, we just keep our mouths shut and contemplate. I didn’t mention the sign when I saw it, but I sank deep into thought.
When I see Trump signs, especially over-large Trump signs, or yards with multiple signs, I realize how proud these people are to support Trump. And then I wonder what makes them proud. I abhor Trump’s policies, especially his stance on immigration, his denial of climate change, and his desire to lower taxes on the rich while cutting services to the poor. But I understand that an open society must include room for people with differing views. What I can’t get past is mocking and mimicking a disabled reporter, bragging about sexual assault, caging kids like stray dogs, and the on-going middle-school name-calling that fills his Twitter feed.
The family with the God, Guns, Country sign have three Trump signs in their yard. Clearly, they’re proud of their affiliation with Trump. But here’s an interesting thing. They are people of color. I’ve never stopped running to talk with them, so I know nothing about their background.
Is it racist to assume that a non-white person would hate Trump? When I stop and think about it, it seems a little racist to me. But still, these people hail, in some recent generation, from what Trump refers to as a shithole country. Maybe this family likes Trump, but I can’t believe Trump likes them.
When I saw the sign, I thought: Yes, if God, Guns and Country are your chief concerns, you certainly should vote for Trump, but then I thought again. I’m sick of racist, right-wingers like Trump claiming patriotism. At a recent Black Lives Matter rally, Susan held a sign proclaiming that Confederate flags are racist. A woman and her shirtless husband (carrying an assault rifle slung over his shoulder) called Susan un-American. I’m sorry, I suck at quick comebacks. A few minutes later I realized that the Confederate Army was actually at war with America. The Confederate flag is, by its very nature, un-American. It would have felt great to zing that back at them.
When I think about our Country, I think of the cities, the mountains, the deserts, the lakes and streams. I think about the environment, the people, democracy, civic engagement and social justice. These are things I love about America. Things I’ll fight to defend.
I never think about the flag. I could care less about the flag. I know it’s popular for people to wrap themselves in the flag and give the finger to everyone who isn’t white and Christian. To call themselves ‘Americans’ because they revere the patriarchal society that existed at the founding of our country.
As an agnostic, I don’t have much right to claim God as my own. And Guns? You can keep them as long as you keep them locked up in your home.
But Country? That one belongs to me.
—
The story was previously published on The Good Men Project. | https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/god-guns-country-328800392893 | ['The Good Men Project'] | 2020-10-16 18:16:01.264000+00:00 | ['Racism', 'Social Justice', 'Election 2020', 'Religion', 'Guns'] |
Job With Travel Involved | www.travelinner.com
Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash
You may want to make your career that related to travel as you are fond of it. Therefore, you may be wondering to find a job with travel involved. Here we go with of any kind you are pointed for.
Global Travel Manager
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
Any place you need to drive, usual tourism goals depend on friendly, educated advisers for lead vacationers through city sights and social trips.
You can sordid manually in Australia and go with meetings to so many populations. Or, go to your country of decision, get familiar with the nation, and proposal your managements over responsibility groups there.
You may need to contribute something other than information on locality past. A few aides equally propose the support of a movement co-organizer. Masterminding the total visit since flights, overheads, transport, and projected areas of scheming and cafés.
Performer
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Performers go on visit constantly — and they take busloads of roadies with them. While most scenes have their workers, artists like the consistency of going with their families who they dependence.
It does not just carry vital instruments, there are jobs like a stage director, set alight professional, sound maker, and visiting chief. It’s life out and about with much late-night and encouraging starts.
Be that as it may, you despite everything get the chances to project to the far corners of the earth with your soundtrack.
Cruise Ship Worker
Photo by gaku on Unsplash
There is plenty of staff keeping tourists happy on those vast luxury ships. Journeying is a type of movement is turning out to be more and more well known.
The line of work lead-ins is nearly endless. They extend from client relations, bartending, grip up staff, epicure professionals, rec point governesses, and fitness trainers, clinical workforce, cleaners, entertainers, lifeguards, visit guides, action co-facilitators, and the boat’s chief.
The facts of interest are cruising the world with short stops en route. The hours can be boring, yet the term is, it’s repeatedly appealing.
Live-In Housekeeper
Photo by Félix Prado on Unsplash
Custodians often catch the opportunity to travel universally. You are necessary to give first-class childcare and a few people expect competences in youth training.
Several workplaces use major time in coordinating au sets and families from abroad and can similarly examine through the working visa needs. Do your inspection of the groups. Certain charge a rough inventor’s cost while others expect a progressing commission for your benefit.
That can tickle, as habitually the benefit isn’t amazing. Be that as it may, making an allowance for you get your settlement and all suppers gave you may get the chance to undertaking to the far corners of the world for not anything.
Self-governing Works
Photo by Anna Auza on Unsplash
Why restrain yourself? These days you can do everything as a consultant. Regardless of if you are a software engineer, a website professional, an author, or a photo player you can do it from anywhere you like to.
As things are progressing, teenagers are remarkably fascinated by fresh complications and attempt to learn an occupation that authorizes them to gamble to the far corners of the earth however earning money. Working a 9 to 5 profession isn’t in their plan any longer.
Using flexible times and benefit that rivals normal 9 to 5 services, freelancing is an amazingly worthwhile kind of work you have to consider. You can feel free to visit outsourcing sites and check the options pay per project for the occupation you might want to get into.
For interpretation benefits, this blog on the salary of independent interpreters will give you a knowledge of the past on the amount you can charge for this precise field.
Interpretation work falls in the mid-scope of the profit for professionals, it is protected to expect that it shows the nasty usual of the amount you can gain for this category of career scheme.
There are many online courses you can make to stride up to your game and learn new things. The beginning probably won’t be simple, you have to make relations, come across persons. Consequently, attempt to do so forth quantity services as could sensibly be expected to pull together your portfolio. All these will quickly reward consequences.
Language Teacher
Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash
This is an alternative well recognized and steady doings for movement darlings. You shouldn’t be a local in English, all together, to find a new line of effort as an English instructor, as time-consuming as your English level is high.
In addition to that, there are dissimilar options too, presentation your local language in numerous populations, for instance. In the event you’re not local, a small number of groups may expect you to have TOEFL, Cambridge, or other English testimonies and these forces enlarge your opening of getting a new line of work.
You should be comfortable with vital presentation abilities and ideas. Just as taking a preference for a teaching profession. If you are into this, seeing the children's vast and nosey tastes, together with the probability of going in the middle of can bring a countless contract of gratification.
Picture Taker
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
Being an image taker takes more work and knack. Up till now, in case you’re enthusiastic about it, bring into being think of it and give yourself a chance to try it for you. Let attention undertake control over you and make your portfolio.
At that point, crack to find out consumers — start with little links and groups to get understanding and presentation. The odds of finding a new line of work in a steamy country for a hostel will augmentation and this will allow you to examine an entire diverse culture.
On the off chance that most of the hostels are extending employment opportunities for image takers and some of them deal open photography pieces of training. Who knows, you may turn out to be mainstream to such a magnitude that you can begin selling your photographs on forward-thinking phases.
