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Moments | Get this newsletter By signing up, you will create a Medium account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
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Medium sent you an email at to complete your subscription. | https://medium.com/chalkboard/moments-7cbd24e26ae7 | ['Dana Sanford'] | 2020-12-17 00:41:29.498000+00:00 | ['One Line', 'Poetry', 'Chalkboard Espresso', 'Dana Sanford', 'Time'] |
“Open Communities Work” to turn an empty workspace into a new business opportunity | Background of thinking
One of the purposes of operating the coworking space Morioka was “development of a coworking space system that can be operated even in small regions”.
At first, I was wondering how to make a profit only from the coworking space, but in local coworking spaces such as Tottori and Yamagata, while investing side businesses and taxes separately from the coworking space. Since most of the owners are operating it, I decided to conclude over four years that the operation of coworking spaces, including side businesses, is indispensable in local areas (I want to pray it will never be the case). After that, I decided to restart and operate Coworking Space Morioka based on the repair fee while taking on the work of repairing the personal computer every week, making use of my previous experience as a part-time job.
As a result, although it is operated as a coworking space, it has become virtually a “PC repair shop and coworking space”. However, I knew these facts — in the past, a Nanbu Tekki（traditionally made ironware mainly in Morioka city) craftsman in Morioka City wrote on facebook whether a coworking space with a factory could be done, and there is a coworking space in Aizu Wakamatsu City that also serves as an iPhone repair, aiming for new innovation. An example of a coworking space “Yahoo! LODGE” created for the purpose, the word “living open ( Hataraki-Hiraki )” that opens the living room to the general public like a public hall and holds various events and workshops as a new concept of public space. Of course, a work style in which people with different occupations and circumstances gather in one space, communicate with each other, work happily, exchange new knowledge and business ideas, and achieve results. Since I knew “coworking”. So I came to think that “Open communities Work” and “Open Work Space” could be defined as one genealogy / development of coworking workspace.
・ Based on this idea, if the number of people who open and operate a “Open workspace” apart from their main business increases, I think that they can play the roles listed below.
・ The role of FabLabs, coworking spaces, public halls, shared offices, and rental shops in areas with a population of 1,000
・ Event space that can attract about 2 to 30 people
・ The role of public halls opened by shops and companies in areas without public halls. Moreover, the role as a permanent shop or company office / branch office that cannot be done at a public hall
・ A base for interaction between employees within the company and local residents, or users from other municipalities or outside the prefecture. If it can be linked with worcation, it will be evaluated as a unique workspace space where you can experience Japanese labor, culture and life together.
・ New products and services As a place where new knowledge can be developed, monitored at the time of introduction, and trial use, the role of the entrance in the area when trying it. | https://medium.com/@kazuyukikawamura/open-communities-work-to-turn-an-empty-workspace-into-a-new-business-opportunity-302700c22a4b | ['Kazuyuki Kawamura'] | 2021-12-07 05:55:24.259000+00:00 | ['Coworking', 'Office', 'Empty Space', 'Workstyle', 'Workspace'] |
GridPlus’ GRID Token Now Available on Loopring Exchange | This combination makes complicated blockchain use cases easy for those without extensive technical expertise. For example, GridPlus is preparing for development of a push-button eth2 validator deployment, which will be managed on the Lattice’s secure screen. The Lattice1 will create a network of secure uniform hardware that developers can put to use for any application requiring automated programmable signing.
The first such use case, which inspired the entire project, is GridPlus Energy — GridPlus’ subsidiary Texas retail energy provider which is live today and has approximately 4,000 customers. Today GridPlus Energy lets customers use crypto for access to wholesale pricing, but the long-term goal is for customers to leverage additional savings and functionality by having a Lattice1 in their home.
Finally, to support the transaction volume the energy business may require in the future, GridPlus developed the Phonon Network specification, a hardware enforced off-chain payment system that allows users of the hardware to send fast, free, privacy-preserving payments directly between Lattice1s.
About the GRID Token
The token’s primary use is to give customers the right to 500kWh of energy at wholesale pricing without markup. Right now customers deposit GRID which is applied to their bills automatically as they consume energy. The value varies according to both their rates and the price of energy on the open market.
Customers can pay their bills using traditional methods but GridPlus also accept ETH, DAI, BTC, and GRID. If customers opt to pay with GRID, they’ll realize additional savings compared to the current price of GRID.
Once tokens are redeemed they’re removed from circulation permanently.
GRID will also be directly redeemable at launch for a discount on the Lattice1.
Once the hardware ships GridPlus hopes to use GRID to support a broad ecosystem of applications made possible by the hardware. In particular, GridPlus will put Phonon into the public domain and are exploring the use of GRID to govern all of the systems parameters and fee revenue via a DAO.
Using GRID on Loopring
GridPlus is continually looking for ways to remove hurdles for customers to be able to use their GRID, and so is planning to integrate GRID redemptions via Loopring Pay so that customers who purchase GRID on the exchange don’t need to incur further costs withdrawing to the base chain when they wish to redeem for energy or Lattice1. Stay posted on this.
GridPlus is excited about its customers being able to use Loopring to acquire GRID to redeem without being subject to the high transaction fees experienced on other Ethereum DEXs at the moment. So once again, to encourage users to personally experience the speed and ease of Loopring, GridPlus is offering 10 GRID to each new user that signs up via this link, or just use code “GRID”. Enjoy life in the fast lane. | https://medium.com/loopring-protocol/gridplus-grid-token-now-available-on-loopring-exchange-e3ca7c4cd206 | ['Matthew Finestone'] | 2020-07-23 18:05:47.758000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'Loopring', 'Zkrollup', 'Decentralized Exchange', 'Grid'] |
Overheard Lines From The Annual National Cargo Shorts Association (NCSA) Meeting | Overheard Lines From The Annual National Cargo Shorts Association (NCSA) Meeting
The members reserved their right to attend the nearly canceled 2020 event in Nashville, despite Gary’s obvious flu-like symptoms
“Owning a pair of multi-pocketed shorts is our legal right, and they want to take that away from us!”
“Cargos are just so versatile!”
“The Far-Left would have all the Old Navys closed down if they had their way!”
“These Buzzy-Feeds and whatnot, they want us to give up the extra pockets! Well, I say NO!”
“Where else am I supposed to put my meds, my wallet, my phone, and my reading glasses for when I look at the print newspaper that I am single-handedly keeping afloat, by the way!”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our Skechers?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our khakis?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our Boston Red Sox hats?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our fluorescent Under Armor polo shirts?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our Oakleys?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our 2012 silver Toyota RAV4s?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our blonde wives?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our NFL Sunday Tickets?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our kids’ boring soccer games?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our golf clubs?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our over-watered lawns?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our intelligent, child-friendly dog breeds?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our imported Kobe beef?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our Bud Light Radlers?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our annual trips to South Beach?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our sexually suggestive wall posts to teenage girls on Facebook?”
“And these teenagers these days, they don’t even use Facebook anymore!”
“Well, I guess THEY already got around to taking that one away, the cucks!”
“You could try Instagram?! My daughter just set one up for me!”
“Thanks, Gary, I’ll keep that in mind!”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our bi-annual big game hunting trips to South Africa?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our authentic Rhodesian Army Selous Scouts badges?”
“What’s next, they’re going to try and take away our ancestors’ moral right to the very land they conquered fair and square when Chris Columbus landed on Plymouth Rock in 1492?”
“They can pry these damn shorts off my cold, dead crotch!” | https://medium.com/slackjaw/overheard-lines-from-the-annual-national-cargo-shorts-association-ncsa-meeting-9f4eb9bc5a0c | ['Tavis Putnam'] | 2020-09-22 14:46:03.532000+00:00 | ['Cargo Shorts', 'Humor', 'Meetings', 'America', 'Satire'] |
Sleeping Sound in Seattle: How to Become a Top Earner on Airbnb? | Does it help to be an Airbnb Superhost?
You might be thinking — what exactly is a Superhost, and how do you become one? A Superhost is essentially an experienced host on Airbnb, where they provide extraordinary experiences for their guests and provide a shining example to other hosts.
How important is this status to potential guests?
Looking at the figures above, it appears that Superhost status has little effect on the listing price of the property. Albeit, Superhosts had a slightly higher average listing price compared to those hosts with non Superhost status.
However, when looking at the future availability of the listings differences between Superhost and non-Superhost hosts begin to appear. Where non-Superhosts are much more likely to have future availability of 300 days or more.
One reason for this could be because new users will be classified as non-Superhosts, where they haven't had the chance to accept bookings for their properties resulting in large future availability.
However, Superhosts are more likely to have listings with availability ranging from 75–250 days. This could show that its beneficial to have Superhost status, but it's not particularly conclusive as for the very popular listings, with the availability of 50 days or less, it's more likely that they do not have Superhost status. | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/sleeping-sound-in-seattle-5845d551e93e | ['John Abel'] | 2020-12-14 16:16:30.385000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Kaggle', 'Data Science'] |
At Least My Mother Was There | It the blessing of human beings that we look for the good in every situation and it is a curse that we do not allow ourselves to acknowledge suffering in its fullness. I grew up thinking I had to gain something from my trauma but I was never taught how to navigate handling what I felt I had lost.
When I was sixteen, I almost died. On Christmas day in 2014 my family and I celebrated my pulmonary valve replacement as the supposed finish line after a lifetime of cardiac complications. Nearly three months later, I caught a fever. I figured it was just the flu and I would be healed by the next week’s chemistry test.
March began and my temperature marked 106 degrees Fahrenheit. “This is a terrible flu,” I thought as I felt my muscles cease to function under my duvet cover. They overheated. My throat muscles contracted and released as I tried to swallow. I tested my vocal chords and called for my mom.
“Mom,” I whispered. I tried again.
“Mommy,” I wheezed.
She strode into the room and tears of relief pooled along my lashes.
“I can’t move, Mama. I need a cold water bath.”
Death via illness reverses life in a very literal way. The closer it gets, the more we revert back to our infantile selves. We need help getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, bathing, eating, speaking, and it is death’s cruelest trick to force your own parent into witnessing the rewinding of their child’s life.
My mother is stronger than she looks. She is two inches shorter than me but she bore my weight and staggered me into the bathroom, like a baby beginning to walk. She stripped me from my clothes — “Raise your arms above your head. A little higher.” — and placed me on the toilet, as though I were a toddler during potty training. I looked down at my blistering red skin as if I were a child that had gone outside in summer heat without sunscreen. The thermometer in my mouth beeped and my mother gasped at the number.
I was a naked babe having bath time with my mother in the dead of night. I was a child crying myself to sleep in her arms. She cooed and wiped my tears and I felt small again.
I was a teenage infant of death telling my mother her worst fears: “I almost died, Mama. I felt it. I felt what death feels like. If I closed my eyes too long, I wouldn’t have woken up.”
After ten days of constant fever, it was clear that I didn’t have the flu. With a room overlooking San Francisco bay, I called UCSF Children’s Hospital my home for almost three weeks. Every day, teams of doctors would cycle through my room, running tests, taking blood — I lost so much, and I was already anemic — poking and prodding, and asking where it hurt. “Maybe it’s salmonella,” they said. But they had already run the test for salmonella and it came back negative. So did the test for mono, and the flu, and every S.T.I my virgin blood could carry. I threw up every meal, slept as much as a newborn, and had nightly hallucinations of a reaper standing in the corner of my room calling my name.
On day twenty-six they wedged a camera down my esophagus and found bacteria growing on my brand new heart valve. Two days full of antibiotics later, the fever finally broke — it lasted twenty-eight days. I had to be wheeled out of the hospital at the beginning of April with a portable IV strapped to my bicep, sticking out of my vein.
By the time it was all over, I missed two chemistry tests.
I referred to it as a “religious experience” to give my handshake with death some meaning, but that’s not what it was. My mom didn’t nearly lose her daughter to a “religious experience,” and I didn’t miss half a semester of school to meet Jesus, and my friends didn’t visit me in the ICU to see my spiritual growth. If I had died, that’s all it would have been — a death, premature and gradual.
To be fair, I did gain something from the experience. My perspective had completely shifted. I had previously been a moody teen, glued to my phonescreen like a moth to a lamp. When I returned home, I realized how we underestimate death in our youth and fail to appreciate life in the present. I was suddenly filled with love every second I spent with family and friends, focused solely on what was unfolding in that moment. It was impossible to take anything for granted because everything was nearly taken away from me. I was overflowing with compassion for other people’s tragic situations after watching my mother live through her daughter’s second near-death experience — the first being when I was born with a hole in my heart.
But I lost just as much as I gained. I had lost my autonomy. Every time the nurses asked to press into my stomach and check for pain, their request was merely rhetorical. I never had a choice of saying yes or no. My mother ushered me into the bathroom to wipe me down with sanitary wipes when I was too weak to walk to the shower down the hall and I was not allowed the privacy of bathing myself. I was violently stripped of the blissful ignorance I lived in where death seemed like a distant concept and not an inevitable, present possibility. After years of chronic pain, my failing heart secured a severe lack of trust in my own body, never knowing when the pain would come or go. I was full of anxiety and depression and no one challenged me to examine my experience for any other purpose than to find what I could have gained.
With my body healed, my parents, friends, and teachers expected me to bounce back to my straight-A, bright-eyed self right away. But I lived in death for the span of a month, measured only by how much life I had missed. When I was admitted, the trees did not have leaves and it rained during swim practice. The day I returned home was sunny and cloudless. The petunias and roses in the front yard were in full bloom.
I felt time had frozen on that first cold February evening as the calendar kept alerting me that I was late to re-entering life, or worse that I was living past my due date, a personification of every March assignment piling in my backpack.
I didn’t feel suited for life anymore — at least, not the life I had been living. My friends talked about mundane topics of drama, celebrities, the latest social media, giving more eye contact to their phones than to their friend who had returned from the brink of death. People shifted uncomfortably when I mentioned my month in the hospital, so I turned my horror into humor, joking about the reaper hallucinations and the idiosyncrasies of my nurses. I buried my trauma in a shallow grave of dark humor, but the weeds of frustration and bitterness over my loss being brushed aside festered for years.
The perception of suffering is divided between being an honor for the wisdom gained from it or only a terrible tragedy, but it’s neither. It is simply a part of life and we determine what becomes of our suffering, but to ignore it is not an option. When I failed to recover fully from my encounter with death, I felt I shattered the communion I had valued between suffering and honor for feeling the pain after it had passed.
Sometimes, my legs feel weightless — I have low blood circulation below my waist — and I remember the feeling of being too weak to walk down the hospital corridor. When I am nauseously sick, I can calculate the angle I need to tilt my head to avoid vomit coming out my nose because for a month I was unable to keep food down. In moments of breathlessness, I am taken back to when my breath rattled against the nubbins of oxygen flowing in through my nostrils.
I was told that trauma and pain were something I could use to my benefit — and I’m not just talking about creating inspiration porn for my college essays. It was supposed to make me a better person as long as I handled it in a socially acceptable way, something I could use to help others. Never mind helping myself heal and cope with the trauma of walking death’s tightrope at sixteen years old. I had to learn on my own that it was not a tool with which I could learn to dig through life. It was two blank chemistry tests I was handed and told to take when I hadn’t studied. I filled them out and moved on. Sometimes I remember the test questions, and I tell myself it’s okay that I still don’t know the answers. | https://medium.com/@brianna.l.clark/at-least-my-mother-was-there-4248be96ec9e | ['Brianna L Clark'] | 2021-08-25 03:38:33.289000+00:00 | ['Trauma', 'Mwc Reentry', 'Mothers', 'Hospital', 'MWC'] |
null | I am a product builder who specializes in programming. Strongly believe in humanist.
Follow | https://medium.com/chris-dialogue/%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%86-805914243563 | [] | 2019-03-08 02:38:09.578000+00:00 | ['Life'] |
Automating photogrammetry with a one-click tool | Automating photogrammetry with a one-click tool
A rundown of how we developed a fully automated photogrammetry tool that lets us turn high-res scan data into finished in-game assets with the click of a button. Darko Pracic Follow Dec 22, 2020 · 4 min read
A while ago, we posted a series of articles describing why and how we work with photogrammetry at Embark. Rather than sculpting and painting assets from scratch, we find that processing photogrammetry can be many times faster and yield much better and more realistic results if done the right way.
But as popular as it has become, photogrammetry is still a recent addition to our toolbox. That also means it has plenty of development potential.
Over the past year, we’ve been effectively using our in house tool, made in Houdini, that automates the steps from high-resolution scan data to finished in-game assets.
Before getting into the detail on what it does and how it works, let’s rewind the tape and consider how photogrammetry is usually done.
With a conventional photogrammetry workflow, the turnaround time for a simple rock is a couple of days. For any biome, you typically narrow the asset list for a specific biome to 3–4 rocks, 3–5 large boulders, and 2–3 bigger cliff assets.
A traditional photogrammetry workflow
In a perfect world, you would finish a biome in a few weeks. But, as we know, we don’t live in a perfect world, and you’re likely to encounter obstacles along the way.
The artist in you would also love more time to explore, try different things, play around with what you’re creating, and regret decisions made earlier in the process. But we know that the time for that, in the middle of a production, rarely exists. In most cases, the process of creating a final game asset allows for ONE try. At least until now.
At Embark, we’d like to get to a point where 3D artists can work in a similar way as our concept artists — cutting, adding, and remixing things on the fly until we’re satisfied with the result.
And this isn’t just a matter of time and cost. It’s just as much about creativity and happiness. For many, becoming a game artist is a dream job, one you spent thousands of hours of practice to arrive at. It would be a shame if most of the work centered around LODs, collisions and UV maps, rather than creating art.
Example of the finished scan process
And that’s where our “one-click-photogrammetry” tool for Houdini comes in. It automates most of the steps in the photogrammetry workflow, and with a click of a button, the tool:
1. Reads in photogrammetry data from Reads in photogrammetry data from Reality Capture 2. Cleans up the geometry from tangles and non-manifold geometry that won’t handle reduction well 3. Reduces the geometry with good curvature retention 4. Automatically unwraps UVs with minimal distortion, no overlaps and a sensible UV shell count 5. Bakes all the needed textures 6. Packs textures for our Packs textures for our Unreal materials 7. Exports packed textures and Exports packed textures and FBX to our game project structure 8. Imports and sets up the asset in Unreal
Developing this tool wasn’t straight forward. We encountered a number of issues that we had to deal with, especially with regards to how to clean up geometry, reduce it with good curvature retention, as well as how to unwrap UVs with minimal distortion. We’ve detailed some of these hurdles and how we went about solving them in the video below.
Here are a few examples of the main hurdles we had to overcome as we set out to automate our photogrammetry workflow.
This tool of ours has greatly increased the speed of our photogrammetry production, which is a huge win in itself. An even bigger win has been the way our artists make use of it in their day-to-day work — revising content, reprocessing assets, or quickly create new assets that fit their needs better.
Current Process — a 15-minute fully automated workflow
Automation is definitely not killing our artists' creativity. It is giving us a chance to put even more love and polish into our environments, instead of having to accept what’s already done and move on for lack of time. And this is just one example of how we’re changing the way we go about building games at our studio. We can’t wait to show you more! | https://medium.com/embarkstudios/one-click-photogrammetry-17e24f63f4f4 | ['Darko Pracic'] | 2020-12-22 14:54:50.475000+00:00 | ['Photogrammetry', 'Content', 'Tools', 'Houdini', 'Game Development'] |
Find Your Fit | Coaches Council Podcast Episode 43 | No BS Hiring Advice | Most of us are familiar with bad job interviews. The interviewer asks all of the typical questions, the potential employee uses all of the “correct” answers, and both parties have wasted 30 minutes of their lives. As an employer, this is dangerous because you may end up hiring someone that turns out to be a terrible fit in your company, and as an employee, you may find yourself being employed in a position that you hate.
This week, we’re joined by Executive Coach, and former Headhunter, Jeff Altman. Through his coaching practice, The Big Game Hunter, Inc.” and podcast, “No B.S. Job Search Advice Radio”, Jeff helps Executives in the job hiring process.
We talk about the detrimental side effects of a poor job interview, what to look for in a candidate, and Jeff shares some of his favorite questions to ask potential employees.
3:56 Jeff talks about how he got into the head hunter game
5:50 Jeff goes through the top things he teaches his clients when they’re in the hiring process. The biggest thing being, how to truly assess potential employees.
12:29 Job descriptions are ~80% accurate. It’s important to understand exactly what you, as the employer, are looking for. He also shares the first question that he asks potential employees — a question that will immediately weed out the unqualified.
19:56 As a leader, you need to inspire, not motivate.
23:37 Jeff talks through his process of hiring. From the beginning steps of searching based on skills, all the way to the job offer.
27:45 Jeff reveals more of the questions he would ask during interviews.
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 2000 episodes, and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.
If you have a quick question for me, you can get it answered with a 3–5 minute video. Want to do it live?
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Please click here to see my schedule to book a free discovery call or schedule time for coaching.
Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.
Join the Career Angles group. | https://medium.com/@jeffaltmancoach/find-your-fit-coaches-council-podcast-episode-43-no-bs-hiring-advice-aedc82d8dd79 | ['Jeff Altman'] | 2020-12-22 10:24:25.164000+00:00 | ['Interviewing', 'Career Angles', 'Hiring', 'Management', 'Hiring Tips'] |
Intro to Machine Learning🖥️ & Azure Notebooks📑 | Let’s us now start with coding 😍.
Step 1: If you remember, our first step is to collect the data & visualize. So, let’s execute the below command to collect data, flightdata.csv.
Now with the help of pandas library, we will try to read the data in the dataset & explore by storing as a dataframe, 2D data array.
The raw data that is not preprocessed/cleaned is as useless as waste in a bin.
Step 2: We will now try to clean the data & prepare it for training.
#1. It’s good to know and remove missing values.
Here, the 4th code line checks for null/missing values, while 5th code line tells the total number of missing/null values per column.
Interestingly, you may observe that “Unnamed: 25 column” has all it’s data missing, that is because it previously had commas which were omitted. This resulted in missing values.
So, we will delete/drop that particular column.
Step 3: We now select only desired columns which we feel have some impact on prediction.
We can see that only one column has missing values, so we reduced our burden 😀.
What actually is there in the column, ARR_DEL15? Let us check.
#2. Oh, NaN! It means “Not a Number”. But, how to resolve that🤔. Will replace with “1” if there is delay, else “0”.
Still there are two more problems. Which are they? Airport IDs(letters), and Departure time(huge numbers).
#3. So, we will bin or quantize the Departure time column by dividing entire column by 100.
What to do with Airport IDs? #4. We will replace with “dummies/dummy” variables as “1” if the flight originated/departed from that particular airport, else “0”.
Huh, done with data part🥳.
What’s next?
Step 4: Till now we have prepared the data, but not selected the features used for training(x) and the feature to be predicted(y). We will do this now. Also, to train any model and avoid overfitting(100% accuracy only over the training dataset), we will be splitting the dataset into two parts viz., training data & testing data.
You may observe that we dropped the data column to be predicted from training data and included as label/to be predicted.
Step 5: Now it’s time to select/build the model. We will be using sklearn library, which has inbuilt callable functions for classic ML algorithms such as Linear Regression, Logistics Regression, Random Forests, KNN, Decision Trees, etc... In our case here, we will be using Random Forests Classifier.
Step 6: We then train the model by calling fit function.
Need not worry, if arguments wonder you. Because they are by default, you should bother if you would like to change any of them.
Step 7: Let’s score & evaluate our model over test data.
You may observe that we used different metrics to evaluate model performance viz., accuracy, precision, recall, ROC AUC, confusion matrix. Refer here for more details about the metrics.
We will also plot ROC curve for better understanding. For this we make use of matplotlib & seaborn libraries, and use roc_curve function from metrics in sklearn.
Step 8: Tune Hyperparameters i.e., arguments of the function, RandomForestClassifier which we saw earlier for better model performance.
Step 9: To deploy a working model, either we need to pack it as an API or define as a callable function. We will define the whole model as callable function, predict_delay which takes departure date & time, origin airport id and destination airport id as inputs and gives the probability of one-time arrival of the flight.
Let’s test the function.
Hurrah! It works cool🥳. | https://medium.com/@_vp/intro-to-machine-learning-%EF%B8%8F-azure-notebooks-23d3b2625ca9 | ['Vijayakumar Pattanashetti'] | 2020-06-18 08:45:22.948000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Supervised Learning', 'Machine Learning', 'Microsoft Azure', 'Sklearn'] |
Building the next Main Street “Crypto-conomy”- Cryptonomics 202 | “Kript-o-kon-o-mee” — A Main Street Economy powered by multiple distributed public ledgers and multiple cryptocurrencies, where each DLT is operating as a transparent & fair inter-connected set of Distributed Autonomous Organizations using mutually agreed “Proof of” schemes to validate transactions between multiple parties and DAOs, where each DAO currency is operating a currency which truly is a trusted store of value.
What is this anyway? It’s certainly not free trade…
I dream about the next Cryptoconomy, a lot. It’s a place I envision where “Fair & Free Market Forces reign among inter connected playing fields of business, a playing field anyone, of any means, can join and realize their own dreams, operating their own business, transacting safely between other businesses in order to acquire the quality of life they envision for themselves and their family.
Aside from my own personal excitement and the fact my brain is almost 100% occupied, racing at high rpm iteratively, looking to create, invent, figure out, in practical terms, how the next Cryptoconomy a can be realized, I also find myself dreaming in a positive way about the world’s prospects for the first time in a long time. IMO, never before in human history has the world, a world now primarily powered by the forces of technology and the people behind their technological advances, been so close to being able to remove the usury shackles from 99% of the world’s debt slaves, to be free from the tyranny of those controlling centralized financial systems and the puppet politicians, that is, free to join in to this new Cryptoconomy, and do it at little or not cost.
To me the new Cryptoconomy is a bottom up, “Main Street” affair focused on the creation of real value found in new and innovate products and services.
The new Cryptoconomy has few if any real barriers to entry. You don’t need to be an “Accredited Investor” to invest, today’s privilege of the rich and famous. A Cryptoconomy means anyone can join regardless of their means or standing, they “go their own way” in the Cryptoconomy, make their own choice about the cryptonomic tools they want to use to carve out their own marketing and business niche in the Cryptoconomy which will be powered by new rapidly forming cryptocurrencies with the scalability needed to power a new Cryptonomic reality, enabling anyone with a few computing resources to invest in and earn a decent living, regardless of their age and energy levels and ideas.
What is really exciting about the new coming Cryptoconomy is there are multiple, new competing distributed public ledgers which can actually scale their transactions per second and make it easy to create Smart Contracts “SCs” without the need to be super computer literate, where transactions will be secured easily and quickly, with or without blockchains.
For many, joining the Cryptoconomy will be a simple commitment. By simply making a few of their own local compute, network and/or storage resources available, anyone owning such resources with a decent Internet connection can immediately download their cryptocurrency wallet of their choosing and start earning cryptocurrency rewards, which can be spent directly and/or converted to fiat currencies to acquire the goods and services they need to gain the quality of life they envision for themselves and their family. Nice!
Heady days are about to arrive, no doubt.
OK, now that we truly are at this important tipping point in history, a complete reboot if you like of the world’s financial system,
What‘s the ‘catch’?
Introducing Cryptonomics 202 and the next Cryptoconomy
Awareness and Education are the first few hurdles any good marketeer of a new idea must address and jump over before the the mass public or consumer market is ready to trial, then hopefully adopt a new way of doing anything, let alone pay for it.
In the case of the coming New Cryptoconomy, let’s tackle the first hurdle. Awareness.
There are seven important facts we need to be Aware about the world of crypto today, the current “State of the Union” SOTU if you like, before we can even contemplate getting educated about this new emerging Cryptoconomy…
Much has changed in the cryptocurrency world of “Blockchain”, which is vastly different today from what it was during those heady valuation days of December 17th, 2018, just a little over a year ago.
Let me outline these seven facts about today’s state of crypto currency and distributed ledger technology “DLT” for you below, before you jump into the new emerging world of Cryptonomics 202:
First, ICOs “Initial Coin Offerings” are out, as there are too many regulatory unknowns worldwide and more hurdles every day erected by the “state-ist” governments found around the world looking to control the state (who owns what) and pace of cryptocurrency adoption, so as to “buy time” for those currently in control of the world’s financial system in order for them to manoeuvre existing sources of wealth in fiat currency through and in behind (anonymously) the Venture Capitalist “front men” in order to maintain the status quo of power and control in the world of finance. This is market fact. One only has to look at EOS and their proof of share model to understand what is really going on. Those still friendly to ICOs all have underlying “catches”, so called preferred investor discounts, and share distribution models which prevent the “un-accredited investor”, you and I, from getting the same deal. So do your homework, and please understand the so-called friendly crypto regimes, are in fact controlled remotely by the traditional financial centers around the world, i.e.- Malta is really controlled by the UK and the EU, Singapore is also controlled by the UK, EOS is controlled by NYC investment interests on Wall St., etc…
Second, “PoW” Proof of Work Blockchain-based Mining is out in a conventional Von Neumann sequential “Blockchain” processing sense, where “Proof of Work” operating on centralized GPU and custom ASIC and FPGAs compute muscle is powered by cheap abundant energy sources, now using enough electricity to power 1/10th of the world, all employed to solve “PoW” puzzles in order to keep the “Blockchain” created versions of business transactions enumerated in cryptocurrencies values stored in both distributed (Bitcoin , Ethereum et al) and centralized(Fedcoin?,Ripple) ledgers, public and private, safe. All this is energy is consume “In the name of electronic book-keeping” which cuts out the book keeper and the middlemen (Accountants and Lawyers). Also the transactions per second of PoW Blockchain ledgers are pitiful. less than 20 transactions per second., and any attempt to scale with sidechain and or sharding techniques have been met with defections to create yet another set of blockchains (witness Bitcoin) via a good ole “Hard Fork” of the opensource code, creating yet another “Altcoin”. (some would say “shitcoin” now number in the 2000+ range, many of them still born, and their founders living on the proceeds, sipping on exotic cocktails sunning on a remote beach somewhere, but I digress;) )
Today’s “PoW” Proof of Work Blockchains from leaders like Bitcoin and Ethereum, representing 65% of the crypto market today in Market Value, are huge power sucking aliens, using enough power daily to power several small countries.., much of it burning NG, oil, diesel, nuclear and coal non-renewable fuel sources which pollute the earth. (image dailystar.co.uk)
Third, early “crypto” fans, users and supporters are now starting to realize the current crop of Bitcoin and Ethereum “Blockchains” based on Proof of Work “PoW” can never scale in terms of TPS “Transactions per Second” to become widely adopted as a transaction network or to be used as transaction platforms, yet both together dominate 2/3s of the global crypto market in terms of valuation driven by investor speculation, nothing more, nothing less. Where are the real global transaction networks based on cryptocurrencies? Also where are the energy efficient distributed public ledgers?
Transaction per second “TPS” is everything when it comes to distributed public ledger scalability. “Sharding” that is Zoning of transactions between gateways and adding private 2 public ledger connectivity with “Side Chains” will help in both cases it doesn’t change the fact Blockchain is sequential, and IOTA’s DAG “Direct Acyclic Graph” is massively parallel, able to scale and speed up as more users and transactions are added with much lighter POW (minimal use of power doing puzzle solving) while offering quantum computer hack proof validation of transactions .
Slideshare Presentation on IOTA Scalability
Fourth, A new wave of scalable TPS “Transaction Per Second” distributed public ledgers, some customer variants of Bitcoin’s blockchain, others based on “DAG” Directed Acyclic Graph technology variants, are emerging powered by real use cases and users.
Fifth, STOs “Securitized Token Offerings” are “still born” and make no sense because they pander to the “statists” trying to control cryptocurrency as a source of increased tax revenue to power the status quo of governments around the world, and are the ugly cousin of ICOs.
Sixth, There is a huge lack of real working “transaction networks which can scale and can be easily used by the average person”. To date, only Dash is solving the real world problems of hyper-inflation in South America with their “custom” version of Bitcoin’s Blockchain, and even then, not that well. And this after 10 years of Bitcoin. The reality is the Bitcoin development community is seriously fragmented on multiple fronts while still clinging to their “Bitcoin Maxima-list” agenda of “their can only be one.” Bitcoin will survive as a store of value, like Gold or Silver, and have an important place in the next Cryptoconomy I will describe further is this document, however it won’t be the Bitcoin Maxima-list version of the world, for all of the reasons above and one more…
Seventh, and most important, Initial Service Offerings “ISOs” will scale the next Crypotoconomy tps need, and in the process, driven by the consumer market “need for speed and convenience (easy liquidity) consolidate the many Use cases and Applications offered today as 2000+ Altcoins(many of them shitcoins) to operate on just the scalable cryptocurrencies (Dash, IOTA, etc..)and their secure distributed public ledgers, where each App will be executed as SC controlled applications deployed as distributed services on those public ledgers, delivered as services which actually integrate the use of of the cryptocurrency in a utility fashion to power the service,are now emerging as the way to scale transactions per second, Smart Contracts “SCs”, requiring no regulatory approval as a security. Those Altcoin based use cases and Apps which fail to make the move away from legacy Bitcoin and Ethereum ERCxx based “PoW” Blockchain distributed public ledgers will either be merged by their handlers (many of their handlers are VCs) and forced to transition onto these scalable ledgers and cryptocurrencies or perish. There will be a few exceptions operating on Blockchain using other Proof of Schemes such as EOS and others using “Proof of Share” (ie-I have the biggest holding Position so I get all/most of the mining rewards) and also Proof of Authority “PoA” (for those that like the status quo- that is being managed and controlled by existing authorities, especially Lawyers) . (Look for IOTA’s QUBIC Computer service infrastructure to enable the above.)
Education, the second hurdle, requires the savvy crypto investor and budding “Crypto-preneur” to really dig into the facts above and develop a detailed understanding of the details which differentiate each new emerging technology and set of services and products which are rapidly forming this new world of Cryptonomics 202. Success is in your understanding of the details in the differences and various pros and cons between what will become the new foundations of the Cryptoconomy.
First, let’s identify the player and why these emerging cryptocurrencies and their distributed ledger technologies, communication systems and compute resource management capabilities are posed to become the new foundation of the Cryptoconomy. These are my early choices, there are other comparable budding candidates out there I am sure, who will challenge, or at least pre-tend to challenge. I have made my choices based on:
their ability to execute in providing real value today to investors, consumers and Crypto-preneurs for: store of value+;transaction per second processing+;Smart Contract+;computer resource management (compute/storage/network)+;Integration of existing Applications+;Support for IoT+;+Support for eVoting+;Efficient/clean use of energy+;+Convenience to Investor & Consumer+;Convenience of Liquidity in to other useful stores of value (metals, energy, and asset backed fiat currencies)+;”Proof of” Transaction Validation Method+;Distributed Exchange Support+;DLT Robustness/Node Count
Their “RoadMap” plan for tomorrow to add additional “value” which can actually be made use of my the investor and the Crypto-prenuer
The quality, depth and agility of their development teams
The “same as above” for their supporting communities
The market segments they serve directly, namely, their positive impact on: reducing energy consumption; clean food production; clean water production; protection of assets; use of clean energy; clean air protection;
Here is my “silver seven” short list or “Show me the Growth” crypto-team for 2019 through to 2021 (that’s right a three year forecast) who will create the building blocks of the New Cryptoconomy, without the obvious Top 10 look (Yes no BitCoin “XXXX:, no Ethereum or their “altcoin” derivatives) :
1- DASH, 2 IOTA, 3 Hashgraph/Swirl, 4 Electroneum, 5- Maidsafe, 6-NEM, 7-Telegram
1 DASH- (once Xcoin an early Bitcoin fork, later Darkcoin) one can only be impressed with the way DASH, a DAO managed(by DASH masternodes requiring 1000 DASH= US $95000 in holdings in order to be able to vote in the DAO) distributed public ledger system qith it’s own blockchain and alt currency (its a bitcoin fork) has been adopted by people in Venezuela and Argentina (and by citizens and residents of other countries suffering the same hyper inflation) to get around the hyper inflation affecting those economies caused by the corrupt regimes badly managing them. DASH is really a custom Blockchain implementation based on Bitcoin which essentially proxy approves transactions quickly, and then commits the approvals to their blockchain asynchronously to ensure a fast convenient user experience (CX Customer Experience), with a decent wallet CX not requiring a computer degree. DASH’s daily transaction volume speaks for itself, facilitating lots of small transactions with overall good value volume. What I like about the DASH team( US based HQ) and their roadmap is they are totally market and customer driven. DASH have found their early growth market use niche (small transactions in hyper inflation economies) and their store of value, anonymity(optional), wallet convenience and TPS settlement speed advantages have been put to the test, to prove their effectivenes in multiple non-speculative market uses . Bitcoin Cash may have more value volume (driven by price speculation in the market by the money men on Wall St. in NYC) on any given day, as reported on CoinMarketCap, however DASH has the transaction volume and wallet holders are using DASH to execute daily buy/sell transactions of everyday Goods and Services to portect themselves from rampant local hyper inflation, transactions which are effectively being sold/bought using DASH currency, although for sure these same goods and services transactions live a dual life valued in US $ or local currency. Expect DASH to move into or be near the Top 10 on CoinMarketCap for quite awhile as the existing “fringe” or even “Fake” Top 10 (with exceptions Bitcoin, Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash sticking around staying at the top in 2019) start to slide down to lower market cap rankings as consumers and investors look for real stability in their cryptocurrency investments which have a normal trajectory of growth driven by Main St. market use cases , like the ones DASH fulfil quite nicely, at this time. The price of entry if you want to run a DASH masternode is not cheap, however according to Wikipedia “To incentivize their operation, (DASH) masternodes receive 45% of all newly created Dash (with 45% going to miners and 10% to the organization’s treasury) so the rewards can also be big. Given a Masternode cost over $1M at the height of the market December 17th, 2017, now might be just the right time to get in if you can swing US $100K. Living in a corrupt world and need to protect yourself from such forces? DASH has what it takes for anonymity according to Wikipedia “(DASH) “InstantSend” bypasses mining and instead requires a consensus of masternodes to validate a transaction, speeding transactions.[4][1] “PrivateSend” is intended to make transactions untraceable; it mixes participating users’ unspent Dash before executing a transaction”. DASH is what Bitcoin (without the fragmentation and infighting)should have become in IMO. Ready to use and grow, with nifty TPS scaling features to deal with volume spikes, DASH is ready for the prime time growth of the new Cryptoconomy, with speed and optional anonymity built in (if you can get over the fact the founders “ helped themselves” to millions of newly minted coins in the early days… :) ). For the “here and now” investor and user types DASH tops my list for growth in 2019, and will put a strong showing in for 2020 and 2021, as DASH becomes a key cornerstone DLT and crypotcurrrency in the next wave of the Cryptoconomy slated to take off in 2019.
2 IOTA- thought by most to be the champion of all things IoT “Internet of Things”, has slipped a bit in terms of market capitalization out of the Top 10. The relatively low volume of trading compared to the rest of the top 15 crypo-currencies suggests/reflects how IOTA is really in a league and market space of it’s own, one largely defined by IOTA’s partnerships with big companies like VW, Audi, Bosch and Fujitsu Germany looking to leverage IOTA’s “no blockchain” quantum computer hack proof and hugely scalable Tangle DLT features (based on DAG “Directed Acyclic Graph” to improve the mobility experience, improve quality of products via accurate production and supply chain management and help lower the cost of automating and managing manufacturing processes. Of course IOTA is working hard to bring useful technology to the world of sensors and controls at the edge or in the fog of the Internet at very low cost and power consumption leveraging ternary or trinary 3 bit technology (-1, 0, +1). While IOTA has not been immune to large speculator driven market cap swings, IOTA’s market cap usually tracks and lags a day behind the Top 10, as there are speculators invested in IOTA driving most of the activity. That said the volume traded is tiny faction of what the HODLer’s actually own, so in reality IOTA is a very stable investment, as these same HODL proponents of IOTA know a good investment and technology when they see one, and aren’t in the mood to sell generally. All good. The team is young and full of energy and ideas, that said they have been savvy enought to bring in real pros to develop their QUBIC computer resource management & Smart Contract layer which sits on top of, and is upgradable from the current Tangle Node network to QNodes, just freshly baked this month, and expected to be ready for test network use later in the first half of 2019. All good, especially for the IoT crowd.