What’s more? Moreover, don’t pressure, those prepared to pay for electronic images. For particular inspiration, you can check on the internet by various kinds of site that related to this one, Ami Vitale’s, a National Geographic photojournalist story, for instance.
All the jobs that described- yet that is not limited to, at the above is directly or indirectly related to travel. Apart from thses, there is also plenty of opportunities which allow making cash while traveling. | https://medium.com/@firozashakhawat75/job-with-travel-involved-693b3cbcbe2a | ['Shakhawat Hossain'] | 2020-05-06 12:07:23.874000+00:00 | ['Travel Writing', 'Jobs', 'Money Making Ideas', 'Jobs And Money', 'Traveling'] |
Did Time Really Warp in 2020?. We’ve had to learn that in the… | Did Time Really Warp in 2020?
We’ve had to learn that in the pandemic, time means something new
Photo: yuanyuan yan/Getty Images
March, the first month of the lockdowns, felt like it lasted an eternity. Then April slipped past like it never happened. June, July, August were punctured with protests and emotional exhaustion as the summer seemed to simply evaporate. Suddenly, it was November, and there was an election again. Week after week, month after month, people gathering at a distance or on myriad video conferencing apps agreed: In 2020, it was impossible to tell what day it was. Time — that dependable, quantifiable metric of life — had become unpredictable.
How could this be?
As Reuters explained in July, variables like repetition, emotion, and memory distortion can mess with our subjective concept of time. Over at Vox a month earlier, philosophy professor Adrian Bardon, PhD, of Wake Forest University offered a similar explanation as to why it felt as though days or weeks were endless, but entire months seemed to zip by. By disrupting our routines, the pandemic skewed our interpretation of time — both as it was happening and how we interpreted it retrospectively, Bardon explained. It also filled us with anxiety. “The combination of negative emotion and inward-directed attention makes your moment-to-moment life seem intolerable and burdensome,” he continued. Yet, “when we look back on our day, we say, ‘Where did the day go? Nothing got done.’” In other words: The pandemic added new stresses and forced us to ruminate.
But the hours we spent working or taking care of kids or being bored weren’t the only measures of time that changed for us in 2020. So did our ability to plan ahead. The pandemic injected layers of uncertainty into our day to day, but also made it nearly impossible to predict what would happen weeks or months ahead. The future in 2020 almost felt as if it had completely disappeared.
Fittingly, the central premise of 2020’s only true blockbuster film, Tenet, deals with the concept of time manipulation. In it, The Protagonist (seriously, that’s his name) is tasked with saving the world from a shadowy faction of future humans who are set on running time on Earth backward. To do that, he has to reclaim time itself. By the time Tenet appeared in sparsely-attended theatres in mid-summer, the exhaustion with the pandemic and its restrictions as well as our new schedules and skewed perceptions of time, made it feel like a disturbingly prescient fantasy. This was, after all, the subject of countless 2020 daydreams: We longed for the ability to rewind to the world we once had — or to fast forward to the one we’ll inhabit when this is all over.
Before 2020, time was transactional and almost strictly conceptualized as a commodity. Time was money, a resource to save, spend, and bank.
What we really lost was our sense of control. We could no longer dictate how we spent our time. Our perception of time had been twisted and torqued, yes, but above all else, it felt as if time had been stolen from us.
The anxiety over time being taken away was everywhere. It surfaced most obviously in our confused annoyance about how the days felt like weeks and the weeks like days. You could hear it in our impatience with the length of myriad shutdown rules and, by extension, those who broke them, the thieves of the time we could gain if we all just abided.
It was even the undertones of what seemed an entirely different debate, the one over masks. When Fox News caught up with anti-mask protesters in Michigan in April, the infringements they reported being placed upon their rights seemed silly: People were furious they couldn’t do simple things like buy paint or go to the salon. But it wasn’t their rights they’d felt were taken away, it was their time. Admitting this would have complicated things. After all, from whom or what can we demand our time back? Certainly not a virus.
It’s here we hit the crux of the issue. All of our noodling over time in 2020 — our discussions over its speed, our desire to run it backward or forward, or our frustration with its apparent capture — assumed that time belonged to us in the first place. Einstein’s theory of relativity is, in part, prefaced on the idea that, as physicist Carlo Rovelli wrote in The Order of Time, “every clock has its proper time” — the time indicated while it measuring any particular phenomenon. And every phenomenon, Rovelli wrote, “has its proper time, its own rhythm.”
Apply this to 2020, and we see that maybe time was neither stolen nor warped. Instead, its pace was set at an unfamiliar rhythm, by a global, biological event in which we suddenly found ourselves caught. Time now belongs to the virus.
Time now means something different than it once did. Before 2020, time was transactional and almost strictly conceptualized as a commodity. Time was money, a resource to save, spend, and bank. Inside the pandemic, is it still? As we face countless lost jobs and closed businesses, the answer feels like yes — the longer the pandemic lasts, the more difficult it will be to recover both. But many of us seem to resist accepting that time is not a thing that can be uniformly divided, measured, and counted in units but rather an experience. Just one that we weren’t used to.
It became common in 2020 for people to refer to the years prior to this as the “Before Time,” as in the era where we could gather together, travel unrestricted, and live without face masks. By contrast, “Pandemic Time” is suspended and inescapable. Our only hope is that with the end of Covid-19, we’ll regain our separation from time. We dream of the day when we can think of time again as something we own or that works for us, that can be comfortably and routinely measured, that is transactional like cash. This is also the unspoken guarantee of a vaccine: an escape from not just the virus but from its rhythm and its clock. Perhaps we will call it the “After Time.” | https://gen.medium.com/how-we-perceived-time-differently-this-year-6fa3bb0affd6 | ['Colin Horgan'] | 2020-12-28 16:19:08.717000+00:00 | ['Society', 'Time', '2020', 'Culture', 'Year In Review'] |
The Evil of Charity Scams | “Help feed starving children now!” Your heart is touched as you read the plea for donations you were emailed. How could you not help these poor children? After researching the nonprofit in question, you are convinced that it is reputable and impactful. You donate. The rest of the day you feel content, thinking that you fed hungry children. Little did you know that you just paid a scammer.
Charity scams happen all over the world. They hurt not just donors, but can hurt the charity itself. Valuable funds which are meant to make a difference are wasted. These scams increase after disastrous events such as hurricanes, or other natural disasters. It shows that these scammers only care about money. Exploiting the good will of others and actively harming vulnerable people are the actions of villains.
There are multiple types of charity scams. One is where scammers create fake charities and gather donations to keep for themselves. Another type is when scammers may pretend to be employed by charities you know, in order to collect donations you wanted to go to that charity. This is especially dangerous because researching the specific charity will not alert you that you are being scammed. A final type of scammer is one who pretends that they are in need. For example, they may say that they are sick and need money.
It is scary and overwhelming to know that there are people out there ready to snatch your money the moment you let down your guard. Donmo is here to protect you from these villains. We will thoroughly evaluate charities before they are added to our platform, so you won’t need to worry about your money going to fake charities. We will also ensure that your donations go to the real nonprofit, and not scammers who pretend they are employed by it.
Through Donmo, you can be sure that your small change is making big changes!
Sources:
“Charity Scams- The Evil Side of Good Will.” Fraudwatch International, 20 March, 2020, https://fraudwatchinternational.com/brand-protection/charity-scams-the-evil-side-of-good-will/
“Charity and Disaster Fraud.” FBI, https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/charity-and-disaster-fraud. Accessed 10 December 2020.
“Fake Charities.” ScamWatch, https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/fake-charities. Accessed 10 December 2020. | https://medium.com/donmo-official/the-evil-of-charity-scams-8484cb7a918f | ['Charlotte Lipari'] | 2020-12-19 17:15:14.273000+00:00 | ['Donations', 'Charity', 'Nonprofit'] |
Creative, Funny, and Popular Themed Dog Halloween Costume Ideas | Wow, can you all believe it’s the end of October already?! Doesn’t it feel like March was just yesterday? Since it’s the end of October, you know what that means, Halloween is lingering around the corner! This pandemic should not stop you and your doggo from having a spooky(and safe!) Halloween and dressing your doggo up in funny and cute dog halloween costumes!!
Here are some dog halloween costume ideas, ranging from Star Wars to Pokemon themed dog costumes, with both large dog halloween costumes and small dog halloween costumes that will no doubt make this year’s Halloween a memorable one. You can either purchase these costumes from their respective websites or use them as ideas for your DIY dog halloween costumes, spicing them up however you would like!
Dog Costumes
Star Wars Themed
https://petcostumecenter.com/brand/star-wars/
Batman
https://www.partycity.com/batman-dog-costume---dc-comics-P857701.html
Toy Story
https://petcostumecenter.com/brand/toy-story/
Harry Potter
https://costumeyeti.com/harry-potter-dog-costumes
Pokemon
https://www.k9ofmine.com/pokemon-dog-costumes/
Anything Disney
https://www.shopdisney.com/halloween-shop/costumes/pet-costumes/
These are just some websites consisting of cute and funny dog costume ideas, for large and small dogs. You can even customize these costumes into dog and owner costume matching sets so that you and your doggo can match on Halloween. Name something cuter than that, we’ll wait.
Have a happy halloween! Don’t forget, the ‘rona has not disappeared, so make sure you and your doggo stay safe!
Want to learn more about dog training, dog behavior and dog nutrition?
Check out Pawsitive app to actually put theory into practice and start applying all this knowledge. The Pawsitive app helps dog parents raise happy, healthy dogs by providing community and professional support. We connect you to other dog parents and professionals. We are building a supportive dog parent community and we are better than dog social media! Stay accountable for completing wellness milestones with your dog and other dog parents, dog moms, and dog dads. | https://medium.com/@pawsitiveapp/creative-funny-and-popular-themed-dog-halloween-costume-ideas-71a04b7f2437 | ['Team Pawsitive'] | 2020-11-19 00:00:42.603000+00:00 | ['Dog Halloween Costume', 'Halloween', 'Dogs', 'Halloween Costumes', 'Dog Costume'] |
How to write, I mean, how I can tell myself to write | Write oh write.
How to write?
Can we start with the generic question and don’t worry you can always answer with whatever style you like, meaning, you can play top down or bottom up.
Well, technically speaking, you just need to open up your laptop and open any type of apps that allow you to type (well, that’s for writing by using computer)
if you like to use your hand, you can have paper or any medium you like that can handle written gesture. And of course, you need to have that pencil or pen. You get the idea.
Then, you can see that blank page of paper or that blank page of screen. And if you want to write, you can write any word that will form a sentence that will form a paragraph in that blank page.
As you go by writing, you can see that the page is eventually to be filled with words that are actually deeper that just merely words.
Those may have ideas, messages, thoughts, feelings, something that may not exist without you write that down.
And thanks to you, you bring those into existence.
Because you write it down. | https://medium.com/@1percent-progress/how-to-write-i-mean-how-i-can-tell-myself-to-write-927c94b91981 | ['Sandro Sirait'] | 2020-12-26 00:12:31.583000+00:00 | ['Thinking', 'Questions', 'Writing'] |
Configuring Neovim’s LSP client for TypeScript development | Installing Neovim + LSP dependencies
The version of Neovim from your package manager probably doesn’t have LSP support yet. As of now, to use the latest LSP features, you need to build Neovim from its master branch. On macOS, this is as simple as running the following command
brew install --HEAD neovim
Note that formulas installed from --HEAD will not update when you run brew update . You'll have to run brew uninstall neovim and re-run the install command to update, and since you're building from source, it'll take longer than a normal install.
For Linux, your package manager may have a package that tracks Neovim’s master branch on GitHub. You’re using Linux, so I’m sure you can figure it out.
You’ll also need to install the following NPM packages globally:
npm install -g typescript typescript-language-server diagnostic-languageserver eslint_d
nvim-lspconfig
Neovim’s LSP client is built into the program, but configuring it directly can be tricky. That’s where nvim-lspconfig comes in.
This repo handles automatically launching, initializing, and configuring language servers that are installed on your system.
If you’re using vim-plug, install it normally:
Plug 'neovim/nvim-lspconfig'
If you’re using packer.nvim (which I recommend, since we’ll need to write a lot of Lua and we might as well go all the way):
use "neovim/nvim-lspconfig"
You’ll then need to configure the plugin and your LSP clients.
Lua from Vimscript
The rest of the code in this post will be Lua, not Vimscript. To use Lua in your init.vim , you have two options:
Place the code into a Lua block:
lua << EOF (code goes here) EOF
2. Place the code into a Lua file and import that Lua file in your init.vim .
I highly recommend the second method. You can place your LSP configuration into a file, e.g. ~/.config/nvim/lua/lsp-config.lua , and import it by calling:
lua require("lsp-config")
-- or whatever you named your file, relative to your nvim/lua directory
(You can also go crazy and rewrite your init.vim in Lua, but that's outside the scope of this guide.)
LSP configuration
We’re going to set up two LSP servers: typescript-language-server to wrap around tsserver and analyze your TypeScript code, and diagnostic-languageserver to handle ESLint diagnostics and formatting via Prettier.