3 Hashgraph/Swirl- A darling of Mike Maloney at goldsilver.com who is also a key investor, the commercial implementation which is Swirl, Hashgraph/Swirl has been adopted already and is in use protecting transactions between a large network of Credit Union companies across the USA. HashGraph/Swirl is really an Enterprise private blockchain technology, however its worthy to note Swirl competes directly with the opensource offerings of Hyperledger which is fully supported by IBM, and as such SWirl the commercial counterpart of Hashgraph, has the first big win in that private Enterprise market place. Again Swirl private IP and not on Github so you need to license their TPS capability and hire Swirl to integrate Hashgraph to get the TPS performance and inter-company security value, that said not every “blockchain” in the Enterprise space needs to be “white box” open source (Hyperledger). So Hashgraph/Swirl makes it on to my list for those wishing a “more ready to use” black-box alternative which can b e tuned to meet your inter-organizational TPS and security needs, to the highly customizable (read slow and expensive to develop deploy and costly to maintain) white-box opensource Hyperledger project. Hashgraph/Swirl has proven it has the TPS muscle to handle any transaction bus system and scale to transaction volume in the private Enterprise domain, for those inter-commercial and institutional groups looking for Blockchain transparency to secure transaction pairs transapently (behind closed doors) with Swirl’s “Gossip like” protocol. How Hashgraph/Swirl integrates via gateways into the public world of multiple cryptocurrencies is still up for debate, however the Swirl team is technically strong and the Hashgraph technology is TPS scalable, so I expect market forces will drive the necessary Hashgraph integrations with other popular cryptocurrencies as needed.
4 Electroneum- The “in and out of favourite” early darling of mobile mining in late 2017 has survived the last market cash of 2018 and is now climbing “back in” to a prominent CoinMarketCap position having steadily moved up the ranks (of shit-coins and “dine and dash” ICOs) climbing all the way back into a the 60th position in CoinMarket Cap, having done so on the backs of very modest speculative trading volume which indicates the Electroneum faithful are largely Hodlers. The Electroneum valuation is slightly above their intake during their partly troubled then corrected ICO in the fall of 2017 and that is good news. Android and Apple smartphones earn mining rewards by solving the lightweight CryptoNight(forked from Monero) Proof of Work puzzles in their Electroneum Wallets as a background process while their phone operates and get the benefit of using the Electroneum wallet to manage buy/sell orders where there is some liquidity on secondary centralized exchanges, if you need to convert your Electroneum into fiat or other cryptocurrencies. Electroneum’s CryptoNight PoW implementation is ASIC and FPGA proof , yet lightweight enough to work reasonably well in the backgorund of the latest high powered multi-core smartphones, many of which are now Chinese processors which can be acquired for under US $100.00 in most markets. per this review article link on Mediumhttps://medium.com/@humanjets/coin-review-electroneum-etn-47855c0a721a “ They (Electroneum) aim to make it far easier than existing crypto currencies for peer to peer and point of sale transactions by focussing on user experience and viral mass adoption (including the mining simulator), primarily at the market of mobile phone users and focussing on providing a digital payment solution to the developing world. Electroneum IMO, is will positioned to be a big player in the budding cryptocurrency micro-payments market. The Electroneum team is marketing savvy, and has proved they can fight through the social media noise to stay relevant, now it’s up to their tech team to execute and deliver on their roadmap.
5 MaidSafe- Champion of privacy and anonymity “P&A” and really an effort to rebuild the Internet as such, has soldiered on, sticking to their roadmap, ignoring CoinMarketCap fluctuations, steadily updating github with a series of small breakthroughs P&A, which are now looking quite impressive and operating partly on their test network. What is very interesting about Maidsafe (once marketed as Massive Array of Interconnected Disks- MAID) is their founder is a seriously well-seasoned Networking expert, who has been in the trenches building networked solutions for 25+ years. David Irvine get it, and so does his team. Maidsafe is building the alternate to today’s internet, they have reasonably focused and clear marketing and messages and their community it fiercely loyal, of modest size and building distributed apps that people need and actually work, like Music and Video players, Web Sites, etc. Their uTP hole punching implementation on Github is quite good and necessary if you want to run portions of, or your own version of the Maidsafe network behind firewalls where UDP is the only way in and out of the private network. At position 59 after the crash of 2018, Maidsafe has survived and is now about to be in a position to thrive as they closer to releasing the public network for use by us all. If you are “Swinging for the Fences” looking for that really big and long “home run”, in the new Cryptoconomy emerging in 2019, then Maidsafe is a good choice, given the Maidsafe roadmap targeted breadth and depth of their capabilities, and the velocity of the team’s effort on Github to deliver on same. I personally like the Maidsafe team, their goals and the loyalty of their community, Maidsafe are bringing real P&A to the Internet along with a host of Apps people actually will want to run in their businesses or for pleasure as a consumer. The P&A part is long over due and a great incentive replacement to the dark and merky Tornet.
6 NEM- Singapore’s alternative to Ethereum also survived the 2018 crash, and are still enabling ICOs on their platform in crypto-friendly government regime of Singapore. ICOS have never been so easy than on NEM, no programming required to get started, yet it is possible to customize later. TRON may be big in Asia now, however I still think NEM is the future of Mid-Market Enterprise and Small and Medium Sized business boutique coin offerings.., many of which could live quite nicely in the NEM world outside of the bluster of Ethereum’s world of ERCXX dictates.
7 Telegram- TON is big, really big, the team is proven twice over, (they even got chased out of Russia), the vision is BIG, rolling your installed base is always a good thing and Telegram is that “in spades”. Given Telegram’s P2P payment and Smart Contract focus, you would expect them to dominate, and they probably will as those two market segment forces converge in the world of crypto and distributed public ledgers. That said, there is still alot of work to be done @ Telegram“ https://smartereum.com/43063/cryptocurrency-news-today-get-ready-as-the-telegram-1-7-billion-cryptocurrency-is-almost-ready-for-launch-telegram-coin/” and Ethereum and the legion of Altcoins targeting the same market, Zcash, Monero, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Electroneum all have their own communities and established Hodlers. That said their ICO of 1.7B was the biggest ever. I am sure the Team at Telegram will excute, eventually, as the task they are taking on is really big, and be sure about one fact, Telegram will certainly muscle their way in to ride the next big wave of market cap valuation surges many predict will crest later in 2019.
A word about the past, and forward market dominance in 2019..,
Bitcoin and Ethereum, largely because of their own internal problems, and partly because of their DLT design will likely see their collective dominance in the market place wane rather quickly in 2019 as more and more, markets and their rank and file citizens are faced with hyper-inflationary forces and move to altcoin crypto-currency use in mass to both convert and protect their own dwindling fiat stores of value, looking to transact directly without the banks peer to peer “P2P” in the same crypto_currencies or those which have fast liquidity between crypto and fiat. This will mean those altcoins with fast convenient, scalable settlement are likely to rise to the top for micro transaction use, and those distributed public ledgers with low/no transaction fees will shine, as will those with really flexible and easy to use Smart Contracts also shine. All three of these features are not built in to Bitcoin or Ethereum from day one and have been treated as bolts ons (Lightning Network for Bitcoion, scalability as sidechains and sharding in Ethereum), as both of the early incumbents scramble to adapt to the competition from better altcoins, Dash and IOTA included.
That said bitcoin will be around along time, as the ultimate store of value given all the investment poured into bitcoin today, while IMO Ethereum’s competition has caught up and passed them, and are now just entering a real competitive battle for market share as EOS, Waves, TRON and others challenge for Smart Contract supremacy in the public distributed ledger market segment.
All of these recent changes in the Cryptoconomy are definitely changing the dominant market dynamics of Cryptonomics in a good, distributed and fragmented way, with lots of business and consumer choices emerging from the new and rising players in the market to really inject some competition into the market into what has been up to December 2017 a two horse race.
More on all of this later in 2019, when we come up for air to see what has really happened!
r2 | https://medium.com/@thunderboltkid/building-the-next-main-street-crypto-conomy-cryptonomics-202-22b13baad4d0 | ['I A Edwardsson'] | 2019-03-21 22:41:26.695000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'Iota', 'Bitcoin', 'Tron', 'Dash'] |
A Search for Holiness | A Search for Holiness
A poem
Photo by Donnie Rosie on Unsplash
It is one day before the winter solstice
Four days before the day hailed as
Merry and bright, during a year when
I have no need of such distractions
I am hungering for the essence of holy
Not in the terms of nomenclature or
The chosen and unchosen
A deeper holy that I have been seeking
For some time
I rise each day to a series of questions
That I ask myself
Can I set aside the demands of this world
Am I able to still the mending of what is
Broken and cease doing what is not yet
Done
Do I have a place where I might go that is
Devoid of sound or completely filled
With the symphony of nature
In such a place have I learned to hear
The longing of my own soul and the intake
Of the breath of the divine
Have I mastered attentiveness to
The wild and glorious beauty that dances
For all who take the time to see
Have I found myself and the wildness
Of my own heart
Have I allowed myself to be surprised
In that way that brings light to my eyes
I looked out upon the clean surface
Of unbroken snow behind a windbreak
Formed by cedar, hemlock and birch trees
And said to my love, let’s go outside
The open space is hungry for snow angels
I love that you are always willing to
join in whatever adventure captures me
We both scrambled for hats, boots, mittens
I put on my bright red Canadian parka
That will keep me warm when the world
Outside is sub zero and off we went
We lay beside each other in the cold snow
Within our hollowed out snow angels
I turned to you just in time to see
A single snowflake light upon your face
I smiled and said, “Holy Christmas, my darling”
As we both found holiness
In our small protected cathedral
Behind the trees | https://medium.com/scribe/a-search-for-holiness-79af83487a25 | ['Deborah Krulicki'] | 2020-12-27 11:43:25.341000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Poetry', 'Love', 'Peace', 'Christmas'] |
Baby’s Cry or Coffers Ringing | An Insight into the booming Babytech industry!
With 51 births each minute, India is the world’s largest child producing nation and has the rare distinction of a country with the maximum number of children households around the globe! India is on its way to overtake China as the most populous country by 2027, which is well before the earlier estimates. It is trying to slow down the population growth rate but not fast enough to not wear this crown. Though, as per ourworldindata.org data, India has peaked the population growth rate, but the absolute numbers are still very lucrative for the businessmen and marketers.
The following chart gives a good idea about India’s population projection for the next 80 years:
Source: UN Population Division, Our World in Data
The chart highlights the birth rate flattening between 2020 and 2030, and then it’s going down, but the number of children under 5 years of age is just a little shy of 200 million. When we combine these numbers with growth in disposable income, we have a match made in heaven opportunity for companies to innovate and extend offerings for some serious megabucks.
Many Indian millennials may be delaying or opting out of childbearing, but those who have committed to parenting often go all out to ensure that their children grow up healthy, have everything within hand’s reach and do well in academia, extracurricular activities, and sports as well. This motivation is further fortified with guilt they carry of not spending enough quality time with their kids, given the demanding jobs, digital devices, and time crunch.
This presents a unique confluence of opportunities for companies to share the responsibility of nurturing with parents by offering innovative products and services to them. The advent of technology and in the race to make things accessible, more comfortable, and faster, start-ups are exploring every need of the parent and child. Though aptly named the ‘baby tech,’ but; this industry is anything but a baby.
The following figure encapsulates the action in this space in the last 5 years:
Source: Tracxn
The “BabyTech” space is defined as “companies developing tech-enabled products and services that primarily serve babies and children up to 12 years old, and or along with their parents”.
One of the major factors driving the growth in this space is “Content,” which roughly translates to search for information to do better and more for the children. Digital connectivity and ease of communication have given the right freedom and tools to parents to search for content. Just a pure product play might not cut the ice for the new companies; they must create content to establish that trust, which leads to a product purchase. This defines the funnel for new brands. A gamut of opportunities has already been discovered on a global level, and more are being identified.
Source: CB Insights, Tracxn
In China, convenience and fashion are more important to today’s young mothers than to those from previous generations. Coupled with a growing disposable income that these mothers are partly spending on Mother & Baby products, new market sub-sectors are being created to meet their needs, such as skincare products for pregnant women, a market predicted to be worth RMB 4.7 billion (GBP 540.2 million) by 2022[1]. | https://medium.com/arthavc/babys-cry-or-coffers-ringing-7d1bc12133b8 | ['Gauri Kuchhal'] | 2020-09-29 07:16:02.919000+00:00 | ['Industry Insights', 'Investors', 'Venture Capital', 'Baby Care', 'Venture Capitalist'] |
The Mystical Poetry of the Lord’s Prayer in its original Aramaic | Given all the uncertainties we’re facing right now as a nation and as a planet, one of the key spiritual tools we can call upon is prayer.
Some people pray spontaneously flowing words from their hearts. Some people find great comfort at times like these with traditional prayers that have stood the test of time.
One of the most beloved is the Lord’s Prayer. It has a familiar cadence that many of us can recite by rote without focusing on the meaning. But given this was one of Jesus’ main teachings about our relationship to God, perhaps it’s worth a deeper look.
Let’s start with the language. Jesus spoke the ancient language of Aramaic, a “cousin” of Hebrew. By the time the New Testament got recorded, it was in Greek, then Latin, and much later, English.
Within English, there are many different versions as well. Given the particulars of different languages, their cultures, and the passage of time, is it possible things changed in the process of multiple translations?
Enter an Aramaic scholar with a Sufi bent
Neil Douglas-Klotz would answer this with a resounding YES! He is a religious studies, spirituality, and psychology scholar, who is also the Cochair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion.
Douglas-Klotz went back to the original Aramaic to see what we can learn from the original version of this and many other prayers and teachings. What he found not only deepens, enriches and clarifies the meaning of the prayers, but shows them for the metaphysical, mystical experiences they were intended to be.
Aramaic is a language with layers of meaning. One word or phrase has several possible literal translations. So rather than limit them, Douglas-Klotz, in his book, Prayers of the Cosmos: Reflections on the Original Meaning of Jesus’ Words, allowed the words to expand on the page in their shimmering, mystical beauty.
Each line of the prayer expands into a longer verse that sounds more like Sufi poetry than contemporary supplication. In his book, you get to see each line in its full expansion of meaning before he synthesizes them for the version you see below.
Divine Parent who art in…
The English version begins, Our father who art in heaven. The word abwoon means Divine Parent. Like God, it’s genderless. But it also means: the Oneness, Creative flow of Blessing, the breath or Holy Spirit, and the vibration from the Holy Spirit as it touches and interpenetrates form. Heaven in Aramaic presents the image of light and sound shining through all of creation. Hence: O Thou! The Breathing Life of all, Creator of the Shimmering Sound that touches us.
Hallowed by Thy Name becomes: Help us breathe one holy breath feeling only you-this creates a shrine inside, in wholeness. Here Jesus reminds us of our Divine nature — that God resides inside of us. Therein lies our wholeness, no matter what the body’s eyes see.
Thy Kingdom come is the next line. In Aramaic: Desire with and through us the rule of universal fruitfulness onto the earth. He could just as easily have said: Come into the bedroom of our hearts, prepare us for the marriage of power and beauty.
Either way, we are looking at how we co-create — and pro-create! — in partnership with God. God gives us the vision and brings it to fruitfulness through the desire placed in our hearts.
Next: Thy will be done in earth; as it is in heaven. In Aramaic: Create in me a divine cooperation-from many selves, one voice, one action. This also translates, quite poetically as: Let all wills move together in your vortex, as stars and planets swirl through the sky. We get the sense of both the unity and diversity in the Oneness of all God’s creation.
Give us this day our daily bread expands into: Grant what we need each day in bread and insight; substance for the call of growing life. But it just as easily could be: Animate the earth within us: we then feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all. This is why it doesn’t stop at daily bread; we get wisdom and insight as well.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors translates into: Erase the inner marks our failures make, just as we scrub our hearts of others’ faults. I love the image of scrubbing our hearts of other’s faults. Notice the subtlety here. Sin also translates as accidental offenses or tangled threads.
The bigger harm is the judging of actions and forgetting the divinity of ourselves and others. In our Oneness, there is no us vs. them. In our Oneness, there is just one Heart.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil becomes: Deceived neither by the outer nor the inner-free us to walk your path with joy. In the Aramaic, no one leads us into temptation, least of all, God. The word temptation becomes the much less charged, distraction. The point is to get back, not to self-righteous piety, but to a joyous partnership with God.
The prayer ends: For Thine is the kingdom, & the power, & the glory, forever. Amen. In Aramaic, it’s: From you is born all ruling will, the power and life to do, the song that beautifies all-from age to age it renews.
To this we could add or substitute: Truly — power to these statements — -may they be the ground from which all my actions grow: Sealed in trust and faith, Amen.
What I love here is the ability to choose the meaning I most need to hear when I pray. That the mystical meaning is expressed in mystical poetry feels just right.
The prayer moves from my head to my heart where I encounter the Holy Spirit within my very breath. Buoyed aloft by these words, I come to have an experience words alone cannot describe. | https://medium.com/change-your-mind/the-mystical-poetry-of-the-lords-prayer-in-its-original-aramaic-34b6a37ec56 | ['Marilyn Flower'] | 2020-10-21 18:04:24.035000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Prayer', 'Mysticism', 'Jesus', 'Religion'] |
3 Simple Questions Screen for Common Personality Disorders | 3 Simple Questions Screen for Common Personality Disorders
According to the American Psychiatric Association:
“Personality is the way of thinking, feeling and behaving that makes a person different from other people. An individual’s personality is influenced by experiences, environment (surroundings, life situations) and inherited characteristics. A person’s personality typically stays the same over time. A personality disorder is a way of thinking, feeling and behaving that deviates from the expectations of the culture, causes distress or problems functioning, and lasts over time.”
How common are personality disorders? An estimated 9 percent of the general population has one or more personality disorders, a number approaching one-third (33 percent) in outpatient psychiatric clinical settings.
Diagnosing personality disorders
There are 10 defined personality disorders[1] in the current U.S. diagnostic manual, the DSM-5. The 10 personality disorders are organized into Clusters, A, B and C. Cluster A are more socially detached, odd or eccentric, Cluster B more emotionally unstable, and Cluster C more anxious. The personality disorders are: paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder (A); antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder (B); and avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (C ).
An alternative model for understanding personality disorders has also been proposed, identifying maladaptive traits rather than specific personalities. There are 7 core traits: Compulsivity, Detachment, Negative Affect, Psychoticism, Disinhibition, Antagonism, and Submissiveness. We can all have these traits to varying degrees. It is only when they come together significantly in one individual and are associated with distress or dysfunction, that a personality disorder diagnosis can be made.
Diagnosing personality disorders is complex, and as with diagnosing any medical condition needs to be done thoughtfully, with a positive expectation of grounding therapeutic change. For personality disorders, diagnosis is made through careful clinical history and examination, review of collateral evidence, and standardized testing. Such testing is meticulous and time-consuming, very useful if used properly.
Validating a brief screen for personality issues
In order to address the need for a brief personality disorder screen, which would be helpful given how intensive full evaluation is, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, described in their recent paper in The Journal of Personality Disorders (2020), tested a brief scale to screen for personality issues through the degree of agreement or disagreement with 3 key items. Using data from 842 participants, researchers correlated full evaluation with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-3 (IIP-3):
I am too sensitive to rejection It is hard for me to take instructions from people who have authority over me I argue with other people too much
The extensive study measures included: the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (127 items); the Personality Assessment Inventory — Borderline Scale (24 items); the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (10 items); the Iowa Personality Disorder Screen (19 items); the Temperament and Character Inventory — Self-Directedness Scale (226 items); the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (a lengthy one-on-one interview to assess 10 areas of personality function); diagnostic interviews to define Alternative Aspects of Personality e.g. negative character traits based; and a consensus measure of Severity of Personality Disorder based on multiple clinician consensus.
Attachment style was measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (36 items); a clinician-determined Adult Attachment Rating; the Hierarchy of Attachment Organization scale, which defines four severity levels for attachment difficulties[2], and the Attachment Q-Sort, which measures attachment based on communication style. Emotion regulation was assessed with the Adult Temperament Questionnaire — Effortful Control Scale (35 items); the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (36 items); and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (10 items). For a subset of participants, interviews with life partners were included in the data.
The data was analyzed to see how well the IIP-3 correlated with estimates of personality disorder, attachment difficulty, and emotional dysregulation based on the larger battery of tests and clinical examination.
Can three questions screen for personality dysfunction?
Results showed that the IIP-3 correlated well with self-reports from participants, their significant others, and test results and interview findings. Mathematical coefficients ranged from 0.5 to nearly 0.7. These are robust correlations, and all were statistically significant, showing the IIP-3 has significant screening utility for common personality problems, attachment issues, and emotion dysregulation.
However, the IIP-3 was better for some issues than others. First, the IIP-3 picks up Cluster B features best, capturing “dramatic, expressive” behaviors, with emotional instability and difficulty with self-control. Along similar lines, the IIP-3 was correlated with the anxious and preoccupied attachment style.
It is worth noting that the participants in the study were all patients receiving psychiatric care. In that group, rates of personality disorders are higher than the 9 percent in the general population. In addition, symptoms from depression, anxiety, developmental trauma, and other psychiatric conditions can overlap with personality. Given the careful evaluation for personality disorders in this study, however, the IIP-3 correlations with personality are distinct.
Taken together, the analysis suggests that the IIP-3 is a good screening tool, especially for Cluster B personality. This is useful, as this cluster is common, resulting in significant suffering, functional issues, and hardship.
Compassionate candor
For non-clinicians, the IIP-3 items pose actionable questions, which can be used to identify problem areas, and in conjunction with therapeutic and personal development efforts may be useful targets for deliberate practice:
Am I too sensitive to rejection? Is it hard for me to take instructions from people who have authority over me? Do I argue with people too much?
These simple questions get at underlying maladaptive traits like antagonism, negative emotions, psychopathy, and submissiveness. How one feels about these questions is also informative. Do I feel overly guilty? Do I feel remorseful or unapologetic? Do I feel pessimistic or empowered? Do I feel curious or avoidant? What do these questions evoke in me?
Rather than providing ammunition for self-blame, and especially when accompanied by recognition of positive traits and strengths, asking oneself tough questions in the spirit of compassionate inquiry can serve as a springboard to enhance personal development and improve social and professional relationships.
We can also ask these questions about those around us — avoiding diagnosing inappropriately or using them to criticize or shame others — as we consider beginning new personal and professional relationships, and in our ongoing appraisal of whether our choices about work and personal relationships are best serving long-range goals for well-being and life satisfaction.
Learn more about personality, and personality change:
How To Polish Your Personality
Doorknob Comments Podcast: Personality Talks
Notes
[1] A detailed description of personality disorders from APA:
Antisocial personality disorder: a pattern of disregarding or violating the rights of others. A person with an antisocial personality disorder may not conform to social norms, may repeatedly lie or deceive others, or may act impulsively.
Avoidant personality disorder: a pattern of extreme shyness, feelings of inadequacy, and extreme sensitivity to criticism. People with an avoidant personality disorder may be unwilling to get involved with people unless they are certain of being liked, be preoccupied with being criticized or rejected, or may view themselves as not being good enough or socially inept.
Borderline personality disorder: a pattern of instability in personal relationships, intense emotions, poor self-image, and impulsivity. A person with a borderline personality disorder may go to great lengths to avoid being abandoned, have repeated suicide attempts, display inappropriate intense anger, or have ongoing feelings of emptiness.
Dependent personality disorder: a pattern of needing to be taken care of and submissive and clingy behavior. People with a dependent personality disorder may have difficulty making daily decisions without reassurance from others or may feel uncomfortable or helpless when alone because of fear of inability to take care of themselves.
Histrionic personality disorder: a pattern of excessive emotion and attention-seeking. People with a histrionic personality disorder may be uncomfortable when they are not the center of attention, may use physical appearance to draw attention to themselves, or have rapidly shifted or exaggerated emotions.
Narcissistic personality disorder: a pattern of need for admiration and lack of empathy for others. A person with a narcissistic personality disorder may have a grandiose sense of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, take advantage of others or lack empathy.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: a pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfection, and control. A person with an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder may be overly focused on details or schedules, may work excessively not allowing time for leisure or friends, or may be inflexible in their morality and values. (This is NOT the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder.)
Paranoid personality disorder: a pattern of being suspicious of others and seeing them as mean or spiteful. People with a paranoid personality disorder often assume people will harm or deceive them and don’t confide in others or become close to them.
Schizoid personality disorder: being detached from social relationships and expressing little emotion. A person with schizoid personality disorder typically does not seek close relationships, chooses to be alone, and seems to not care about praise or criticism from others.
Schizotypal personality disorder: a pattern of being very uncomfortable in close relationships, having distorted thinking, and eccentric behavior. A person with a schizotypal personality disorder may have odd beliefs or odd or peculiar behavior or speech or may have excessive social anxiety.
[2] Four levels of attachment organization are included: (a) disorganization and lack of structure (with three variants — unresolved states of mind; incoherence characterized by effectively intense, shifting, and mood-dependent states of mind; and incoherence characterized by low intensity, vague, and confusing states of mind), (b) excessively rigid structure (with two variants — hostile, controlling patterns of relationships; and compulsive caregiving), © functional but not optimal structure (with two variants — preoccupied and dismissive attachment), and (d) flexible and balanced structure (secure attachment, with an appropriate mix of attachment and autonomy).
This post (“Our Blog Post”) is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. We will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information obtained through Our Blog Post. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice, or other content. We are not responsible and will not be held liable for third party comments on Our Blog Post. Any user comment on Our Blog Post that in our sole discretion restricts or inhibits any other user from using or enjoying Our Blog Post is prohibited and may be reported to Medium.com. Grant H. Brenner. All rights reserved. Originally published on Psychology Today, ExperiMentations.
“Reproduction of selected IIP items by special permission of the Publisher, Mind Garden, Inc., www.mindgarden.com from the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems by Leonard M. Horowitz et al. Copyright © 2000 by Leonard M. Horowitz et al. Further Reproduction is prohibited without the Publisher’s written consent.” | https://medium.com/beingwell/3-simple-questions-screen-for-common-personality-disorders-961df903f658 | ['Grant H Brenner'] | 2021-03-06 18:50:56.754000+00:00 | ['Psychology', 'Personality Development', 'Personal Development', 'Therapy', 'Coaching'] |
Creating Your First Machine Learning Model | Creating Your First Machine Learning Model
Show me How to Set up My Local Environment like I’m Five
Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash
This is my first post in a series I titled “creating your first machine learning model.” I assume you already know the basics of machine learning and want to leap towards creating your first machine learning model. My goal is to break the steps down for you as possible.
If you find any uncleared terms or something you don’t understand, it means I did not live up to my promise. Be aware that you’re free to comment and request for clarification.
In this post, you’ll learn:
How to set up your hardware for machine learning projects.
A repeatable process for managing your machine learning dependencies using conda.
How to create an identical machine learning project environment on a new computer
The limitations of your local hardware and when to you use cloud services for machine learning jobs.
Free cloud services that allow you research, build and train models for free.
If you’re going on a road trip, there are certain things you need to do before embarking on your journey. Otherwise, you might bring your road trip to a halt and may have to pay for some unexpected repairs and , perhaps, a waste of time. Likewise, before you start your machine learning journey, your environment must be fully setup.
Configuring your hardware
Machine learning job requires a lot of compute power; the first thing you want to do is to make sure your hardware is powerful enough to build stuff locally. For the hardware requirements, you should be good if you have the following:
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Intel Core i5 or higher. You’re also good to go with an AMD equivalent
You have at least 8GB of RAM
A GPU (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960) is recommended but optional
If you’re a developer, some of these steps would not be strange to you. The first thing you should do is to ensure your operating system is up to date.
As a PC owner, you’re probably familiar with the concept distribution — a collection of software components built, assembled, and configured for ease of use. For scientific tasks, you need a group of software built for scientific computations. One of these distributions that we’ll use in this tutorial is Anaconda.
Anaconda is just one of the many distributions that exist. For a beginner who is just getting into the world of “condas”, you may find the term “anaconda”, “miniconda” and conda confusing. You’re not alone. I felt the same at the beginning. If you take a closer look at the words, you’ld see that the word "conda" is common in the three names.
What is “conda” actually?
Conda
If you use pip and virtual env in python, then conda would be clearer. Conda is both a package manager and environment manager that is platform-independent. A package manager allows you to manage dependencies (code written by you or some else). That is, installing, updating, and removing packages. The environment manager, on the other hand, allows you to isolate software environment.
Environment isolation is an essential aspect of machine learning projects because different tools may have conflicting requirements and packages; without environment isolation, it would be difficult to manage multiple projects.
Miniconda
For many reasons, you might not want to install Anaconda. For instance, if you only need one package for your task, why installing 199 packages that you will not use? You can see miniconda as a bootstrap version of Anaconda that includes the package manager “conda”, python, plus a few basic packages. Miniconda requires about 400MB disk space, which could be a better choice when you’re running low on disk space.
Anaconda
Anaconda is a python and R distribution whose goal is to provide data science packages you might need out of the box for you. At the time of writing this post, anaconda has up to 200 data science packages pre-packaged. Since it has most packages, anaconda takes larger disk size on your machine. For a beginner, you might want to start your machine learning journey with Anaconda– that is why we use it for the rest of this tutorial.
So how do you install Anaconda?
Installing Anaconda
To install Anaconda, go to the anaconda’s download page and download a suitable binary for your choice of operating system .
Double click the binary distribution to install, click “continue” always and accept the license agreement. The first screen of Anaconda on my Mac OS looks like this:
Anaconda install screen
Please take a moment to relax; it could take some minutes to install. You can verify that anaconda was successfully installed by running the command below:
conda list
If everything works fine, you should see a list of packages and the pre-installed versions, as shown in the image below.
Conda list ouput
If you got an error, don’t panic, you might need to kill your terminal and restart it again.
Managing environments with conda
Science is based on reproducibility and manufactured objectivity. As strong as that makes its ability to generate claims about matter and energy, it also makes scientific knowledge inapplicable to the existential, visceral nature of human life, which is unique and subjective and unpredictable — Paul Kalanithi
Have you ever re-run code you or someone wrote ten years ago? It can be frustrating if you’re lucky enough to get it to run. The reason is not far from the fact that software and libraries do change rapidly. The version of libraries used, the operating systems, compiler, and interpreter may have changed or replaced by newer versions. In short, the environment and conditions under which the software ran ten years ago may have changed.
Good code must be re-runnable and replicable. One way to ascertain your software can be re-run is to ensure that condition and requirements under which is reproducible and replicable are constant. We do this by pinning the requirements and isolating the software environments.
On installing anaconda, conda creates a default environment named "base" for you. If you put all your code in this base environment, then the purpose of isolating code is defeated. What you want to do is create a new environment for each project to keep your projects isolated.
Creating an environment with conda
To create a new environment with a specific software version, for example, a particular version of python and scipy, execute the following.
conda create --name example_env python=3.7 scipy=1.4.1
Sometimes, it’s handy to define all your environment dependencies in the YAML file. This very handy if you want to share your code with others.
You can define an environment with a YAML file environment.yml as:
# filename: environment.yml
name: another_example_env
dependencies:
- python=3.7
- scipy=1.4.1
After you execute the code below in your terminal to create the environment
conda env create --file /path/to/environment.yml
Updating an environment with conda
Updating your environment is one of the everyday tasks you would do in your machine learning journey.
Libraries changes frequently, an older version are replaced, or sometimes you might even need to swap one library for another or remove redundant dependencies.
Conda provides a command to update your environment after making changes to your environment file.
For example, let’s add a new dependency to the environment.
# filename: environment.yml
name: another_example_env
dependencies:
- python=3.7
- scipy=1.4.1
- pytorch=1.5.0
With changes made to the environment file, you can update your environment by running the command:
conda env update --file /path/to/environment.yml --prune
Listing environments
You might want to see a list of your environments first when you have multiple machine learning projects before choosing the one to work on.
With conda list command, you see a list of your environments :
conda info --envs
Activating your environment
Environment activation is a prerequisite to making your application run. When you activate your environment, you’re setting arbitrary environment variables that may be necessary for your app to work.
To activate an environment using conda, run the command:
conda activate myenv
Launching jupyter notebook
Jupyter notebook is a tool that provides an interactive web-based interface that allows you to develop and present data science project interactively. It integrates your code and its output into a single document.
Once you’ve set up and activated your environment, you can launch a Jupyter notebook by executing the command jupyter notebook to start development.
jupyter notebook
You’ll be presented with a screen similar to the one below:
Jupyter notebook
Sharing and reproducing your environments
Software is written to be run multiple times. Oftentimes, we share code with colleagues, friends, co-workers, even random strangers. And when we do, we should make sure they are able to run the code we share with them — reproducibility is impossible without identical environments.
You can share your environment by exporting your environment so that your colleagues can build the same environment as yours to run your code. We export environments using the command:
conda env export --file exported_environment.yml
Building identical conda environment
There are times where you might want to build an identical environment you have on one machine on another on an identical operating system.
For example, if you buy new hardware or transfer your code from your work computer to your home computer, which has an identical operating system. Conda allows you to build an identical environment either on the same machine or on another machine running on the same operating system platform. We do this by exporting a specification list as a file.
conda list --explicit > current/working/directory/spec-file.txt
You can use the exported spec to create exactly the same environment on another machine using the command:
conda create --name identical_env --file spec-file.txt
The limitation of your local hardware
You’ve seen how to set up your local development environment for machine learning projects. Your local setup is suitable for small machine learning projects that require small amount of compute power.
In the real world, machine learning projects often require huge amount of data and huge compute power far beyond what your local machine can provide.
If you’re training a model to recognize patterns, it could require parallel compute resources, which could take days on traditional processors.
All these limitations and more make us turn to cloud services like Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Sagemaker which have hardware that’s optimized for machine learning jobs. They enable us to train large datasets in parallel with infinite compute power. Cloud services offered by Google, AWS, Azure etc. have hardware that’s optimized for machine learning jobs
Free cloud services that allow you to build models for free
You might be thinking, “Oh no, this is an introductory post, for my project, I don’t even need massive compute power, I just wanna try things out.”
I get it, I totally understand. If you’re not working on a massive project, you probably need little compute power to try things out.
Here is the catch, the cloud has become relatively cheap, some services like Google Colab even allow you to train models for free. I mean need no need for environment setup, most machine learning packages have been pre-installed. You can research fast at no cost.
The following are cloud services; you can use:
Conclusion
In this post, you’ve seen how to set up your local machine for machine learning projects. We also saw a list of free cloud services that allow you to build and train models for free.
In the meantime, while you wait for the second post, you can subscribe to my newsletter. Once a month, I send out a newsletter containing lots of exciting stuff on data science, software engineering, and machine learning. Expect quick tips, links to interesting tutorials, opinions, papers, and libraries. | https://towardsdatascience.com/creating-your-first-machine-learning-model-f97f47ee6749 | ['Samuel James'] | 2020-06-06 15:22:11.746000+00:00 | ['Machinelerning', 'Setup', 'Anaconda'] |
“Social Distancing”: Good for Coronavirus, Bad for Society | “Social distancing” as a prescription in our times is like prescribing HIV to a cancer patient.
We’ve been told by medical authorities that everyone needs to take important steps to slow and stop the growth of the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve been told to prioritize washing our hands, to avoid touching our faces, and to retain some distance between ourselves and others; all wise advice to heed amidst a rapidly spreading disease. Yet, this last strategy, appropriately named “social distancing,” seems like entirely the wrong advice in our times. Across Europe and America we’ve seen the slow disintegration of community as a whole, to the point that social distancing already seems normal.
Mental health issues have become more prevalent and visible, gentrification has made ‘freedom of movement’ into perpetual migration, destabilizing communities in the process, and the nuclear family has begun to implode. Loneliness epidemics have taken a share of the media spotlight, and our busy culture, indicative of a commodified, disconnected, and expendable workforce, has become so severe that “burnout” has been identified by the World Health Organization. Social media, once hailed as a promising, futuristic social convenience, has hilariously left us more isolated than ever. “Deaths of despair,” i.e. the rise of suicides, alcoholism, and overdoses in Midwestern America, are hypothesized to be caused by inequality, financial precarity, and the outsourcing of labor. In Japan, hikikomori is a word for people who resort to extreme social withdrawal and confinement, and it’s attracted enough media attention to be called “a new social issue.”
“Social distancing” as a prescription in our times is like prescribing HIV to a cancer patient. This is not to say that we aren’t essentially forced to adopt this strategy anyway, left with no other choice, but the nonchalance of those giving and receiving this advice reveals just how ignorant and unconcerned we all are. And this lack of concern shows just has how deeply the disease has crept into our psyches, zombifying us like cordyceps.
‘None of my business” and “I don’t want to bother” are common phrases, but they reflect a deeper ethos in modern society. Individualism was a justified reaction to the oppression, repressive conformism, and tyranny of antiquity. Individualism, both ethically and epistemologically (e.g. Cogito, Ergo Sum), were ingenious weapons to combat institutions and ideologies of control. Even to this day there remain ways in which liberty and individualism still arguably require application, such as in feminist issues, racism, police brutality, and perhaps the existence of the State itself. Yet individualism cannot be taken to its logical conclusion without causing a general severance of the individual from the rest of humanity — and a hermit’s death.
We can’t stop coronavirus by huddling together in a mass, but we can’t stop the disintegration of our solidarity and social bonds with this continued politics either. Sanders may very well lose the nomination to the same sort of establishmentarian, ‘same-old’ politician we’re used to, but if change won’t come from top-down, it needs to come from bottom-up. And if change doesn’t occur tomorrow, we need to ensure it occurs next week, or next year — until it does.
Our culture and politics leads us to gravely fear infringing on anyone else, so much so that we avoid crying for help if we’re drowning. But we’re all drowning, and no person is an island. Others are both a means and an end in life. Yes, belonging to others requires sacrifice, and yes authenticity and unity must necessarily compete with one another, but the pendulum has swung so far in one direction that “ghosting,” literally ignoring a romantic interest, has become commonplace. Of course everyone feels they should be able to do as they please and associate or not associate with whoever they want, especially for women who are constantly pressured to appear attractive and available for men (rightly, in this case), but when we ask ourselves “Why is ghosting — or more generally ignoring — wrong?” we can’t answer the question with individualism.
Perhaps it’s wrong, maybe not all of the time but perhaps some of the time, because on some level we do owe something to other people. Dating is it’s own beast with its own nuances, and it must be stated that women are wrongly, disproportionately treated as sexual and romantic property in this sphere, but I think the outrage around a phenomenon like this reveals the longing of modern people to belong, and the need for a politics which reflects this.
During the French Revolution a three-word motto became popularized, espousing familiar values like liberté (Liberty) and égalité (Equality), but also one which, while less resonant, may hold important relevance for today: fraternité (fraternity). | https://medium.com/@RyanDirkYoung/social-distancing-good-for-coronavirus-bad-for-society-d1af0b39c782 | ['Ryan Dirk Young'] | 2020-03-11 20:38:23.538000+00:00 | ['Inclusion', 'Mental Health', '2020 Presidential Race', 'Bernie Sanders', 'Politics'] |
The Satellite Watcher of Negative Bond Rates, Environmental Havoc & Jobless Worshipers | The Satellite Watcher of Negative Bond Rates, Environmental Havoc & Jobless Worshipers
The truth of our condition is bleak. The rates which we pay are dismal. The watcher of worlds sits atop a mighty throne pondering the outcome. Chris Knight Follow Dec 5, 2020 · 5 min read
Source: Self Created Image with Canva.
THE SATELLITE
Winds push through a ruined landscape. The ruins form chasms which channel the winds. Upon closer inspection, we see these ruins contain people. What appears ruined buildings are the latest Economic Opportunity Zones in America.
Poverty rates hovered just above ten percent prior to the COVID pestilence. Now poverty extends its borders. The air blowing through the landscape has voices. The air’s voice is for the people living on the ground.
The wind composes its tune.
W — — A — — I — -LLLllll….
Long painful wails cry from the earth. It sends chills down the spines of those that hear.
Across the horizon a feint light moves. The body moves at abnormal speeds.
It is too fast to be a star.
It is too slow to be a shooting star.
It is too permanent to be a celestial body.
Its path is the same every day. It tracks the same orbit every week. Every month it comes to view the landscape from the same position. The seasons do not change its orbit. The faces on the ground always look up. From ruins eyes glisten despair.
American eyes.
These eyes appear to pray to God, but the remainder of their faces know things. There is no god to be found in these faces. These faces want work and the false god above does not deliver their wants.
The April 15 percent unemployment rate decreased to 6.9% in November.
Despite this reality no one recognizes the 3.7 million faces who do not receive their old pay. Old lifestyles were put to death. Former positions were retired out of existence.
These trade jobs were executed on the block. Their bodies torn asunder. Heads put on pikes. Everyone sees their decay.
The stench lingers.
Ewwhhh.
Job death blankets the lands. Atop the feint light people look. Hands raise in the form of worship. Fingers point. They know who is atop there.
Someone peers down.
THE WATCHER
“These people cannot see their lives will never come back.”
An aged man stands atop a satellite circling the globe. He is surrounded by sliver grey steel in all directions. Charts read numbers. Hologram looking images fade in and out of the glass he uses to look down at the planet.
He stands on a cane. The cane is strong to bear the brunt of his weight. His weight is heavy with worry not fat. He is a slender man. This slender man presses down as if he is a gram of black hole. The pressure he exerts on the cane creaks the steel floor.
He moves his hands to his chin. He rubs through his grey stubbles.
“Temporary layoffs declined from nearly 80 percent in April to about 40 percent in September. The fraction of the unemployed whose previous jobs were permanently eliminated has increased from 10 percent to about 40 percent. Gradually all the previous jobs will be lost.”
The man’s face shows worry. He looks away from the planet and fixes his eye on the center of the room. In the room’s center sits a platform elevated. A pulsing light softly illuminates the room.
The man stares at the light as he speaks.
“The policies they are creating do not favor the planet. They will industrialize to band aid the problem. This will be problematic.”
The light calls back to him. The man begins to move towards its calling.
The man steps to the center of the platform. His hand moves towards the pulsing light. He grips a rotation ball. His hand spins it clockwise.
“Show me the future of these people. Show me how savings will preserve their value when inflation is greater than treasury rates and the abandonment of their ecosystem eminent.”
The man watches the rotation ball for a moment. The rotation ball begins to spin a new reality. Around him new images begin to take shape. He can see the ground of the planet. He can feel the heat of the cities.
Amidst the city he stands in the bustle of people. This bustle starts to accelerate. Cars go from driving to light speed. The images change to a blur.
STOP.
FIFTY YEARS LATER
Most of the densely populated areas of the globe are too hot to live in. 3 billion people find drought, spotty electricity and massive dust storms roaring through their streets.
700 million people now live in poverty due to a change in economic policy favoring money over climate.
Children starve with pop bellies. The parasites living in them cause them to bloat. Bad water is what is available. These are white, brown, and yellow children. The African commercials of the 2000’s is now reality for the Americas. People beg in the streets for water. Soldiers patrol for looters in areas once considered a bastion of wealth.
Hollywood has collapsed. There is no more entertainment in these lands. There is only the disdain for the former wealthy’s complacency.
The image cuts off.
“I cannot watch anymore.”
The man looks away from the center of the room. His eyes fix on the planet.
“I will rise again tomorrow. Hopefully not the rise of failed economic policy.”
To your knowledge success!
***
About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Entrepreneur. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 14-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM), Master Financial Planner (MFP) and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license examination. Christopher also has his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 29 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 8.0mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a form of investment advice or financial advice. Do not apply this situation to your own personal circumstance. Various risks include: business risk, investment risk, political risk, and other risks. This information is for informational and educational purposes only. Please do not reach out to the author for any investment strategies or philosophies. Please consult your own financial advisor or legal advisor for your own circumstance. Not a recommendation or endorsement of any kind.
Gain Access to Expert View — Subscribe to DDI Intel | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-satellite-watcher-of-negative-bond-rates-environmental-havoc-jobless-worshipers-2d7ce7d57ccd | ['Chris Knight'] | 2020-12-06 15:27:24.931000+00:00 | ['Climate Change', 'Money', 'Climate', 'Economics', 'Economy'] |
Where should I eat after the pandemic? (Part 2/2) | Where should I eat after the pandemic? (Part 2/2)
In the last article, I trained a model on the ABSA task from the SemEval-2014 dataset and analyzed its performance, speed, and behaviors. This article details how I use this model to choose a restaurant to dine at from the Yelp dataset. Without further delay, let’s get started!
Yelp Dataset
We can download the Yelp dataset in one of two ways:
The first requires signing an agreement with Yelp, after which the dataset can be downloaded as a zip file. The Kaggle method requires an account with a username and API key setup locally at ~/.kaggle/kaggle.json. The following link can help you get set up with Kaggle:
If you use Yelp, you have to download the zip file, then upload it to Google Colab. If you use Kaggle, however, you can avoid the extra step and stream the data into Google Colab directly. For myself, I’ll use the Kaggle method for this tutorial. The following code downloads the dataset from Kaggle:
Polarity
To score each review, we need to map each label to a polarity ranging from [-1, 1].
Polarity Mapping
Instead of taking the classifier’s hard classification, it will be more informative to deal with its soft. The soft classification will be informative on how positive or negative an aspect of a review might be. We can find an aspect's expected polarity over a review by utilizing the probability vector produced by the model and the polarity map we’ve defined above. For example, let’s say we input a review to the model and evaluate along the aspect of food and get the following output:
Example Output
Instead of assigning food to have a polarity of -1, we find the expected polarity over these labels as follows:
As we can see, this method is much more practical because we can get a gradient between positive and negative polarities, rendering a more representative sentiment for each category.
Tips
There is one important thing to note before we run our algorithm. There are two sources of reviews in the dataset: reviews and tips . Tips are more compact than reviews; they’re generally only one sentence. This is helpful because one of our model's shortcomings is classifying larger bodies of text, as we saw in the previous article. Here is a comparison of the cumulative distributions for the number of words found in the text from each type of review:
Distribution Comparison
Clearly, the number of words in a tip is much fewer than in a review. Thus, tips will work well within the bounds of the model. With this in mind, I’m also going to filter for restaurants that aren’t closed down and have greater than or equal to 100 associated tips. This increases the likelihood that there is sufficient information to generate a rating for each aspect. The following code will run batch predictions for all of our filtered tips and write them to a JSON file to be processed in the next step.
Additionally, I’m going to append one more aspect to our set: the restaurant's overall star rating. Instead of using the stars directly, I’ll make an adjusted star system considering each user's average stars.
In assessing the reviews, the bias distribution is skewed left. Meaning, people tend to give more stars, on average, than expected in a proper 1–5 star rating system. | https://towardsdatascience.com/where-should-i-eat-after-the-pandemic-part-2-2-3b3498523757 | ['Matthew Brulhardt'] | 2021-01-16 22:17:14.519000+00:00 | ['NLP', 'Transformers', 'Sentiment Analysis', 'Decision Making'] |
On The Importance of Action From Web Data Layers & Goal Setting | All too often I deal with clients and third party agencies who make a living off of “presenting data”. I put “presenting data” in quotes because the presentation is nothing more than a dashboard of analytics, raw numbers, built through a 3rd party tool dashboard like Google Analytics, Adobe Tableau, or SEMRush.
As someone who finds himself constantly at the cross roads of building content and digital strategies off the power of analysis of analytics, anytime I sit in on a “data presentation” I instinctively roll my eyes and ask one question: “that’s nice but so what?”
Data for the sake of data is a waste of everyone’s time. Unless you know what to do with that data, unless you can provide insight into why the numbers matter and map it to action, paying for that data is flushing your budget down the money.
Thus, we need to talk about understanding data layers built into a website and more importantly, understanding how to leverage those layered data points for action.
Website User Action Data Collection
In web development, it is a common practice to separate layers of a system into different layers. This practice is done to split elements of a system into individual components with the express purpose of understanding how they relate to one another. A good example of this is the HTML of a webpage vs. the CSS of a webpage vs. the JS tags of a page.
All elements are split apart to understand:
How the structural layer of the website is built and functions (HTML)
How the visual layer of the website is built and managed (CSS)
How the user behavioral layer of the website collects data (JavaScript) to influence, alter, and optimize both the structural and visual layers
Further more, once split, all three elements are split apart to determine:
How the structural and visual layers of the website relate to one another
How the structural and visual layers of the website influence one another given onsite user actions
How the behavioral layer evolves over time with the additional of new HTML and CSS elements
This breaks down into a base equation of:
Structural + Visual + Behavioral = Optimization Outcome
A finite example of this is CTA Button Testing.
CTA Buttons are only one element of a website which should be segmented into structural and visual components to determine what elements — copy and design — of said buttons work the best for your target audience.
The structural element of any button is the copy and content within. As seen above, “sign up now”, “add to cart”, “download now” etc.
The visual element of any button is the size, color, padding, look and feel.
The behavioral element of any button is the JS tag reporting data upon firing segmented as/within DOM.
DOM (Document Object Model) is the organizational chart of the different elements on a webpage. The chart is designed to show flow of elements yet more importantly, how they relate to one another in terms of internal interaction and user behavior engagements.
When assessing the structural vs. the visual of a CTA button, you need to ask a few questions:
Does the content of the button drive action in relation to its visual design?
Does the visual design and website placement (UX bleeding into the equation) of the button drive action in relation to it’s messaging.
A good way to determine this is a basic A/B Test. By running a time defined, unique visitor round robin A/B test on selected CTA buttons, you can easily determine which is performing better and why based on both structural and visual segmentation.
The web never stops evolving. Your A/B testing plans can not remain stagnate.
This is where optimization comes into play. Once determined, it is now up digital marketers to kill under performing elements, push optimally performing elements and, most importantly, retool underperforming elements to once against be tested against their better performing options.
This basic rule is the difference between practicing pure analytics vs. practicing data strategy.
Defining and Separating Elements with Data Unique Identifiers
As noted by Jeff Chasin of Adobe:
Capturing events and interactions that happen when a visitor interacts with a Web application component or feature can be more difficult than capturing simple text or image content interactions, depending on the application design. For example, it’s common to capture text submitted in a form and send it to our Web analytics, CRM, or other systems. It’s also common to use JavaScript to validate or process the form input itself. Capturing form or other application data through the DOM can be challenging, depending on the specific implementation method used, especially as the application code and/or JavaScript in the page executes and interacts with other parts of this behavioral layer. — Analytics and Data Layers: A Look Under the Hood
The question is simple: how do you capture data from similar yet unique structural and visual layers using the behavioral layer?
Answer: custom and unique identifiers per element.
Again, via Jeff Chasin.
For example, we might have a slider in the hero image location on a key landing page. This is typically a large image that slides, rotates, or otherwise changes every few seconds. It’s also common for the hero container element to be marked up as a <div> or <section> in the HTML. Adding a unique id attribute to this container <div> or <section> can make it much easier to identify the elements of interest within the container and to enable data capture for visitor interactions with those elements. <div id="hero"> or <section id="hero"> is one example. This makes DOM traversal easier simply because we can easily start at the container element with the id , instead of starting higher up in the markup or code.
By adding unique identifiers within the DOM tree of elements, it is much easier for marketers and data analyzers to parse each element from one another with the express purpose of determining our base equation of:
Structural + Visual + Behavioral = Optimization Outcome
But you might have noticed a missing element in the equation: the human factor. For that, the qualitative, we need to talk about why data when not tied to benchmarks and goals, resorts to nice yet useless information.
Metrics → Optimizations
Metrics are both:
Quantitative, that which you can measure
Qualitative, that which you can derive meaning from
Too often analytics and data professionals indulge in the quantitative while forgetting about the qualitative.
For example, as I work in the pharmaceutical advertising space, quantitative metrics, as shown below are basic data points like time on site, bounce rate, CTA conversion button rates, pathway analysis, page drop off rate etc.
Qualitative metrics are driven by stake holder interviews, brand goal setting, marketplace landscape analysis, and target audience segmentation/persona developments. The learning from these tasks are deeper understandings and insights into: | https://medium.com/healthwellnext/on-the-importance-of-action-within-data-layers-254e3014d6e | ['Brad Yale'] | 2017-12-02 21:59:55.403000+00:00 | ['Web Development', 'Analytics', 'UX', 'Data Science', 'Digital Marketing'] |
Bitxmi at the 2021 Dubai Investors’ Summit | Source: Ritossafamilysummits.com
Bitxmi, the revolutionary Singapore exchange, was present at the Dubai investors’ summit, which took place in the UAE from December 12th to 14th, 2021.
The summit, themed “Sir Anthony Ritossa’s 17th Global Family Office Investment Summit,” is the world’s largest family office investment conference, bringing together world leaders and elite family office investors to invest and build a better future.
According to the UAE’s state minister for foreign trade, “the UAE is looking beyond the COVID 19 crisis and is working to double its economy by 2030.” We rely on our private sector partners to help us reach this goal by continuing to cooperate with us on enhancing our economic model.
To make this journey as simple as possible for them, we are constantly increasing our economy’s openness and liberalizing diverse sectors in accordance with the UAE’s strategic aims and directions”.
‘Apart from benefiting from an array of incentives and latest law amendments related to full foreign ownership, bankruptcy, commercial companies and long-term residencies/citizenship, investors, entrepreneurs and creative minds can also capitalize on the country’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, superior connectivity and its highly evolved ecosystem of incubators, accelerators and investors. And yet, these are only a few of the factors that make the UAE the bustling global trade and investment hub that it is today.” He said in a statement.
Source: Pixabay (Downtown Dubai)
The summit is a private forum exclusively organised by family offices for family offices, ultra-elite private investors, prominent business owners, Sheikhs, Royal family members, financial families, and private offices worldwide.
Over time, the summit has made global headlines as the most significant & influential family office gathering of all time and the first to host a Post-COVID Investment Summit in Dubai and an Israeli Investment Delegation in the Middle East with over 50+ VIP Israeli guests.
Despite worldwide challenges over the last year, during which foreign direct investment fell by 42% (from $1.5 trillion in 2019 to $859 billion in 2020), Dubai attracted significant FDI volumes. This demonstrates the economy of the UAE’s resilience and stability.
Dubai’s reputation for safety, accessibility to high-quality education, simplicity of transit, modern healthcare systems exemplified by its capacity to manage the coronavirus pandemic effectively, and tax structures were all cited as major factors in their decision to relocate.
Over time, the meeting has attracted thousands of offshore investors from a variety of sectors, including cryptocurrencies, technology, banking, tourism, and oil and gas, to name a few. | https://medium.com/@bitxmiexchange/bitxmi-at-the-2021-dubai-investors-summit-301283292136 | ['Bitxmi Exchange'] | 2021-12-15 15:22:29.489000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Bitxmi', 'Investment', 'Dubai', 'Finance'] |
Getting Your House Ready for the Arrival of a New Baby | Getting Your House Ready for the Arrival of a New Baby William Anderson Jul 15·2 min read
Once the news of a new baby in the family spreads, there’s no stopping the joy and excitement that radiates throughout the house. Everyone in the family from the proud grandparents to the excited aunts and uncles just can’t wait to get their hands on the little one. But because you’ve lived for years with only adults around, your home might not be safe or even baby-friendly at all.
Start with this list to prepare for the arrival of your new baby.
Set up a nursery room.
Where is your baby going to sleep? Before the arrival of the new baby comes and takes all of your time and attention, make sure you prepare a comfy and cozy space just for him. Designate a room in your house entirely for your baby where you can store all the baby essentials. Organize the room by allocating nursing stations, play areas, and other necessities.
Baby-proof your entire home.
The safety of your baby should not be limited to his nursery room. Make sure that each room in your house has a designated baby space and should be completely safe for your baby. Plugin the sockets, do the necessary repairs and add corner guards all over the house before your baby finally comes.
Make the atmosphere baby-friendly with customized baby portraits.
Once you got the basics down, it’s time to beautify your home. With the hundreds of ornaments, you can choose from, go for something aesthetic yet sentimental. How about customized baby portraits for the arrival of your new baby?
Love and Bub freeze precious baby moments in time through beautiful, customized baby portraits. It is completely hassle-free too as you simply need to send them a photo of your baby and leave the magic to them. Choose from their most popular customized baby portraits:
No need to overthink whether you’ve got everything ready for your baby yet. Just take it easy and enjoy every moment in parenthood. As long as you follow the above guide, a happy baby is guaranteed.
This blog is originally posted at Love and Bub. | https://medium.com/@artistsloveandbub/getting-your-house-ready-for-the-arrival-of-a-new-baby-2a9aade757d0 | ['William Anderson'] | 2021-07-15 14:40:50.925000+00:00 | ['Gifts', 'Parenting Advice', 'Baby', 'Parents', 'Parenting'] |
Rafael Nadal Returns to Winning Ways in Davis Cup | The Spanish world number one won his first match since January against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Germany.
This was Nadal first match since retiring against Marin Cilic in the Australian Open quarterfinal because of a hip injury
The match lasted for two-and-a-half hours with Nadal winning 6–2, 6-2, 6–3
Germany’s Alexander Zverev beat David Ferrer in the first match of the quarterfinal
Photo by David Aliaga / NurPhoto via Getty Images (ESPN)
The victory marked Nadal’s 23rd consecutive Davis Cup match victory (counting both singles and doubles), a new record for the competition.
The Spaniard seemed pleased with his performance that included 28 forehand winners:
“It’s positive of course, winning in straight sets. It was a solid match. I feel comfortable back on the clay” Rafael Nadal to DavisCup.com
In the other Davis Cup quarterfinal Croatia and Kazakhstan split their singles matches and so did France and Italy. The US on the other hand won their first two matches against Belgium
Sources:
ESPN, ATP, BBC | https://medium.com/newscuts/rafael-nadal-returns-to-winning-ways-in-davis-cup-4b2b3495bdfe | ['Johannes Riese'] | 2018-04-07 15:13:44.683000+00:00 | ['Spain', 'Rafael Nadal', 'Tennis', 'Sports'] |
Website Scroll for Desktops: Above the fold or below | Ever see what’s under the fold?
The question going through your mind right now would surely be “What in the world?”
Let’s make this simpler! We’re talking about websites!
Desktops and mobile screens are made keeping a particular dimension in mind. Everything a user sees on a webpage without having to scroll is known as “above the fold” The minute scrolling comes in, that bit of information is known as “below the fold”
So, where did this even start?
To answer this, we have to go back to the days of print media where a rule of sorts was formed. Eye-catching material was put on the front page as it would pique the interest of the passerby. It worked wonders for papers! So when the tech advancements came around, the same principle was applied to websites.
However, there was a slight problem.
The dimensions of a digital page were 1024×768 pixels. But when you take away the space taken up by taskbars only 600 pixels remain. This meant having to cram all the important information in that tiny space which led to messy, cluttered, and difficult web pages for users. However, today 1366×768 screens are preferred. Check out what statcounter has to say about popular screen dimensions below:
Below, are examples of an old coca-cola and an apple website that put all of their information above the fold.
Click here to check out “Internet Explorer’s 1996 World Exposition” which has a catalog of old website designs!
See, the problem here?
Thus, came in long scrolling or infinite scrolling websites!
These websites have the information that extends beyond the conventional one-pager! Users do not have to navigate to different pages unless they want to. Everything they may need is available for them just by scrolling!
Check out the revamped Apple website below!
Why is this relevant?
Let’s say, you are planning to get a website developed but you don’t know if short scroll or long scroll is the way to go! So, you set out to do some recon and go through multiple websites imagining yourself as a potential buyer and come across two types:
Short scroll website
Long scroll website:
As a customer, which of the above examples is more appealing based on usability, visual ease, and simplistic navigation?
We’re betting our money on the long scroll! And rightly so, a lot of people would agree with you!
People’s perceptions
According to SWEOR, it takes about 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about a website and decide on whether they like it enough to stay. According to Jennifer Krynin in “ How Long Should Your Web Page Be?” multi-page websites see a drop off of around 50% for every page after the first one. In other words, if 100 people hit the first page, 50 make it to the second page, 25 to the third, and 10 to the fourth, and so on. But does this mean every website needs a long scroll and is a sure shot winner with it?
Absolutely not! In the digital world, success is directly attributed to the ease you offer your users! Clicking on an element or purchasing is still a long way to go! If what you’re saying intrigues the user, they’re likely to stay and ultimately purchase! So it depends a lot on the type of audience, the quality of the content, and the usability of your long scroll.
So, how long should a long scroll website be?
You can play in the short or the long page league but it ultimately depends on the type of audience your brand is targeting. Check out Neil Patel’s article on “Follow These Long-Form Content Examples to Boost Your Rankings” for your website!
The “less is more” approach to a short page length, requires careful consideration. Research suggests that long-form content, on average, earns more engagement, higher rankings, and more shares but if you have a single CTA, simpler may be better. In an attempt to fit everything on one page, the users may reach the footer but that does not mean your website is brilliant. By cramming too much into a small space, you’re only making it harder for users to digest your content.
However, the long game league is not for everyone. Check out the statistics on Long Scroll Website in an article by Nielsen Norman Group in their article Scrolling and Attention:
According to Nick Babich, in “Just Keep Scrolling! How To Design Lengthy, Lengthy Pages” it is appropriate in the following circumstances:
For storytelling to create a linear structure that can be leveraged
For continuous and lengthy content, such as a long article or a multi-step tutorial to provide a better UX
When the content cannot be divided into separate parts and should be presented as a whole such as an infographic
To highlight the features, qualities, or attributes of a product in a story.
So, what are the pros of long scrolling websites?
Quick Information Access
Having relevant information on one long page ensures visitors easy access to what they need without multiple clicks.
Draw customer attention with your story
It’s easy to create engagement in a brand’s story with a creative, seamless design and dynamic content like imagery with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Can be optimized for mobiles
With 72% of users searching via a mobile device, it makes sense to use a format that is easy for mobile users however this depends on the percentage of mobile usage in your target audience.
So, what are the cons of long scrolling websites?
Loss of important content
The abundance of information on a long scroll can sometimes be confusing to users. Important items can get lost as users scroll up and down to find what they need.
Slow website speed
With a scrolling webpage, images help to create white space for elements to stand out. However, too many images and animations can reduce your loading time leading to users bouncing off your website.
Damage to SEO
With one page website, combining multiple pages with multiple terms reduces your chances of attracting SEO. Check out “Optimizing a single page: One-page website SEO” by Yoast SEO for everyone
By that context, ecommerce websites should all be long-form, isn’t it?
Wrong.
Strangely as it is, these websites need to be a mix of long-form with multiple pages as they are task and goal-oriented sites. Here,the users want to see definite progress and have a sense of accomplishment after the completion of the purchase. Some websites like Etsy even saw a drop in CTAs when they shifted to an entirely long-form scroll.
A few ways to implement long scroll on ecommerce websites is by:
Using a “View All” option for product pages. This gives the user the option to view the site in an infinite scroll format if they choose to do so while preserving the shorter results pages for users who prefer that format.
Using pagination to help users view the information in chronological order and slow them down to increase consumption.
So, what do you keep in mind while designing long scroll websites:
According to Jennifer Krynin, if you have a long web page, avoid scroll blockers. These are visual elements of your web page that imply the content is over. These include elements like:
Horizontal lines
Lines of text links
Short, wide graphics (especially ones that are around 468x60 — a standard ad unit size)
Navigation icons or social media links
Anything that acts as a horizontal line across the entire width of the content area can act as a scrolling block, including images or multimedia.
As we work in tech for many years and have extensive knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, there are a few tips we would like to share with you when it comes to long scroll websites:
Tip 1:
Having a long scroll website is great but if you feel the length is a little too much, you can always have the top header anchored to various sections of the website. This ensures that a user does not have to go through all the information to find their required meat. They can simply click on what they need on the menu and the tech would automatically take them there.
Tip 2:
Website enablers often boast of mobile optimization but they do not often completely customize the view, Often desktop elements are broken into a double-section on mobile view. These increases scroll time so bring in your best coding game to make your webpage mobile friendly!
Tip 3:
Web successes are based entirely on UX and at the end of the day, there will always be users who do not like a long scroll. Do not let this % hamper the experience for others who genuinely enjoy scrolling.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, it all depends on the target audience and the type of service you are offering. Some websites and influencers advocate for long scrolls and the same goes for a short scroll but the best person to decide what works and what doesn’t is your audience.
In a research study by Therese Fessenden, on Scrolling and Attention, it was seen that 57% of the 120 participants spent their page-viewing time above the fold and 74% spent it in the first two screenfuls. This is in direct contrast to their previous study, where it was observed that 80% of the viewing time was made up of fixations above the fold.
So, the choice, between the long scroll and short scroll, is yours.
This article was exclusively for scrolls for desktops. Hold tight as our next blog is on scrolls for mobile views!
References:
https://www.lifewire.com/web-page-length-3468959#:~:text=Conventional%20wisdom%20says%20that%20you,first%20screen%E2%80%94below%20the%20fold.
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2017/05/long-scrolling/
https://www.toptal.com/designers/ui/long-scroll-websites
https://usersnap.com/blog/long-scrolling-websites-tips-best-practices/
https://www.forumone.com/ideas/how-long-should-your-web-page-be/
https://blog.c-c.com.au/how-far-will-people-scroll-down-a-web-page
https://www.clearsite.nl/kennisbank/from-above-the-fold-to-before-the-scroll
http://www.logaholic.com/website-engagement/
https://www.justinmind.com/blog/10-90s-websites-designs-you-wont-believe-existed/
https://www.marketpath.com/blog/long-scrolling-website-the-pros-cons
https://www.sweor.com/firstimpressions
https://www.justinmind.com/blog/10-90s-websites-designs-you-wont-believe-existed/
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/scrolling-and-attention/ | https://medium.com/@marmeto/website-scroll-for-desktops-above-the-fold-or-below-57c9f05417b6 | ['Marmeto India'] | 2020-09-22 04:13:26.354000+00:00 | ['Webpage', 'Website Design', 'Website Development', 'Website'] |
Do you expect robots to become a common sight in stores within the next few years? Why? Why not? | During the height of COVID-19 pandemic, I think it was helpful to use robots to replace the human staff to avoid contact with each other. Furthermore, robots have other benefits. Robots would not feel tired so that they can work for the whole day without taking a rest. Moreover, you do not need to give a monthly salary for their service. This could help shop owners to save and cut costs.
Although there are many benefits of robots in the market, I don’t expect them to become a common sight within the next few years. In my opinion, human behaviors are unpredictable so that only humans can solve and respond to multiple situations with flexible ways. Therefore, I believe that no matter how popular robot technology is, humans are still irreplaceable.
However, if we can utilize robots in a right way, I think that humans can spend more time doing more valuable and creative things such as designing, developing, and innovating.
To sum up, how to create a balance between robots and humans is everyone’s responsibility. If we can have good use of robots, I think we can create a more efficient and convenient life. | https://medium.com/@s10333130/do-you-expect-robots-to-become-a-common-sight-in-stores-within-the-next-few-years-why-why-not-70e5256b2c32 | ['Joy Lin'] | 2020-12-21 15:05:31.167000+00:00 | ['Robots'] |
Light on Serotonin, Heavy on Creativity | Day 86.
I’ve been unemployed for 16 days. I’m upset and frustrated. I want to go out to my favorite restaurant with my friends, order one of their on-tap cocktails and some ricotta doughnuts and stay until the waitress that somehow always manages to serve us has to remind us they are closed.
I try watching Designated Survivor. I want a political show but I need a break from The West Wing so I try Keifer Sutherland and Kal Penn but suddenly I’m weeping and can’t place why (this seems to be happening a lot). I scroll through Netflix and then there it is. Twister.
It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve watched the movie, I’m always pleasantly surprised to recall that Cary Elwes is in it and by the end my knees are curled up near my chest and I’m yelling at the screen for Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton to get their act together and work out their marriage and get Dorothy set up in time and goddamnit, run!. There is adrenaline and desperation and a deep ache to see things turn out alright.
At least I’m not crying. | https://medium.com/inspired-writer/light-on-serotonin-heavy-on-creativity-c3a52492de24 | ['Melissa Boles'] | 2020-07-25 23:02:15.425000+00:00 | ['Art', 'Life Lessons', 'Mental Health', 'Storytelling', 'Creativity'] |
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Text Analytics on ‘Friends’ TV Series — 10 Seasons | If you are a fan of the famous TV show ‘Friends’, you must have found yourself arguing regularly — Who is the most important character? Who is the most complex? Which characters were close? Who was the most positive or negative character?
I am sure we all have opinions but the only justified answers can come from data. As a result, I decided to apply text analytics and web scraping principles I have learned through my Master’s at UCLA Anderson School of Management, to analyze my favorite TV series with 58,251 dialogues and 228 episodes spread across 10 seasons.
I found the following website which contained the dialogue scripts for all 10 seasons of the series.
Now I will walk you through the details of the project.
In terms of the technical tools used, I used Python 3.7 environment in Jupyter notebooks (I have shared the Github link of the notebook at the end of this article). In this article, I have shared the overall steps on a broad level and focussed mainly on the process and the results. Feel free to check out the GitHub link to follow the Python code in detail.
Overall, there were three key steps in the process:
1. Scraping the data from the website
2. Latent semantic and textual analysis
3. Extracting the key insights
Let's talk about each of the steps one by one.
Scraping the data from the website.
I used ‘requests’ and ‘BeautifulSoup’ libraries in Python to extract the data from the website and store it into ‘pandas’ dataframe in a structured manner. At the end of this exercise, my data looked like this:
Figure 1: Initial dataframe
2. Latent semantic and textual analysis
In this process, I used ‘gensim’,’TextBlob’ and ‘nltk’ libraries to stem and lemmatize the data as well as performed a lexical and semantic analysis to extract sense out of the dialogues.
Overall this step included filtering of dialogues by 6 main characters, topic modeling exercise to understand the character complexity, affinity analysis to understand each character’s relationship with one another, dialogue frequency analysis, and sentiment analysis.
Those interested in understanding the concepts behind latent semantic analysis — especially topic modeling in detail, can take a look at this excellent Datacamp tutorial.
After filtering the dialogues by characters and pre-processing the dialogues to lemmatize them and remove the stop words, I used ‘gensim’ library to identify the number of topics for each of the characters. After the coherence score analysis, the ideal number of topics for each character was identified. I named this analysis for each character the thought diversity score. The result is somewhat unexpected (we will discuss more on this in the insights section):
Figure 2: Thought diversity score
Using the ‘gensim’ library only, I extracted the topics for each of the characters and mapped the character associations for each other. Basically, I calculated the frequency of appearance of a character in each other’s topics. I then prepared a heatmap of this affinity analysis using ‘seaborn’ library which looked as follows:
Figure 3: Affinity analysis
The next analysis was simple, I simply calculated the dialogue frequency for each character, which looked as:
Figure 4: Dialogue Frequency
The last step in the analysis was sentiment analysis. In this step, for each character, I determined the percentages of negative, positive, and neutral dialogues using the ‘TextBlob’ library. The result looked like this:
Figure 5: Sentiment analysis
Now, this brings us to our last step.
3. Key Insights
Using the thought diversity score, we can clearly say that ‘Rachel’ was the most complex character. Hard work indeed for Jenniffer Anniston. Affinity score map clearly shows that Ross and Rachel had extremely good chemistry and had a good top of mind presence in each other’s conscience. This was evident throughout the show. Dialogue frequency shows Joey as the dominant character. Aligns well with the character’s popularity as a TV series solely focussed on ‘Joey’ was launched right after ‘Friends’. Though that didn’t do well — probably scope for another project. ‘Phoebe’ was the most positive character in the show while ‘Monica’ was the most negative. This aligns a lot with the views of my friends who have watched the show multiple times and are a huge fan.
Overall it was a fun project to work on where I applied both web scraping and complex text analytics skills to understand my favorite TV series even better.
Moreover, I believe this is a pertinent skill to have not just for data scientists or analysts, even product and marketing managers can leverage this skill to quickly grasp the voice of customers and take action on insights.
We live in the information age where it’s hard to keep track of customers’ and users’ voices and opinions on multiple channels and in huge volumes. Every product-led company — whether B2B or B2C company, tech or non-tech, needs to capture user voices and analyze them to generate actionable insights. This is where web scraping and lexical text analytics become useful.
For my geeky friends, who want to explore the code, feel free to access my Jupyter notebook for this project from here and if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to get in touch with me here. | https://medium.com/swlh/text-analytics-on-friends-tv-series-10-episodes-42875804f3a6 | ['Apoorva Mishra'] | 2020-11-26 05:51:13.521000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Friends', 'Data Science', 'Web Scraping', 'Text Analytics'] |
Writing Believable Dialogue | One of the key elements of a good story is the dialogue
between characters. Any story that has people interacting will show their
conversations, and that is an important aspect in conveying an engaging, believable
story. People can reveal a lot about themselves and their world through their
dialogue. With good dialogue you can establish everything from character traits
to plot elements to setting. You can tell the reader the what, why, how and
where using just dialogue, and you can also use it to point out key details in
the plot that you want readers to know. It is a versatile tool you have at your
disposal that can convey a lot about your story when used well.
Writing good dialogue can be tricky. You want the
conversation to flow naturally and sound authentic. You don’t want “talking
heads” where it’s just two disembodied voices talking back and forth with
nothing else happening (or do you? I’ve read some compelling stories that were
nothing but two talking heads. I think this is the exception and not the rule,
though). You want your people to sound like actual people with real
personalities and quirks. So how can you do this?
I’ve been told that writing dialogue is one of my strengths.
These are some of the techniques I use to handle it.
REAL LIFE INFLUENCE
Always listen to how people talk and converse. You will be
surprised at how much you learn about how people talk just by listening to how
people talk. Follow the ebb and flow of their conversation. Every dialogue has
a rhythm and a poetry to it, regardless of who is talking or how they talk. Pay
attention to that. You might also hear some cool antec dotes you can use in
future stories. Some of the coolest dialogue from supporting characters in my
book The Hand You’re Dealt came directly from people I was standing near
while waiting to sell my blood plasma (Yes, that aspect of the story is quite
autobiographical.)
BODY LANGUAGE
Body language and facial expression is also an important
part of writing believable dialogue. People are twitchy, and nobody is just
sitting perfectly still while talking. Take time to mention what their bodies
and faces are doing while they are talking. You can convey a lot about what a
character is thinking or feeling as they talk this way. Oftentimes, I will
describe a character’s small action before they say something instead of using
“he said.” Because it does a dual job of indicating who is talking while also
giving some of that movement to the character. This also applies to giving a
brief description of what is going through the POV character’s mind as they
speak.
GRAMMAR
People don’t use proper grammar when they talk, not even
English teachers. People talk in fragments, have unfinished thoughts, stumble
over words, use incorrect phraseology, use filler words like um and uh, cut
each other off and try to finish each other’s sentences. When writing dialogue,
you want to utilize those quirks to make the conversation, and the characters,
more believable. Save the soliloquies for Shakespeare.
SLANG
Pay attention to slang and local colloquialisms. If you’re writing a character from New York, that person is going to sound and talk quite differently than a person from Atlanta. Slang words and different pronunciations can be a great teller of where they are from and what their culture is, and in that instance you can be forgiven for intentional misspellings. I got into quite a few arguments with my Beta readers and editors over a New Yorker I put in The Hand You’re Dealt. They thought I misspelled one of his colloquialisms, and I had to repeatedly explain that he comes from a culture where People call each other “sun” (as in shining like the sun) instead of “son.” I got so tired of the fight I just switched to a different slang word.
Incorporating other languages can also be a key element in
establishing a character. If a character comes from a unique culture, including
a word or two from their native language will drive that point home. Just don’t
overdo it: sprinkling in too many foreign words will make it blatant to the
reader that you’re trying to make the character seem more ethnic.
THE WORD ‘SAID’
When writing dialogue, you tread a fine line when using the word “said.” You don’t want to overuse it, but at the same time, it can become quite obvious to readers when you are trying too hard to not use it. If you find yourself trying to come up with a new verb for talking every time you have somebody speak, then you are doing it too much, and you need to use “said” to give the reader a break. “Said” is usually an invisible word: the reader will read that and know what it means intrinsically without it interrupting the flow of the story. The key is to not use it ALL of the time lest you appear unimaginative. You also want to keep a lid on the flowery adjectives (which usually come right after you use the word “said”). Whatever you’re using that adjective to describe in what that character said should be self evident in whatever that character said and the actions and details around it. If you do that well, then the adjective becomes redundant.
TESTING IT OUT
Once you’ve written your dialogue, the next thing is to test it out. Don’t be afraid to read your dialogue out loud to see if everything sounds smooth and believable. Sometimes words and phrases that look good on paper (or your screen) won’t sound right when actually spoken, and that can be problematic if you want you dialogue to sound authentic.
These are some of the techniques I use when writing conversations. Give them a try and hopefully it will make your dialogue more memorable.
D’ya know who else excels at writing dialogue? Chuck Palahniuk! Check out this book from the creator of Fight Club and see for yourself. | https://medium.com/@jdwilliams-86067/writing-believable-dialogue-108eb9161f72 | ['J.D. Williams'] | 2019-10-05 22:25:24.292000+00:00 | ['Character', 'Fiction', 'Conversation'] |
Hypothesis Testing using R explained (Part 1) | Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Hypothesis testing is one of the most important and interesting topics of the Inferential statistics. Hypothesis testing is nothing but a statistical model designed to test the validity of a hypothesis or claim. For example, suppose you and your cousins decide to play a game in which you all roll a dice. Now each one of you has a fair and equal probability of 1/6 of getting a 6. You all roll the dice 5 times and every time it’s your youngest cousin who got 6 and you all start to think if he is cheating somehow. How do you statistically test that hypothesis is the process of hypothesis testing.
Exploring the terminologies
Null Hypothesis — The null hypothesis is the status quo or it’s an assumption that there is no change in the things. They are likely to be the same. This is denoted by H0.
The null hypothesis is the status quo or it’s an assumption that there is no change in the things. They are likely to be the same. This is denoted by H0. Alternate Hypothesis — The alternative hypothesis which is also denoted as H1 or HA sometimes, is the assumption there are significant pieces of evidence available in the data that lead to the conclusion that the null hypothesis can be rejected.
The alternative hypothesis which is also denoted as H1 or HA sometimes, is the assumption there are significant pieces of evidence available in the data that lead to the conclusion that the null hypothesis can be rejected. P-Value — P-Value stands for probabilistic value. In layman terms, it is the probability of getting results as extreme as the null hypothesis if the null hypothesis is true.
P-Value stands for probabilistic value. In layman terms, it is the probability of getting results as extreme as the null hypothesis if the null hypothesis is true. Parameter — Parameter is the quantity that summarizes the population data. Eg — Mean, Median, Standard Deviation, Variance, etc.
Parameter is the quantity that summarizes the population data. Eg — Mean, Median, Standard Deviation, Variance, etc. Statistic — Statistics refer to the summary of population sample data.
Statistics refer to the summary of population sample data. Criteria/ Significance Level — Significance level denoted as α is the threshold that decides whether the hypothesis has to be rejected or the pieces of evidence are weak to reject the hypothesis (in such cases we say, we fail to reject the hypothesis instead of saying accepting the hypothesis). Generally in behavioral sciences, the significance level is kept at 0.05 while other available criteria are 0.01, 0.05, 0.10. Now let us understand what does the significance level mean? Significance level (for example of) 0.05 or 5% says that there are 5% chances of getting results as same as the null hypothesis. If the p-value, in any case, is below 0.05 then the shreds of evidence are strong and we can reject the null hypothesis but if the p-value is more than 5% then it is considered to be statistically significant.