At the top of your configuration, add this line to import the nvim-lspconfig plugin:
local nvim_lsp = require("lspconfig")
Now we’ll configure the language servers.
typescript-language-server is simple. Add the following code to your configuration:
nvim_lsp.tsserver.setup {
on_attach = function(client)
client.resolved_capabilities.document_formatting = false
on_attach(client)
end
}
We’ve disabled formatting to avoid conflicts with Prettier. You might also note that on_attach is not yet defined, but hang on and we'll get there.
diagnostic-languageserver is a little more complicated. It's essentially a wrapper around command-line tools like eslint , so we have to define the commands as well as the format of the diagnostics we'll receive from the tools:
local filetypes = {
typescript = "eslint",
typescriptreact = "eslint",
} local linters = {
eslint = {
sourceName = "eslint",
command = "eslint_d",
rootPatterns = {".eslintrc.js", "package.json"},
debounce = 100,
args = {"--stdin", "--stdin-filename", "%filepath", "--format", "json"},
parseJson = {
errorsRoot = "[0].messages",
line = "line",
column = "column",
endLine = "endLine",
endColumn = "endColumn",
message = "${message} [${ruleId}]",
security = "severity"
},
securities = {[2] = "error", [1] = "warning"}
}
} local formatters = {
prettier = {command = "prettier", args = {"--stdin-filepath", "%filepath"}}
} local formatFiletypes = {
typescript = "prettier",
typescriptreact = "prettier"
} nvim_lsp.diagnosticls.setup {
on_attach = on_attach,
filetypes = vim.tbl_keys(filetypes),
init_options = {
filetypes = filetypes,
linters = linters,
formatters = formatters,
formatFiletypes = formatFiletypes
}
}
I’m using eslint_d, which is essentially a faster version of eslint , but if you want to stick with the original, replace the command in the linters table with eslint .
We’ll now need to define an on_attach function to run whenever a language server starts. This is where we'll define commands and keybindings.
This is my configuration, but feel free to change it to suit your needs. I defined easy-to-remember commands to make my life easier and assigned my most used ones to keys:
local on_attach = function(client, bufnr)
local buf_map = vim.api.nvim_buf_set_keymap
vim.cmd("command! LspDef lua vim.lsp.buf.definition()")
vim.cmd("command! LspFormatting lua vim.lsp.buf.formatting()")
vim.cmd("command! LspCodeAction lua vim.lsp.buf.code_action()")
vim.cmd("command! LspHover lua vim.lsp.buf.hover()")
vim.cmd("command! LspRename lua vim.lsp.buf.rename()")
vim.cmd("command! LspOrganize lua lsp_organize_imports()")
vim.cmd("command! LspRefs lua vim.lsp.buf.references()")
vim.cmd("command! LspTypeDef lua vim.lsp.buf.type_definition()")
vim.cmd("command! LspImplementation lua vim.lsp.buf.implementation()")
vim.cmd("command! LspDiagPrev lua vim.lsp.diagnostic.goto_prev()")
vim.cmd("command! LspDiagNext lua vim.lsp.diagnostic.goto_next()")
vim.cmd(
"command! LspDiagLine lua vim.lsp.diagnostic.show_line_diagnostics()")
vim.cmd("command! LspSignatureHelp lua vim.lsp.buf.signature_help()") buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gd", ":LspDef<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gr", ":LspRename<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gR", ":LspRefs<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gy", ":LspTypeDef<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "K", ":LspHover<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gs", ":LspOrganize<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "[a", ":LspDiagPrev<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "]a", ":LspDiagNext<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "ga", ":LspCodeAction<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "<Leader>a", ":LspDiagLine<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "i", "<C-x><C-x>", "<cmd> LspSignatureHelp<CR>",
{silent = true}) if client.resolved_capabilities.document_formatting then
vim.api.nvim_exec([[
augroup LspAutocommands
autocmd! * <buffer>
autocmd BufWritePost <buffer> LspFormatting
augroup END
]], true)
end
end
If you’re curious about these Lua commands, this repo is a fantastic introduction.
We’re not done yet! In the last block above, we enabled formatting on save through a Vim autocommand. The built-in LSP client provides a formatting command, which runs asynchronously, and a synchronous version, but neither is ideal if you want to format on save.
We’ll define our own function and override Neovim’s default command with ours (magical, right?):
local format_async = function(err, _, result, _, bufnr)
if err ~= nil or result == nil then return end
if not vim.api.nvim_buf_get_option(bufnr, "modified") then
local view = vim.fn.winsaveview()
vim.lsp.util.apply_text_edits(result, bufnr)
vim.fn.winrestview(view)
if bufnr == vim.api.nvim_get_current_buf() then
vim.api.nvim_command("noautocmd :update")
end
end
end vim.lsp.handlers["textDocument/formatting"] = format_async
We’ll also define a simple command to organize imports, just like VS Code. We’ll attach it to the global _G object to make it available from Vimscript Lua calls.
_G.lsp_organize_imports = function()
local params = {
command = "_typescript.organizeImports",
arguments = {vim.api.nvim_buf_get_name(0)},
title = ""
}
vim.lsp.buf.execute_command(params)
end
All together now, for easy copy-pasting:
local nvim_lsp = require("lspconfig") local format_async = function(err, _, result, _, bufnr)
if err ~= nil or result == nil then return end
if not vim.api.nvim_buf_get_option(bufnr, "modified") then
local view = vim.fn.winsaveview()
vim.lsp.util.apply_text_edits(result, bufnr)
vim.fn.winrestview(view)
if bufnr == vim.api.nvim_get_current_buf() then
vim.api.nvim_command("noautocmd :update")
end
end
end vim.lsp.handlers["textDocument/formatting"] = format_async _G.lsp_organize_imports = function()
local params = {
command = "_typescript.organizeImports",
arguments = {vim.api.nvim_buf_get_name(0)},
title = ""
}
vim.lsp.buf.execute_command(params)
end local on_attach = function(client, bufnr)
local buf_map = vim.api.nvim_buf_set_keymap
vim.cmd("command! LspDef lua vim.lsp.buf.definition()")
vim.cmd("command! LspFormatting lua vim.lsp.buf.formatting()")
vim.cmd("command! LspCodeAction lua vim.lsp.buf.code_action()")
vim.cmd("command! LspHover lua vim.lsp.buf.hover()")
vim.cmd("command! LspRename lua vim.lsp.buf.rename()")
vim.cmd("command! LspOrganize lua lsp_organize_imports()")
vim.cmd("command! LspRefs lua vim.lsp.buf.references()")
vim.cmd("command! LspTypeDef lua vim.lsp.buf.type_definition()")
vim.cmd("command! LspImplementation lua vim.lsp.buf.implementation()")
vim.cmd("command! LspDiagPrev lua vim.lsp.diagnostic.goto_prev()")
vim.cmd("command! LspDiagNext lua vim.lsp.diagnostic.goto_next()")
vim.cmd(
"command! LspDiagLine lua vim.lsp.diagnostic.show_line_diagnostics()")
vim.cmd("command! LspSignatureHelp lua vim.lsp.buf.signature_help()") buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gd", ":LspDef<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gr", ":LspRename<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gR", ":LspRefs<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gy", ":LspTypeDef<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "K", ":LspHover<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "gs", ":LspOrganize<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "[a", ":LspDiagPrev<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "]a", ":LspDiagNext<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "ga", ":LspCodeAction<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "n", "<Leader>a", ":LspDiagLine<CR>", {silent = true})
buf_map(bufnr, "i", "<C-x><C-x>", "<cmd> LspSignatureHelp<CR>",
{silent = true}) if client.resolved_capabilities.document_formatting then
vim.api.nvim_exec([[
augroup LspAutocommands
autocmd! * <buffer>
autocmd BufWritePost <buffer> LspFormatting
augroup END
]], true)
end
end nvim_lsp.tsserver.setup {
on_attach = function(client)
client.resolved_capabilities.document_formatting = false
on_attach(client)
end
} local filetypes = {
typescript = "eslint",
typescriptreact = "eslint",
} local linters = {
eslint = {
sourceName = "eslint",
command = "eslint_d",
rootPatterns = {".eslintrc.js", "package.json"},
debounce = 100,
args = {"--stdin", "--stdin-filename", "%filepath", "--format", "json"},
parseJson = {
errorsRoot = "[0].messages",
line = "line",
column = "column",
endLine = "endLine",
endColumn = "endColumn",
message = "${message} [${ruleId}]",
security = "severity"
},
securities = {[2] = "error", [1] = "warning"}
}
} local formatters = {
prettier = {command = "prettier", args = {"--stdin-filepath", "%filepath"}}
} local formatFiletypes = {
typescript = "prettier",
typescriptreact = "prettier"
} nvim_lsp.diagnosticls.setup {
on_attach = on_attach,
filetypes = vim.tbl_keys(filetypes),
init_options = {
filetypes = filetypes,
linters = linters,
formatters = formatters,
formatFiletypes = formatFiletypes
}
}
Open up a TypeScript file, try out a command, and you should now have proper LSP functionality, including ESLint diagnostics and formatting on save. You did it, and I’m proud of you.