Significance level denoted as is the threshold that decides whether the hypothesis has to be rejected or the pieces of evidence are weak to reject the hypothesis (in such cases we say, we fail to reject the hypothesis instead of saying accepting the hypothesis). Generally in behavioral sciences, the significance level is kept at 0.05 while other available criteria are 0.01, 0.05, 0.10. Now let us understand what does the significance level mean? Significance level (for example of) 0.05 or 5% says that there are 5% chances of getting results as same as the null hypothesis. If the p-value, in any case, is below 0.05 then the shreds of evidence are strong and we can reject the null hypothesis but if the p-value is more than 5% then it is considered to be statistically significant. Methods — After setting up the criteria and collecting data, all you have to do is calculate the statistic using various methods available of hypothesis testing such as — T-Test. Z-Test, P-Value, Bayesian Tests, etc.
Calculating the P-Value using T-Statistics
Let’s look at how we can compute P-value and T-Score manually also using R. Also we will have a look at the interpretation of the results.
Formulae to calculate P-Value, and T-Statistic
P-Value = (x̅ — μ)/(σ√n)
T- Score = (x̅ — μ)/(s/√n)
Degree of Freedom = In case of a single-tailed test, df will be n-1, and in case of a two-tailed test, df will be n-2.
Where —
x̅ = Sample mean
μ = Population mean
σ = Population standard deviation
s = Sample standard deviation
n = Number of sample
Example of T-Test using R
Let’s take an example of an unpaired two-sample T-test. Suppose you’re a Product Manager and you are working on optimizing an online application journey. You made some changes in the journey and now you’re comparing time spent by users. The hypothesis is that customers will spend less time filling up the application on the new journey.
time_new<- c(38.9, 61.2, 73.3, 21.8, 63.4, 64.6, 48.4, 48.8, 48.5) time_old<- c(67.8, 60, 63.4, 76, 89.4, 73.3, 67.3, 61.3, 62.4)
Let’s put the data in a dataset called my_data
# Data in two numeric vectors
time_new <- c(38.9, 61.2, 73.3, 21.8, 63.4, 64.6, 48.4, 48.8, 48.5)
time_old <- c(67.8, 60, 63.4, 76, 89.4, 73.3, 67.3, 61.3, 62.4)
# Create a data frame
my_data <- data.frame(
group = rep(c(“new”, “old”), each = 9),
weight = c(time_new, time_old)
)
Plot a boxplot to check the data distribution
# Plot weight by group and color by group
boxplot(time_new, time_old,
main = “Boxploting showing data distribution”,
names = c(“time_new”, “time_old”),
col = c(“orange”, “red”),
border = “yellow”,
horizontal = TRUE
)
The boxplot will look like this and we can say the data is normally distributed.
Alternatively, to visualize the data distribution, we can plot a distribution curve too —
#Visual assessment of data distribution
d <- density(time_new)
plot(d, maxin=”Normality check — Visually”)
polygon(d, col=”red”, border=”blue”)
As a penultimate step, let’s assess the homogeneity of variance. The basic assumption of an independent t-test states that the variance should not be unequal. In case, they are, then chances of type — 1 error (incorrectly reject the null hypothesis) increase substantially. To check the homogeneity of variance, we will run an F-test. An F-test is used to compare the variance of two datasets.
#F-test to test homogenity between two datasets
res.ftest <- var.test(weight ~ group, data = my_data)
res.ftest
The output is given below states p-value = 0.1714 which is higher than the alpha 0.05 so we can conclude that there is no inequality in variance.
F test to compare two variances
data: weight by group
F = 2.7675, num df = 8, denom df = 8, p-value = 0.1714
alternative hypothesis: true ratio of variances is not equal to 1
95 percent confidence interval:
0.6242536 12.2689506
sample estimates:
ratio of variances
2.767478
Assumption checklist before running T-Test
The following three assumptions should be marked checked before running the t-test:
Are the two samples independent? Yes, they are.
Is the data in both the groups normally distributed? Yes, it is.
Is the variance in two populations the same? Yes, it is assumed to be an equal basis for the F-test results.
Alright, we have checked all the assumptions, let’s run the test and see whether the changes committed by you in the application journey has done some magic or not.
Running the T-test
# Compute t-test
res <- t.test(time_new, time_old, var.equal = TRUE)
res
The output will be:
Two Sample t-test
data: time_new and time_old
t = -2.7842, df = 16, p-value = 0.01327
alternative hypothesis: true difference in means is not equal to 0
95 percent confidence interval:
-29.748019 -4.029759
sample estimates:
mean of x mean of y
52.10000 68.98889
Here in the results, t stands for t-test statistics, and df means the degree of freedom. In this result, we can clearly see the p-value = 0.01327 is below alpha 0.05 which means even if the null hypothesis is true, there is roughly a 1% chance of getting results as similar to that. We have already read it that if the p-value observed from the test is below alpha (in our case it was 0.05), the null hypothesis is rejected.
Errors in hypothesis testing
Majorly, there are two types of errors in hypothesis testing, namely, Type I and II errors.
Type I error
Incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis even when it is true. This error is also known as False positive.
Type II error
Type II error is when the researcher incorrectly fails to reject the null hypothesis even when it is false. This error is also known as false negative.
Conclusion
So this was an introduction to the one technique of non-bayesian hypothesis testing. Apart from T-Statistics, Z-Score, and Bayesian analysis are other important and popular techniques oof hypothesis testing. We will cover Z Statistics and Bayesian analysis in upcoming blogs. | https://medium.com/ai-in-plain-english/hypothesis-testing-using-r-explained-part-1-2e1cd1d308b4 | ['Paresh Khandelwal'] | 2020-06-21 19:23:47.653000+00:00 | ['R', 'Data Science', 'Hypothesis Testing', 'Product Management', 'Data Visualization'] |
The Math behind Machine Learning | How far is math important when speaking about machine learning?
Many of us start looking at the coding part to improve programming skills.
Machine learning has become a debatable field in the last 5 years, especially after the bomb of ‘Deep Learning’. Within this wide rush towards it, it is important for any beginner in this field to understand the basics of machine learning and its core aspect, the one that is leading it to be here today, and the core that will lead machines to lead the world.
In this article, I will try to cover a simple yet effective part of the math behind machine learning which is the probabilistic view of models using probability simple rules only.
The following image has crossed my way today:
Probably .. the master of ML.
The five rules of probability. Mainly, all programmers have taken a probability course in their high school or college. As simple as it seems, these simple rules form the most important laws of machine learning.
To make things clear, I will start stating some examples that use these probability rules ( shown in the figure above) and others.
CTC algorithm
CTC ( Connectionist Temporal Classification) is one of the interesting algorithms used in sequence-to-sequence models, that is based on probability laws. For instance, it works as follows:
let x be a letter ( x : letter) , w be a word ( w:word)
The question is: what is the probability of having the letter x in the word w ?
p(x/w) = ?. The answer here determines the next step that the algorithm will take.
Now, to know its importance, check the impact of CTC in the following subdomains of machine learning:
Handwritten text recognition, Voice recognition
The reason behind using ctc in these models is that they rely mainly on the probability on the next step to decide the current one.
The figure above shows the baseline architecture of the handwritten decoding model. First of all, convolutional layers are used to extract features for the handwritten images. Next, their output is fed to bidirectional lstm layers, simply to save the current feature(letter) to compare it with the next feature(letter). In this case, we say what is the probability of letter x1 knowing that it is followed ( or passed by) letter x2? see? simple probability lows lead to gentle and great models that will take the world into another future!
Finally, after predicting the pattern of letters, they will enter into a decision-making tree, the CTC model is responsible for choosing the correct pattern of the word.
Probability is the science of studying uncertainty. Machine learning is the science of solving uncertainty by making it ‘mostly’ certain.
These two factors make a great combination of togerther. | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/the-math-behind-machine-learning-331a4603838d | [] | 2020-10-16 13:07:20.325000+00:00 | ['Math', 'Machine Learning', 'Neural Networks', 'Problem Solving', 'Deep Learning'] |
Great Infographics Need Great Stories. Here’s How To Get It Right. | Infographic by Florence Nightingale, 1855
In the 1850s, famed nurse Florence Nightingale was the first person to use and compare statistics by creating elaborate infographics, diagrams and color-coded flowcharts for her presentations to persuade hospitals of the need for change.
To this day, infographics are an important and effective tool to digest and make sense of the vast amounts of data we gather. They clearly and visually break down the information and offer an easy-to-understand overview or quick explanation of a complex topic or process.
And they are the perfect fusion of content + design.
Nonprofits engage in storytelling to communicate and create effective outreach, awareness and donation campaigns for a cause. Infographics are especially suited for them to highlight their mission, tell their stories, visualize complex data, explain research findings and show trends in their case studies. A good infographic shows why prospective donors should care and how their engagement can make an impact.
Great infographics, however, need good stories and a compelling narrative to make the infographic informative and persuasive enough to engage. And the stories behind the numbers must be stories that readers can relate to.
The steps involved in creating an effective infographic
Pick one issue, or one story, or one objective
Pick your target audience
Pick one call-to-action
Research, gather and verify the data, using different sources (see below for a list of databases you can use)
Decide, which of the 5 common kinds of infographics best fits your data display (illustrative, proportional, timeline, map, list. More on each below.)
Design and create the infographic. Canva offers a free infographic maker, as does Google Charts, among many other online tools. Try Cartograph for maps.
The five kinds of infographics that visualize your data
Illustrative: One number and one picture. Best for highlighting a single fact or statistic.
Proportional: Fact, data, or stats visualization. Best for numerical comparison to show highs, lows, average and provide context.
Timeline: Changes over time (history flow), a path, process, or projections.
Map: Highlights geographic patterns and good for telling global stories. Use sparingly because a map might skew proportionality.
List: Best for rankings and simple categorizations.
To create effective infographics you need to…
have a clear target audience in mind and know what you want it to take away.
use strong characters to relate to or to learn from.
showcase a conflict with no obvious outcome. You need a real issue and relatability that draws others in.
find something unexpected; a plot twist. Find stories that readers won’t experience in their everyday life; something exciting, or emotional involvement.
create a scene-setting, a journey, or a direction.
share a point or a killer fact.
use humor that doesn’t undermine credibility.
find an aesthetically pleasing clear design; the right brand feel, colors, fonts and visuals (icons, symbols, images, drawings).
And make sure you…
don’t miss offering a clear point, direction, or message.
don’t create too confusing, or too cluttered a visual.
don’t miss the storyline or create too many stories at once.
don’t mix opposing facts.
don’t offer opposing messages.
don’t show confusing, wrong, or random visual cues or images.
don’t miss to reveal your data sources, or forget to include essential sources.
don’t forget to be mindful of the differentiation between perception, projection and reality.
Share your infographic with me!
Data Sources
ABOUT CONTENT DESIGN LLC
Hi, I am Tekla Szymanski, founder of Content Design LLC, your one-stop shop for content strategy and web development for content-rich nonprofit and personal websites.
Do you have a small team and even less time? I hear you. And since your website deserves an editor, writer and web designer who understands how to leverage your unique content and then adapt the right design to it, I can help you.
You have a story to tell, a mission to share or a service to offer, and we will find the right platform to build a website around your unique content needs that converts your site visitors into loyal donors, paying clients or new members.
What sets me apart?
Most web designers and developers don’t come from a content-creating background. I do.
Copyright © 2020 Tekla Szymanski | Content Design LLC. All rights reserved. Please share/quote with attribution. | https://medium.com/@tszymanski/great-infographics-need-great-stories-heres-how-to-get-it-right-d5bcb1a98f66 | ['Tekla Szymanski', 'Content', 'Design', 'Llc', 'New York'] | 2020-12-04 23:49:16.384000+00:00 | ['Infographics', 'Data Visualization'] |
Rocket Pool 2 — Beta v1 — Node Operator’s Guide | If you want to run your own smart node, this is a great getting started guide.
This guide is for a previous Rocket Pool beta. View the guide for the currently running beta here.
Introduction
So you want to run a Smart Node in the Rocket Pool Beta v1? This guide has you covered! You’re on your way to being one of the first to experience running a node in the Rocket Pool network, and earning rewards on not only your own stake, but a percentage of your users’ rewards too.
This guide is a quick overview of the installation and setup procedure — for more detailed documentation, check out the Smart Node docs.
The beta v1 of Rocket Pool will only feature a CLI (command line) for the smart node software. A GUI for home users will be targeted for the beta v2 later in the year.
What Do I Need?
All you need to get started is a computer with an internet connection, running Ubuntu 16.04 and up. You can also use MacOS, provided that you have docker and docker-compose installed. If you don’t have access to a Ubuntu or MacOS machine, check out our handy guide to running Rocket Pool Smart Nodes on AWS. Your computer will need at least 3GB of RAM and 8GB of (SSD) hard disk space. You’ll also need root (administrator) access to the computer.
Installation
Open the terminal on your Ubuntu machine (or SSH into it if you’re working on a remote server). Then, make sure you have curl installed:
curl --version
If you see a message like command not found , you don’t have it. Install it with:
sudo apt-get install curl
Now, install the Smart Node software stack:
curl -L https://github.com/rocket-pool/smartnode-install/releases/download/0.0.1/setup.sh -o setup.sh && chmod 755 setup.sh && ./setup.sh && rm setup.sh
This command will hide everything that’s happening behind a tidy progress bar. If you want to see everything that’s going on behind the scenes, use this one instead:
curl -L https://github.com/rocket-pool/smartnode-install/releases/download/0.0.1/setup.sh -o setup.sh && chmod 755 setup.sh && ./setup.sh -v && rm setup.sh
Once the installation is finished, you’ll be prompted to answer some questions for the initial configuration (there’s not much choice at this stage…). Then, you’ll be prompted to restart your terminal. If you’re using the actual computer that will be your node, just close and re-open it. Otherwise, exit your shell session and SSH back in.
Powering Up
To get started, run:
rocketpool service start
This will “build up” the Smart Node software stack, which starts it up and makes sure it keeps running, even if it crashes or you restart your computer. You can check to make sure it’s working by running:
rocketpool service stats
You should see a list with some entries where the NAME column looks something like this (in any order), along with some information about the resource usage for each container (small programs which make up the stack):
rocketpool_cli_1
rocketpool_minipools_1
rocketpool_node_1
rocketpool_pow_1
rocketpool_traefik_1
rocketpool_watchtower_1
If you don’t, something might have gone wrong.
You can also view the logs for all the running containers with:
rocketpool service logs
(Both of these commands will run in real-time until you press Ctrl-C to stop.)
Registering Your Node
Now you’re ready to register your Smart Node with Rocket Pool. First up, set your password and create a node account with:
rocketpool node init
You won’t need to enter your password again, and it will be saved to your computer. It’s just an extra layer of security in case your account keystore gets leaked somehow (like if you backed it up on a cloud service — but don’t do that).
Next, you’ll need some testnet ETH and RPL (and Rocket Pool won’t let you register your node without a minimum ETH balance). We’ve built special commands in to access our ETH and RPL faucets, just for the beta. Let’s get as much as possible:
rocketpool faucet withdraw 20 ETH
rocketpool faucet withdraw 48 RPL
It will take a few moments for your tokens to appear in your account. Check your node status a few times until you see your balances go up:
rocketpool node status
Once they’re there, you can register: (note this will only work after the beta starts on the 24th)
rocketpool node register
You’ll be prompted to detect your location automatically, or enter it manually. This isn’t used to track you, just to show people where nodes are on the network map on the Rocket Pool website. You can enter something like Hidden/Hidden if you don’t want people to know.
That’s it! You’re officially part of the Rocket Pool network!
Making a Deposit
Now, let’s put that testnet ETH and RPL to use. Make a deposit with:
rocketpool deposit make [duration]
[duration] can be one of 3m , 6m or 12m , depending on how long you want to stake for. This command will walk you through the process of making a deposit, including sending the required ETH and RPL from your node account. When prompted, select the option to “Complete the deposit”.
When you’re done, you’ll have a brand new minipool! This minipool will eagerly await until Rocket Pool selects it for user deposits to be sent to. When it gets enough, it’ll begin staking. You can check up on it at any time with:
rocketpool minipool status
This displays a list of all your minipools, with information about each of them. When User Deposit Total hits 16.00 , the Status should change to staking . That means your minipool will shortly become a validator on the beacon chain! The Smart Node software stack will quietly start doing its validation duties for it in the background.
Voting on the Node Fee
All nodes in the Rocket Pool network charge users the same fee, in the form of a percentage of their rewards earned. This keeps things fair for users, as they don’t have to worry about which node their deposit gets assigned to. The fee is also “locked in” for each minipool when it begins staking.
The node fee is dynamic, and all node operators get to vote on it in cycles of 24 hours. Every 24 hours, the network tallies the total number of votes for the following options:
Keep the fee the same
Raise the fee
Lower the fee
The option with the most votes wins, and the fee is adjusted accordingly. It only moves up or down by 0.5% at a time, to prevent sudden swings.
You can set the target percentage you want your node to vote for with:
rocketpool fee set [percentage]
That’s it, your node will now decide how to vote automatically each time it checks in! You can also check the current network fee with:
rocketpool fee display
Making Bank
After your minipool’s staking duration has completed, your Smart Node should automatically log out from the beacon chain for you. Then, after a short delay, you’ll be able to withdraw your rewards from it! Run rocketpool minipool status to check up on it again — the Status should now read withdrawn (from the beacon chain).
To withdraw your funds, run:
rocketpool minipool withdraw
This will list all of your minipools which are available for withdrawal and prompt you to select one (or all) of them. If you were good, you’ll have made a profit! If you were bad (e.g. you turned off your computer, which should have been validating), you might be at a loss. If you were very bad, you might have lost everything! If your validator gets penalised and goes below 16 ETH, it gets booted from the beacon chain. In this case, the users get most of their ether back, while you get squat since you’re at fault.
Any rETH you earned goes straight to your node account, while RPL gets returned to your node contract for re-use. If you want to withdraw it to your account instead, run:
rocketpool node withdraw [amount] RPL
More, More!
That’s everything for this guide. If you want to see what else the Smart Node can do, don’t forget to check out the Smart Node docs. They break down all of the available commands for you, and provide a reference at the end. | https://medium.com/rocket-pool/rocket-pool-beta-v2-node-operators-guide-d2b691822c61 | ['Jake Pospischil'] | 2020-10-02 00:59:16.392000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'Casper', 'Proof Of Stake', 'Rocketpool', 'Blockchain'] |
Pandemic Journaling and Why it Matters — Essential Millennial | We’ve mentioned the advantages of journaling before. It’s not news that writing in order to work through our feelings, or to remind ourselves of what we’re grateful for is a great way to fight anxiety, and identify areas of our lives that need work. Now, though, the pages of your diary might be something more than just a therapeutic release. By journaling in a pandemic, you may be writing history.
Why should I journal?
In case you’re not up to speed, Huffpost has this great list of reasons to keep a journal. Their reasons include the fact that the practice encourages mindfulness, and that writing in general stretches your IQ and your EQ. Journaling is also a great way to keep tabs of your goals — which is also a sure-fire way to help you reach them. Writing about…well…whatever you want, boosts your creativity, and helps you heal from some of the emotional damage we all struggle with from time to time.
You don’t need to spend a lot of time in order to feel the benefits, either. Many people choose to keep a gratitude journal. Instead of writing our essays before bed every night, this requires only a short list of things you’re grateful for every day, and won’t take more than a few minutes.
Now, however, journaling has taken on a new function. The pages we write today, describing this strange year and the ways in which we’re coping with it, could be read by future generations. Remember those paragraphs in history textbooks that were taken from the pages of old white guys’ journals while they were off exploring, stealing other people’s land and fighting wars? Well, your journal could serve a similar function a hundred years from now!
Writing the story of 2020
I’ve been keeping my journal since the start of the year, at least fairly consistently. Looking back over the last couple of months, it’s clear to see how my feelings about the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown it brought have fluctuated. Initially, I felt a sense of panic about being confined to my home that, over time, faded into a dull fatigue, or cabin fever (There’s a lot of frivolous nonsense in there too, but that’s less important in the context of this article).
The thought of somebody reading through all the lectures I’ve given myself and all the to-do lists that were never completed makes me cringe. Not to mention the fact that in between those there are pages and pages of mundane details of my life that would probably put even a historian to sleep. It seems, to me anyway, highly unlikely that anyone would be interested in having to wade through my dull — and often very shallow- musings. According to Marie Solis at Vice, however, this may not quite be the case.
“Now, mundanities are all we have (if we’re lucky), and historians are interested in them, “She writes. “Living through a pandemic is a historic event, even if all we’re doing is surviving it-baking bread, getting into comically trivial arguments with our partners, and doing workout videos in our apartments.”
Solis spoke to Katherine Landdeck, a history professor at Texas Woman’s University, who said that historians love diaries because they offer a point of view not represented in newspapers or other official documents. “They capture our habits and rhythms, as well as the subtle shifts in our emotional states,” she said. For accurate documentation of any historical event, that’s essential.
“Journals are so important because they show how one person’s view or experience of something changes over time,” Landdeck told Solis. “When you look back to the month or two ago when this started, you’re going to be worrying about different things than you are today.”
And we don’t have to wait a century for historians to take an interest in our isolated and anxiety-filled existences! “Journal of the Plague Year” is a project led by American historians which archives documents relating to the pandemic experiences of the average Joe (or Jane). These can take the form of diary entries, photographs, drawings, or even memes. Submissions can be private or public, meaning that unless you want your deepest emotional struggles published for the world to see, only researchers will be able to access them.
Historians are then using the submissions to identify the experiences, fears, and emotions that are common to everyone dealing with this pandemic. They can follow the spread of the public’s concerns as they change and progress — whether that be over empty toilet paper shelves or uncomfortable masks. Nothing is too mundane or too unimportant to be included in what will eventually be an account of a massive historical event.
“Absolutely everything is interesting,” Mark Tebeau, one of the lead researchers on the project, told Solis. “That seems like a cop-out, but I’m endlessly delighted by the details people share-graffiti they see on their walks, a virtual family meeting, or a funny story about a Zoom class. All of those things tell us about this moment.”
It may seem redundant to be writing a pandemic journal when we’re already plastering our lives all over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but Ari L. Goldman, a journalism professor at Columbia University insists that this isn’t the case.
In an article for the Washington Post, Goldman states that our social media updates are not the records that matter. “Facebook and Instagram are a conversation,” he writes. “They are for others. A journal is for you. You deserve a record. Write it down so you will remember how you got used to this — and how you got through this.”
You don’t need to write for the whole world
If the idea of sending pages of your diary off to researchers you’ve never met chills you, that’s OK. You could always save your stories for readers much closer to home. The pages you’re jotting down now may be of great interest to your own family members further down the line.
There’s something magical about reading in that the words on a page can become a conversation between a reader and the writer. This conversation is possible across time and space, meaning that you could be addressing your great, great grandkids as you’re writing about how your banana bread turned out!
I’m not sure I’ll even have grandkids, but the idea that someone decades down the line might pick up my pre-bedtime ramblings and find them even a little interesting thrills me. They’ll have to get over my illegible handwriting, but really once they’ve done that half the battle’s over. By spending ten minutes a day writing about how you’re doing, you could engage in a dialogue with the future — not to mention reap all those other benefits we spoke about earlier — and that is immensely valuable.
If you’ve never kept a diary before, now is a great time to start. We’ve only just hit the middle of 2020 and it’s already been a momentous catastrophe, so you can rest assured there’ll still be tons to write about. If all that comes out of your pen is an unplanned review of your latest Netflix binge, that’s OK too.
At the very least you’ll get some penmanship practice — often much needed in a society that almost only reads and composes text messages and emails.
If keeping a journal doesn’t tickle your fancy, but you’d still like to write about your pandemic experiences, send us an email and The Essential Millennial will be happy to publish your submissions here! | https://medium.com/essential-millennial/pandemic-journaling-and-why-it-matters-essential-millennial-32a20ce132d2 | ['Melissa Da Costa'] | 2020-06-03 07:42:34.729000+00:00 | ['History', 'Journaling', 'Millennial', 'Pandemic', 'Wellness'] |
Custom Maps on react-native-maps And react-google-maps | Read the original article on Sicara’s website here.
I recently worked on a React-Native mobile project that shows administrative divisions of countries in a colour depending on its crime rate. I found that many countries and cities provide freely their Geographical Data generated with specialized softwares known as GIS. Digging into data.gouv.fr, the french Open Data website, I bumped into a shapefile describing the french administrative divisions.
Here’s what I learnt that will save you some trial and error time.
What I worked with to render a map easily
I had to show both a map on a mobile and web app. As we developed the mobile app using React Native, we used the airbnb’s component react-native-maps which revealed itself both simple to use and efficient. Here is a sample of a working React Native map component that draws polygons.
import MapView from 'react-native-maps'; export default function Map(props) {
render() {
return (
<MapView>
{this.state.polygons.map(polygon =>
(<MapView.Polygon
key={polygon.id}
coordinates={polygon.coordinates}
fillColor='red'
strokeColor='black'
/>),
)}
</MapView>
);
}
}
Regarding the React web app, we inserted Google maps using the react-google-maps module. Here are few lines to generate a Google map.
import React from 'react';
import { GoogleMapLoader, GoogleMap, Polygon } from 'react-google-maps'; export default function Map(props) {
return (
<GoogleMapLoader
containerElement={
<div
style={{
height: '400px',
}}
{...props.containerProps}
/>
}
googleMapElement={
<GoogleMap>
{props.polygons.map((polygon, index) => {
return (
<Polygon
key={index}
paths={polygon.coordinates}
options={{
strokeWeight: 1,
fillColor: 'red',
fillOpacity: 1,
strokeColor: 'black',
}}
/>
);
})}
</GoogleMap>
}
/>
);
}
New York boroughs drawn using react-google-maps (from the app SafeAround)
What is a shapefile?
Shapefile is a commonly used data format, mostly generated by free geographical softwares (known as GIS). ShapeFiles are actually not single files but a collection of many different ones, including generally:
.shp : gathers the coordinates of each polygons
: gathers the coordinates of each polygons .dbf : information about the shapes (name, area, …)
: information about the shapes (name, area, …) .prj : describes the projection used (usually, coordinates are not provided using longitude - latitude)
: describes the used (usually, coordinates are not provided using longitude - latitude) .shx : provides an index over shapes to find neighboring shapes
: provides an index over shapes to find neighboring shapes .cpg : text encoding used (UTF-8, Latin-1, us-ascii …)
How can I read shapefiles using python?
You need only two libraries : pyshp and dbfread . You can print the data you have using
import shapefile as shp
from matplotlib import pyplot as p shp_file_path = ‘MyShapeFile.shp’
my_shapes = shp.Reader(shp_file_path).shapes()
my_shapes_list = list(map(lambda shape: shape.points, my_shapes))
print('Number of shapes : %s' % len(my_shapes_list)) for shape in my_shapes_list:
longitude, latitude = zip(*shape)
p.plot(longitude, latitude)
p.show()
For example, printing the USA counties boundaries:
You can then link each shape from the .shp to its metadata provided in the .dbf using the following code. The metadata in the .dbf are listed in the same order as their associated polygons in the .shp file.
from dbfread import DBF
dbf_file_path = 'usaCountiesShapeFile.dbf'
counties_information_list = DBF(dbf_file_path, load=True, encoding='utf-8').records
print('first county : %s' % counties_information_list[0])
Why do English coordinates not look like lat/long ?
The standard latitude-longitude coordinates format is called WGS84 (World Geodetic System, created in 1984).
However, you might encounter strange coordinates used in your ShapeFile. Even worse, most projections used are not a linear transformation of the longitude-latitude format!
For example, you can find London wards here, but coordinates are provided using the British National Grid projection : they look like (530000, 180000).
Don’t panic, The GitHub user profLewis provides a python function to help! It converts British National Grid projection (OSGB36) to longitude-latitude coordinates (known as WGS84).
Same thing goes for French coordinates: the administrative sections ‘Iris’ are provided on data.gouv.fr using Lambert93, the official projection in Metropolitan France. Find here a python function to transform Lambert93 coordinates to WGS84.
The United States’ system, GCS_North_American_1983, is a tricky one as it differs from WGS84 by about a meter.
Where can I find the data?
Here are some links to the data I used!
Latitude-Longitude :
British National Grid :
France’s Lambert93 :
If you look for other data, many countries have their own Open Data platform and provide geographical subdivisions! Opendatasoft.com listed 2600+ Open Data sources which you can explore in a map. | https://medium.com/sicara/using-open-data-shapefiles-to-draw-on-your-react-native-mobile-and-web-apps-maps-2b68a549c08d | [] | 2019-12-05 10:30:50.262000+00:00 | ['React', 'Development', 'Python', 'JavaScript', 'Data Visualization'] |
Reader, Writer, Feeler: Three Tips To Keep You On Your Writing Toes | Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash
Have you ever felt absolutely no motivation to write? You sit in front of your laptop or notebook, and nothing at all comes to you? You grow distracted and tired, and you think to yourself, am I meant to do this?
In a previous article I mentioned, and I quote: “I am learning that a good writer is not always going to feel “inspired” to write. A good writer will write until they are inspired and from that place keep on writing.” My first suggestion to you is simple; you have to write even though you don’t “feel” like it. I go through this at least once or twice a day, but in the midst of it, I push myself and make the decision to write. Otherwise, the rut will only grow bigger.
My second suggestion to you is, be an even better reader than you are a writer. My mom, who is an avid reader and also a writer always tells me; reading is where so much of your writing skills will grow. Your vocabulary will expand which as we know is huge in writing. And your ability to follow a story without becoming impatient(I know I do)will begin to diminish as well. It will serve you when you start to write your own stories. You will begin to exercise the muscles of discipline to stay on top of your writing projects until the finish line. So far this has proven to be true in my writing adventure.
My third suggestion is, listen to music. I have found this to be a powerful tool that has assisted me in writing projects. One artist that I have been listening too lately that has helped me tremendously is, Jordan Critz. He composes some pretty phenomenal instrumental music that will move you into that beautiful headspace to write.
Lastly, the dreaded question, “What the heck do I write about?” This question can come pretty harshly and frequently. But take this platform for instance, “The Writer’s Cooperative.” It’s a great place to find the tools you need when you are brainstorming for your next story. We are writers helping writers, people of the same craft supporting each other as we grow.
My last few words of encouragement for my fellow writer is this: Don’t Give Up! You may want to throw in the towel because of numerous reasons, but I’m here to tell you, keep writing and keep sharing! You have words inside of you that you need to share with the world. Discipline yourself in these three tips, and I promise, the return will be way worth it! | https://writingcooperative.com/reader-writer-feeler-three-tips-to-keep-you-on-your-writing-toes-ed23b260d47e | [] | 2019-05-06 12:11:00.677000+00:00 | ['Writers On Writing', 'Writing Challenge', 'Writing Tips', 'Writing', 'Writers Block'] |
Depression- Detrimental to Life and Social Behaviour | Depression
Are you in a state of depression, stress, or anxiety? Do you believe that depression is reasonable for your health or is just a temporary mental state? No, I’m afraid you might be mistaken in this regard.
What is Depression?
Depression is a constant state of mental health that includes the clouds of Sadness or melancholy entirely in a person. It makes a person wholly flabbergasted and pensive. The condition is severely detrimental to your life, and if it persists prolong, then there is no time to come back and have a cup full of happiness.
Are anxiety and depression the same thing?
The mental health state may depict they are the same thing, but the severity and grim consequences expound that depression is a more lethal weapon in your own life than anxiety and stress. The person suffering from depression is more close to the edge of death and far away from happiness.
Why does the brain get depressed?
The state occurs when overthinking overwhelms you, and you think about something more and more and couldn’t get rid of this whole fuss. The depression takes you from the definite edge of life to the negative side of life, and you continuously think negative thoughts. The depression completely changes your perception regarding a positive perspective, and you believe all the things are happening in a negative aspect. It creates a void in your life that is impeccable to the colourful life of the world.
State of Depression
Once John Assaraf has said:
“You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most.” (The Secret)
The depression is detrimental to your life as it engulfs your soul, and you become a reflective person thinking about suicide or quitting your life. The depression drags you away from your parents, relatives, friends, and from your own will.
A depressed person likes to live alone without the intervening of others in his life. He is a person who yammers deep inside, and I tell you this condition is a predicament for him and his lovers.
The person is not in a position to listen to your pieces of advice as he becomes stubborn and rude. If the person is happy and smiling, it doesn’t mean that he is happy deep inside. The depression takes your soul, not your appearance, and it controls your nerves and makes you a paralyzed person who can’t take a sip of happiness from the cup full of enjoyment. As it is said:
“What people never understand is that depression is not about the outside; it’s about the inside.” (Jasmine Warga)
Factors involving in the Cause of Depression
There are a lot of factors contributing to the onset of depression. These factors emanate the disarray situation of a mind. Depression is like a responsive agent against these factors that act as a stimulus to provoke overthinking. It gnaws your soul, your feelings, and your whole human behaviour. Some of the elements may include:
1- Financial Issues
The main factor that expounds the depression is financial instability in your dealings. If you belong to a middle-class family and have the volition to become a millionaire, but you couldn’t achieve your goal. And think you are useless, and you couldn’t fulfill your dreams, then, you everything negative thoughts and fall into depression.
2- Lack of Inner Satisfaction
It is a contrast factor to the above consideration, and it’s not imperative that you are a rich man, and you wouldn’t get depressed state. It’s all about the inner satisfaction of your soul and peace of mind. I saw many rich people committed suicide, not because of any financial issue, but due to a lack of peace of mind, the paucity (lack) of inner satisfaction.
Photo by Yuvraj Singh on Unsplash
3- Relationship Failure
I am a student, and in my view, this factor plays a predicament role in the emergence of depression. Life is based on love and affinity. The divine light depicts the pure love of God and His people. There comes a state where you love someone and share your feelings, but in return, you got betrayed by some special. It leads towards depression in which you hate everyone around you. You do not want to talk and trust anyone, and in this way, you like to espouse loneliness.
4- Complexity
The last factor is the complexity that makes you feel wretched and unlucky in your life. The complexity excruciates your soul, and you feel resentment and start cursing your bad luck. In the end, you fall into the trap of depression.
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression/what-causes-depression
Consequences of Depression
It is a lethal and destructive mental condition that maims your life completely. There are many consequences to it.
It:
· Leads towards the suicide
Constantly tortures your soul
Drags away from your real relations and family
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Drug-Abuse-and-Depression.aspx
Makes an addict to drugs and other crimes
Makes accustomed to the sleeping pills
Takes you in a valley of disappointment
Makes you Stubborn and impolite
Drugs
Cut to the Chase- It ultimately damages your soul, your future, happiness, family, and friends. It is a request for everyone to take it as a severe mental disorder and try to decrease others’ depression by talking to them and realizing them a beautiful and happy life waiting for him.
I hope everyone would understand the condition of a depressed person and drag away his/her soul towards the track of happiness. | https://medium.com/@faisalq030/depression-detrimental-to-life-and-social-behaviour-2a9ab2413c43 | ['Faisal Younas'] | 2020-08-18 05:07:50.990000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Blogging', 'Education', 'Psycology', 'Social'] |
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More info: https://bitplay.ag/ | https://medium.com/@cristopherclark451/crypto-slots-8158d500d680 | [] | 2021-11-27 17:28:52.097000+00:00 | ['Crypto Slot', 'Slot Game', 'Casino', 'Online Casino', 'Sweepstakes'] |
The Information Trust Problem | Information is one of the most valuable things on earth. It starts wars, saves lives, and gets spread and shared on a daily basis as knowledge. Yet information is one of the last commodities that is not openly available to buy and sell in internet marketplaces.
The reason for the disparity between physical goods and information markets is that information is easy to manipulate and can be hard to trust. Information is not valuable unless it is authenticated.
In the primitive information marketplaces we have today, that information must always be authenticated by trusted third parties. Groups like Dun and Bradstreet have made a titanic fortune building a reputation for trustworthiness, and their position as an information oligarch hasn’t been significantly challenged. The necessity of such a middleman, however, increases cost dramatically and makes information sales slow and inefficient.
Let’s take an example and see how it would enter the marketplace in a third-party authentication model. Suppose you had a list of people who had expressed interest in purchasing workout supplements. This information had been gathered by a marketing firm in an effort to market their information to supplement suppliers. Now, supplement suppliers would have a monetary interest in this list of names and email addresses being legitimately acquired and useful to market to.
In the old schema, a third party would acquire this information from the marketing firm for free, and would even be able to charge that firm a fee for authenticating it. And what would the third party really do? They would possibly verify that the people on the list were real people, and that the email addresses worked. That’s it. Going further to verify that these people had interest in workout supplements would be a terribly expensive add-on to the verification process and would likely not be something that would be included in the verification process. So what supplement vendors would be paying for is simply the third party’s assurance that the list of names and email addresses were real people.
But the third party verifier would be in possession of this information in total. They would continue to possess this information after a supplement provider had already purchased it. They might even sell it to multiple customers in an effort to maximize revenue, which would necessarily damage the value of the information — as more parties have access to the information, the less the information is worth.
The need to keep the information out of the hands of multiple parties is based on the principle that the fewer hands the information is in, the more valuable the information is. This is where the concept of zero-proof authentication comes in, and it works like this:
Instead of submitting that batch of information to a third-party verification firm, the marketing company submits the list to an anonymous network of multiple verifiers, each member of which gets a small chunk of the information batch, with a simple question attached to the chunk. More specifically in this case, the verifiers would each receive a small batch of names and email addresses, with the question “could this list of names be associated with this list of email addresses?” with a simple yes/no schematic. If the verifiers unanimously agree that the information chunks are all authentic, then the entire batch is automatically marked authentic and the system marks it good for market.
The benefit of zero-proof authentication is clear: without a centralized third-party in possession of the information, the information is 1) less expensive for the purchaser and 2) more valuable in the aggregate.
Now that blockchain technology is starting to mature, such information marketplaces are more than just a conceptual fantasy. AtlasChain, the world’s first i-Commerce platform, uses just this method for authenticating all sorts of information bundles. The possibilities are endless. | https://medium.com/atlaschain/the-information-trust-problem-2bbd8dad7b46 | [] | 2018-03-05 14:32:30.275000+00:00 | ['Icommerce', 'Blockchain', 'Marketplaces', 'Ecommerce'] |
Is your organisation run like a Taylorist machine or a human-centric organism? | The past 250+ years of technological innovation:
During the past 250+ years of technological innovation, management styles have needed to adapt with the rate of change.
Many traditional today still have their operating models firmly rooted in early technological revolutions, and simply put, the world has changed.
Legendary, legacy management principles:
1. Taylorism (1870’s):
Frederick Taylor, foreman at the Midvale Steel Company in the US put the practice of Taylorism a.k.a Scientific Management into place in 1882.
Taylorism focused around standardisation of work methods in order to gain efficiencies in production.
Examples of the results of Taylorist efficiency:
Drove the cost of overhauling boilers down from $62 dollars ($2000 today) to $11.
of overhauling boilers down from $62 dollars ($2000 today) to $11. Reduced the time for machining a tyre down to 1/5 of the previous time.
for machining a tyre down to 1/5 of the previous time. Dropped material costs from $75d to $35d per tonne.
People management with Taylorism:
While Taylor achieved efficiencies that impacted the growth of manufacturing industries, the criticism was around lack of focus on the behavioural and human aspects of work — Treating workers as if they were interchangeable components of a machine-like system of working. | https://medium.com/@ben-davies/is-your-organisation-run-like-a-taylorist-machine-or-a-human-centric-organism-573ba4357250 | ['Ben Davies'] | 2020-12-22 10:51:07.774000+00:00 | ['Leadership', 'Organizational Culture', 'Project Management', 'Agile', 'Business'] |
How to Use a Side Hustle to Advance Your Career | When you’re looking for a way to increase your income, starting a side hustle can be a great and practical option. If you’re focused on your career, you may have always viewed side hustles as a distraction and a waste of time. However, there are a few specific ways that you can use a side hustle to advance your career, making them very much worth the time and effort.
There are a lot of different reasons that people choose to pursue a side hustle, including things like:
Extra income to save or pay down debt
Necessary income to cover gaps in the budget
Fun
Add diversity in your work
Lead to a full-time income (hopefully)
In order to have true success with your side hustle, it’s important to know your own reasons for doing it.
That may sound obvious, but it’s critical because your purpose should impact everything from the side hustle that you choose to the way you build it into your schedule.
If you’re hoping that you’ll be able to turn your side hustle into a full-time income, there are a few different ways that it could happen.
First, you could use the side hustle to transition to a completely different line of work. Maybe you don’t enjoy your current job or you’re simply looking for a change. Side hustles are very popular with people who would like to pursue self-employment because you can get started part-time without the need to quit your current job and take a big risk.
The second option is to use the side hustle to boost your current career. By using a side hustle to make yourself more valuable, you may be able to get a promotion from your current employer or land a higher-paying job somewhere else.
On the subject of using a side hustle to boost your career, the first option of making a complete career change often gets the most attention, but being proactive to make yourself more valuable can also be a great way to boost your career. We’ll look at both options and the steps you can take if you want to implement this in your own life.
How Can a Side Hustle Improve Your Career?
At the start, it’s important to understand the specific ways that a side hustle is capable of advancing your career. These are the things that you may want to strive for with your own side hustle.
Improve Your Skills (or Build New Skills)
New skills or improvement of your existing skills will make you more valuable to employers and will also give you a better chance of succeeding in self-employment.
Of course, there are lots of ways to improve your skills and a side hustle is just one of the options. But the great thing about using a side hustle to improve your skills is the fact that you have full control over the exact skills that you want to build and the side hustle that you choose, rather than waiting for an employer to give you an opportunity for training and development.
Gain Valuable Experience
Another way to make yourself more valuable is through experience. You can have all the skills that you want, but experience helps you to learn and to prove your capabilities.
You can identify the specific experiences that would help you in the career path of your choice, and select a side hustle that makes it possible for you to gain that experience.
Grow Your Network
In many cases, who you know is more important than what you know. If your goal is to boost your existing career, expanding your network can directly lead to new job opportunities. And if you’re looking for a complete change in your career, networking helps to open up doors as well.
Increase Exposure
Some side hustles (like blogging, podcasting, freelancing, speaking, and starting a YouTube channel) allow you to benefit from increased exposure and make it possible for you to establish some name recognition. That exposure and name recognition can be very valuable to you, as well as to companies that might be interested in hiring you.
Separate Yourself from Other Candidates
If your goal is to advance your current career, you’ll be facing competition for any job opportunities that interest you. When employers are considering multiple candidates, sometimes it comes down to an extra detail that separates one candidate from others. Your experience through a side hustle could be that extra factor that makes you more valuable or more qualified for the job.
Using a Side Hustle to Pursue a New Career
If you’re looking for a complete career change, a side hustle could be just the right opportunity.
Back in 2007, I was working as an auditor in the finance industry and was unsatisfied with my career. I started a web design blog on the side and, in 2008, I was able to leave my job and pursue self-employment full-time. Since then, I’ve been self-employed with a career that is actually enjoyable and rewarding.
So, you want to side hustle your way to your dream career
If this resonates with you, you may be wondering where to even start. This is exactly what keeps many people in their safe but unsatisfying 9–5 jobs. In reality, side hustles are anything but passive, but there are simple things you can do to get started. Here are some specific steps that you can follow:
Step 1: Decide What You Want to Do
Life-changing things don’t happen without purpose. If you want a change, the first step is to decide what you’d like to be doing instead. Think about your hobbies and interests and see if there is a way to incorporate that into a career. Also think about the seemingly little or specific things you do love most about your job. Would you be happier filling your time with those exclusively (while also enjoying freedom and flexibility over working for yourself)?
Step 2: Choose a Side Hustle That Has Clear Potential to Supplement YourIncome Needs
Although there are countless ways to make money outside of a job, not all of them will give you the potential to earn a full-time income. If your goal is to replace your existing career, be sure that you’re pursuing something that actually gives you the potential to do that.
Most service-related side hustles (including freelancing or consulting) are capable of turning into a full-time income. Other popular options involve starting online businesses.
Step 3: Set Your Schedule
One of the biggest challenges of side hustling is simply managing your schedule. You probably have a full-time job already, and of course there are other things going on in your life like time with family and friends.
If you want to have success with a side hustle, you’ll need to set aside enough time to work on it. Treat it like a part-time job with scheduled working hours. Don’t plan to work on it whenever it happens to be convenient or else you won’t find enough time. Create a schedule that works for you and blocks off specific time for your side hustle.
While the details can vary, most side hustles need about 10 hours per week (or more, if possible) in order to get serious results.
BONUS: Leverage tenure for more time:
Have you been with your current employer for a long time? Consider taking advantage of your next performance review or check in with your boss and, instead of asking for more money or vacation time, ask to work an adjusted schedule so you can pursue your passions or side hustle. Some professionals have asked to work four-ten-hour-days a week, others have asked to cut to 32 hour weeks. Just be sure you are in a position to be negotiating this kind of perk.
Step 4: Grow Slowly
Growing a side hustle to a full-time income will require some time and patience. Don’t get frustrated if things aren’t growing as quickly as you’d like. Take a look at the big picture and you’ll probably see that your side hustle is growing nicely, even if that progress feels slow at times.
Step 5: Leave Your Job Once it is Safe
In an ideal situation, you’ll be able to stay in your current job until you know that you’re able to replace your income with your side hustle. Especially if your current job offers flexibility. You may not get to the point that your side hustle income actually exceeds what you’re making in your full-time job. It’s hard to make that much with just part-time hours. But you may get to the point that you know if you were able to dedicate full-time hours to the side hustle, you’d get to the income that you need to cover your living costs.
Using a Side Hustle to Boost Your Current Career
If your goal is to use a side hustle to advance your existing career rather than making a complete transition, you should take a different approach.
In this case, the amount of money that you’re making right now with your side hustle is not your biggest concern. Instead, the goal is to use the side hustle to put yourself in a position to increase your income in the future through a higher-paying job. Your side hustle could bring in very little income and still be a huge success if it helps you to land that job that you want.
Step 1: Identify the Job or Role That You Want
The first step is to know what type of job you want. It could be a specific position for your current employer or it could be a general role or type of job that could arise from another employer.
Step 2: Identify Skills or Experience That Would Improve Your Qualifications for the Job
Once you know what job you’d like to have, it’s time to see what skills or experience would help you to become a better candidate for that job. If there’s a specific job that you’re after, read the job description and find the gaps between your own skills/experience and the listed qualifications of the job.
If you’re after a general position and would be open to working for other employers, do some research online to find job listings for the type of job that you’d like. Read the job descriptions to get an idea for the typical requirements.
Step 3: Find a Side Hustle That Helps You to Improve in These Areas
Next, you need to find a side hustle that will help you to improve in those specific areas that will qualify you for your ideal job. For example, if you need better experience with Quickbooks in order to qualify for the job that you’d like, you could work as a freelance bookkeeper to improve in that area.
One thing to keep in mind here is that you don’t want to choose a side hustle that presents a conflict of interest or directly competes with your employer, as that may do more harm than good.
Step 4: Focus on Achieving Something Measurable
While you want to be gaining valuable experience and developing your skills, you’ll also want to think about how you will be able to demonstrate or prove your capabilities. Usually, this is done by accomplishing something measurable.
For example, if you’re looking to get more experience for a position related to social media, you might have success by showing that you grew your own Instagram profile to 25,000 followers.
Step 5: Add it to Your Resume
When the time comes that you’ve gained valuable experience and you have some tangible, measurable results from your work, you can add your side hustle to your resume. Be sure to include the details of the work you did and the specifics of what you were able to accomplish.
You should also update your LinkedIn profile to include this information since many companies and recruiters use LinkedIn.
Step 6: Start Your Job Search
Now it’s time to start looking for a job. If you have your eye on a particular position at your current employer, you might need to have some patience for an opportunity to open up. However, that doesn’t mean that you should do nothing if there is no current opening. Be proactive and talk to a supervisor and/or HR rep about your interest in the role and what you’ve been doing to prepare yourself for it.
If you’re not set with staying at your current place of employment, start searching online to see what openings you can find. You can also network with others in the industry and connect with people that might be in a position to hire you. You never know when opportunities can arise and being well-connected can lead to unexpected things.
Final Thoughts
Although side hustles are often associated with odd jobs that bring in some extra money, there are plenty of opportunities to use a side hustle to advance your career. The key is to know what you want and follow the specific steps that will lead you there. The side hustle may be a key factor that gets you to where you ultimately want to be.
Originally published on Think Save Retire. | https://medium.com/@tristan-luciotti/how-to-use-a-side-hustle-to-advance-your-career-8ebc095d2969 | ['Tristan Luciotti'] | 2020-12-08 07:40:15.096000+00:00 | ['Debt', 'Side Hustle', 'Budget', 'Career Advice', 'Income'] |
The Right Wing is a chronic incurable disease. | The Right Wing is a chronic incurable disease. To them Freedom is an Assault Weapon. For Liberals Freedom is Medicare for All. Republicans exist at a lower level of Consciousness than Democrats. They are not evolving they are getting more dangerous and stupid. At some point a Civil War will start. | https://medium.com/@ambientartspace/the-right-wing-is-a-chronic-incurable-disease-fc5df4cbd7b1 | ['Todd Zen'] | 2020-12-17 00:09:25.587000+00:00 | ['Republican Party', 'Trump'] |
Sounder’s 2020 Podcast Playlist | BUSINESS
Ever wonder what it’s like to take a company from a $0 valuation to tens and hundreds of millions of dollars? Our very own COO and Co-founder of Sounder, Dan Daugherty, launched The Big Exit to find out. He interviews startup founders who have built their businesses from the idea stage all the way to some of the biggest exits in the world. Think: founders like Brett Jurgens, founder of Notion, and Lori Torres of Parcel Pending. “The purpose of this podcast is to educate, inspire, and empower entrepreneurs to one day grow their business to levels they may have once thought was not possible,” says Daugherty. “At the end of day, you want to create enough value for your customers to give yourself options as a founder to either exit or stay independent.”
Not to play favorites, but we love Travis Brown. He lives and breaths podcasts and loves to share what he knows. So of course he knows that, “Starting a podcast is easy. Staying consistent is hard.” To help, he hosts Podcast Therapy, a show that is jam-packed with tips to help podcasters keep their head in the game, find their voice, and grow their audience. “If you’ve ever felt like quitting podcasting or felt imposter syndrome, this show is for you,” says Brown. He also created Pod Decks— unique interview questions and conversation prompts to help new and seasoned podcasters avoid awkward pauses and missed episodes.
It’s come to the point that if you want to sell, educate, or influence, you need a solid following—you need a brand. Enter: Lead With Your Brand, the premier podcast for personal branding. “Apple, Starbucks, Nike. We all love brand,” writes host Jayzen Patria. This interview style-podcast welcomes CEOs, CMOs, entrepreneurs, organization heads and other leaders in entertainment, tech, and media to share their career success stories and personal brand journeys. There is plenty of inspiration and practical tools that you can use immediately to drive towards your next career breakthrough and answer the question, “Are you just coffee or are you Starbucks?”
Did you start a side hustle thanks to the pandemic? Then you’ll need to learn how to sell. You may know Sales Hacker as the leading community for modern B2B sales professionals. Their Sales Hacker podcast is an extension of that community! “Everything that Sales Hacker produces, from the podcast to the blog, is created BY sales professionals FOR sales professionals, with the sole aim of sharing what’s working today,” writes their team. When you subscribe to this show, you’ll get access to the latest sales tips, tactics, and strategies from thought leaders and practitioners. So, whether you’re just getting started in your sales career, or you’re a seasoned veteran, this podcast is designed to help take you to the next level. | https://medium.com/sounder-fm/sounders-2020-podcast-playlist-10127f40980a | ['Larell Scardelli'] | 2020-12-30 16:35:14.968000+00:00 | ['Podcast Playlist', 'Audio', 'Podcast Recommendations', 'Sounder', 'Podcast'] |
Tick Tock | Photo by Rene Böhmer on Unsplash
They say dark gives light meaning
They say tides of time will turn …
But my years have ticked away
In the silence and in the shade …
Now Death stands in my doorway
When will I get my turn, I mourn …
Underneath the warmth of light
Gently dancing on my skin …
Only once is not too much to ask, I shout
In despair, in tears and in vain …
Beyond the deafening gears of time
And the clock seconds loudly ticking away … | https://medium.com/literally-literary/tick-tock-895227286aff | ['Arvindh Shyam'] | 2020-04-21 02:29:28.951000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Poem', 'Darkness', 'Silence', 'Thoughts'] |
FAQ — Futourist KYC, Whitelisting and Token sale Frequently asked questions | If you’ve been following us for the past few weeks you know that we’ll be holding a token sale in a few days. To make the experience as pleasant and easy as possible for everyone that wants to participate, we’ve prepared a guide to answer some of the most common questions you might have. If you have any other questions we haven’t answered below, please join our Telegram group. In case you haven’t submitted the KYC form yet, you can do that on kyc.futourist.io.
When will the Futourist Token sale start and end?
There will be three stages to our token sale: limited pre-sale, unlimited pre-sale and the crowdsale. First phase will begin on February 20th at 17:00 CEST (16:00 GMT) and the last phase will end on March 20th at 17:00 CEST (16:00 GMT). These dates are now final. In case the hardcap is reached sooner than the end of the last phase, the crowdsale will end early. You can read more about the rules of our token sale in this blog post. The blog post includes overall description of the token distribution, funds distribution, revenue model, KYC and other topics.
Know Your Customer (KYC) and Whitelisting
Due to demands made by regulators, banks and exchanges, the “Know your customer” procedure (KYC) will be obligatory for every investor — for those investing in the pre-sale phases, as well as those investing in the public crowdsale phase. The KYC form is available now: kyc.futourist.io. Read more about the KYC procedure in this blog post.
If you want to check the status of your KYC application, understand where to get the pre-sale ETH address or get other information about the KYC, then read this post.
Do not trust any ETH addresses you might see on Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, Bitcointalk, Instagram, Reddit or other channels. The only place where the real Futourist ETH address will be visible is kyc.futourist.io, once you are successfully verified.
What are the crowdsale threshold and hard cap? What will the price of the token be?
There will be a threshold of €700,000 and a hard cap of €5.6 million.
The price of the FTR token is fixed at 0.016€. ETH price will be set and disclosed right before the pre-sale starts.
Which currency can I contribute?
You can send your contribution in Ether (ETH) only. If you hold any other currencies, you can convert them into Ether on an exchange.
Do not send funds directly from exchanges!!!
Use a private ERC20 enabled wallet like MyEtherWallet, Jaxx, Parity, Mist, or MetaMask to send the funds to the contribution address found on our website. If you send Ether directly from an exchange, your FTR tokens will most likely get lost.
Why can’t I contribute directly from an exchange wallet?
Exchange wallets are unable to receive crowdsale tokens. If you contribute from an exchange, tokens sent to you might get lost! That is why it is important to use a ERC20 compatible wallet.
Hardware wallets like the Ledger Nano S or Trezor are OK. In order to see the FTR tokens on your hardware wallet, you will have to connect your hardware wallet (Ledger, Trezor…) to a service like MyEtherWallet. There, you will be able to see and transfer FTR tokens. It’s recommended you connect your hardware wallet to MyEtherWallet straight away.
One of the most common wallets is MyEtherWallet (MEW) so if you don’t have a hardware wallet or other ERC20 wallet yet, you can go to their website and follow the rules on how to create their wallet from scratch.
How and when will I receive my FTR tokens?
Your FTR tokens will be sent to the ETH address instantly upon receiving your ETH contribution in our token sale. Your tokens will be visible on your wallet, but will not be transferable until 20th of March 2018 (see the FAQ question below). Again, don’t send funds from exchanges.
How many FTR tokens will be available for sale?
350 million (35%) of the total token supply (1 billion FTR) tokens will be available in the token sale.
How will the funds and tokens be distributed?
This is the breakdown of our planned token distribution:
- 40% for the community,
- 35% for the crowdsale,
- 17% for the team (27 month vesting period),
- 8% for future projects.
And this is the breakdown of raised funds distribution:
55% for product development and UX,
20% for marketing and PR expenses,
15% for administrative and legal expenses,
10% other, unforeseen expenses.
When can I trade FTR tokens?
Tokens will NOT be transferable out of your wallet straight away. The tokens will become transferable on 20th of March, 2018 (official end date for the token sale). This locked period is there for the exchanges to have time to implement the support for our token.
Futourist team is working very hard to be listed on some exchanges. We will publish the news immediately after it is official. If you subscribe to our newsletter or join our other channels, we’ll let you know when FTR tokens will start trading on exchanges!
Does Futourist have any advisors and experts?
Of course! We partnered up with people who have proven track records and a vast amount of experience:
Tim M. Zagar — CEO of ICONOMI
— CEO of ICONOMI Alexander Vasylchenko — CEO of Sofitto and former CTO of Mycelium,
— CEO of Sofitto and former CTO of Mycelium, Michael Amy — former United Nations WFP AI software consultant,
— former United Nations WFP AI software consultant, Zenel Batagelj — Head of Team strategy at Cofound.it,
— Head of Team strategy at Cofound.it, Primož Kordež — Token model expert.
Our advisors with president of NEM foundation and CEO of Kraken
If you have any additional questions, join our Telegram group and ask away.
You are more than welcome to watch our latest video: https://www.facebook.com/futourist.io/videos/1571602792946696/
Join us on Social Channels:
Webpage
Bitcointalk
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Medium
Youtube | https://medium.com/futourist/faq-futourist-kyc-whitelisting-and-token-sale-frequently-asked-questions-5ca4b00e02f0 | ['Ziga Luksa'] | 2018-02-17 19:36:33.952000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Fundraising', 'Crowdfunding', 'Travel', 'ICO'] |
Remembering our Soldiers | Photo by Eduard Delputte on Unsplash
The wounds that never heal…
I stood in the doorway listening to the nurse who would soon accompany my brother-in-law into surgery. I listened attentively as the nurse questioned my sister. “Does he have any shrapnel left in his body?”
“Yes, I believe so,” my sister responded. “There has been times over the years when some have fallen out. I can’t say for sure.”
I was standing next to my sister in the doorway of an ICU room at the Veterans Hospital and thinking back to more than fifty years ago…
I then heard a loud bell — a pulsating sound resonating from the room down the hall and suddenly the bright Arizona sun filtered through an opening in the venetian blinds and I could see clearly a view of the mountains to the west.
My brother-in-law was receiving care. Already into his third day of surgery, he was being prepped for another go around…another surgery to repair an infectious wound which had been causing him problems for more than four months.
I didn’t know Chris back in 1968. But I’ve learned over the years where he had been. Chris was there…fighting alongside the members of his unit…serving his country, the United States of America.
I looked around the ICU unit. Doctors, nurses, men and women, were not only taking care of Chris, but many other Vietnam Vets, who for one reason or another had found their way to Tucson, to the Veterans Hospital and to the 2nd floor of the huge complex at Ajo and Sixth Avenue.
I quietly, under my breath, thanked him for his years of service to our country and at that very moment I realized he wasn’t alone. He had his wife by his side, but he also had a Band of Brothers with him in spirit.
Some — including his commanding officer of the Charley Battery — had made it known through phone calls or text messages that they were thinking about him and wishing him a quick recovery. The sooner the better, as another reunion was in the planning stages. Chris had flown to Oklahoma City and Las Vegas in recent years for the annual reunions to be with the surviving members of Charlie Battery, 7th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery of the 25th Armored Division.
He would miss the next reunion in Reston, Virginia, but knowing my brother-in-law, he would battle his way back and be there, alongside his buddies, at the next one.
The Band of Brothers from Charley Battery, 7th battalion has dwindled in recent years, only twenty or so remain, but the surviving members will be there for each other…you can count on it.
What a great feeling that must be for Chris. It’s no wonder he makes his plans a year in advance as he looks forward to yet another meeting, another gathering with the members of his unit — fellow soldiers who had fought for our country, on foreign soil — half a century ago.
God bless, the soldiers who have fought for our country…for those we have lost and to all the survivors who are still paying the price.
I wrote a fiction book a few years ago entitled: The Legend of Bucket Smith. In the first chapter, Bucket returns home from Vietnam. He comes home to a different world…and many changes in his life awaits.
An excerpt…
March/1966
“Bucket, your taxi is out front,” the woman said, as she stuck her head through the hotel room doorway. “Don’t forget to drop off those keys and pay me fifty bucks.”
Bucket had spent three days in the rat-infested hotel and that was the most words the woman, known as Phyllis, had strung together in his behalf.
He had the fifty bucks. No problem. In fact, he still had enough money to get him home. How he would handle things once he got there was another matter.
Bits and pieces of information about his past would fade in and out of his mind. The doctors and nurses had done their part, releasing what they had on Theodore “Bucket” Smith. Still, even then, it left him with more questions than answers.
What he did know was his age. He was 25 years old. He had seen his share of duty in Vietnam. He had been in a coma. He had come back from the dead and he had most of his memory back, even though his thoughts included some nightmarish flashbacks. But he had the letter and he was heading home.
Bucket was three thousand miles from home. His ticket showed a transfer in Memphis and again in Albuquerque, but once he settled in his seat, he figured he’d have some quiet time…some time to gather his thoughts and prepare himself for what was ahead of him. It would be a lot quieter than the taxi ride he had just taken.
“Call me, Clyde,” the New York cab driver had said to him.
And that was just the beginning of the one-sided, ongoing conversation. A good hour had passed before the cab driver had finally pulled into the train station. Clyde had quickly held out his hand and waited anxiously for his money.
Bucket recalled the taxi driver‘s parting words. “Nice talking to you…what did you say your name is?”
The soldier cracked a smile. He had finally joined the conversation. “Bucket…Bucket Smith…thanks for the ride. Say hello to the family.”
Bucket then hustled through the lobby and headed for the boarding area. He had just five minutes to spare. The taxi ride should have taken a shade over thirty minutes. Bucket figured old Clyde had pocketed an extra twenty bucks.
Once aboard, Bucket threw down his duffel bag and quickly found his aisle seat. He still had Clyde on his mind. Bucket shook his head. He knew more about Clyde and his family than he knew about his own.
Clyde’s last name was Barrow. He was born and raised in New Jersey. He had six kids, four still living at home. He had a wife, who is the best cook in the world and he is a Yankee fan.
The train started to pull out of the station. The seat next to him was empty. No Clyde. Bucket dosed off. He had already succumbed to the dull, repetitious sound beneath him.
And another glance…
Bucket left the dining car and went back to his seat. Memphis was still a few hours away. He dosed off again and this time he heard a different sound. It was not gunfire, nor an explosion. It was not the soft voice of Nurse Johansson. Nor was it the sounds of the wheels of the train as they clanged against the steel track below.
It was a whistle. A referee’s whistle.
“Number 23, you’re pushing off…Number 20, blue…you’re on the line,” roared the man in the black and white stripes. “Son, you’re on the line…it’s a one and one.”
The crowd yelled in unison, “Bucket! Bucket! Bucket!”
The tall boy toed the line. He took one look at the basket and calmly sank the first and then the second free throw. The crowd erupted. The inbounds pass went the length of the court and bounced against the wall as the buzzer sounded, ending the game. The boy they called Bucket was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates.
The scoreboard read: Cordes Junction 82, Camp Verde 80.
Bucket’s teammates lowered him to the floor and the hero bolted into the arms of the blond-haired, smiling cheerleader. He then waved to the crowd, looked down at his sweetheart and said, “Julia, we did it!”
Bucket opened his eyes. The train conductor had put his hand on Bucket’s right shoulder. “Hey, soldier. Memphis in twenty minutes.”
The Memphis train station still looked the same to Bucket. He threw his duffel bag over his shoulder, looked around the lobby, and eyed a coffee shop, just to the left of the newspaper stand. Six years ago, he had stopped for lunch at the same coffee shop on the way to boot camp. He was a boy then. He was a man now.
Bucket reached into his pocket, pulled out some change and paid the news stand attendant for the daily paper. He found a seat at the counter in the coffee shop and ordered a cup of coffee, two eggs over medium, bacon and toast.
He glanced over the front page of the paper. The headline read: U.S. to send more troops to Vietnam. He stared at the article. He did not need to read past the first paragraph. He glanced around the coffee shop. Three soldiers sat in the corner. He assumed their orders were tucked away in their duffel bags.
A sadness came over him as he turned the stool around and concentrated on the dish of food the waitress had just slid in front of him. He picked up the inside section of the paper and read the headline on the sports page. It read: Texas Western Miners shock Kentucky in NCAA Final.
He read on about an all-black starting five out of El Paso, Texas — a team that had shocked the world by beating a heavily favored college basketball team. He thought to himself maybe times have changed. It’s about time he thought.
Bucket had spent the last six years, battling to stay alive alongside his fellow soldiers — black, white…no matter the color of their skin, as they fought together for survival in a land far from home. A strange land and certainly very different from the Arizona desert — thousands of miles from the beautiful sunrises and the gorgeous evening sunsets that he was used to.
He didn’t understand all the hatred in the world. Why should it matter what color you are? He knew times really hadn’t changed that much, especially in the South, and especially in places like Memphis where it was common for segregated bathrooms in airports and train stations.
Bucket, shook his head. Hell, it happened in his own state, on the basketball court, before and after a game, at restaurants, at hotels, the hatred was everywhere.
Bucket eyed the black child at the end of the counter. He was putting away a stack of pancakes. His mother, sitting next to him, made sure her child was getting more in his mouth than on the floor.
He would never forget Freddie Greathouse, his friend and starting guard on his high school team. It was an away-game in a small town, near the New Mexico border.
Bucket rubbed his forehead, he couldn’t believe he was having breakfast in Memphis and his thoughts had wandered back to Freddie and a come-from-behind win in Solomanville.
Freddie had scored 20 points that night. Bucket recalls it was an off-night for him, just six points, but he did have 14 offensive boards and kept feeding the ball to Freddie. It should have been a night that Freddie would remember for a long time. Instead, after the game the local restaurant forced Freddie to take his burger and fries to the bus. He ate alone. Freddie remembered the night all right, but for all the wrong reasons.
Bucket came out of his trance. He took a drink of water and signaled the waitress for the bill. He needed to let his thoughts subside for a while. He was getting better at absorbing it all…one minute his thoughts would take him to a foxhole in Vietnam, the next would take him to his teenage days on the basketball court…then to his mother and then to Julia. The puzzle was almost complete. Little did he know, he would return home just in time for another one to begin. | https://medium.com/the-senior-center/remembering-our-soldiers-e408793faaef | ['Dan Price'] | 2021-11-11 02:25:39.689000+00:00 | ['1960s', 'Seniors', 'Remembering', 'Veterans', 'Vietnam'] |
How veterans can monetize their brains with Udemy | Have you ever seen a digital product or service advertisement and wonder why you didn’t think of that first?
Age ain't nothing but a number
A few days ago I shared with you the 7 revenue streams that veterans can start creating today online. Prior to arriving at that place though allow me first to take you back to the beginning.
Shortly after I retired from the Navy I discovered a Gary Vaynerchuk YouTube video going viral about building your own brand no matter the age. After enrolling in his class on Udemy and binging it in a day I was hooked.
Initially in 2016, I set my sights on the fantasy football industry. I previously became a member of their trade association and went to their symposium in Dallas during January 2015. Mark Cuban was the headline speaker.
Before I knew that product outweighs talent, I said if Gary Vee can make a course for $50 on Udemy sharing his experience for beginners like me to build my own brand, I can too.
Over the course of 4 years platforms like Udemy, YouTube, and LinkedIn provide digital learning opportunities for veterans. Not only to learn on, but also where they can build their digital brands too.
Whats that thing your good at?
As an instructor on Udemy they provide you a profile page to share your story. What better way to learn how to make your own course on Udemy than to watch a free course there.
But first I had to figure out what I was good at enough to make my own course on. Essentially how to monetize my own brain. What was my unique value proposition to offer the world?
At the time I was currently on my second blog that would eventually fail. I began on WIX and then finally discovered WordPress. Both were fantasy football driven blogs.
Why do I share with you I created 2 courses on Udemy that had failed blogs?Simply to share the platform with my veteran readers who may not know otherwise. After all it was essentially were I began my journey as media entrepreneur. I recently updated my profile for my next course coming soon.
So ask yourself what are you really good at? Think digital first this way you can leverage what you know on the internet. The creating and building a digital business opportunity is knocking this pandemic. Once you figure this out then you extract that idea from your brain on paper to begin executing.
Although both of my Udemy fantasy football courses are FREE of monetary charge for you take it will cost you the time to invest in them both to get a return on that investment.
FREE 99
When I created the first of two courses on Udemy in September of 2015 I knew it would be FREE. The second one offered more in detail strategies and concepts. Providing a step up from the beginner course. Initially I offered this for $10.
I literally began to construct this after watching Gary Vee’s branding course, and then watching how to build my own course on Udemy next. Many veterans are very tech savvy and this can come in handy. Don’t tell yourself you cant without trying first. Age ain't nothing but a number
Merchandise can help you build your digital brand online. Even though both courses are still free it allowed me to create this t-shirt product where 1 of my 7 revenue streams reside on TeePublic.
Why give something away FREE? Building and audience on this new platform you want to attract new students. With a total of 3,968 students five years later I find myself heading back to Udemy to create my third course.
Eventually I made both courses FREE. I did make one sale for $10 before I did on the advanced course however. I did’nt anticipate returning to eventually create a third course. A decision I have been mulling for about a month.
I have followed Gary Vaynerchcuk on Instagram for the last 4 years and have watched him grind his way into creating a digital empire worth millions. Why does he offer a course on Udemy for $50 then? This is an example of how to monetize your brains as veterans.
Know Your Worth
Four years ago I had no idea I would be sharing this with you here on Medium. The war for veteran talent is real among corporate companies. If you have at least 12 months or less before departing the ranks here are a few marching orders.
Veterans are unicorns. We are built different. We are mentally stronger than most. The most valuable part of your life however is your life. You are actually worth more alive than you are dead.
Veterans are taking their own lives with firearms 69% of the time. If you have had thoughts of suicide it’s important to know you need your brain to monetize it. Seek help first. This is what allowed us to be here together today.
Veterans are struggling during pandemic currently with fatigue and no sense of purpose. If you have a mobile device and a WIFI connection you’re in the game. Be sure to follow me Barry Gipson on Medium here for more in 2021.
Finally, be sure to join my “Weekly Smoke” newsletter. Evey Monday veterans will receive a freshly packed email with cannabis content in their inboxes. Keeping you in the loop with industry opportunities to monetize eventually. | https://medium.com/@barrygipson/how-veterans-can-monetize-their-brains-with-udemy-4596739dce74 | ['Barry Gipson'] | 2020-12-11 16:07:43.592000+00:00 | ['Brain', 'Online Learning', 'Veterans', 'Virtual', 'Udemy'] |
2 of My 280 Posts Account for Over 20% of My Views, Reads, and Earnings | 2 of My 280 Posts Account for Over 20% of My Views, Reads, and Earnings
And neither post resides in a major publication
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
I’ve hit publish 280 times in two years on this platform and I have very modest results to show for it.
By my count, these posts have garnered approximately 60,000 views and nearly 30,000 reads.
In total, they’ve made me $1,464.59 or about $56/month. Which, when I type it out here for the world to see, is moderately depressing considering how many hours I’ve poured into those 280 posts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’m grateful to be able to make any money at all from my writing.
But…
Even if I only spent an average of one hour on each post (though the real number is surely much higher than that), I’m making a paltry $5.23/hr for my efforts. So, there’s that.
Nonetheless, I’ve been analyzing my numbers to try to gain some perspective on these last two years and, while they are quite pedestrian indeed, something interesting jumped out at me:
A mere two of my posts account for 12,500 of those views and 7500 of those reads. They’ve combined to earn me $466.02.
Two out of 280 equates to less than 1% of my posts and yet they’ve generated:
20% of my reads
25% of my reads
32% of my earnings
And the real kicker? Neither is published in a major publication. One was rejected outright multiple times.
Both are housed here, on my personal publication, which has a measly 357 followers at the time of this writing.
I also spent less than an hour writing each of them. I wrote both quickly, in fits of inspiration, and slapped them up there without much thought or hope that they would take off in any significant way.
So, what does this all mean?
Well, who knows really?
Your guess is as good as mine.
But here are some takeaways or lessons learned that have occurred to me after looking at these statistics. | https://medium.com/tom-thoughts/2-of-my-280-posts-account-for-over-20-of-my-views-reads-and-earnings-deb821c41044 | ['Tom Belskie'] | 2020-10-20 00:28:16.600000+00:00 | ['Productivity', 'Blogging', 'Creativity', 'Writing', 'Marketing'] |
Magnetic Mapping using Hammer | Tutorial
Hammer is an adaptive flight automation platform for DJI drones that enables precise and automated data capture for a number of different use-cases.
In this tutorial, we will focus on magnetic mapping missions.
Overview — Magnetic Mapping
This type of mission has been designed to plan and automate the survey of large areas with a magnetometer-suspended drone.
In this mission, Hammer generates a lawn-mowing flight path inside the user defined shape consisting of flight-lines and tie-lines. The drone flies along these lines continuously, making smooth turns at the corners and maintaining a constant distance from the terrain, when terrain awareness is enabled.
Below are the steps to create, configure and fly magnetic mapping missions:
Step 1 — Create Mission
There are 2 ways to create a magnetic mapping mission:
A. Draw the Mission Shape
Tap on the add button (+) in the top right corner. Choose ‘magnetic mapping’ from the missions view Draw a shape over the area to be surveyed. Press OK.
B. Import Shape as KML
Tap on the settings wrench in the bottom right corner of the screen. Scroll to the bottom of the view. Tap Import > Browse Select the appropriate KML file > Import As > Magnetic Mapping
Importing Magnetic Mapping Mission using KML Import
Step 2 — Save Mission
Once the mission has been imported successfully, the next step is to save the mission. To save the mission, tap on the Folder icon > Save Mission File. A new ‘Untitled Mission’ file will be created. Tap on ‘Untitled Mission’ to rename this file. Once the file has been renamed, tap ‘Done’.
Saving Magnetic Mapping Missions
Step 3 — Split Mission into Blocks
1. Now that you have your mission saved, it can be split into blocks.
Note: This step is only relevant if you are surveying a large area.
2. Tap on the saved mission, and then tap on the scissors tool.
This will open a splitting menu.
3. Drag the slider to specify the dimensions (width x height) for each block split. (e.g. 700m x 700m)
4. You’ll see an outline of the mission blocks on the map view.
5. Once you’re happy with the dimensions, tap ‘Done’ in the top right corner.
6. This will generate several mission blocks, each saved in a separate file.
Splitting the Mission into smaller Blocks
Step 4 — Configure Mission Blocks
1. To configure each mission block, open the relevant block by tapping blue arrow on the generated block mission file.
2. Once the mission block is loaded on the map, tap the gear icon on one of the mission block vertex to open the mission specific settings menu.
Tap on the gear to open mission / block settings.
3. A brief overview of the available settings:
Altitude: Altitude of the flight, relative to the takeoff point altitude when terrain follow mode is off, and relative to the ground if terrain follow mode is on.
Altitude of the flight, relative to the takeoff point altitude when terrain follow mode is off, and relative to the ground if terrain follow mode is on. Altitude Tolerance : Accepted level of deviation from the set Altitude during flight. This feature is useful for terrain follow explained later.
: Accepted level of deviation from the set Altitude during flight. This feature is useful for terrain follow explained later. Flight Line Space : Distance between 2 consecutive flight lines.
: Distance between 2 consecutive flight lines. Flight Line Angle : Orientation of the Flight Lines from -180 to +180 degrees with -180, 0 and 180 degrees representing horizontals.
: Orientation of the Flight Lines from -180 to +180 degrees with -180, 0 and 180 degrees representing horizontals. Flight Line Edge : Length of the Flight Line outside the Area Boundary.
: Length of the Flight Line outside the Area Boundary. Tie Line Space : Distance between 2 consecutive tie lines.
: Distance between 2 consecutive tie lines. Tie Line Angle : Orientation of the Tie Lines from -180 to +180 degrees with -180, 0 and 180 degrees representing horizontals.
: Orientation of the Tie Lines from -180 to +180 degrees with -180, 0 and 180 degrees representing horizontals. Tie Line Edge : Length of the Tie Line outside the Area Boundary.
: Length of the Tie Line outside the Area Boundary. Reversed Flight Path : Turning on this switch reverses the planned flight point. You should notice the ‘Start Point’ arrow jump to the last point on toggling this switch.
: Turning on this switch reverses the planned flight point. You should notice the ‘Start Point’ arrow jump to the last point on toggling this switch. Smooth Corners : Turning on this switch adds curves to the turns in flight.
: Turning on this switch adds curves to the turns in flight. Terrain Awareness: Turning this switch on makes the mission terrain aware. More details on this in the next section.
Note: All settings can be changed by either dragging the provided sliders OR by tapping the settings value and entering the desired value. Note: Any settings changed in one mission block will be automatically copied over the other mission blocks created from the same overall mission.
Step 5 — Switch On ‘Terrain Follow’
A. Importing the Terrain Model
To turn on terrain follow, toggle on the ‘terrain awareness’ switch. This will open a file import menu so that you can import the terrain model. Select NASA SRTM (Default) to use the default SRTM data downloaded from the internet (30m resolution). OR Select Digital Surface Model (Custom) to import a terrain model from the device. Tap ‘Import New’ > Browse to import a new terrain model / file. Hammer will then import the model. This might take a few seconds. Hammer will also attempt to import additional settings such as the terrain model Origin (upper left coordinate) and terrain model resolution. If Hammer is unable to import these settings, it will display ‘Unknown’ in the origin and resolution text fields. Please fill these in manually.
Importing the Terrain Model
B. Applying and Visualising Terrain Awareness
Once you are happy with the imported model and settings, press ‘Done’. Hammer will then ask you to choose an estimated takeoff location for the flight. Pick a location and the flight plan will be adjusted based on the terrain. You’ll notice the altitude levels on top of the settings gear change. You’ll also notice a graph in the settings menu indicating the flight altitude with respect to the terrain height for the entirety of the flight. You can now export this flight as .csv for further inspection using the ‘Export Flight (.csv)’ button. You can also visualise this flight in 3D using the 3D View button.
Applying Terrain Awareness to Mission
Step 6 — Configuring Overall Settings
After the missions have been planned, it’s important to set the overall flight settings. Open the overall flight settings menu by tapping Settings wrench in the bottom right corner of the screen. A brief overview of the available settings:
| MAP:
These can be used to change the map’s location and add/remove map labels.
| DRONE:
Drone Type : This setting cannot be changed and currently indicates the attached drone.
: This setting cannot be changed and currently indicates the attached drone. Max. Drone Speed: Speed of the drone during flight.
| SAFETY:
Go Home Height : Altitude of the drone (relative to takeoff point) that the drone will climb to before going home and after battery change. Please ensure this setting is higher than the highest altitude in the mission.
: Altitude of the drone (relative to takeoff point) that the drone will climb to before going home and after battery change. Please ensure this setting is higher than the highest altitude in the mission. Go Home Battery : Battery Percentage (%) of the drone when it will automatically trigger a Go Home sequence — climb to the GoHome height and head towards to the home point in a straight line.
: Battery Percentage (%) of the drone when it will automatically trigger a Go Home sequence — climb to the GoHome height and head towards to the home point in a straight line. Max Altitude : Maximum allowed Altitude in mission settings.
: Maximum allowed Altitude in mission settings. Max Radius : Maximum allowed flight radius from the home point.