Ahh, yes, that’s it.
Completion
There’s one more piece to put in place: completion. The built-in LSP provides completion through Vim’s omni completion, but it’s not exactly comfortable if you’re used to the way a modern editor handles completion.
The best completion plugin right now (and I’ll fight you if you disagree) is nvim-compe. It’s fast, easy to configure, and, crucially, supports automatic imports in TypeScript.
It pairs perfectly with vim-vsnip, a snippet plugin that uses the same snippet format as VS Code (meaning you can install the VS Code snippet extensions as Neovim plugins, though I prefer to write my own).
The following configuration for these two plugins (again, written in Lua) will get you set up with VS Code-like tab completion.
-- use .ts snippets in .tsx files
vim.g.vsnip_filetypes = {
typescriptreact = {"typescript"}
} require"compe".setup {
preselect = "always",
source = {
path = true,
buffer = true,
vsnip = true,
nvim_lsp = true,
nvim_lua = true
}
} local t = function(str)
return vim.api.nvim_replace_termcodes(str, true, true, true)
end _G.tab_complete = function()
if vim.fn.pumvisible() == 1 then
return vim.fn["compe#confirm"]()
elseif vim.fn.call("vsnip#available", {1}) == 1 then
return t("<Plug>(vsnip-expand-or-jump)")
else
return t("<Tab>")
end
end vim.api.nvim_set_keymap("i", "<Tab>", "v:lua.tab_complete()", {expr = true})
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap("s", "<Tab>", "v:lua.tab_complete()", {expr = true}) vim.api.nvim_set_keymap("i", "<C-Space>", "compe#complete()",
{expr = true, silent = true})
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap("i", "<CR>", [[compe#confirm("<CR>")]],
{expr = true, silent = true})
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap("i", "<C-e>", [[compe#close("<C-e>")]],
{expr = true, silent = true})
You’ll now see suggestions pop up automatically as you type, and pressing <Tab> or <CR> on an item will automatically import it into your file. | https://medium.com/@jose-elias-alvarez/configuring-neovims-lsp-client-for-typescript-development-5789d58ea9c | ['Jose Alvarez'] | 2021-03-26 06:50:52.986000+00:00 | ['Vim', 'Neovim', 'Typescript', 'Vscode', 'Terminal'] |
Little Comets | I am from a teeny town I won’t mention by name but wouldn’t be that hard to find if you dug a little bit. Not mentioning a name is a curtesy because I will not be pulling any punches while talking about it. Let’s call it Comet since that’s my high schools mascot. In Comet everyone knows everyone and most went to school together, whether you’re 7 or 47. It’s a tight knit community that cares about each other, or that’s what it seems like to people when they visit. All that “fudgies”, as we have coined the tourists, see are connections. I have connections in almost every store in Comet. The store where my mom buys her favorite fish, the market where I get lunch everyday, the bookstore; my summer job all throughout high school, etc. When visiting, people are constantly seeing people run into each other and act like old friends, this creates a comforting veil that people believe Comet doesn’t only project but honestly is. But when everyone knows everyone they also know everything. There is very little privacy in Comet and rumors run amuck. Rumors of infidelity, promiscuity, substance abuse and assault. There isn’t much else to do in Comet but make poor choices and talk about other people’s poor choices. As a kid there were rumors about my parents, about my sisters and even about me. Rumors about my best friends older sister or their boyfriend. I grew up an aggressive gossip and I like to think I have changed but when I come home from college I am met with the truth; when I am in Comet I will always be who I was in high school. Nothing ever changes here, so how could I? There will always be snobby kids who drink at the beach or the soccer field. There will always be bored housewives who insert themselves into their children’s lives. There will always be creepy dads and creepy boys who think that they own the world and you. I graduated with only 30 kids. Do you know how much I kept secret about myself in high school? Maybe just my distaste for most of my classmates. I used to think that I was the problem, that Comet was a utopian puzzle and I was a jagged piece. Over time and meeting new people I learned that I wasn’t the problem, just a part of it. I wholeheartedly believe that I was a worse person only one year ago and that I perpetauted the things that I detest now. I didn’t know it wasn’t normal to talk shit about your friends when they left a party or to always be wondering what people were saying behind your own back. It sounds melodramatic but I needed some serious deconstruction of my belief system and to strive to be better than Comet. Sometimes I think that I am permanently strange because of where I grew up and how my environment affected me but other times I think that I’ll just write a book about it. | https://medium.com/@emalinebuhr/little-comets-2c4ad2eba58e | [] | 2020-12-18 17:13:24.150000+00:00 | ['Lessons Learned', 'Small Towns'] |
How To Make It Big On YouTube | Are you looking to grow your YouTube channel and become the next big thing? One of the most important (but often overlooked) aspects of growing your channel is branding!
Implementing a solid branding strategy can do wonders for you and your channel. This guide will help walk you through everything you need to know to create a successful YouTube channel. The few key points will include:
Deciding what type of content you are going to create.
Understanding your potential audience.
Branding yourself to fit your channel (with a few extra tips here and there).
RendrFX Can Help Brand Your Channel!
Without further ado, here are some tips to help grow your YouTube channel!
Content Decisions
First, you need to decide what kind of content you will create for your channel — whether it’s gaming, comedy, entertainment, sports, news, etc. When taking a look at the logistics of YouTube subscribers, we found that the three most popular categories for individual YouTube personalities are comedy, gaming, and entertainment. These three channel types have some of the largest and fastest growing channels out there.
The gaming category is dominating the market with YouTube gamers like Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and VanossGaming. Some users (like PewDiePie) even have crossover into two different categories like comedy and gaming.
Comedy, gaming, and entertainment may be the most popular channel types right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to these interest groups. Make the content you like and would want to see on YouTube — like vlogs, news reports, or beauty videos. No matter what content you decide to start creating, you should keep in mind that the top two reasons people watch YouTube videos are “to relax” and “to feel entertained.”