: Maximum allowed flight radius from the home point. Connection Loss Action : Action that will be automatically triggered in case the connection to the remote controller is lost.
: Action that will be automatically triggered in case the connection to the remote controller is lost. Go Home After Missions : Automatically return home on completing the mission.
: Automatically return home on completing the mission. Obstacle Avoidance : Use obstacle avoidance if the drone is equipped with proximity sensors.
: Use obstacle avoidance if the drone is equipped with proximity sensors. Imperial Units: Display Altitude Information using Imperial units (feet).
Configure Overall Flight Settings
Step 7 — Simulate Mission
Once you are happy with the planned mission, you can simulate it using the in-built simulator. Make sure you are not connected to the drone. Close any settings menu and tap on the Play button in the right-side panel. Hammer will ask you if you’d like to add a simulated drone. Tap OK. Now Pick the simulated drone’s home location. If you have terrain awareness enabled, zoom & pick a location close to the set takeoff point. Tap OK. You’ll notice a simulated drone pop up on the screen following the planned flight. You can increase/decrease the simulation speed using the +/- buttons on the middle-top part of the screen. Similarly, you can stop the simulation anytime, but tapping the delete icon on the middle-top on the screen. You can pause, play and resume the mission at anytime during the flight. If terrain follow is enabled, you’ll notice altitude shifts during the flight.
Simulating a Magnetic Mapping Mission
Step 8 — Fly Mission
To fly a magnetic mapping mission, open Hammer on the field and connect the drone. Please make sure the map is fully loaded and the drone and home location icons are visible on the screen. Check drone battery percentage and GPS strength are high. When all checked, open the missions folder and load the relevant mission. Check mission-specific settings by tapping on the mission gear. Check overall flight settings by tapping on the settings wrench. If the mission is terrain-aware, please check that the mission altitudes indicate a range of values as opposed to an absolute value. When all checked, tap on the Play button. This will open a pre-flight checks menu. Ensure all checks are green (valid). At this point, if your flight is terrain aware, Hammer will replan the flight based on the drone’s current home location and altitude. Do a final cross-check and then Press ‘FLY’.
Flying a Magnetic Mapping Mission
Conclusion
These tutorial outlines the major steps and settings involved in creating, simulating and flying magnetic mapping missions. It is recommended to follow the tutorial and use Hammer in simulation simultaneously to learn how different settings work.
In case something is unclear or should you require more information, please contact [email protected]. | https://medium.com/mission-guides/magnetic-mapping-using-hammer-4ebea162d3c9 | ['Hammer Missions'] | 2019-11-15 13:48:32.462000+00:00 | ['Mapping', 'Magnetic', 'Drones', 'Dji', 'Hammer'] |
21 Quotes to Inspire You to Live Your Best Life | “No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.” George Washington Carver
Are your daily actions bringing you closer to where you desire to be? If not, do not expect things to change. You can’t hide from the truth that you are going to have to do things differently to experience change.
I don’t care how many seminars you go to, sermons you hear, people you get advice from, podcasts you listen to or books you read, you are going to have to do your part. If what you’re doing today isn’t getting you any closer to where you desire to be, stop and change directions. It may be difficult, but you can do it.
Life is too short and unpredictable to keep dreaming and talking about what you need and desire to do. The only way you and I can move in a different direction is to take action. Without action you will miss living your best life.
Here are 21 quotes to inspire you to live your best life.
1. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
2. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” John Wooden
3. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
4. “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” Bruce Lee
6. “Poor is the man whose future depends on the opinions and permission of others. Remember this, if you are afraid of criticism, you will die doing nothing!” Andy Andrews
7. “Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you.” Timothy Ferriss
8. “Remember, it’s more mentally tiring to think about what has to be done, and all the things that might go wrong, than it is to physically do the job.” Jack Canfield
9. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking down your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Mark Twain
10. “Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.” Unknown
11. “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” John Wooden
12. “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Henry Ford
13. “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” Jim Rohn
14. “The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.” Thomas Edison
15. “Experience can only be gained by doing not by thinking or dreaming.” Byron Pulsifer
16. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Walt Disney
17. “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
18. “Do not wait for your ship to come in — swim out to it.” Unknown
19. “If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up.” J.M. Power
20. ”Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” Unknown
21. “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” Spanish Proverb
Now that you have read these twenty-one inspirational quotes, please do not file their wisdom in the back of your mind as just another inspirational article. I challenge you to implement the wisdom from these quotes and watch your life grow.
Questions: Which quote inspires you to take action on living your best life? Leave a comment.
If you struggle with the fear of failure then it is time to break free. Get a copy of My FREE eBook ‘Don’t Fear Failure’ 8 Steps to Help You Face the Fear of Failure and Win. | https://medium.com/thrive-global/21-quotes-to-inspire-you-to-take-action-on-living-out-your-vision-2d2fa2de815 | ['Bernard K. Haynes'] | 2020-06-06 03:52:51.329000+00:00 | ['Quotes', 'Wonder', 'Inspire', 'Action', 'Living Your Best Life'] |
Bitcoin is. And that is enough. | No one appointed these people as representatives of Bitcoin, indeed, no one can, and they have no right whatsoever to go to any legislature as self appointed representatives and help draft toxic laws that poison everyone, everywhere, who have no contract or part in the DCG or CoinCenter. These people are acting 100% ultra vires and to anyone trying to build a business that runs Bitcoin by its nature, they are a threat. Thanks to BitLicense, anyone unfortunate enough to live in New York and who wants to work with Bitcoin there, has to find millions of dollars to apply for and maybe be granted a license. Look what just happened to GDAX with their appeal to the SEC to create a new product. They were rebuffed with an illogical screed, fuelled by submissions by foreigners and anonymous submitters. Shocking. These are the real world corrosive and destructive effects of the DCG, CoinCenter, SEC and all people who don’t understand Bitcoin, software, or the processes in entrepreneurialism and who are entirely unethical and damaging.
From what we read, CoinCenter is running on one million dollars per year. That money could have been put to Public Relations to dampen down PR fires and steer correct perception of what Bitcoin is and what it can do. If Edward Bernays could convince women to smoke cigarettes, modern PR with a million dollar per year budget can convince the public that Bitcoin is good for them. Or that its ledger is maintained by an army of chocolate mice storing blocks in the holes of Swiss cheese in racks. That is the correct way to influence the public and steer perception, not by lobbying the State. If you are working in Bitcoin, you should watch the documentary I just linked to very, very carefully.
There is History in Permissionless Innovation
Uber and Skype both started their software products and released them without permission. They captured the market and changed everyone’s lives for the better.
Had Skype gone to the legislatures and explained what they were planning to do, the eyes of the legislatures would have glazed over, they would have intoned, “You sound like a telephone to me. It even rings like a phone!”and Skype would never have succeeded.
This is the explicit account of Skype’s founder, when he explains why they did not seek permission to launch. Also, all the descendants of Skype, from FaceTime to Jitsi to AppearIn would suffer from the precedent Skype set that you have to get permission to launch a telephony service. All of them, and all future VOIP apps, would have been burdened from being mischaracterised by a single act of snivelling, lickspittle cowardice by Skype. But Skype didn't do that. Skype released their app without permission. It went viral, and became a hit and a fact of life. The Skype network relied on the users for the infrastructure, meaning they didn't have to build huge data centers to handle all the calls. Does that sound…familiar? It should. Bitcoin’s architecture is distributed in the same way, with no single point of control. The legislatures didn't consider that Skype was telephony, and it just “was”. Now it never even enters the mind of anyone wanting to start a chat app, or video call app that they should seek a “license” before releasing their app for free. The idea would be laughed out of the room. This is exactly what should happen with Bitcoin.
This is why the market needs Azteco; to correct and shape the perception of Bitcoin. It is a service which treats Bitcoin by its nature, and removes all friction from providing access to Bitcoin, through a process that is familiar and simple. In fact it is so simple, removing any part of it would cause it not to function.
By reducing a Bitcoin transaction to a 16 digit number in the user perspective, all the complexity is distilled into something that anyone can understand and transmit. It’s like taking a large text file, and zipping it so it’s small and transportable. It means that you don’t have to manage your own wallet to send Bitcoin, or interact in any way other than to pay, and then receive a voucher number.
By breaking up all the steps involved in Bitcoin and not making any assumptions about what Bitcoin is, including needing a wallet, dealing with it only by its nature, it’s possible to design services that are totally frictionless, and utterly consumer-centric.
Now that SegWit is in the process of being activated, and yes, it will be activated, billions of tiny transactions will be made, and all manner of new business models will be possible and viable, like the beautiful SatoshiPay, which will wipe out all advertising on the web. Paying for your daily newspaper with Bitcoin topped up by Azteco is easy to understand, and no risk for the user, who will no longer need to be exposed to identity fraud to buy a news article.
Azteco and other Ethical Bitcoin Companies are going to change the perception of Bitcoin and help spread it to every corner of the earth. The benefits we will bring to millions will cascade everywhere and for years to come, and there is no downside; this is exactly like the early days of the internet, and every bit as important and transformative. The internet is not, “The world’s Library” and Bitcoin is not money.
There is no Conflict
To say that the debate over SegWit is a “conflict” is to give too much importance to things non developers say. There is no “conflict” that requires conflict resolution specialists, managers or as the incredible Primavera De Filippi and others suggest, a board of EU appointees to manage Bitcoin. And this question must always be posed whenever someone tries to assert their influence over Bitcoin; “Who are you?” Who are you to say that “we” need to settle on anything? Do you write any software? And if you have, why are you not listed in the Bitcoin Core developer’s page? The only people that matter in Bitcoin are the people who are writing software. If you have no software, you have no say. You can start your own business that uses Bitcoin, or just use it as a private user, and you are warmly welcomed to do that, but you have no right to have your wishes implemented, and even if you do manage to write software, you have no right to have your changes integrated and imposed on everyone.
Over 130 companies are working on integrating SegWit right now. All most onlookers are seeing is the surface of what is happening, because they're not software developers and don’t run a company where they employ developers who make everything happen. Bitcoin doesn't need the DCG or CoinCenter or the EU/UN. They produce no software, no useful analysis, and can’t even be bothered to run a single full Bitcoin node themselves, yet, they think they have the right to tell others that SegWit is a “niche project” and to go to the legislature to have laws drafted that control others. It’s absolutely outrageous, and if anyone tried this with the Linux Kernel, half the world would be deafened by the howls of outrage. These people are taking advantage of everyone’s patience and good manners, and everyone is patient with them because we know what is going to happen next, and we know just how powerless they really are.
Bitcoin Core and all people in Bitcoin have been extraordinarily restrained and respectful, given the reckless behaviour of these people and the vicious thugs who have acted like Crony Capitalists by calling for progress killing legislation to control others. Their actions have been violent and anti human, with a direct effect, in the case of New York, on people writing software, who have had to remove New York from the places where they operate. These are not the acts of respectful, peaceful, thoughtful people who show restraint; these are the acts of ruthless killers, who will do anything to capture and dominate the market and exclude new market entrants, including underhanded, dirty things like advocating for BitLicense.
Thankfully, now there is a chance that BitLicense and all other un-American legislation that touches Bitcoin will be repealed. Under the new, “Two laws out for every new law in”, Executive Order the low hanging legislative fruit will be first for the chop as the Congress sits. And a Texas representative has just announced new legislation to protect Bitcoin from reckless legislators:
BitLicense and all other anti-American nonsense is sure not to survive. Once it is explained to any American that foreign countries are ahead of the USA in Bitcoin (the second internet, and final piece of “The Transformation”) they should instantly understand that BitLicense and all variants of it are extremely dangerous to American prosperity on a fundamental level once Bitcoin takes off. They should go out of their way to ensure that all Bitcoin touching laws never make it onto the statutes, so that mining, trading and ordinary commerce can flourish, begin and end in the USA, along with the consumer innovation that is needed to cause Bitcoin to completely replace credit cards globally. And yes, that is now possible with SegWit, which will boost Bitcoin’s transaction per second rate to exceed both VISA and MasterCard combined.
“If you Strike me down…”
I said that we know what is going to happen next, and we know just how powerless they really are. Nothing exemplifies this better than the following chart:
This is a chart showing weekly LocalBitcoins volume in China. The spike is a direct result of the People’s Bank of China “cracking down” on Bitcoin exchanges there, putting arbitrary restrictions on how Bitcoin can move through companies facilitating easy access to the Bitcoin Network.
All the people impacted by this rule have simply stopped using the restricted services, and switched to using their own phone wallets on a person to person basis, mediated by the LocalBitcoins service. This activity cannot be stopped, and is also not just a local phenomenon; these people can send and receive Bitcoin from anywhere on Earth. China may try to block the LocalBitcoins website, but that will not stop them networking informally and moving Bitcoin between themselves.
This spike is a signal. It is an indication of how the market will react to any attempt to control or restrict Bitcoin anywhere in the world. Before the irrational Chinese crack down, LocalBitcoins volume was growing slowly, and everyone was happy with the government sanctioned Bitcoin Businesses. I say “sanctioned” because these businesses have to report to the State, and operate with their permission. People were satisfied with the way things were, but obviously they are not willing to put up with having their money in a service that can be arbitrarily restricted at any time without notice. This is completely rational and logical and an expected behaviour.
What is irrational is what the Chinese government is doing. If it were rational, it would look at the graph above, and realise that its regulations are pushing Bitcoin into a use mode that they can never control. If they were rational, they would remove all restrictions on Bitcoin Businesses in China, and watch that spike plummet. No ordinary user looks for a service with the complexity of LocalBitcoins; they want the implicit guarantees and user experience that the registered businesses offer. And realise also, that this spike represents a loss in sales for the Bitcoin businesses in China, and an increase in sales of LocalBitcoins, a foreign company. LocalBitcoins is draining money from China.
If it carries on like this, China is going to lose its Bitcoin first mover advantage. Its bureaucrats still don’t understand that they can’t control Bitcoin without fully embracing Bitcoin on Bitcoin’s terms, and anything other than embracing it on its terms will make them a vassal colony in the new economy. They had a head start in the mining business and have very good exchanges and super talented developers to work them. It’s their’s to lose, and no one cares if they lose it. Entrepreneurs in Bitcoin who are Chinese are now seriously considering pulling up stakes and moving to another jurisdiction. They are not irrational or stupid. At all.
There is Cream Tea
No normal man sits quietly and lets his business, work and opportunities be destroyed with a smile on his face. This is true for the Chinese facing obliteration and anyone who want Bitcoin to scale. People who want everyone to discuss Bitcoin scaling and SegWit as if they are having a cream tea in Vienna are not being realistic. And it is for the people trying to regulate software to show restraint and not run to legislators to spoil the market before it even exists, not developers and entrepreneurs, who create the markets, who concentrate on bringing new services to it and who harm no one; we are not doing anything harmful to other people they are. We are the ethical ones, not them. And anyone who makes excuses for them, and tells the people who are exposing their naked corruption to “be nice”…has some thinking to do.
If you want to participate in Bitcoin, you are most welcome, and you have many opportunities and choices, and everyone can bring their expertise to the table; but you can only do so through software. If you want to bring Bitcoin to remote parts of the world, you need to write software and create a service to do that. You do not have endless meetings and go to the State for its blessing; you write software and create a service that people need. Google didn’t ask permission to enter every country on earth with its search and email products, it just did it by virtue of the nature of the Internet. Bitcoin is no different to this in any way, and no one should be running to legislatures and lying to say that it is.
Everyone needs to understand that the new way of mediating between people is software, not going to the State to ask it to do things for them. Buyer and seller conflicts on eBay are resolved internally to everyone’s satisfaction, without ever invoking the law. Eventually, everyone will understand this, as The Transformation begins to take root, and all the market actors who are not in software begin to understand that their actions are producing nothing. The Chinese LocalBitcoins spike is a signal of this.
All entrepreneurs will be like Skype and Uber; they will release their products and services and they will succeed or fail by the market. Bitcoin, because it replaces money as the thing everyone exchanges for goods and services, will be the biggest software project in the history of the world,
touching more people than television did, and spreading prosperity everywhere at the speed of light, eliminating payer and identity fraud, opening the third world to e-commerce, and saving everyone billions. Anything that stops this, slows it down, increases friction, and seeks to prevent its spread is against humanity. | https://medium.com/hackernoon/bitcoin-is-and-that-is-enough-e3116870eed1 | [] | 2019-05-31 12:04:55.634000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Bitcoin'] |
This last year has been the hardest year of my entire life. | This last year has been the hardest year of my entire life. In all my 43 years on this earth, I never knew such pain and devastation actually existed in the form of literal soul taking. Actually leaving me to feel as if I am just an empty vessel. It was the first time I ever entertained the idea of suicide. I was actually fixated on it for a couple of weeks. Yet, here I am to recount the events that took place back to back, all at once, the different heartbreaking situations that all came together like the perfect storm to hit me at the same time. Almost the same day. Only one or two days between tragedy’s, but it was all running together at that point. Looking back I do not know how I ever found the strength to get up off my bedroom floor.
My partner and the father of my younger children lived with me with his 3 teenage children. We were a family. Content, if not happy. He had been spending a lot of time at the property he owned behind his mother's house. We were planning on making that our home. After some cleaning and work. Which is what I thought he was doing. When I would go by to check on him or offer help I could tell things had been done. He was coming home less and less staying overnight there until he wasn’t really coming home at all unless he needed to grab a tool or something. In which case he would come in, get it, say nothing, and leave. I had no idea what was coming. NONE. When I get the phone call from mutual friends of ours told me that he had been over the night before and that he had brought his girlfriend Jennifer with him.
WTF? Are you even talking about right now? I was shocked. I felt disrespected that he took her to our friends. I was told she drove his truck around. It hurt. It was devastating. It was his choice though. Not mine. I was home doing the things I did every day. Not out chasing some guy to entertain me. So of no fault of mine. Our family has split apart. He moved out, and his kids moved back to his mom’s.
The next thing I can remember is walking to my front door with him behind me. He said not one word to me as he turned his back and went to his truck. I walked into a very quiet, empty house. Made it all the way to my room before I screamed and fell to the ground. I had lost my purpose to live that day. The only reason I was on this earth, to begin with, was taken. My children. I think I laid there on the floor for almost two days. I remember thinking a lot that I had no reason to live. Without my children I was nothing. Who was I? What was I to do? Die. That is the only thing that made sense to me. I had lost their father a day or so before that, his children, now mine. It was just me in this house alone. No family to speak of who cared. No ex’s with enough balls to come to check on me, or he was too busy with playing house with his current past time to care. I would lay awake at night thinking of ways to leave this world. I had never felt so hopeless, so torn up, in all of my life. I just wanted someone to point me to my grave. I never saw any of this coming. I would forget to catch my breath. I would do nothing for hours. I wouldn’t talk to anybody. I didn’t answer my door or my phone but there was never anyone on the other side of either of them either. From one day to the next my whole life changed. Everything safe, stable, comfortable, my freaking life. Was ripped away from me leaving me alone and empty. Lost. An abundance of sadness that felt like it was going to swallow me at any time. There had never been a time in all my years that I felt all hope was gone. When I had no idea what to do. When the only answer I had was to kill myself in the worst way and be sure to leave a note to him so he knew that this was his fault.
Well, that is not the kind of person I am. I am also too much of a coward to commit suicide, but I did feel the pain that drives others to it. That is an inner struggle I wish on nobody. I came to terms with being scared. Scared of myself, and my own feelings. I was going through a shit storm. So I allowed myself to break down, to act crazy, to fall apart. In public, wherever. As the days went by as bad as some of them were, not all of them were. If I stopped thinking about my sadness and my tragedy long enough I found I was able to navigate through the days a little bit. The more I accomplished that, the stronger I would feel. Then I started writing again. Helping other people and not once mentioning my situation as I did. I started to feel important again. Needed. Then I had to pay attention to my own advice I was handing out. Like our tough times don’t kill us. They shape us and mold us and change our lives. The manner, we change and our life changes is up to us. You are allowed to experience horrible things and pick yourself up, put back together what you can, and continue. You can still have goals. You can even smile and lift your face to the sunshine. The courage to choose our path and how we will handle ourselves and our future in the face of adversity builds character. We have to face what we are dealt and take the opportunity to find our new path. Our new skills, and abilities and keep building on that.
Nothing works out as we plan it to. Life is unpredictable and some experience more than their fair share of pain. I do not know why I am one of the chosen ones, but I have to embrace it and not let it prevent me from pursuing my goal to be a positive person and a better version of who I was the day before. We have to take responsibility for what is happening in our lives, and change it because our time here is short and every moment counts. You can stay in the midst of the shit storm. Or you can make your story the story that changed your life. | https://medium.com/@iammorethanyousee/this-last-year-has-been-the-hardest-year-of-my-entire-life-695ea2271944 | ['I Am More Than You See'] | 2020-12-27 07:11:07.442000+00:00 | ['Loss', 'Life Is Short', 'Life Changing Moment', 'Finding Your Purpose', 'Suicide'] |
dApp Builder Progress | The dApp Builder platform is one of the most crucial and significant stages of our project. The whole development cycle lasted more than a 10 months, as it had begun before releasing the Initial Whitepaper.
Product Development
Successful testing of the dApp Builder prototype in March of 2018 was a big milestone as the first smart contracts were deployed on the Ethereum mainnet where the transactions were executed. Right after the prototype release, the platform started to take shape.
2 Million New Users per Month
Finally, after more than 5 months of hard and devoted work as well as harnessing all previous research and development, we launched our fully working platform. And at the moment, we continue to develop and improve it.
dApp Builder Platform
The dApp Builder is a framework for building highly scalable blockchain token economies.
The Custom Token and ICO Token releases were released in June and July of 2018. These releases established a framework for developers and businesses to issue their own Branded Tokens on Ethereum (ERC-20)
Try it now on https://dappbuilder.io/builder
Or watch the code on https://github.com/DAPPBUILDER/dApp-Builder
Stay in touch for for updates via | https://medium.com/ethereum-dapp-builder/dapp-builder-progress-97465c2c835c | ['Dapp Builder Team'] | 2018-07-31 13:45:32.696000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Ethereum', 'Dapps', 'Progress', 'Technology'] |
Turning A Side Project Into Your Main Gig: What Works For Work Brighter Founder Brittany Berger | The Nitty-Gritty:
How Brittany Berger came up with the idea for the Work Brighter newsletter
How Work Brighter evolved as she continued to work her day job — and then as she struck out on her own
What her current vision for Work Brighter is and how it informs her growth strategy
Why Brittany chose to think of her company more like a software company than a content company
A side business can be your main focus.
Mike McDerment founded Freshbooks — a company that now reportedly brings in over $50 million in revenue each year — because he saved over an invoice he was working on for his internet marketing consultancy.
But Mike didn’t quit his existing business to start a new one. He started building it on the side.
And well before Freshbooks started making, well, really any measurable amount of money per month, he figured out a way to devote 80% of his time to making that company and his solution for small business owners like him a reality.
He made the new company his top priority, even though it wasn’t paying his bills.
This probably seems pretty counterintuitive. Don’t you want to prioritize what’s making you money?
Sure, prioritize what’s making you money if it’s what you want to continue doing and has the potential to grow into the kind of company you really want to run.
But that wasn’t the case for Mike. He saw the potential of Freshbooks long before anyone else did. He knew that Freshbooks wasn’t just a great idea — it had the potential to far exceed the earning and impact potential of the business he was currently running.
Now, today’s show isn’t about Mike — but you can get the full scoop on what worked to get Freshbooks off the ground in the early days and what worked to reinvent it when they need to leap ahead of the market in Episode 152.
But Mike’s story is the perfect introduction to Brittany Berger‘s story.
You see, Brittany is all-in on the seed she’s planted, just like Mike. And, just like Mike, it’s not her primary source of revenue yet.
Yet, the seed she’s watering and tending to has the potential to grow into a big venture.
Brittany Berger is founder of Work Brighter, a digital media company that helps productive unicorns go beyond working smarter to a version of productivity that makes room for “unproductive” things like rest, self-care, and fun. Work Brighter currently publishes a weekly newsletter and hosts a membership community full of resources and templates.
One of the things that stood out to me most about our conversation was how clear-eyed Brittany was about her priorities for this growing company. While she’s still earning income as a content marketing consultant, Brittany knows that Work Brighter is her future. It’s her primary focus.
Brittany and I talk about about how Work Brighter got started, why she treats it more like a software business than a content business, and how she creates her weekly newsletter. We also talk about her business model and why she chose to focus on building monthly recurring revenue. | https://medium.com/help-yourself/turning-a-side-project-into-your-main-gig-what-works-for-work-brighter-founder-brittany-berger-4bbde065ecb3 | ['Tara Mcmullin'] | 2019-04-25 14:37:53.073000+00:00 | ['Small Business', 'Startup', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Business', 'Podcast'] |
Best games to play remotely during lockdown | Best games to play remotely during lockdown
Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash
At Brightec we are colleagues but we are also friends. We value our connection as a team and whilst another lockdown means we can’t meet socially, or share lunch times in the same way, it hasn’t beaten our spirit. Since working remotely we’ve started a weekly catchup on Friday afternoons. The agenda is casual; we mostly play games as we’ve found it’s a relaxed and easy way to chat whilst having a focus which encourages more natural communication as it would around the lunch table. Here’s a list of our favourites:
Among us
Among us has recently taken the internet by storm. It’s free to play on mobile or paid on PC. In this game you are little space beans attempting tasks to either repair your spaceship or base. But, there is an imposter (or two) who will try to kill you. Your job as a crewmate is to try and discover who the imposters are. If you are the imposter then your job is to kill all of the crewmates. Once a crewmate discovers a body they will report and discuss all their findings during the round. This discussion is where the fun comes from with the imposter trying to cover their tracks or frame other people and the crewmates playing detective. This is truly a great game to help the team feel connected and laugh together.
Skribbl.io
Skribbl.io is a free drawing game. One person draws one thing of the three prompts and the other people try to guess. It’s best played on tablet or desktop and is especially fun when you are woeful at drawing (like me). We like to join a video call and chat throughout the game although admittedly it is mostly making fun of my drawings.
SuperTuxKart
If you’ve played MarioKart in the past you will love SuperTuxKart. This free to play game is available on Mac, PC and Linux. It’s a great little game which is basically a budget MarioKart. There’s a huge selection of maps and there are a few different game modes. It’s full of nostalgia and a great game to play whilst on a video call. The soundtrack is banging too.
Coup
Coup is a bluffing card game. The aim is to be the last alive. You don’t know what cards your opponents have but you gather information throughout the game to determine what people have. However, your opponents can bluff and fool everyone. This game was one of our faves back in the office but we found that Chris Brown made an online version of the game.
Jackbox
Jackbox is a collection of party games that work really well remotely. They have 7 party packs with 5 games in each pack. The prices vary but only the host has to pay. Our favourites are Quiplash, which requires you to come up with the funniest response to various prompts . We also like Trivia Murder Party where you answer obscure trivia questions interlaced with minigames.
Checkout our other suggestions here.
If you have any more suggestions of games be sure to leave a comment and let us know. We’re always looking for new ones to play. | https://medium.com/@rhyskentish/best-games-to-play-remotely-during-lockdown-754413a01756 | ['Rhys Kentish'] | 2020-11-12 17:28:31.603000+00:00 | ['Remote', 'Startup', 'Team Building', 'Games'] |
Trump, anyone? | Written by
Almost famous cartoonist who laughs at her own jokes and hopes you will, too. | https://marcialiss17.medium.com/trump-anyone-36609ff90695 | [] | 2019-08-12 15:36:54.052000+00:00 | ['Humor', 'Trump', 'Politics', 'Comics', 'Psychology'] |
What Is Sanity In An Insane World? | Let’s start with insanity.
Insanity is the by-product of insurmountable individual and collective suffering. It results in racial injustices, mass shootings, and wars, all of which continue to be on the rise. My question then is two fold, how did we get here, and how do we get back?
Well, we got here by trying to materialize our very existence. We added labels, both to ourselves and to others. We judged, criticized and created biases against our own people. With all of these new rules and regulations, of course, we had no choice but to conform — anything for human connection.
This ultimately created suffering, both individually and collectively. By trying to conform, we left out so much of what makes us human, and we actually taught ourselves to abandon ourselves.
But that’s the thing, we taught ourselves to do this, and we can teach ourselves to unlearn that, too.
Sanity is the opposite of suffering. It is omnipresent love, and it is filled with the desire for human connection. We came into this world sane, because we were only capable of love and connection.
So, how do we get back to sanity? I’m not sure I have the answers, but what I do know is that the only sane there is, is love — everything else is completely, and utterly insane. | https://medium.com/@ky23/what-is-sanity-in-a-2392ae1cc21e | [] | 2020-12-19 14:47:11.628000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Health', 'Intuition', 'Connection', 'Love'] |
‘we can be very clear’ Russia was behind the huge US cyber-tech | https://theinstantnews.com
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said Friday that Russia’s hand behind the widespread cyberattack on U.S. federal government agencies was clearly clear, adding that the president was silent on the matter because he was involved in Russia’s public information breach.
“It was a very significant effort and I think it is now a fact that we can clearly say that these Russians were involved in this act,” Pompeo said in an interview with The Mark Levine Show on Friday.
At least half a dozen federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Army and the Department of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and State, were reportedly targeted. Investigators are still trying to determine whether official data could have been accessed or stolen through the hack.
Government system was certainly an important effort to use third-party software and it is now the presence of private companies and organizations and governments’ systems around the world.”
President Donald Trump has not said anything publicly about the hack, although it is one of the most significant violations of the U.S. government in years, and U.S. officials say it poses a “serious risk” to networks, both public and private.
The White House said Friday that the track is being briefed on the hack and is “working very hard.”
Asked about Trump’s silence on the issue, Pompeo also commented that work was going on behind the scenes.
As the scope of espionage propaganda and its operation became clearer over the past two weeks, U.S. officials began to believe that an organization affiliated with Russia or Russian individuals were responsible for the attack. Pompeo’s comments are more about blaming Russia than Trump administration officials, as more evidence shows that the hacking operation has all the characteristics of a Russian-backed actor.
The Russian embassy in Washington has denied any involvement in the hack.
But Moscow has been linked to a number of recent violations, including the 2016 hacking of Democratic officials during the U.S. presidential election.
Last week, cybersecurity agency Fire revealed that it had been targeted by a sophisticated, possibly state-sponsored espionage effort and that several of its own hacking tools had been stolen.
CNN had previously reported that a Russian-authorized group known as APT29 was behind the fire attack.
Reuters on Sunday first reported that the Commerce and Treasury departments were damaged by hackers. The Commerce Department soon confirmed the veracity of a security incident.
That same evening, Firewall identified the source of its own intrusion as hidden malware in its software updates published by software vendor SolarWinds, which uses several federal civilian agencies to operate the network.
About 18,000 Solarwind customers, including U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, sent malware-related updates. | https://medium.com/@theinstantnews013/we-can-be-very-clear-russia-was-behind-the-huge-us-cyber-tech-9e80b3696757 | [] | 2020-12-19 17:22:26.980000+00:00 | ['News', 'America', 'Blog', 'Russia', 'USA'] |
Run an Enigma Machine Visual Simulator on an Arduino | Enigma machines are likely the most famous cryptographic tools ever developed. While they were originally designed in the early 20th century and were used for commercial purposes, they’re most well known for their use by Nazi Germany in World War II. Through spying and brilliant mathematical work, they were cracked by the Allies time and time again throughout the war, which makes them a very interesting part of history. Now you can run your very own Enigma machine visual simulator on an Arduino.
An Enigma machine is a very complicated electro-mechanical cipher that relies on a series of rotors to take a input letter and convert it into an output letter. Each rotor can be turned to different positions, and the combination of rotor positions and plug wire positions— the encryption key — results in unique ciphers. Those rotors create complex and irregular electric pathways for each letter typed, which is why Enigma machines were so difficult to crack. They don’t simply produce an offset cipher, which is trivial to break, but rather a very robust series of ciphers for each letter. They were really only defeated through spying, and because of a lack of operator diligence.
Thanks to Mark J Culross, you can now use an Arduino to experience for yourself how an Enigma machine is operated. To do that, all you’ll need is an Arduino Uno and a 2.8" TFT touchscreen LCD shield from Adafruit. All you have to do is flash Culross’s code to the Arduino, plug in the LCD shield, and get started. The display will show a graphical representation of an Enigma machine, and you can choose from various specific models with different numbers of rotors. You can even configure the electrical pathways of each rotor. Then you simply set your rotors, and start generating encrypted messages — and then decrypt them! | https://medium.com/@cameroncoward/run-an-enigma-machine-visual-simulator-on-an-arduino-7b9fa113ca21 | ['Cameron Coward'] | 2019-04-01 18:50:16.246000+00:00 | ['History', 'Technology', 'Arduino', 'Encryption', 'Information Security'] |
CalCPA Daily Clips | Dec. 17, 2020
BUSINESS
Survey suggests small-business owners downbeat on outlook
Nearly two-thirds of small businesses say they have not yet felt the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a survey by the US Chamber of Commerce and MetLife has found.
The Hill
— —
5 tips to be confident but not conceited in a job interview
It is important to find the right tone in a job interview so you can highlight accomplishments without sounding conceited. Here are five tips for achieving that balance.
Fast Company
— —
5 tips for a work-from-home holiday
Unfortunately, this holiday season will not offer a respite from the pandemic. Vaccination and a return to normalcy are on the horizon, but they won’t arrive before the end of the year.
AccountingToday
— —
How Businesses Can Better Support Women of Color
Many businesses — including accounting firms — have enewed their commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Unfortunately, women of color still are often missing out on the benefits.
AccountingWeb
— —
4 Skills You Should Have Learned in 2020 to Grow Your Business
Don’t worry, you can still learn them in 2021.
Entrepreneur
PERSONAL FINANCE
Don’t just rely on Social Security: Here are 3 reasons a Roth IRA is a perfect supplement
Do you think you would be able to live on the average Social Security benefit of $1,522 per month in retirement? If your answer to that question is no, you’re almost certainly going to need to supplement your benefit checks with your own savings and investments.
USAToday
— —
More than half of Americans are optimistic about their finances in 2021 after rough year
Despite the economic fallout, more than half of Americans are optimistic about their finances in 2021 as the economy enters a recovery, with two-thirds expecting to achieve a delayed financial milestone, according to a recent survey.
USAToday
POLITICS & POLICY
Some states reap higher-than-expected tax revenue
Massive deficits expected in city and state budgets amid the coronavirus pandemic have not necessarily come to pass, partly because of tax revenue bolstered by internet sales and a strong stock market. However, financial challenges remain, and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases could cause more problems.
Bloomberg
PROFESSION
The outsourced controller: Who’s monitoring the bookkeeper?
Client advisory and accounting services has been a hot topic in the accounting profession for years now, but little is being discussed about fractional/outsourced controllership.
AccountingToday
REGULATORY
What’s new with the Fed’s 2020 bank stress tests?
The Federal Reserve’s bank stress tests have been significantly different in 2020, thanks to regulatory changes and the dramatic economic turmoil brought on by coronavirus pandemic.
Reuters
TAX
11 Tax Breaks for the Middle Class
Tax breaks aren’t just for the rich. There are plenty of them that are only available to middle- and low-income Americans.
Kiplinger
TECH
Three million users installed 28 malicious Chrome or Edge extensions.
Extensions could redirect users to ads, phishing sites, collect user data, or download malware on infected systems. More than three million internet …
ZDNet | https://medium.com/calcpa-daily-clips/calcpa-daily-clips-2a9b8f322c10 | [] | 2020-12-17 15:31:05.817000+00:00 | ['California', 'CPA', 'Tax', 'Business', 'Calcpa'] |
Review: End of Q3 2020 & Mainnet One-year Anniversary | Dear Vite Community:
Time has flown by. As 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year for many people around the world, I hope you are in a place of safety and peace. In this letter, I would like to provide an update on Vite’s progress in Q3.
Overall, I am very proud of our team’s achievements. Let me review each item in our Q3 roadmap in turn.
Stablecoins Functionality
ViteX released the first-of-its-kind, zero-fee stablecoin swap feature with Vite’s fifth hardfork. As of now, three stablecoin pairs (USDC/USDT, DAI/USDT, BUSD/USDT) can convert at no cost. The rapid growth of stablecoins this year (standing at north of USD $10Bn) reflects a real need for storing fiat-pegged value in crypto form. In introducing this feature, we heard and answered our users’ needs. This is a big step towards fulfilling our original vision of an Open Finance ecosystem.
Free stablecoin swap brings us closer to our Open Finance vision
Vite Ecosystem Grants
We started the Vite Techie Club, a social group for community members interested in developing apps on Vite’s tech. The purpose is to educate our community on technical matters, brainstorm useful projects to be deployed on Vite, and discover new tech talent to contribute to the ecosystem. Any interesting application created from interactions within the Vite Techie Club will receive support from the Vite Foundation. Our successful kickoff event in September focused on decentralized gateways for ViteX, an important component of our plans for Vite 2.0. To participate in future Vite Techie Club events, join our Discord here.
Vite Techie Club seeks engineering talents to solve interesting problems with our tech
ViteX SDK Improvement
We released ViteX SDK (Java). This enables easy development of trading bots and deployment of trading strategies on ViteX. This is another crucial step towards our Open Finance vision that democratizes access to financial resources and systems. Check out the API in our github here.
Time to write apps that interact with ViteX
Vite App Major Upgrade
The Vite app has undergone a facelift to provide a more smooth experience for ViteX users (iOS). We created a new DEX Assets page that focuses exclusively on Vite-native assets. On this new page, we also separated out the functions of asset management and trading. Experience the new app for yourself here.
Major iOS app upgrade
Continual Coin Listings on ViteX
In Q3, our various gateways continuously added a total of ten new coins. As explained in this article, our gateways tend to look for coins with an active community, few listings on major exchanges, and a consistent pace of software development. We also launched a ViteX ambassador program, where we initially recruited three members. They will be conducting in-depth video interviews with project teams for coins listed on ViteX.
New ViteX ambassadors will both help promote coin listings and scout for worthy projects
Initial Upgrades of DApp Development Tools
Various improvements have been made to an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Vite’s solidity++. These changes will make it easier to develop DApps on Vite. See a screenshot of the IDE here.
Environment for building solidity++ apps
New Operator Recruitment
Operators are an important component of the ViteX ecosystem. As such, we continue to onboard and support new operators. As of today, we have seven operators in total. The level of listing and trading activities on all operators varies. We are hopeful that as the awareness of ViteX increases (with more listings of gems, and inductively attraction of traders), more independent entities will apply to become operators.
Other Accomplishments
In Q3, we became more aggressive in raising awareness of our brand via various ways — partnerships (example — Banano), podcasts (example — The Blockchain Debate Podcast), and events (example — Silicon Valley Bitcoin Meetup mining panel). In addition, we continued to educate the public about our tech (see our series of tech articles), published the thoughts of our leadership via Vite Insights articles, ran regular leadership AMAs, and solicited community input for coins to be listed by ViteX gateways.
We just celebrated our one-year anniversary since the launch of Vite Mainnet. As mentioned in our tweet thread here, I would like to enumerate our very worthy accomplishments with statistics:
We now have six products, including the multi-chain Vite App that has been downloaded over 300,000 times and is being used in over 180 countries.
Our network consists of 900 full nodes. Over 130 Vite-native tokens have been issued. About 109,878 active addresses live on Vite, transacting over 127,810,946 times.
49 supernodes have mined an accumulation of 29,530,000 VITE. Note that more than 23,900,000 VITE have been burned, offsetting the aforementioned increase in circulation.
Cumulative trading volume on ViteX has exceeded 50,808 BTC. Over 100 BTC have been distributed to VX holders as dividends (for a comprehensive guide of using ViteX, check here)
Infographic for our achievements as our Mainnet turns one year old
As I have always said, our achievements would not have been possible without you. Vite is not just about the solidity++ smart contracts, its open source golang code, or our white paper. Our ecosystem is only powerful because of activities of our users, developers, investors, and enthusiasts. Thank you all for your support.