Understanding the Audience
Before you start creating content, you should understand the audience that could potentially see your videos. Statistics show that the most active age group that watches YouTube videos is 35 to 44-year-olds. They comprise 26% of the users on the platform. The next highest group is 25 to 34-year-olds with 23%, followed by 45 to 54-year-olds with 16%, 18 to 24-year-olds with 11%, 55 to 64-year-olds with 8%, and 65-year-olds and up with 3%.
Also, eight out of every ten 18 to 49-year-olds watch videos on YouTube regularly. Millennials also make up a pretty big demographic that could see your videos. It’s reported that 81% of them prefer videos that are created by individual personality brands as opposed to videos by companies, TV shows, or traditional celebrities.
However, all of these numbers are just for 18-year-olds and up. It should be noted that nearly 91% of 13 to 17-year-olds use YouTube on a regular basis. Regarding gender, the average numbers of users are 38% female and 62% male.
Additionally, 70% of teenage users say they relate better to YouTubers than celebrities. The more relatable you are to different demographics, the more likely you are to attract an audience of any age and gender. Knowing this, you can see why it’s important to create relatable content for your audience.
Channel Branding
Now that you have an understanding of channel types and audiences, you can start focusing on branding your channel. Your channel’s banner, icon, name, and theme should all be related to the content type — as well as your brand.
For example, if you were looking to create a channel that solely focuses on creating beauty and makeup related videos — you wouldn’t title your channel “Super Gamer Guide.” This would be extremely misleading and confuse an audience. Similarly, if you were attempting to break out as a serious news coverage channel, you wouldn’t make your channel icon or banner a wacky picture. You’d want something professional that would fit your brand.
The key to branding your channel is to always keep your content in mind. Naming your beauty channel something along the lines of “BeautyBoyTips” may seem too on the nose, but it provides a clear picture of who you are and what you do.
If you are feeling stumped or having trouble finding a brand for yourself, try searching through similar YouTube users or creators you like in your category. Take note of what their icon is, what they call their channel, and all the other elements they use to brand their channel. This is not to say that you should copy anyone’s brand, but perhaps looking through other channels could inspire you or give you ideas when you are creating your own brand.
Another point to remember is that you need to be consistent with your brand. For example, if you feature your icon or name in the bottom right (for your video thumbnail,) then you should feature it in the same location on every thumbnail. Thumbnails and all other visual content should maintain the same aesthetic. This involves keeping colors, fonts, placement, and types of images used the same for all of your media. Doing this will help audiences recognize your videos more easily.
There are over 20 recommended and related videos on the side of any given YouTube video, 20 videos on any search page, and a countless number on the YouTube home page. Despite this high quantity of videos, if a user sees your signature bright yellow thumbnail with your icon in the corner and your standard all-caps title, they are more likely to pick you out of the crowd because of your branding.
The last thing you should keep in mind when establishing your brand is that no matter what you decide to do, it needs to look professional. Everyone loves Microsoft Paint, but it shouldn’t be used to make a channel logo, icon, etc. It’s always great to learn a new skill, so utilizing programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, or Sketch are perfect for creating any graphic you may need.
However, these programs can be expensive and difficult to learn on your own, but there are alternatives. There are countless opportunities online to find exactly what you’re looking for. Plenty of companies and artists would be willing to help by working with you to create your ideal graphic. Plus, this alternative could save you time and money.
If you’re fine in the graphics department, there is also software that you can use online to help with video creation. Software like RendrFX is the perfect tool to create intros, outros, and slideshows that you can use in all your videos. Even if you aren’t the most technical or design savvy person, there are outlets through which you can get professional content too. Canva is a great option for still graphics like your channel banner.
After you brand your YouTube channel, you should extend that brand to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You should try to use your YouTube handle on these other sites as well. If you’re “JokerJack” on YouTube, then try to get that username — or as close as you can get — on all other social media sites. This will help you to be recognized more easily across platforms.
To recap, some things you should remember when establishing your brand are:
Be unique. It’s okay to be inspired by others, but do not copy them. The goal is to distinguish yourself. Consistency is key. Be consistent with your channel, videos, and social media so that you can easily build a relationship with your audience. Make it look professional so that you can build trust and respect.
Video Branding
Once you have a solid brand for your channel, it is important that you have a similar brand in your videos. You may be asking yourself, “How do you incorporate branding into YouTube videos?” For the answer, we must look at the top creators on the platform. A majority of the popular YouTubers in gaming, comedy, and entertainment all follow a similar branding model.
For starters, these channels all have distinct and recognizable logos that appear somewhere in the video, usually during an intro or as a clickable annotation. Speaking of intros, most of the popular creators have some sort of intro in their videos as well. You need to use an intro for your videos. It has been found that 20% of people who start a video will leave after 10 seconds. However, a strong intro can counter this and keep an audience engaged.
On a similar note, some YouTubers also have opening lines that welcome the audience to every video. Whether it’s “What up, everyone?! It’s your girl Superwoman” or “Top o’ the mornin’ to ya, laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye…”, these welcome lines further draw the audience’s attention and drive home the brand.
Some YouTubers also have common phrases that are just as much a part of the creator’s brand as their logo. These catch phrases often appear in a large number of the creator’s videos and could be heard multiple times. Some examples of this include Smosh’s “Shut up!” which is yelled during the intro or PewDiePie’s signature “brofist.”
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is just ending your video without an outro (that includes a call to action.) You should consider creating a sign-off as a way to end videos. Some examples of this include Good Mythical Morning’s “Thank you for being your mythical best” or Markiplier’s “See you in the next video. Bye-bye!” Most YouTubers use their sign-off as a way to thank the viewer for watching, invite them back to the next video, and give them a call-to-action.
These call-to-actions typically involve the audience being told to like the video, comment on the video, follow the creator on social media, and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Call-to-actions are very important and should be at the end of every video.
The most important thing you should remember about forming these phrases or sayings is not to force them. They should come naturally and feel comfortable to you. If you’re worried about your welcome or sign-off, try practicing it in front of friends or family to get some input before you say them in your videos.
It isn’t necessary to have all of these elements present in every video, but if you can learn anything from these popular channels, it’s that having an intro, welcome, sign-off, logo, and call-to-action doesn’t hurt.
When you complete the filming and editing process for a video, you should begin thinking about your description, title, and tags. For these, you also need to keep your brand in mind. Most YouTubers have a consistent style and word their videos in a specific way. There is no right or wrong way to title videos, but proper spelling and grammar are important. Some YouTubers make their titles in all caps, while others simply capitalize the first letter of words. How you style this is up to you, but be sure that it fits your brand and you are comfortable with whatever you choose.
Descriptions are usually used for plugging and linking all your other social media, websites, or projects that you want your audience to know about. For the most part, they are worded similarly or near identically for each video aside from the small blurb at the beginning related to the current video.