#letscreatesomethingcool,
Charles Liu | https://medium.com/vitelabs/review-end-of-q3-2020-mainnet-one-year-anniversary-1d5a8cb7eb49 | ['Vite Editor'] | 2020-10-01 21:28:40.921000+00:00 | ['Crypto', 'Blockchain', 'Bitcoin', 'Vite', 'Vitex'] |
Divine Quest | The queries of spiritual aspirants are answered by the great spiritual teacher of this age in Prashnottari.
Why do you say that attachment of the mind and senses to the world is better than merging them with God?
Answer: The individual soul who has attained liberation on the path of gyan loses its identity by merging into God. In such a state, the senses, mind, and intellect all cease to exist, and therefore, that soul is incapable of relishing any relationship with, or the bliss of, Shri Krishna. On the other hand, even if someone is deeply attached in the world, there is still a chance that he may meet a genuine Saint in some human birth. If he were to develop faith in that Saint by practicing devotion as prescribed and surrendering to him, then that person will surely meet Shri Krishna one day. It does not matter whether this process takes one birth or ten births. But once liberated, the soul loses its identity forever, and with it, any opportunity to enjoy the bliss of the divine love of Shri Krishna.
Which desires should be condemned, and which should be adopted?
Answer: All material desires up to the abode of Brahma, including the desire for liberation, are condemnable and all desires relating to Shri Krishna, for the sake of your own happiness, are neither condemnable nor are they adorable. All desires relating to Shri Krishna for His happiness alone are praiseworthy and should be embraced. The very character and nature of devotion is that all desires for our own happiness are to be completely discarded. It is our nature to make ever new desires by constantly thinking and imagining that there is happiness in this material world. This nature of ours will continue to torment us until we reach the final stage of realising God. Once attained, it will be your very nature to love Shri Krishna wholeheartedly. In fact, you will not be able to survive without loving Him. Even a moment of forgetfulness will torment and suffocate you. Thus, the aim of all our desires should be to love and serve Shri Krishna solely for His happiness.
If we completely cease our worldly duties, how will we survive in this world?
Answer: All those who follow scripturally prescribed duties do so after offering them first to God. At the same time, they also practice devotion to God. In raganuga bhakti, you must discard all duties prescribed in the scriptures, as well as your worldly duties, except those that are essential for the maintenance of your physical body. God Himself declares in the Gita, 9.22: I shall provide whatever you lack and protect whatever you already have.
Therefore, aspiring devotees should not worry about performing worldly or scriptural prescribed duties. We should not feel disturbed or become tense if we lose material possessions either. God sometimes deliberately brings material losses upon His devotees, if He anticipates that devotee becoming engrossed in worldly enjoyment.
An English translation of answers originally spoken in Hindi by:
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj
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https://www.youtube.com/user/JKPliterature | https://medium.com/@jkpliterature/divine-quest-a56b9a46c720 | ['Jagadguru Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan'] | 2021-09-04 05:12:51.476000+00:00 | ['Happiness In Life', 'Devotion', 'Desire', 'Love', 'Soul'] |
3 Months with Elixir & Phoenix | 3 Months with Elixir & Phoenix
In the career arc of the modern software engineer, rising from the ashes is a common theme.
One of the joys of building a brand new product is the opportunity to take a step back from the tools one has been using and evaluate new technologies and frameworks. This doesn’t mean switching tooling for the sake of something newer and sexier — it means being thoughtful about ones experiences and looking at new & better ways to solve the problems one invariably encounters. So when we started to build out the Verifiablee app a couple of months ago, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out some new tooling I’d had my eyes on.
Rails Battle Scars
Thomas the Tank Engine, series 1 episode 24: Off the Rails
Before going any further, I should probably clarify what kind of app we’re talking about here — different apps obviously have different needs. We have a couple of different services in our product, but the app I’m writing about now is a pretty typical modern web-app, with all the baggage that entails. That means that the core functionality is serving up web content with CRUD APIs, but also means things like 3rd party integrations, authentication, background jobs, asset pipelines, etc.
Because we were building a brand new product and wanted to bring it to market quickly, developer productivity was one of my biggest concerns. Having built many different products with Rails over the years, and because of its emphasis on developer productivity, it certainly would have been a reasonable choice for this app. But, like most other seasoned Rails developers, I’m sporting my share of Rails battle scars, and was eager to explore alternatives.
There are of course lots of things I like about working with Rails — otherwise I would have moved on long ago. In particular, I appreciate the focus on developer productivity and the ecosystem support. Many of the design decisions around Rails are oriented towards productivity and building products quickly, and this remains the framework’s biggest strengths in my opinion. On the other hand, like many others, I’ve witnessed the kinds of issues that can arise in Rails projects as they scale both in complexity and in usage. Rails apps for example, are fairly bloated from the start with respect to startup, runtime and memory performance, and these problems only grow as projects become more complex. Additionally, the dynamic free-for-all approach of the Ruby language, with it lack of static typing and other compile-time checks (which enables much of the Rails “magic”) can also lead to difficult-to-maintain code as codebases grow.
So while I love a lot of the design decisions and the general philosophy behind Rails, working on a growing Rails project can become frustrating quickly.
Enter the Phoenix
What if there was a technology that took all of the good ideas from Ruby & Rails but fixed all the bad stuff, like the bloat & the performance, and put it on a more solid foundation? It turns out that’s essentially what you get with the Phoenix Framework on Elixir, the language built by José Valim, a long-time contributor of both Ruby and Rails.
I’ve had my eyes on Elixir for a couple of years and have used it in some side projects, but I had yet to fully immerse myself. Side projects and tutorials are great ways to get exposure to a new technology, but it’s not until you really dive into building a shipping product that you really get to know and understand it. Personally, I need to run into all those real world problems that are easy to overlook when taking a new framework for a casual spin: what’s the tooling like, what’s the ecosystem like, how the heck do I deploy this thing?
Using a new technology in a live production environment always reveals new challenges and opportunities to learn, and while I certainly won’t call myself an expert on Phoenix & Elixir, building this product has given me more than enough experience to tackle some of those challenges. I’ve captured some of my thoughts and leanings here. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive analysis of Elixir or Phoenix, but instead, some of the key observations I made in building out a new product.
Pure Functional Programming — Mostly
The first big win for Elixir is the focus on functional programming. I’m a big fan of functional programming in general: managing and reasoning about program state is often difficult and can be the source of insidious bugs. I’ve always appreciated that Ruby allows and often encourages developers to use a more functional programming style, though it does not force them to do so. At the micro level, using functions like map and reduce are certainly more idiomatic Ruby than writing for-loops, but at a more macro level, Ruby’s object-oriented nature tends to dominate, with state stored at the class and instance level.
The Elixir language is, at its core, entirely functional (though programs do maintain and manipulate state via processes in the Erlang runtime — more on that below). By removing state, code is simpler to reason about, debug and test, though it does occasionally require bending ones mind to solve a problem that may be more easily accomplished in a non-functional fashion.
So what about this state management via the Erlang runtime? The Erlang runtime allows for concurrent processes (which are not true OS processes and more analogous to threads in other languages), and these processes can, in effect, have their own fully isolated state. Applications can thus make use of state by sending messages to other processes. These messages are processed in the order in which they are received and may perform other computations than just changing state, such as data validation and other forms of state management.
Furthermore, these messages are typically not specifying state directly by saying “hey process, set variable X”. Though that can occur in some use cases, such as caching, the messages are more often higher-level application semantics like “hey process, the user made this chess move, update the game state accordingly and send it back to me”. This encourages data transformation and validation built-in to the state management. In a sense, manipulating state in Elixir can be thought of a little bit more like making an extremely lightweight API call than like setting a variable.
The reality is that sooner or later, most useful applications need some notion of state, it’s just a question of where and how languages expose this functionality. By avoiding state in the core language and by isolating and abstracting it into separate Erlang processes, Elixir manages to drastically reduce the use of state and mitigate many of the pitfalls that can come along with stateful solutions in other contexts: data inconsistencies, deadlocks, thread contention and race conditions.
Metaprogramming & “Magic”
Metaprogramming in Ruby, and its application in Rails, is a contentious issue. The use of metaprogramming in Rails is often referred to, both complementary and disparagingly as “magic”. It is used to enable many of the benefits of the Rails framework; and is abused to create many of the downsides. Chief among those downsides are that code that is opaque and difficult to understand, as well as code exhibiting unintended consequences and side-effects.
Unfortunately, this is one area where in my opinion, Elixir carries at least some of the same baggage as Ruby. Though the use of metaprogramming is somewhat more restrained in Phoenix, Elixir actually enables far more metaprogramming functionality than Ruby via its powerful macro system. Elixir macros allow developers to effectively re-interpret the core syntax of the language and transform the meaning of expressions. It’s pretty much as scary as it sounds, though as the documentation warns:
Elixir already provides mechanisms to write your everyday code in a simple and readable fashion by using its data structures and functions. Macros should only be used as a last resort. Remember that explicit is better than implicit. Clear code is better than concise code.
For an example of how macros are (ab)used, let’s take a look at Ecto, the Elixir analog to ActiveRecord. In ActiveRecord, I might write a query to fetch the names of users over a certain age like this.
User.where(:name => query).select(:name)
In Ecto, using the preferred query syntax is a DSL implemented via a macro:
from u in User, where: u.name = ^query, select: u.name
It looks reasonable, but there are several features of this line of code that do things completely different from what they normally do in the Elixir language.
“x in y” usually tells you if the element “x” is in the Enum “y”. But not here.
“^” is usually the “pin” operator used in a match clause, which is kind of conceptually how it’s being used here, though we’re not in a match clause, so it would not actually be valid (or expected!)
“where: x, select: y” would usually be creating a keyword list using the values for “x” and “y” — but that’s not happening here either (because the binding of “u” at that point is not what we would expect)
Now having read the documentation for this particular, commonly used method, I get it and I understand how it works. And because under the hood here this method is essentially assembling a SQL fragment, some form of code gymnastics is going to be necessary. But in my opinion, these types of macros generally make code more difficult to read & reason about.
I’ve found that this type of macro strategy is used in a surprising number of Elixir libraries. Any library which is integrated using the Elixir “use” keyword can inject unseen code into a module which may (or may not) make use of this kind of metaprogramming.
I understand and appreciate the need for this kind of functionality in the core language, but am sometimes taken aback by its applications, especially in a language which puts an emphasis on explicit behaviors, though as detailed in this thread, there are varying opinions on what explicit really means.
Developer experience & ecosystem support
One of the biggest benefits of Rails in my opinion, is the rich ecosystem: it’s been around for long enough that somebody, somewhere has most likely already solved the problem you’re trying to solve — and there’s probably a gem or a blog post to help you solve it yourself.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that Phoenix, while being relatively young, also has a healthy ecosystem and packages available for most of the integrations and other features I’ve needed. Sometimes, while Ruby might have 3 or 4 different gems to choose from (2 or 3 of which are likely outdated and unmaintained), Elixir might only have a single package available. But in my experience that package is more likely to be up to date and functional. It would be hard to deny that Rails holds an advantage here, given how long it’s been around, but in practice, it hasn’t been an issue for any of the problems I’ve come across.
In spite of being much younger, the general developer experience of Phoenix easily matches or surpasses that of Rails. Phoenix, like Rails, takes a mostly batteries-included approach, meaning that there’s a focus on developer productivity and having core functionality right out of the box. There are of course differences in exactly which batteries are included, so to speak, but generally speaking both frameworks deliver on this promise.
One feature of Phoenix worth calling out separately is one that I’m not using extensively right now is LiveView, which is a server-side rendering solution built into Phoenix out of the box. LiveView allows for real-time, server-rendered, single-page apps without writing a line of JavaScript. Building the full app in LiveView was a bridge too far for me (I went with React for the client), but there are a couple of specific features I’m working on that seem like ideal match for LiveView — situations where there’s an interactive component combined with a lots of back-and-forth between the server and the browser. I’ll be evaluating LiveView for these use cases as I build them out further.
OTP & the Erlang runtime
The most fascinating aspect of Elixir is also the one where I’ve had the least experience: the Erlang runtime with Open Telecom Protocol (OTP). It’s probably more accurate to say this is the area where I have the least explicit experience — if you’re writing an app in Elixir or Phoenix, you’re implicitly experiencing the benefits of the OTP from the start.
The Erlang runtime is more complex than most language runtimes and is almost like a mini operating system for apps running on the Erlang VM. It’s designed for massive concurrency and fault tolerance and promotes a “let it crash” philosophy, in which individual processes are allowed to crash or fail without bringing down the entire application. Hierarchical supervisor trees are used to monitor processes and gracefully handle any crashes that occur.
What does this all mean in the context of Phoenix, for example? An “app” written with Phoenix is typically made up of dozens or hundreds of individual processes, most of which are not explicitly started by the developer. Each web request to the app is its own process, as are lots of other pieces of functionality behind the scenes: websockets, database connections, connection pools, loggers, and much much more. Even if you never explicitly create a process, your Phoenix app is taking advantage of the OTP for stability, scalability & complete isolation of all the moving parts of your app. The OTP is a clear win for Phoenix over other frameworks like Rails.
The recent release of the Phoenix Live Dashboard gives a small glimpse into the OTP and how it’s used in a Phoenix app. This drop-in lightweight dashboard shows process monitoring and metrics that demonstrate what the OTP does in every Phoenix app.
3 Months Later
After 3 months immersed in Elixir & Phoenix, I’m very happy to have made the leap. As I mentioned at the start, my use case is mostly a vanilla web app that has relied on the support of excellent Phoenix framework, and hasn’t required many of the more exotic features of the OTP — so there are many topics I’ve yet to fully explore. I know there are a great deal of problems that I haven’t yet had the need to solve, and surely sooner or later I’ll come across one that will leave me banging my head on the keyboard — as will occur with any language or framework.
That said, I consider the choice of Elixir and Phoenix to be a great success. In fact, I’ve raved to anybody who has asked that Elixir is the “language of the future”, with only slight hyperbole — there are a lot of great new languages for application development these days and I haven’t done a deep dive with all of them of course. But after spending time working with the language and in particular the OTP, I do feel safe saying: there is something very special about Elixir. | https://medium.com/swlh/3-months-with-elixir-phoenix-2810f653f887 | [] | 2020-05-07 17:11:23.924000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Phoenix Framework', 'Software Development', 'Rails', 'Elixir'] |
Improving Your Team’s Focus, And Why Office Layout Matters | Improving Your Team’s Focus, And Why Office Layout Matters
Productivity has become a buzzword, spawning an industry of “hacks” to help individuals focus and get things done. But a bunch of productive individuals might not make a productive team. Here’s how to build team focus and work better together.
I hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the door of my 5th floor hotel room, turned off the television, silenced my phone, closed the windows, shut the curtains, settled into the work desk and turned on my laptop. With fresh coffee by my side, I took a few deep breaths and opened a document to begin writing the article you are now reading.
That’s when three men strapped into harnesses and standing on a platform began pounding on the windows.
In full and intense conversation, they began inspecting the windows and taking notes. Then they pulled out their tools and began to clean the windows. One ate an apple (I could hear every bite as he was just a foot away) while the other two stripped off the sealant and applied a fresh layer.
This is the way it so often goes. We take steps to control our environment, to bend it towards creating the pockets of focus we need to do our best work, but distractions break through the bubble we’ve tried to create.
The environment doesn’t care what we do, and all bubbles eventually pop, so we’re in a constant cycle of creating new ones. We pick up productivity hacks from websites with click-bait headlines and video advertisement pop-ups, we buy noise-cancelling headphones, and some of us even take the writer’s route and retreat to a cabin in the woods.
But in our world of increasing distractions — where we check our phones 46 times a day and many of us do our most important work on the same machine that can also be our largest source of distraction, the ability to focus is an increasingly crucial habit to form.
Indeed, if technological mavens are propelling the future of what our work will look like, focus mavens will propel the future of how we’ll actually get it done — and who gets a chance to do it.
Take the rise of the gig economy, for example. In the next 30 years, it’s projected to serve up opportunities for those who can quickly master new skills. How to stay afloat? Quickly master the ability to achieve the deep states of focus necessary to pick up those skills.
It might sound old school, but focus is the future.
Cal Newport’s terrific book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, drives this point home better than any book I’ve read on the topic. According to Newport, focus isn’t merely an episode, it’s a habit. And most of us have formed some pretty bad habits.
Or, if we’ve created some good individual habits, we haven’t figured out how best to apply them at work.
Enter: Offices of Mass Distraction
Let’s talk about office layout for a moment, particularly the infamous office cubicle. It’s become synonymous with dull desk job, but the inventor, Robert Propst, who referred to it as the “Action Office,” designed them in the 1960’s to optimize team focus.
Forget the dreary gray felt and forget any soul-sucking days you may have spent enclosed in them. Propst, who worked for the office furniture firm Herman Miller, developed cubicles in response to what existed at the time and what many, in the name of radical transparency and coolness, have worked hard to return to: the open office layout.
Here’s a glimpse into Miller’s Action Office Series 2, which likely looks familiar to you:
The separation allows for focus, and updated versions have a mix of open layout collaborative spaces for team focus, standing desks, and areas designed for individual focus.
While sleek open office layouts may seem new, they’re actually just a throwback to the 60’s. And most of them are environments (as Propst knew) almost perfectly built for distraction — you can see what everybody is doing at any moment, who just went to the bathroom, and who seems to be, for the love of all things holy, entirely unable to stop scratching their head.
Such layouts — while there are of course inherent positives such as the feeling of connectedness — can also become breeding grounds for collaboration collapse, where teammates dismantle all silos and place unnecessary reliance on collaboration as the ultimate, and sometimes only, path to productivity.
There’s a better way.
Building Team Focus
Shutting yourself up in a 5th floor hotel room, or even in some remote cabin, can be the way to go for the deep periods of focus we all need as individuals. But most of us are part of complex teams, even teams within teams, and this kind of team focus can only be achieved through a collective commitment.
Here are 4 ways, regardless of the size of your team, that you can work to build team focus:
1. Team Focus Demands Effective Project Communication. As with improving anything, awareness of the challenge first has to be recognized before it can be addressed. This means carving out time to think about how your team gets things done. What’s the underlying process? Has the same challenge stalled your work on more than one occasion?
When core teams communicate remotely, for example, it can be easy to lose sight of certain project details and deliverables. If everybody isn’t on the same page in terms of when a project is due, and who is working on which part of it, all sorts of problems can arise.
For some, a bi-weekly sprint thrown into a Google doc may be the solution, others may need a project management tool to streamline everything. Either way, the resulting transparency will likely increase team focus by creating a better system for completing projects.
2. Think Critically About Your Environment. Dreary cubicles may not be the aesthetic of the future, but the importance of their function remains. If you’re working in a cubicle, think about if the parts of it are aligned optimally. So often we get stuck in a habit — of walking over to a colleague’s desk many times each day, for example — when the better solution might be to break the habit, even if temporarily, by rearranging where we’re seated for a given project.
If you work in more of an open office, create a conversation with your team about how it could be optimized. Would some colleagues prefer to do pockets of work in an individual pod, while a small team within the larger team would like a space just for them? There are inexpensive ways, such as using curtains, to build both. But the change can’t happen without an open conversation.
3. Make Deep Work a Team Commitment. Every member of your team has to be on board with how important it is to have periods of time for both individual and small team focus. To get started, I’d recommended picking up copies of Deep Work, and having team discussions about it to see what insights can be applied to your current day-to-day routines.
A crucial part of this process is to go beyond the realization that team focus is important, and into a pattern of actually committing to it. Find a way to ensure that all members of the team have a way of knowing when a colleague is in deep work and should not be interrupted. In an age of increasingly annoying app notifications, I’ve heard of some teams simply putting headphones on — it was their way of saying “I’m in the zone right now. I’m all yours as soon as I take them off.”
4. Experiment to Find What Works. One study from Draugiem Group found that the top 10% most productive employees didn’t work longer hours, they took more breaks. For every 52 minutes of work, they took, on average, a 17-minute break. It’s likely that the breaks allowed the employees to detach and recharge.
Similarly, Switzerland is the most productive country in the world and, having just recently been beat out by Denmark, they are the 2nd happiest as well. What’s the deal? Part of the reason could be the work culture, which offers 28 mandatory vacation days, and embraces relaxing 60-minute lunch breaks where, “If it’s summer, jumping into the lake to swim with the swans is an acceptable way to spend your lunch hour” and “If you eat a sandwich at your desk [as many Americans do], people will scold you.”
If you’re able, play around to see what kind of routine works best for you. Some prefer brief bouts of focus with many breaks, while others prefer long bouts of focus with just one long break in between.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to share with your team what helps you do your best work. If the office layout is destroying your focus, for example, ask what can be done to change the situation. I’ve formed some bad habits over the years (I was one of those phone checkers), but what helped me break through that habit was listening to how my teammates had formed their own good habits.
Sure, you’ll falter, and at some point you’ll get stuck in this middle ground where it would be SO much easier to distract yourself than go deep.
But if you’re going to do work, get focused and do your best work. You deserve the free time, and your team deserves the results.
***
See Also:
The Science of Productivity
How to Be More Productive as a Tech Team
-Illustrations: Bully | https://medium.com/flow/improving-your-teams-focus-and-why-office-layout-matters-a57e9741819e | [] | 2017-02-17 21:42:33.329000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Management', 'Productivity', 'Leadership', 'Startups'] |
Learning to Apply Skills to Eliminate Burnout | Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Executive Summary
Most of us have experienced burnout at some point in our lives. For the recent research project I undertook for my class Analytics for Design, I chose to look at the effect burnout and stress have on college students and began to look into the various areas of student life that might have an impact on stress and be part of what is causing burnout. Stress is a huge problem and can cause many issues for people on a mental, physical, and emotional scale. This study is aimed at finding ways to help people manage their stress levels before it becomes unmanageable.
Context
As a college student myself, I see the effects of stress and burnout everyday. People would be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t feeling stress to some degree. That is what makes this such a serious issue as stress levels might be getting higher with everything going on in the world today. My work began with talking to teachers and students and using their feedback to design a survey that I was then able to distribute to more students to get their feedback. My questions related to a variety of topics relating to stressors, time management, schooling types, and work loads. A quote I found said:
Photo by Abbie Bernet on Unsplash
“Stress is the person who looks a little crazy when they turn up for an after-work get together at the end of the week, strung out and frazzled; the burned-out person is the one who didn’t even bother to show up.”
-Dr. Sharmila Dissanaike
This is a very broad topic that has lots of pieces that are connected to each other. As such, in trying to address this problem, there isn’t a one size fits all solution. However, with each new way we look at this problem, we will find new ways to do things better that will help ease the burden overall until stress and burnout are better regulated and more easily managed by most people.
Semester Stress Survey
Survey Raw Data
The Cause
Many students treat stress as a status symbol, a source of pride that they get to wear in the pursuit of being a productive member of society, but this mindset is dangerous and can cause many problems for people if they allow the trend to continue over prolonged periods of time unchecked. Burnout has many negative consequences, this is a short list of possible effects from continuous stress and burnout:
Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash
Demotivation and detachment from work
Depleted energy levels
Detachment in personal relationships
Lower productivity
Lower resistance to illness
Pessimistic outlook on work or life
Physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion
Time away from work
This short list was provided by thisiscalmer.com, but there are many sites that list these and more effects of burnout. Most articles I found didn’t relate burnout to an education setting and only focused on a workplace setting. Burnout can happen in any area of life though and it is important to have a conversation about it and what can be done to lessen the effects. There are some great videos on YouTube that talk about this topic and include ideas on how to lessen burnout.
Some great resources relating to this topic that I looked up and took notes from:
“The Closest Feeling to Death that isn’t Death” by Jaiden Animations
“5 Stages of Burnout” by thisiscalmer.com
“Burnout Syndrome Recovery” by rescuetime.com
The Findings
I looked at my data and compared responses to different questions to determine whether people had higher or lower skill in time or stress managment. Ultimately, it seems like both are large stressors, but the skills that are most lacking are stress management.
On this scale, 1=No stress at all and 10=Extremely stressed
Overall, it most students seem to be struggling with their stress levels. Many students are feeling the extreme pressures of having to juggle so many things, but seem to believe that it is just what is expected of them as college students. For us to start to break this down we need to know what areas are causing students stress and how they are dealing with these feelings.
Beyond knowing some of the effects it is also important to know what areas in our lives cause stress. In the survey I conducted, the majority of students had struggles in six main areas:
School/Homework (86.9%/59.5%)
Work (63.1%)
Home Life (39.3%)
Time Management (60.7%)
Social (21.4%)
Finances (40.5%)
This lead me into looking at how we manage time since we have to track so many different aspects of our lives and seeing how people are managing their stress. What was interesting was when answering questions related to how they think they handle things versus how they’re actually using the skill in their day to day lives, they score themselves more highly on belief instead of action. This shows how people might have the skills or be aware of them, but are struggling in a practical application.
This is the belief individuals have in their skill
Comparing the graph above with the two below, we can see the pattern start to emerge.
On this scale, 1=Not enough time and 10=Plenty of time
On this scale, 1=Overwhelming and 5=Easily managed
These three graphs together show how people are struggling to balance their work with these skills and how this worsens the effects of burnout. Since stress is something that compounds the more we burden ourselves with unfinished tasks, not knowing a practical way to use these skills is detrimental to people’s overall health and increases the risks of burnout.
The Solution Design
The question then is how do we go about fixing the problem? The solution I am proposing is working to develop an app that is able to help people by teaching them good habits and showing them when and where they could use them to lessen the stress. There are many different apps that may focus on a single area of what is causing stress, but don’t hit all, or even multiple points. A further problem currently is many of these apps have a greater majority of their features hidden behind a pay wall and don’t work in tandem with other apps that focus on other areas. So in order to cover the full range of the problem, a person might have to download 3–5 apps and pay to use each one. That’s not an efficient way to handle the problem and in some ways might make it worse.
The app I want to design would cover more areas in a single app and not have any sort of paywall since mental health is something that people should be passionate about since it affects everyone. There are many apps that have great qualities that when combined could form something new and greater than the sum of any of it’s parts.
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
A visual of the app:
Spark of Life App
Conclusions
Burnout is a problem that we as a society need to work to improve. It impacts not only the individual but can cause problems for everyone. However, it is something that we can fix when we have the right resources in place and a desire to improve. Learning how to take care of ourselves is only the first step. It is through putting those learned skills into practice that we can truly begin to improve our mental and emotional states. As more people and services become involved in working to resolve this issue, we will see a change on a far greater scale. It only begins with taking one step forward. Will you become an advocate in working to fight back against burnout?
Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash
This data is being open-sourced and can be used by anyone. The class this project was undertaken with was Analytics for Design in the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State University.
My survey and data:
Semester Stress Survey
Survey Raw Data
Additional Sources:
https://www.thisiscalmer.com/blog/does-technology-cause-stress | https://medium.com/@autumngravettarnold/learning-to-apply-skills-to-eliminate-burnout-c3533da0a629 | ['Autumn Gravett-Arnold'] | 2020-12-15 07:57:00.892000+00:00 | ['Burnout'] |
What to Buy and Not to Buy During Memorial Day Sales | Memorial Day Weekend is not only the official kick-off to summer, but it’s also one of the best weekends for shopping sales. And while you can (and should) save money this weekend, be careful because not all sales are created equal. We compiled the best deals for you to cash in on and what to avoid this weekend so you can get the most bang for your buck.
What to Buy
Mattresses: Memorial Day is one of the best times to buy a mattress if you’re in the market. You can expect to find mattress deals from stores like Mattress Firm, Walmart, American Mattress and more. To save even more at Walmart , stack your mattress sale with a discount Walmart gift card from Raise for even more savings!
Memorial Day is one of the best times to buy a mattress if you’re in the market. You can expect to find mattress deals from stores like Mattress Firm, Walmart, American Mattress and more. To save even more at Walmart stack your mattress sale with a discount Walmart gift card from Raise for even more savings! Appliances: Whether you’re in the middle of a kitchen renovation or just ready for an upgrade, Memorial Day is a great time to save upwards of 40% on home appliances. Pro tip : Use the Raise app and save on Lowe’s gift cards with Raise Pay. Enter the exact amount of your purchase and voila! You’ll earn an additional 2% back in Raise Cash to spend towards your next purchase.
Whether you’re in the middle of a kitchen renovation or just ready for an upgrade, Memorial Day is a great time to save upwards of 40% on home appliances. : Use the Raise app and save on Lowe’s gift cards with Raise Pay. Enter the exact amount of your purchase and voila! You’ll earn an additional 2% back in Raise Cash to spend towards your next purchase. Spring Apparel: Out with the old! Since Memorial Day is the official start to summer, you can expect to see upwards of 70% off spring apparel. Oh, and don’t forget to stack your savings using discounted gift cards from your favorite retailers.
What to Not to Buy
Swim and Summer Apparel: As summer heats up, discounts on summer apparel tend to cool down. We suggest avoiding buying summer apparel until later in June or July when you can save more money on the latest swimwear, tees, and tanks.
As summer heats up, discounts on summer apparel tend to cool down. We suggest avoiding buying summer apparel until later in June or July when you can save more money on the latest swimwear, tees, and tanks. Grills: Memorial Day Weekend means backyard barbeques, but the best month to buy grills is actually in September. However, if you want to fire up some burgers and hot dogs, you can find discount gift cards on Raise to save on your new grill.
Memorial Day Weekend means backyard barbeques, but the best month to buy grills is actually in September. However, if you want to fire up some burgers and hot dogs, you can find discount gift cards on Raise to save on your new grill. Laptops: You might think laptops would be on sale since the school year is ending, but Memorial Day Weekend is not the time to buy a laptop. We suggest waiting for retailer-specific deals throughout the year or get the best deal by waiting until Back-to-School season is in full swing.
Are you planning to shop Memorial Day Sales? Make sure to check Raise first to stack your savings with a discount or cash back gift card! | https://blog.raise.com/what-to-buy-and-what-not-to-buy-during-memorial-day-sales-971a43910077 | [] | 2019-05-22 14:13:53.770000+00:00 | ['Memorial Day', 'Saving', 'Sales', 'Discount'] |
How to Crack Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate (DA-100) Exam? | Are you an aspiring Data Analyst or are you willing to test your knowledge about Microsoft Power BI? Then you are at the perfect place!!
In this blog, I will guide you through each and everything you need to know, to crack the DA-100 exam.
What is the DA-100 exam?
DA-100 is an associate-level exam by Microsoft, primarily for the Data Analyst role. This exam is a successor of the ‘70–778 Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Power BI’ exam. The highly acclaimed ‘Microsoft Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate’ certification exam accelerates your career growth and definitely helps you climb up your professional ladder.
This exam consists of case study questions, multiple-choice and drag & drop questions. The actual number of questions you will get will vary between 55 to 65.
Who can apply for the DA-100 exam?
This certification exam is for those who are:
A business analyst who is looking to upskill.
A data analyst who is willing to test their knowledge of Power BI.
Anyone who wants to have an in-depth knowledge of Power BI.
What are the skills measured?
The skills measured in this exam are broadly classified into:
Prepare the data.
Model the data.
Visualize the data.
Analyze the data.
Deploy and maintain deliverables.
For more detailed information, please refer to Microsoft Learn.
Note: Before starting your preparation, please refer the Microsoft Learn page for the latest syllabus.
What is the application process?
Follow these steps to book your slot:
Navigate to Microsoft DA-100 page.
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Scroll down to ‘Schedule exam’ section.
Select your country from the drop-down and then click on ‘Schedule with Pearson VUE’ or ‘Schedule Exam’ button.
Complete your certification profile and then click on ‘Schedule Exam’.
Select your location and language preference.
Select your appointment date and time from the available dates.
Complete your payment.
You will get the confirmation email of your appointment.
Where can we find the study materials?
The best possible resource for any Microsoft certification is Microsoft Learn. Complete these Learning paths along with the hands-on to get in-depth knowledge about the exam.
Apart from Microsoft learn, you can also follow Microsoft Power BI youtube channel for regular updates about the new releases. They also explained the various features of Power BI with hands-on labs.
Tip: Please perform the hands-on labs atleast twice before appearing for the exam. This will help you in dealing with the case studies.
How many days of preparation are needed?
The preparation timeline can vary between 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on your familiarity with Microsoft Power BI. You should go through the learning paths at least once, and then focus more on the difficult areas. Practising hands-on will play a crucial role in passing the exam. Take notes while going through the learning paths, which will help you later.
What should be our approach on the Examination Day?
On the exam day, go through your notes and then run the system test once again to fulfil the technical requirements for the exam.
Log in to the test 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time and keep a govertment id proof with you. Please don’t panic during the verification process and patiently wait for the exam to begin. If you face any difficulties during the exam, then use the chat feature to get clarifications. While giving the answers, don't hurry. Specially during the case studies, be careful with the business requirements and the constraints.
After your exam is over, you will get your score immediately. But the certificate and the badge might take few hours to reflect on your certification profile.
My DA-100 experience!!
Since I have some previous work experience with Microsoft Power BI, so the exam wasn’t tough for me. It took me around 1 month to prepare for the exam, as I could study only at the weekends. I prepared primarily from Microsoft learn, but sometimes I referred to youtube also to get some more insights. The exam questions were generally on the easy to moderate side, but the DAX queries and the case studies were a bit tough. It took me some minutes to get familiar with the case study questions and the purpose of various tabs present there. But all the hard work was worth it, once I got this wonderful certificate.. Yaay!!
Do you want this awesome certificate? Then pull up your socks and prepare well for the exam. If you have any doubts, feel free to ping me on LinkedIn.
Best Wishes & Happy Learning!! | https://medium.com/@sandippalit009/how-to-crack-microsoft-certified-data-analyst-associate-da-100-exam-157ab6f289e7 | ['Sandip Palit'] | 2021-08-27 15:18:06.267000+00:00 | ['Microsoft Certification', 'Data Analyst', 'Da100', 'Power Bi', 'Tips To Pass Exam'] |
You Know Frank Lloyd Wright, but Did You Know His Wisconsin Home Was the Site of a Massacre? | An American architect
Even if you are not a student of architecture, chances are you have heard of Wright. He began his career in Chicago, but his most famous works are the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.
His Prairie style of residential architecture, featuring simple decor, horizontal lines (to mimic the midwest prairie), and flat roofs, were widely popular in the US. His home in Oak Park, Illinois, is an example of Prairie style, and it is open for tours to the public.
Additionally, there is a walking tour that can be taken starting from his house through the Oak Park neighborhood, which highlights some of his most significant houses in the area.
He shared his home and studio with his wife and six children. It’s remarkably modern looking for a house built in 1889. One of the most striking features of the house is the expansive playroom on the second floor.
(Children’s playroom in Wright’s Oak Park home and studio) Image by Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
You will learn lots of interesting facts on the tour of his Oak Park home. It’s fascinating, and I recommend it if you are ever in the area.
But don’t expect to learn from your tour guide the story of how Wright scandalously left his wife and children for a mistress in 1909. And then built a home for her in Wisconsin that he dubbed his “love cottage,” where she was tragically murdered along with her two children and four of Wright’s employees. | https://medium.com/crimebeat/you-know-frank-lloyd-wright-but-did-you-know-his-wisconsin-home-was-the-site-of-a-massacre-63347fa306a9 | ['Jennifer Geer'] | 2020-12-18 01:14:36.777000+00:00 | ['True Crime', 'Relationships', 'Society', 'Architecture', 'History'] |
What Are The Barriers Of Access To Health Benefit (Infographic) | There are a lot of ways to improve the health care facilities in the country. Low quality health care issues along with overcrowding in dispensaries have made the problem more grave. Cost of the service also becomes unaffordable for many who do not have that much money. These issues are causing serious barriers in achieving the goal of health care in the country. Therefore, more primary care physicians are needed who can go for a detail inspection and diagnosis and come out with a solution.
**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship. | https://medium.com/@longevityregenerative/what-are-the-barriers-of-access-to-health-benefit-infographic-51c25b842a2c | ['Longevity Regenerative Institute'] | 2020-12-28 07:37:34.096000+00:00 | ['Infographic'] |
How to Boost Your Social Media Marketing — Tip 1 — Automate Your Social Bookmarking | How to Boost Your Social Media Marketing — Tip 1 — Automate Your Social Bookmarking
This article is the first of a series of articles which will help you boost your social media marketing.You can benefit by posting your bookmarks to a social bookmarking service. Do you need to; Create new targeted traffic to your website, blog or optin page?; Create more chances for your site to appear in the […] | https://medium.com/@aenlagency/how-to-boost-your-social-media-marketing-tip-1-automate-your-social-bookmarking-a0ce2e403e | ['Aénl Agency'] | 2020-12-21 18:10:03.908000+00:00 | ['Digital Marketing', 'Facebook Marketing', 'Google Marketing', 'Spotify Marketing', 'Hip Hop'] |
How To Read Market Structures In Forex | It’s every traders’ aim to make a sensible judgment call to maximize the number of times one picks the right side of the market, isn’t that true? We then must combine it with a high enough risk-reward to enter what I call ‘the sweet spot’ in trading. In simple terms, that’s our jobs as traders, therefore, it’s plausible to think that discerning the dominant cycle should come high on the list as a major piece of the puzzle before you engage in a trade, right?
In this tutorial, I will walk you through how to read these cycles, which go by the name of “market structure”. My mission would be to provide a frame of reference for you to properly interpret the ever-evolving ebbs and flows under any market condition. For some traders, this guide will be enlightening, while to others it may not tick. Remember, this is just one angle to analyze the market, and by no means the only one, but it serves the purpose of providing that much-needed structure in an otherwise chaotic context.
You will be able to approach the charts in a mechanical way to constantly be in tune with the right context at play, which in its simplest form, comes down to trade trends or ranges. If you respect this model of reading the charts, I can assure you that you will be ticking yet another critical box when it comes to developing a solid analytical expertise when trading. As a result, it will allow you to pick locations to trade off for a low risk and potentially high reward.
The ABCs Of Market Structure
The first principle is the most obvious one, and it states that for a market to be in an active cycle, it’s most recent structure must be one where price prints a high that breaks the previous high (in the case of a bullish cycle). On the flip side, a down-cycle will be established if the latest swings low in price breaks below the most recent low. In this hourly chart below, you can clearly see the EUR/USD in a down-cycle phase on lower lows and lower highs.
Minimum Of Two Closes Beyond Last High/Low
To confirm that a bearish trend or down-cycle is evolving in a healthy manner, not only we need to see the low printed being lower than its previous low, but we also should expect at least two closes beyond that low or support area as further evidence that the market is accepting and building value. Failure to print at least two closes may be a precursor to what’s often referred as head-fake or false breakout, and while the move still holds its merit to qualify as a new low in the cycle, the quality of the leg is poor in nature.
Don’t Lose Sight Of The Forest For The Trees
You must, by all means, avoid the trap of being short-sighted by only sticking to one chart analysis. When conducting your market structure studies, it’s all about building a thesis about a particular direction by finding concurrence from higher time frames down to your trading time frame.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend using more than 3 charts as your reference or you may suffer from so-called “analysis paralysis”. What this means is that if you are going to find an entry trigger off the hourly, you should then understand what type of conditions are dominant in the immediately higher time frames. The most popular in this case would be the 4h and daily charts.
As I illustrate below, notice how all timeframes in the EUR/USD align with the down-cycle? Wouldn’t you think that trading in a context endorsed by traders from higher time frames adds to your odds of picking the direction the market is most likely to head to in your trading timeframe?
A mechanical rule to apply is the following: If the price in the timeframe immediately above your trading timeframe (the H4 or Daily if trading H1) reaches the 50% Fibonacci retracement of the last valid swing, the position should not be in conflict of the direction of the higher timeframe.
Developing Rules to Validate Cycles
This is a key point that often gets overlooked by market participants by letting too much guessing play a role. When analyzing the charts, how do we determine what constitutes a relevant swing high/low? We need to find a mechanical approach that will allow us to qualify what we understand by relevant swing highs or swing lows in the chart.