Although they are not seen, tags are just as important if not more important than descriptions or titles. The better your tags are, the more likely it is your video will be seen. Remember to make your tags relevant to the video and its content. Also, keep your most important tags toward the beginning. YouTube provides the option to have default tags and descriptions that will appear for each video, so consider this to maintain consistency.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know all about branding your channel, here are some quick pointers to make sure your channel is a success:
Write a script for each video. This will help you stay on track and say what you want to.
Create a storyboard. This will allow you to plan out how the video will look visually and help save time later on with revisions.
Create a channel trailer to leave a good impression on viewers and encourage them to subscribe.
Consider creating a custom thumbnail to entice viewers once your video is done and ready to be uploaded. Make sure it follows your brand though.
Add royalty free music to your videos to get rid of any possible silences and add to the tone.
Being a successful YouTuber is hard work. It requires a lot of patience to maintain an audience and release videos in a timely fashion. Branding is integral to any successful YouTube channel. RendrFX can give you the tools you need to create a professional, stunning intro that’s bound to help your channel grow.
Originally published at — http://www.rendrfx.com/youtube-how-to-make-it-big
Sources:
https://fortunelords.com/youtube-statistics/
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/youtube-statistics/
https://creatoracademy.youtube.com/page/lesson/brand-identity#yt-creators-strategies-10
https://www.shoutmeloud.com/get-youtube-subscribers.html
https://socialblade.com/youtube/top/100/mostsubscribed | https://medium.com/rendrfx/how-to-make-it-big-on-youtube-f55a0a75d4c | ['Peter Schroeder'] | 2017-05-17 14:39:39.809000+00:00 | ['Videos', 'Social Media', 'YouTube', 'Digital Marketing', 'Social Media Marketing'] |
What I Learned From Completing the MIT xPro Data Science Course | What I Learned From Completing the MIT xPro Data Science Course
The personal, professional, and learning platforms
Screenshot by Author
I am so happy I did this.
99/100, in the MIT xPro Data Science and Big Data Analytics online course, after 121 hours of work in the last few weeks.
Some say, it’s good to practice retrieval as part of the human learning process. So let me summarise. What have I learned?
Here is a 3-part article series about it:
The personal insights, on taking up a challenge and a new learning project; The professional insights, on data science and machine learning; and The modern way of learning, on virtual learning platforms, comparing MIT xPro vs popular alternatives like Udemy.
In short, my gut feeling says:
In the new world of technologies and machines, it is just as important, that I keep the dancing, keep the yoga, and take the time to walk away from the screen!
Hope you find the lessons shared here useful for your own learning journey. | https://medium.com/the-innovation/what-i-learned-from-completing-the-mit-xpro-data-science-course-314314fe558c | ['Nicole Liu'] | 2020-07-03 07:01:51.476000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Lifelong Learning', 'Data Science'] |
Released: c-lightning 0.8.0 | Released: c-lightning 0.8.0
By Christian Decker
The c-lightning team is pleased to announce the release of c-lightning v0.8.0. This release is the culmination of ten months of work since our last release, by 16 contributors from all over the world and comprising 305 commits.
Some of the biggest changes coming with this release:
Bitcoin mainnet first
Multi-part payments support
Extending plugin capabilities
Details of these updates are provided below.
Bitcoin Mainnet First
When we first released c-lightning we made the Bitcoin testnet the default network, due to the experimental nature of both the protocol and the implementations. After almost two years of experience on both testnet and mainnet, it is now time to fully embrace being #reckless, and make Bitcoin mainnet the default network. Starting with v0.8.0, any newly started node will run on mainnet unless you specify the --network in the command line or the configuration file.
In parallel to the change in default network, we are also taking the opportunity to better structure the data directory layout: if you ever tried to start a node with a different network you might have come across a warning about mismatching networks. This is because the data that a node stores is network-specific, and nodes on different networks need to have different data directories:
Wallet blockchain hash does not match network blockchain hash
The data directory is now split into network-specific subdirectories that isolate nodes on different networks from each other, without the need to specify --lightning-dir when starting the nodes. As part of this, lightningd will create the network subdirectory and move any existing data and configurations into that subdirectory.
Multi-Part Payments Supported
The user experience of Lightning clients is a topic that is brought up often, and we are working actively on improving the status quo, together with the teams working on other Lightning implementations. Our goal is to make using Lightning as easy as using an on-chain wallet. To reach this goal, the Lightning community is concentrating on two core improvements:
Multi-part payments allow a Lightning node to bundle the capacity in all its channels when making a payment, making larger payments than any individual channel on its own would allow.
allow a Lightning node to bundle the capacity in all its channels when making a payment, making larger payments than any individual channel on its own would allow. Splice-in/splice-out minimizes the distinction between on-chain and off-chain funds, allowing on-chain payments to be performed from a channel and removing the need to keep two balances (one for off-chain funds and one for on-chain funds).
Multi-part payments, which we are releasing with v0.8.0, bring us one step closer to this ideal of a unified wallet experience. Sometimes called atomic multi-part payments (AMP), multi-part payments allow the sender to split a payment across an arbitrary number of channels and routes, combining liquidity in all those channels up to the desired amount. This greatly reduces the headache of managing how many channels to open, and how to allocate funds to them, since you can now simply combine them as and when necessary.
Multi-part payments also greatly increase the resilience of the Lightning Network. The capacity of the largest channel used to be the limiting factor when performing payments. As such, users were incentivised to open a single channel, with as many funds as possible, to a node that was as stable as possible. This led to users rating the reliability of nodes before opening a channel with them, since that node would now be their single point of failure, i.e., if that node was down, they couldn’t do much. With multi-part payments, users can now open multiple channels to multiple nodes, while at the same time being sure that the funds will be there when they need it. For the network, this means more connectivity and better resilience against the threat of big nodes suddenly disappearing.
At this point, we would also like to thank our friends at ACINQ who helped us to test this feature. The adoption of multi-part payments by a second independent implementation allowed us to mark this feature as “generally available” instead of an experimental feature.
Extending Plugin Capabilities
Our main goal with c-lightning is to create a Lightning Network implementation that is as flexible and lightweight as possible. This led us to introduce plugins earlier this year: a simple way for developers to extend a node’s functionality without having to leave their favorite development environment.
With 0.8.0 we continue down this path, by extending the capabilities we expose to plugins, and allowing the creation of ever more powerful extensions. In addition to the plugin db_write , htlc_accepted and invoice_payment hooks introduced in the previous releases, this release adds the rpc_command hook that allows a plugin to intercept RPC calls. This can, for example, be used to authenticate, authorize or audit RPC accesses. The htlc_accepted hook has been extended to support modern TLV style payloads, that can be used as a counterpart to sendonion (see below).
On the JSON-RPC side, we continue the work started with the getroute and sendpay , and fundchannel_* methods. Abstract RPC methods are split into multiple steps, allowing plugins to customize how those steps are combined. v0.8.0 introduces createonion and sendonion which split the sendpay command even further and enables the creation of custom routing onions. With these tools, it becomes simple to implement protocol extensions like chat messaging over the Lightning Network. At the same time, it decouples the need for c-lightning to implement many of the more experimental aspects of the protocol, and developers can start experimenting with protocol extensions much easier on their own.
Expect even more changes providing extended access to c-lightning internals in the coming months.
Looking Forward
The Lightning Network has seen a lot of growth during the past year with many things happening under the hood that may not always be visible to the casual observer. This infrastructure work has established a solid foundation on which the community can continue to build on top of. And so, while 2019 was an exciting year with many advances and amazing community growth, we look forward to an even better 2020.
The c-lightning team will be there with you, providing the best platform possible for all the applications and use-cases the community can come up with. 😉 | https://medium.com/blockstream/released-c-lightning-0-8-0-88556f5f964e | [] | 2019-12-18 20:04:34.773000+00:00 | ['C Lightning', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Lightning Network'] |
The First Signs of Alcoholic Liver Damage Are Not in the Liver | The First Signs of Alcoholic Liver Damage Are Not in the Liver
Myfather died of alcoholic liver cirrhosis four years ago. It came as a surprise to all of us, even though it was clear he had a severe drinking problem for decades. It was especially surprising to me, as a former nurse and a recovering alcoholic. You would think I’d know more about liver problems and alcohol use than the average person. But the truth is, in the months before his death, I had no idea my father’s liver was struggling at all. Most people know about cirrhosis, but few people know how a liver goes from early damage to end-stage liver cirrhosis.
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The combination of my father’s death and my personal background lit a fire in me to know more. He was admitted to the hospital on June 24, 2016, and he died on July 18. Only 24 days passed between the first sign there was a problem and his subsequent death.
Now, hearing that he was in end-stage cirrhosis didn’t surprise me, given his heavy drinking. What did surprise me was that he’d visited several doctors and specialists in the months before his death, and no one knew his liver was struggling either.
So what happened? Does end-stage liver cirrhosis really sneak up that fast? Were there other signs that would have alerted someone to his failing liver?
As for why the doctors and specialists didn’t know what was happening, that mystery resolved reasonably quickly. The plain truth is that alcoholics rarely divulge the amount and frequency of their drinking to their doctors. This was the case for my dad. He had many health issues that he was trying to solve, but he protected his drinking habit fiercely. So he refused to spill the beans, even when it mattered.
The problem is that liver damage has numerous multifaceted symptoms that are confusing and associated with many other illnesses. Unless a doctor knows that the patient is an alcoholic, they may not know how to interpret what’s happening until it’s too late.
As he was dying, my father told me that he didn’t think to tell the doctors how much he was drinking. He said it was as if he blanked out and “forgot” to mention it. As crazy as that sounds, this strange “forgetting” is a common part of the alcoholic mindset. It may also be due to the metabolic and physical changes of cirrhosis itself.
There are many signs of liver problems, but oddly, none seem to point to the liver at first. And in fact, many of the first signs of liver damage occur in other parts of the body. Knowing these signs may help educate alcoholics and their families if they want to understand their risk of developing liver cirrhosis.
Liver damage has numerous multifaceted symptoms that are confusing and associated with many other illnesses. Unless a doctor knows that the patient is an alcoholic, they may not know how to interpret what’s happening until it’s too late.
Digestive signs
The liver plays a huge part in our digestive process. It filters out all toxins from food as well as helping to break down fats and glucose.
When a liver starts to slow down due to significant damage, it will reduce its digestive work. Instead, it will divert its energy toward vital functions like metabolizing medications and filtering toxins.
This means that symptoms like bloating, nausea, vomiting, gas, and diarrhea will start to increase. Over time, eating becomes more challenging. In the later stages of liver cirrhosis, toxins that can’t be filtered out begin to build in the bloodstream, which causes more nausea.
Cognitive signs
Although confusion and brain fog happen in end-stage liver cirrhosis, they can also be early signs.
The liver is responsible for filtering dangerous substances in the blood. It also helps regulate hormones, blood glucose, and vitamin absorption. In the early stages of liver damage, these processes can be interrupted. Inevitably, this affects our brain and nervous system.
This means that early liver problems can make you feel tired, confused, slow, and foggy. You may have some memory issues as well.
Neuromuscular signs
The liver stores vitamins required for the functioning of many organs and systems in the body — one of them is vitamin B1 or thiamine. A deficiency in this particular vitamin has been documented in many alcoholics with or without liver damage.
Unfortunately, alcohol inhibits the absorption of thiamine in the intestine. Over time, as the liver becomes damaged, it can no longer store thiamine in enough quantities. Thiamine deficiency is responsible for many neurological issues in people with alcoholism.
Symptoms of thiamine deficiency range from mild to severe and include things like: confusion, mental fog, lack of balance, pain and numbness in hands and feet, muscle weakness, rapid heart rate, digestive problems, flushing, and involuntary eye movements.
Thiamine deficiency happens in almost every alcoholic who consumes frequent and large amounts of alcohol. And if thiamine deficiency due to alcoholism is discovered, you can be sure the liver is suffering damage at the same time.
Many of the first signs of liver damage occur in other parts of the body.
Vascular signs
All alcohol consumption can lead to blood vessel dilation, causing flushing in the face and hands. Over time, this can cause damage leading to permanent redness in the face. Although many alcoholics have rosacea or spider-like veins on their faces, this is often benign.
However, spider angiomas are different from rosacea or spiderlike veins. They’re circular and have a central point called a spider nevus that is darker than the rest of the lesion. Spider angiomas are a sign of liver disease and can be present in the early stages. They often progress to more extensive and more numerous lesions.
Spider angiomas are caused by increased estrogen levels in the blood. When the liver becomes damaged, it can’t properly metabolize estrogens, which causes them to build up in the body.
Many women who are pregnant or taking birth control pills may have a few spider angiomas. However, in alcoholic liver disease, these lesions are often more frequent and accompanied by red palms and varicose veins in the esophagus.
These are a few of the main signs of alcoholic liver damage that happen outside of the liver. It’s important to know this because most of us have no idea how the liver functions and how it communicates distress.
The liver itself doesn’t show signs like pain or swelling in the early stages of liver damage. This contrasts with other organs like the heart or stomach, where any damage will emit pain or symptoms directly from these organs.
What happens with liver damage is that its many diverse functions become interrupted, causing symptoms in other parts of the body. This may explain why most people never think they have a problem with their liver.
Unfortunately, patients with alcoholism are rarely educated about these issues. This is because they often don’t reveal their drinking, to begin with. And even if they do, the symptoms are widespread and complex, which makes patient education challenging.
My goal in writing articles like this is to help educate regular people about alcoholic liver disease to understand their health and make better decisions.
It’s hard to say if my father would have changed his drinking habits if he knew more about his vague and complicated symptoms. But I think having proper education would have certainly helped him understand his risks and health problems better. | https://medium.com/@rohitsharma63835/the-first-signs-of-alcoholic-liver-damage-are-not-in-the-liver-7fc46fd4bfb2 | ['Rohit Sharma'] | 2020-12-14 22:53:00.452000+00:00 | ['Addiction', 'Body', 'Alcohol', 'Mental Health', 'Health'] |
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