As a general rule, if a swing low/high doesn’t make it to at least the 50% retracement of its previous swing, you want to disregard that price movement as not relevant enough to constitute a valid leg. After all, why would you want to consider a leg that originates from a low which doesn’t even make it to the 50% retracement as a point of interest relevant enough? The lack of bounce should be a testament that communicates poor buy-side flows. We only want to focus on the creation of relevant and valid legs that will lead to new cycles and create in the process relevant levels of supports and resistances.
A nuance to apply includes the following premise: If the bounce or pullback from the last valid low or high is greater than the average daily range (if trading the hourly) or 3 times the average daily range (if trading the daily), we will also have the pre-conditions to validate the last swing.
Trendlines: A Visual Representation Of The Cycles
Did you notice in the hourly EUR/USD example how I ignored a higher high printed? Now compare it with another illustration below where it’s drawn — blue circle — with the two closes above supposedly confirming a new up-cycle, right? However, if you were to think about a potential reason why buyers failed so miserably on the attempt, you wouldn’t go wrong if you are thinking about the conflict against higher time frames (pointing down). However, there is another rule of thumb you must incorporate. If on a downtrend we make a higher high as in the case of the EUR/USD, but this high fails to break the descending trendline, be extremely cautious as more often than not, it can easily lead to a quick reversal in line with the dominant cycle. The power of a trendline lies not only in its capacity to provide an entry trigger but as a blueprint to help you understand the type of dominant market flows and potential locations to engage upon your own models.
Transitions: From Trends To Ranges
We’ve come to the point in the market structure where the dominant flows start drying up due to increased profit-taking, change in ebbs and flows due to removals of liquidity, intervention by market-makers, economic data-driven moves, etc. While in a down-cycle, the interpretation of the chart is straightforward, when is it that we can say with certainty that we’ve transitioned from a trend into a consolidation?
In the case of the EUR/USD hourly chart, firstly, we must see a failed test of a valid low (Oct 5th). Secondly, a recovery above the 50% fib retracement of the most recent swing high would confirm that we have entered a consolidation phase, which would last until the most recent valid high or low is broken, with at least two closes above/below the level.
In this context, don’t forget that the consolidation is within the context of a down-cycle not only in the higher time frames but also on the hourly. Until buyers manage to break and hold above the latest valid swing high, which doesn’t occur, the risk remains to the downside.
Magnitude Of The Cycle
Another major clue that will help us determine the health of the cycle is the type of progress made by the dominant side in control of the cycle. In this section of the analysis, we need to ask the following question: Are the new legs in the cycle increasing or decreasing in magnitude? Despite having entered a period of consolidation in the EUR/USD hourly chart, the latest swing low, if we were to measure its extension from the last high to the newly established low, saw a slide worth 128 pips vs the previous leg down, which only achieved a move of 120 pips. This carries an important message: The most recent flows communicate that sellers are increasing its commitment on each new cycle low (greater supply imbalances), therefore, this is yet another clue that the risk should stay skewed to the downside.
Velocity Of The Cycle
When it comes to the distance the price moves, the magnitude is only ½ the equation. The other ½ has to do with the velocity of the move or the speed. Was the new leg created after a fast and impulsive move? Or did price make a new low or high with the movement being sluggish, compressive and taking too long to form? A good rule of thumb is to count the number of candles it took to achieve a new leg. In the illustration below, you can see how it took 21 hourly bars to achieve 120 pips vs 18 bars to net 128 pips. Bottom line: The cycle continues to prosper in a healthy manner.
Projection: Targets In A New Cycle
By far, the most accurate measure I have found to set targets (partial or full take profits) when trading cycles is to measure the 100% fibonacci projection from the most recent valid swing high to its low. Note, there will be enough cases when events outside one’s control will cause prices to fluctuate erratically and not achieve these targets. Don’t forget to also factor in potential hurdles in the form of higher time frame support/resistance areas. You should see these levels as simple guides but far from certain outcomes. If the cycle continues in the expected direction, you will start to appreciate the power and usefulness of these targets to consider taking profits or trailing stops in hope of an ever larger yield in your trade.
In the case of the EUR/USD, notice how the target at 1.1510 was reached almost to the pip before sellers took profit? As the market structure stands, upon a breakout confirmation of the range, the first target should come at 1.1419, while a breakout and confirmation of a new cycle low by two closes sub 1.1467 suggests a larger projected target of 1.1430, which would come within striking distance of the target 1.1355 based on the range breakout. I’ve drawn in a red rectangle where these targets come at. It is at these levels where one should expect a potential exhaustion of the downward cycle.
Cluster Of Levels Nearby
Another must-do exercise for every trader to perform is to draw the most immediate lines of support and resistance — at least 2 up and 2 down — based on a top-down analysis. They should be obvious to spot.
The considerations to be given when selecting these areas include the number of times the area has been tested (minimum of 2 times), type of reaction away from this area (the stronger the more relevant), time frame (the higher the timeframe the more significant the level is). Below you can find an example in the EUR/USD, where I’ve drawn the two most immediate levels of support and resistance in the daily and H4. What this means is that if you are going to find trades off the H1 chart, you must be aware that once the price reaches these areas in the higher time frames, a potential disturbance of the structure in your trading time frame (H1 in our example) may occur, hence you must be prepared by anticipating this potential outcome. The mark up of levels in your chart allows you to do precisely that, to expect a potential turnaround.
Additionally, the clusters of levels from your trading timeframe must also be marked. If you’ve followed me this far, you will by now understand that a new cycle would be confirmed if we can break and have two hourly closes outside the range, right? However, what if we break the current range but we are faced with another recent low immediately ahead as in the case of the EUR/USD (example below) at 1.1465? If the distance is relatively narrow — about 15/20 pips in the EUR/USD — a safer approach is to wait until a breakout of the most distant level in that cluster of support areas, which would be two closes beyond 1.1465 to confirm the down cycle. Essentially, when this situation occurs, what you probably want to do is to expand the size of the range by that extra 15–20 pips and wait for a resolution outside. Note, the 15–20p in the EUR/USD is just a personal preference. You can work out your own personal magic range based on the ADR of the pairs you are trading.
How To Trade Market Cycles
The real power lies in the congruence of factors from a top-down approach, aiming to have as many aligning in your favor as possible. In the example of the EUR/USD exercise, the down cycle in the hourly had the backing of the H4 and daily cycles as well, which undoubtedly reinforces the chances of picking the right direction to trade. Now, does this mean that the bearish market structure in the hourly will be respected? Not at all. Remember that each individual trade is just a random event within the context of an exploitable edge. However, by conducting the proper market structure analysis, you do obtain that edge in terms of the location to engage that can offer a relatively low-risk entry for a potentially much larger yield.
So, how can you go about trading these cycles?
First and foremost, assuming you are trading off the hourly chart, you want to make sure to trade also in line with at least the immediately higher timeframe cycle (H4), and ideally both (daily and H4). You also want to double-check that the hourly market structure is trending as per the rules of two closes beyond the last valid swing low/high to confirm a new leg in the cycle. It’s important that you then check the absence of nearby cluster levels from higher time frames or economic data releases that may disturb the structure. Next is to make sure that the price remains guided by a descending or ascending trendline. Lastly, and this point is key, pay attention to both the magnitude and the speed on the creation of a new cycle.
As a general rule, regardless of the type of cycle, I personally don’t see enough risk-reward value if one engages ahead of a 50% fib retracement. If we are in a healthy cycle with lower lows, decent magnitude moves and no obstruction of higher timeframe levels, it makes the 50% fib retracement a great location to start looking for trades based on your ideal entry technique. Some traders may prefer to set limit orders at this levels with a stop a few pips away from the most recent high/low (this approach would make the most sense if the underlying trendline is still respected). Others may prefer a confirmation trigger such as the break of a trendline, a particular pattern (pennant, triangle) or a specific price action formation such as engulfing bars, pin bars.
Whichever way you approach your trades, it should nonetheless be from having an inner peace of mind that the area you are looking to trade from holds value on the basis of decent risk-reward prospects. Alternatively, and this is subject to one’s discretion, I personally remain more cautious to enter at the 50% fib retrac and tend to wait for either the 78.6% fib retrac or a test of the previous valid swing low/high in the case that we had a break but we never confirmed the cycle by having two closes past the level. If the cycle is confirmed but the magnitude is nowhere close to what would qualify as healthy, be more cautious trading around the 50% (wait for trigger).
Personally, a great pattern for a potentially large risk-reward is to be on the lookout to trade a retracement to at least the 78.6% Fibonacci within the context of a strong and healthy cycle. This trades tend to offer the most bang for your buck, even if you must be patient for them to come about.
Examples/
How To Trade Ranges
When the price starts trading confined in a box or consolidation phase, we know this is a period of reassessment before the next directional move. Unless a breakout occurs, the only area where you really want to engage as part of a range include the upper or lower edge. A useful exercise to conduct every time the price fluctuates within a range is to draw a 50% fib retracement, and start to observe what side of the range the price spends the most time at. Is is the lower half or the higher half? The side where price usually spends the most time tends to be the most vulnerable for a price breakout. See below a recent example when the EUR/USD entered a range between Sept 21–28. Notice how the attempts to trade above the 50% fib retracement of the range were consistently rejected while price would accept below?
Conclusion
By now you’ve hopefully come to grips about the importance to keep your charts neat and clean, away from unnecessary indicators while embracing the power of reading market structures in a proper way. You have also gained enough knowledge to ultimately, through your own analysis based on a rules-based approach, find these low-risk areas to enter trades.
While some degree of subjectivity will always be required, this tutorial offers you a roadmap from which to find the order within the chaos. You must become the primary conductor of your own orchestra as the forex symphony keeps playing. The right interpretation of market cycles will allow you to make sense of the music being played at all possible levels.
Extra Bonus (Practical Exercise)
I also took the time to work out the latest market structures in EUR/USD via Tradingview, based on the principles taught in this latest tutorial. Additionally, I’ve also produced a video walk-thru exercise via YouTube.
Additional Articles By The Author
Customer Notice
The information on this blog is not intended to be an inducement, offer or solicitation to anyone outside of Australia. Global Prime Pty Ltd, ABN 74 146 086 017, (Global Prime) holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) to carry on financial services business in Australia, limited to the financial services covered by its AFSL no.385620.
Any Information or advice contained on this blog is general in nature and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information or advice on this blog, you should consider the appropriateness of it (and any relevant product) having regard to your circumstances and strongly recommend you to seek independent financial advice. Please read our Financial Services Guide and current offer document which is available to be downloaded from www.globalprime.com.au or hard copies may be sent by contacting us on the details provided on this website.
All financial products involve risk and you should ensure you understand the risks involved as certain financial products may not be suitable to everyone. Trading in margin foreign exchange and derivatives carries a high level of risk and you may incur a loss that is far greater than the amount you invested. Past performance of any product described on this website is not a reliable indication of future performance. | https://medium.com/@globalprime/how-to-read-market-structures-in-forex-5e645ac46120 | ['Global Prime'] | 2021-08-09 05:48:37.081000+00:00 | ['Forex', 'Trading'] |
Booking.com WSDM WebTour 2021 Challenge | Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com seamlessly connects millions of travellers with memorable experiences, a range of transport options and incredible places to stay.
Many of the travellers go on trips which include more than one destination. For instance, a user from the US could fly to Amsterdam for 5 nights, then spend 2 nights in Brussels, 3 in Paris and 1 in Amsterdam again before heading back home. In this scenario, we suggest options for extending their trip immediately they make their booking.
The goal of this challenge is to use a dataset based on millions of real anonymized accommodation reservations to come up with a strategy for making the best recommendation for their next destination in real-time.
Multi-Destinations Trip Recommender on Booking.com Website
The challenge is part of the WebTour 2021 ACM WSDM workshop on web tourism that will be held at the 14th ACM international 2021 WSDM Conference.
Top performing teams will receive prizes sponsored by Booking.com and be invited to submit short papers to the workshop about their solution approach.
For more information, the dataset, timeline and submission guidelines please visit https://www.bookingchallenge.com
Link to the challenge paper
Good luck! | https://booking.ai/booking-com-wsdm-webtour-2021-data-challenge-d814e9c1dd96 | ['Dima Goldenberg'] | 2021-03-14 12:37:02.781000+00:00 | ['Publication', 'Challenge', 'Data Science', 'Dataset'] |
Pissing Into the Inferno | To Stop the Destruction of the Amazon, We Need Real Systemic Change
As a freelance journalist that’s been covering the Amazon for years, the best thing about this horror show of fire and destruction that's been playing out over the last couple of months is to see the world finally paying attention to the fate of the greatest eco-system on earth.
I believe we can stop the ecocide, but we need to be seeing through the Matrix here. Despite much of the media coverage, what is happening has little to do with our “choices” and more to do with our lack of choices in a completely corrupt corporate-controlled world system.
Only confronting that will change things. Let me explain.
First of all, none of this is new. As much as this Bolsonaro clown is a bundle of bad news, the truth is that scientists have been putting out warnings on the Amazon Rainforest reaching a tipping point for years now. Here is an article I wrote in 2014 that was picked up by AmazonWatch that has everyone from Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) to environmental activists within Brazil condemning previous president Dilma for her and her Worker Party’s (PT) role in driving the Amazon to what scientists called the “brink of no return”.
While the current situation is bad, it's hard to argue that the “brink of no return” is any better.
Like Bolsonaro, Dilma was corrupt to the core. Not only did she roll back important environmental protections, but it later came out that she was actually getting kickbacks for green-lighting projects like the Belo Monte dam, a mega-catastrophe that environmental groups had been fighting against for decades.
The Belo Monte Dam displaced 20k-40k indigenous people and caused massive destruction to the Xingu River watershed. Source: AmazonWatch
It is hip to blame Bolsonaro because he is right-wing, but our silence when a left-wing crook did much of the same should be a source of shame. In fact, it's a large part of why things are so bad right now. Environmentally-minded progressives were blinded by partisan politics, even defending Dilma when these charges came out. But really, she was just part of the same system that continues to decimate the Amazon for corporate profit.
Which brings me to my next point.
Second, no amount of “consumer choice” is going to solve this. Yes, the Amazon is being burned by ranchers looking to expand cattle grounds or feed farms. And yes much of that beef demand is in the North. But it is not really a consumer demand, it is being demanded by large industrial agricultural corporations that control large amounts of the global food supply.
Again, it's systemic.
Let’s break that down. According to a recent report by Mighty Earth entitled The Companies Behind the Burning of the Amazon:
“the incentive for the destruction comes from large-scale international meat and soy animal feed companies like JBS and Cargill, and the global brands like Stop & Shop, Costco, McDonald’s, Walmart/Asda, and Sysco that buy from them and sell to the public. It is these companies that are creating the international demand that finances the fires and deforestation.”
But aren’t the consumers who are buying these burgers still responsible? To some extent yes, but what’s missing from the conversation here is that most of these companies are receiving huge government subsidies created from taxpayer money. That’s right, even vegans are funding the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest.
Take Cargill for example. The largest privately held corporation in the world, they made over $US 110 billion dollars in 2018. But as Michael Pollan pointed out in the NYT Bestselling The Omnivores Dilemna, they, and other large corporate agri-businesses, still receive the lion’s share of farm subsidies put out by the U.S. Government.
In other words, the reason McDonald’s offers a 99 cent burger is because they have bought some cheap ass beef from Cargill or JBS, already mostly paid for by you and me.
As someone who grew up in the ghetto, I can tell you that there is no real “consumer choice” after this price engineering has already taken place. Poor people buy cheap shit. They have no choice.
Only a yuppie living in a bubble would claim that people should just not buy these burgers, yet according to my Facebook feed, that seems to be the only real solution to the Amazon burning. Along with axing Bolsonaro of course.
Unfortunately, neither will do diddly squat. To stop the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, which has been and will keep on accelerating, we need to come out of our comfort zone folks. And fast. Voting, either at the ballot box or with dollars, is a passive action that is simply not enough to come even close to changing things.
Like the USA, Brazil is a fully corporate-run government, no matter what puppet is president. Huge corporations are calling the real shots, using vertically integrated control over the entire food system to force products that are bad for both our health and the planet on us so that they can turn a profit.
In fact, Brazil and the USA just met last month to agree on MORE development in the Amazon, claiming “ opening the rainforest to economic development was the only way to protect it.”
Sadly, this claim is not new. Even so-called “Green” news sites like Grist.org have been pushing the argument that only development and industrialization will save the planet while poor people are actually to blame for its destruction (something I had to call them out on in an environmental column I used to write for Paste Magazine).
This map from the World Wildlife Federation shows how closely overlapping indigenous areas and “protected” areas of the Amazon are. Indigenous people manage and protect nearly 50 percent of the remaining Amazon Rainforest Biome. Source: WWF
It's all a bunch of BS of course. Numerous studies backed up by satellite imagery show that the most preserved parts of the Amazon Rainforest are the areas inhabited and managed by indigenous people. The most decimated? Those already exploited for big agriculture or energy projects. In fact, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI), forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon “rarely” happens inside the borders of Indigenous Lands. Check out their map that proves it.
We are being fed lies by the government and the media funded by the corporations that profit from this. But instead of confronting the system, we rally around political candidates and try to change our consumption habits — as if we were the cause of all this.
Let’s get real. What we face cannot be turned around by voting “choices” or by consumer “choices”.
Both Republicans and Democrats receive campaign money from multinational agribusiness corporations like Cargill. Yes, even Bernie Sanders. These corporations are then given the keys to the world food supply through government subsidies (to the tune of $1 million dollars a minute!) and“free” trade agreements that by design leave little room for competition. And in fact, small American farms are fast going the way of the dinosaurs.
In the meantime, as the Amazon burns, we fight among ourselves over already bought and paid for politicians and point our fingers at the poor lined up for 99 cent hamburgers.
The illusion of choice must be dispelled. Are we also choosing these never-ending wars over oil in the Middle East? Are we choosing the massive rise in inequality both in the USA and around the globe? No, let’s stop pretending. Nothing will change until we confront the corporate capitalist system that is playing monopoly with the whole planet. To turn things around we need full systemic change.
Anything less is like pissing into the inferno. | https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/pissing-into-the-inferno-f02414c3dca7 | ['Ocean Malandra'] | 2020-11-06 04:05:01.102000+00:00 | ['Environment', 'Brazil', 'Amazonas', 'Amazon', 'Agribusiness'] |
Python for Everybody Course Review 2021— Is it Really That Good? | Python for Everybody Course Review 2021— Is it Really That Good?
My review of Coursera’s best Python certification, Python for Everybody from the University of Michigan. If you want to join this course then this review is for you. javinpaul Follow Mar 19 · 7 min read
Hello there, If you want to learn Python and looking for the best Python course on Coursera, or you are just wondering if the Python for Everybody course from the University of Michigan on Coursera is worth your time and money then you have come to the right place.
Earlier, I have shared the best Coursera certifications for Python and In this post, we will review Python for Everybody from the University of Michigan, one of the best Coursera specialization, and certification for Python developers.
You should read this review before you join any Python online course but if you are in a hurry and want a quick Yes/No answer whether you should join this Coursera specialization or not then our answer is Yes, by all means, you should go for it.
This is one of the most comprehensive Python courses on Coursera and covers all the necessary areas like basics, data structure, database, web scrapping with python, and much more. More than 750K people have already joined this course which is also a big proof of its quality.
Many people say that learning a programming language can be a difficult task and can take months and months to learn even the basics so then you start developing your own products whether it was a web service or a mobile app but what if I say that there is a language that can be learned in a few weeks and that language called python.
Throughout many research in many platforms and online courses, I have found one of the best and comprehensive online courses to learn this fabulous language and called Python for everybody specialization offered from the Michigan university through an online platform known as Coursera.
This article is a review for this massive Python course and easy to learn so you will see what stuff you will see in this specialization as well as the instructor’s reputation and what are the people’s feedback about this course.
Review of Python for Everybody Certification Course from Coursera in 2021
Let’s find out why Python for Everybody specialization in Coursera is one of the best courses to learn Python in-depth and why should you join it. We’ll see some practical reasons which make sense and help you to decide whether you should take this course to learn Python or not.
1. The Instructor Reputation
Charles Russell is a professor at Michigan University and an instructor at udemy with over 2 million students who have enrolled in his 23 courses in different industries from Python and web development to SQL and web applications and he also has reached on other platforms such as edX.
He is also a writer who has published books about python and Google engine app and he has corporate with others to build many web applications such as a learning management system called Sakia Moodle and more so you are in good hands when you take this course.
2. The Certification Structure and Content
The course is really intended to be friendly for beginners and start teaching you from the history of computer and programming and then move to learn python and its fundamentals. Let’s explore this course content:
You will understand the fundamentals of programming instructions and how computers understand the programming languages and know what to do as well as how the python language works and some basics and general concepts of computer programming. | https://medium.com/javarevisited/python-for-everybody-course-review-is-it-really-that-good-bf84af24e28 | [] | 2021-06-19 11:05:32.221000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Coding', 'Python', 'Coursera', 'Course'] |
Tatwoo: the Best Way to Get Your Next Tattoo | After our research, it was time to talk to some real, live people about their experience with tattoos. There’s only so much information we could glean by looking at websites and apps.
After a mildly successful screener survey, we ended up interviewing 17 users, 9 of which identified as female, 8 identified as male. Fourteen (82%) of the interviewees had 5 or more tattoos, and 94% said they’re going to get more in the future. All in all, the people we interviewed were definitely potential users for the Tatwoo platform.
After affinity mapping our data from our interviews, we came across some great pieces of information and even more anecdotes from our interviewees about their tattoo journey.
One of the key points of our development process was deciding primarily which platform we would design for. A majority of our interviewees said that they prefer to search for designs on their laptop or desktop computer. Surprisingly, they also said that they prefer to communicate with artists on desktops as well, since communicating with an artist tends to be more involved than quick text messages. So, having been told by our interviewees that desktop is the preferred platform for searching and communicating, along with being told by Anito that he would be focusing on developing a dedicated mobile app in the near future, we decided that we would design around the desktop experience.
I personally found it quite eye-opening that literally everyone had problems with searching for artists and designs.
When asked about what things were most important to them when it comes to getting a tattoo, the responses were crystal clear. The most important thing to every single tattoo dreamer and tattoo haver was style. The design of the tattoo needed to match what the interviewee had in mind. After that, the most important need was having to feel a personal connection with the artist. But, after that, nothing else really matters. Price, artist, location, and time to get the tattoo, both in the chair and waiting for an appointment, who cares, as long as the interviewee got the tattoo they wanted in the end.
The first bit of difficulty that every user ran into was finding an artist that they liked. The majority said they look for artists through Google or Instagram, with a good portion more saying that they ask their friends for referrals. An overwhelming majority of the interviewees expressed some level of frustration regarding the difficulty of finding an artist that suited them and their needs.
A few interviewees mentioned problems with price transparency. Which, at first, might seem a bit contradictory to everyone saying that style is always more important than price, but when asked to explain further what they meant, they weren’t so upset with the lack of price transparency but more about being surprised by prices. It’s common knowledge that tattoos can quickly become expensive, but when an interviewee was caught off guard by a high price for a tattoo, it was a turn off. But, when presented with that same price in advance, say, when searching for an artist, they were much more okay with it. Who would’ve thought, people don’t like feeling like they’re being taken advantage of!
We found the most common way of getting in touch with artists and their studios was through email and Instagram direct messages (DMs). A few interviewees preferred to meet a prospective artist for the first time, which, pre-2020 would have been just fine. Thankfully, that was a definite minority, but we decided that a built-in video chat feature would fill that gap. A few of our interviewees also had issues with accessibility. One preferred to talk on the phone because it was difficult to read, and others preferred the opposite: a text-based chat function due to difficulties hearing.
Beyond that, the biggest reoccurring problem that our interviewees were mentioning was communication, or lack thereof. Sometimes artists would straight-up not respond to emails, and it was notoriously difficult to get well-known artists to respond to inquiries through Instagram DMs. Funnily enough, Instagram DMs were the most common way that people message artists, despite its relatively low success rate.
When looking for tattoo ideas and inspiration, users used a lot of resources to help them find ideas. Anything from Google, Pinterest, Instagram, and other image search platforms were used. Users weren’t mad at having to use multiple platforms to find inspiration, but they did express their frustration at having to go to multiple places to find what they want in the same way they were frustrated that there was no easy, centralized way of searching for tattoo artists.
When we boiled down all of our user’s problems to a few key points, the direction we needed to take Tatwoo became clear. We needed to create a centralized platform to find tattoo ideas and artists, while at the same time creating a positive feedback loop that would encourage and reward artists that respond to prospective clients quickly. Secondly, it needed to have a scheduling feature, as well as a way to view the cost of tattoos. | https://medium.com/@seanmphelps/tatwoo-the-best-way-to-get-your-next-tattoo-5065444ec06e | ['Sean Phelps'] | 2020-12-27 14:20:55.550000+00:00 | ['UX', 'Web Design', 'Tattoo', 'User Experience', 'UI'] |
Feeling Good About Writing is a Good Enough Reason to Keep Going | Writing isn’t like eating croissants.
It isn’t like pancakes or waffles or whatever your decadent pleasure.
There’s no need to feel guilty about enjoying writing for the sake of writing. You don’t need to make a lot of money from your writing to be worthy of writing.
Earlier this year, my family and I visited Paris, and I ate more croissants than I could count. It made me want to run a 5K every day.
This is a natural reaction — extreme or not — to an overindulgence issue.
But when I overindulge in writing (if that even exists), there’s no such feeling unless outside circumstances have pushed me to feel this way.
Meaning, I’ve allowed either someone or something to tell me that writing for enjoyment isn’t enough. That I should push for more based on not my own values, but someone else’s.
In marketing, there’s a term called KPI, which means key performance indicators. As a good marketer, you define your KPIs and measure them based on your goals for implementing your marketing strategy.
As a writer, you define your personal KPIs based on your goals.
Many writers who enjoy writing end up quitting altogether because they haven’t properly defined their goals. Or they’ve become attached to goals that don’t align with what they truly value. | https://medium.com/2-minute-madness/feeling-good-about-writing-is-a-good-enough-reason-to-keep-going-c67448fd82b | ['Brandon B. Keith'] | 2020-11-13 18:43:51.740000+00:00 | ['Writing Tips', 'Writing', 'Self', 'Art', 'Creativity'] |
Future Guns — Why SciFi Gets It Wrong | We have all seen it — soldiers in the scifi future carrying their phasers, lasers, disruptors, blasters and so on, yet failing to hit their targets as the hero does cartwheels and back-flips to dodge the fire. The stormtroopers in Star Wars are notoriously bad shots, for example.
In many ways scifi hand weapons are already outdated by the latest in contemporary guns, and the reasons why are quite simple.
First, a slug of metal traveling at a kilometer per second is a very efficient way of delivering devastating energy to the Human body. One thousand Joules, or 737 ft-lbs of energy, dedicated to ripping the body apart is hard to beat.
Second, we are moving into the era where the soldier does not have to aim accurately. There are optical gun-sights being developed which are connected to an artificial intelligence (AI) which controls the trigger of the rifle. The soldier points it in the general direction of the enemy and pulls the trigger — but nothing happens until the AI sees the (Human) target, when it fires the gun for the soldier. Every shot a hit, or at least that is the promise.
So one thing we can assume about guns in the future is that they will not miss. Which brings us to the more interesting question as to where this might lead, and why there is a woman with a jewel in her forehead.
But first…
Lasers are the quintessential Death Ray of science fiction and $billions have been pumped into trying to make them into useful battlefield weapons. We have been trying since they were invented in 1960, and still no luck. That is more than 60 years of trying and failing. Why?
I have worked with lasers, including ones that can emit a beam of continuous power of a kilowatt or so. That is 1000 Joules every second. That is comparable to the bullet described above. So what happens if you hold that beam on a target? Well, if it is something like metal or wood it will partially melt or char it. After ten seconds or so the beam might be able to burn through a few centimeters of oak, or it might not. Compare that to being shot ten times with 9mm handgun rounds. But let’s up the ante. As someone once said, if brute force does not work, you are not applying enough of it. How about ONE MILLION WATTS? Well, military lasers with that power have been tried, and are reasonably effective at shooting down things like drones at a decent range of a couple of kilometers or so. They are rather poor when it comes to anything that can be covered in ablative or reflective armor, or obscured by smoke. If fact, it is better to think of them as accurate long range flame throwers that need to be housed in a large truck with a large fuel supply attached. Not quite such a glamorous image.
Yet there is another type of laser that is more promising than the continuous wave version, and that is the pulsed laser. This is where that hypothetical 1000 Joules of energy is not delivered over one second, but over a timescale millions, billions or trillions of times shorter. When that happens we are looking at something that is almost a slug of light only a few centimeters (or even millimeters) long, and the power delivered to the target is astronomical. The ultimate (so far) in this class of laser is the femtosecond laser, which dumps all its energy in a pulse lasting a fraction of a millionth of a millionth of a second. The power on target is enough to ionize the very top surface surface of the material it hits which results in a plasma explosion where material is ejected at high speed from the target. The back reaction on the target is massive — think your favorite heavyweight boxing champion hitting you as hard as he could with a baseball bat. Yet even that might not be able to kill someone, although it would certainly disable them at least temporarily if not a head shot. It is why these are being examined as part of the less-than-lethal weapons programs. Apparently we could get these down to desk size and they might be effective over a few hundred meters range.
Suppose though we could reduce them to handgun dimensions — what would it look like when fired by hand? Well, first off, no recoil at all. Second, if the laser was in the InfraRed the beam would be invisible, which might be a good thing if it were long enough wavelength that the back-scatter could not penetrate the lens of the eye and blind the shooter (possibly permanently). Third, there would be a very bright flash and a sharp crack from the expanding plasma fireball coupled with whoever is hit flying backwards. Typically, it would not penetrate even a thin layer of clothing — just like a baseball bat.
Now let’s make it even smaller — jewel size. And connect it to an AI triggering and aiming system, as well as using a brain-link (Elon Musk’s Neural Lace?) that knows where the user is looking. Then mount it on the forehead.
Slow mode would be the jewel firing at where the user is looking, with a trigger thought. Fast mode, the AI decides what is a threat and takes care of it in less than a millisecond all on its own. Finally, it has the ability to eliminate several dozen targets almost simultaneously — all the scum and villainy of the Mos Eisley Cantina gone in around a tenth of a second. Sort of takes all the fun out of it…
Sadly I would not expect that kind of technology to be available until the latter part of this century, but it may not matter. The AI, the eye tracking and crude brain link with EEG electrodes could be done now. As could the laser optics for beam steering. Instead of a femtosecond high energy pulse, just a 10 watt pulsed laser diode in the visible light or near InfraRed region, available off the shelf now. Nothing spectacular — it would just permanently blind the target instead of exploding them. It could even be fitted into a headband.
The future is waiting to arrive. | https://medium.com/@dirk-bruere/future-guns-why-scifi-gets-it-wrong-ddc1f5c53a2a | ['Dirk Bruere'] | 2021-03-20 21:34:51.334000+00:00 | ['Guns', 'Science Fiction', 'Laser', 'Artificial Intelligence'] |
Why I Love to Wish You a Happy Birthday | I haven’t always loved birthdays because I was born without one. Well, not one of my own. I’m not a twin but I was born on my brother’s 5th birthday. He didn’t want a baby sister. He wanted a fire truck. He was robbed! So was I. Once my mother made me a doll cake, you know with the Barbie doll in the middle and the dress was the cake. That was cool. But it wasn’t enough. It was a consolation gift. I was still pissed. I wanted my OWN birthday!
Birthdays started to become more important to me as I realized I could have a birthday and that landing smack on my brother’s date didn’t mean my birthday was cut in half. A simple mindset shift was all it took, though it took me years to figure that out. Now it’s kind of cool to tell people that we are such regular ovulators in my family. Sometimes I relapse and need to remind myself because the old mindset never goes away… it sits there lurking, waiting for a weak moment to attack my confidence.
Maybe that why today wishing YOU a Happy Birthday has become part of my routine. I click that button and I feel better. Why? Honestly, I don’t even know many of the people I send wishes to but the idea of letting you know I noticed makes ME feel good. I really want you to have a wonderful day even if I don’t know you. I want to give you this acknowledgement of an important milestone in your life. I want to document that WE have made it another trip around the sun. Both of us. Saying Happy Birthday to you has created a “we” moment.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. The youngest of my five kids was 7. My husband had moved out years ago and had no idea of my struggles, nor did he provide any help, financial or otherwise, to supporting me and the kids. My birthdays were suddenly gone. And so were the birthdays of my kids because in my mind I wouldn’t be there to celebrate and acknowledge them. It was a dark time.
That’s when I realized I needed another mindset shift. No matter what the doctors were saying, no matter what the chemo and surgery did to my body and mind, no matter what the financial and physical burden I carried, I needed to live. I had kids! It was hard because there were powerful physical reminders to challenge my decision to BELIEVE against what seemed so obvious, that I was going to die.
So here I am, 14 years after my cancer diagnosis, getting ready to celebrate another birthday. This is a big one because I’m turning 66 and you all know what that means! In the meantime I have learned how to ice skate, play hockey, be a hockey coach, teach hockey and play like a kid; I’ve learn how to be a health coach and transformative coach and I am saving lives by thinking differently as a nurse, PREVENTING disease instead of just managing it; I save lives! I have learned to keep growing myself, keep learning, keep living and BELIEVE in the miracle of the body and miracle of POSSIBILITY. I have grandchildren and so much love in my life that I had no idea was possible.
MIRACLES happen every day and I want your birthday to be that special. When I wish you a Happy Birthday I am wishing you MIRACLES, POSSIBILITY and at least one simple MINDSET SHIFT that will change your life for the best.
No matter what day your birthday lands on (but hopefully not on mine) Happy Birthday!
Love, Coach Joyce
TotalWellCoach.com | https://medium.com/@joycestrong/why-i-love-to-wish-you-a-happy-birthday-7a3299be0b23 | ['Joyce Strong'] | 2019-04-27 14:26:04.470000+00:00 | ['Birthday', 'Mindset Coaching', 'Mindset Coach', 'Mindset Shift', 'Mindset'] |
Why You Should Have Glitter Boots | Listen to the podcast version of this at You’re Already Ready or on any podcatcher feed.
Glitter Frye’s
When I was a young woman, I loved the wearing purple poem. You probably know the one. In the nineties, it was everywhere — there was a collection of stories made into a book we couldn’t keep on the bookstore shelves. There were posters. The Red Hat Society came about because of it. It was the Mary Englebreit of aging gracefully or, really, with joy.
In case you don’t know it, here it is.
I’ve been wearing purple, metaphorically, all my life, but sometimes it was hidden. I made sure that I could see those bright flashes of myself, but I didn’t trust very many others to understand.
During the time of hiding my purple, I dated a man for a while who lived on the other side of a tunnel from me.
On my side of the tunnel was a whole world in all its many flavors. Where I lived, there were taco trucks and cars with bumpers secured with bungee cords and punks who squatted with other punks who loved metal-bluegrass and families with young children who painted with chalk that left the sidewalks and brought their flowers and rainbows onto the streets themselves.
On my side of the tunnel were people shouting and rejoicing out open windows. I could hear three different kinds of music in my backyard, strains of mariachi mingling with soul mixed with a touch of opera. People drove Jaguars and fixies and scrapers and longboards and shopping carts and Ford Pintos.
On his side of the tunnel were gates. Gated communities, he said, were safe. The walls were all gray (except he called them eggshell and pewter and smoke).
If safety felt like the color gray, I wanted red and yellow and orange and blue and the muddy mix they make when it rains.
I broke up with him because of that tunnel, because of the way I lost myself when I went through it. He wanted to put me behind a gate, to keep me safe.
But I wanted to leap. To stretch my arms for things out of my reach. Even if I couldn’t pull what I wanted off the shelf, I wanted the item I desired to tremble as my fingertips brushed it-I’d get there one day. I’d pull it down eventually.
The other day, I painted my old black Frye boots silver. They’d come slightly sparkly when I’d bought them, actually. They were the gated-community version of silver. They glinted in the light, but only politely, only if you took the time to look.
The silver wore off, though, and while they become my favorite, most comfortable shoe, I missed their sparkle. So I bought a pot of leather paint and took out an old paintbrush and now they are SILVER. They don’t glow — they sparkle. They are vivacious. They greet guests at the door and ply them with liquor even before they step across the threshold. As I stomp my merry stomp, they leave dazzlings of glitter behind. They do not apologize for their joy, for their full-throated shout of pleasure.
They are even better than purple.
Back in my early twenties, I didn’t know the poem’s title. We just called it the “wearing purple” poem, and it was a shorthand for what we wanted to be someday-free, confident, and most of all, ourselves.
The title is actually: WARNING. A British poet named Jenny Joseph wrote it in 1961, and it was voted Britain’s most loved post-war poem in 1996.
But it’s more than just a fun poem about a woman wearing her slippers in the rain (a thing I did yesterday, actually).
It’s a WARNING about a woman who is about to stop apologizing for being exactly what she wants to be.
I think Jenny Joseph would approve of my assertively glittering boots. But isn’t that point? I’m not asking her. Or anyone.
I’m just letting my luminescent feet dance my legs to where I want most to go. | https://medium.com/@rachaelherron/why-you-should-have-glitter-boots-2247827076aa | ['Rachael Herron'] | 2021-01-02 23:39:18.258000+00:00 | ['Self Love', 'Self Improvement', 'Aging', 'Life Lessons', 'Courage'] |
Cultura e innovación: no sos vos, soy yo… | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/ciq-c%C3%ADrculos-de-innovaci%C3%B3n-y-calidad/innovaci%C3%B3n-y-cultura-no-sos-vos-soy-yo-5831a1bf28da | ['Diego Pons'] | 2020-12-03 11:33:56.351000+00:00 | ['Innovation', 'Culture Change', 'Change Management', 'Innovación Organizacional', 'Innovation Management'] |
Creating a Map with the TomTom Map Styler: Step by Step | Creating a Map with the TomTom Map Styler: Step by Step
When it comes to building maps for your application, TomTom has you covered. Digital maps serve a wide range of purposes and should be designed and developed with customer use case in mind. Perhaps you need to track a fleet of vehicles to find the most efficient routes. Or, maybe you want to highlight points of interest to help joggers map out scenic routes. Whether your app monitors traffic jams or guides tourists around unfamiliar cities, mindful map design is key.
Digital maps are not one-size-fits-all. In order to create an effective map, you must consider how your user will interact with your map and make design choices that best facilitate their experience. It’s also important to develop a map that fits aesthetically and functionally with the rest of your application, in order to maintain a strong visual brand and seamless user experience.
TomTom Maps SDK for Web and Map Styler offer a suite of tools that make it simple to build the map that best suits your application. TomTom provides API for traffic, points of interest, routing, search functionality, and more. Plus, Map Styler makes it easy to customize how all these features are accessed and displayed through your map.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Before we jump into the details of getting your map set up, it’s worth mentioning the following guiding principles to ensure you create the map to best fit your application and users.
LEGIBILITY
Legibility is fundamental to map design. A map can be innovative and attractive yet still fail to serve its purpose if it is not legible. Users should never struggle to read or interpret your map, as this leads to frustration and distrust in your brand. When choosing font styles for your map, ensure appropriate size, color, and weight. Avoid using color combinations with low contrast or layering too much information.
EASE OF UNDERSTANDING
Legibility is fundamental to map design. A map can be innovative and attractive yet still fail to serve its purpose if it is not legible. Users should never struggle to read or interpret your map, as this leads to frustration and distrust in your brand. When choosing font styles for your map, ensure appropriate size, color, and weight. Avoid using color combinations with low contrast or layering too much information.
To tailor your map to a local use case, set its default view to the user’s city. For example, if the user lives in Manhattan, New York, the following view would be a better fit. You can implement this view by adjusting your default zoom level in the map. You can also set which labels are displayed at different zoom levels, so that labels do not overlap or overwhelm your user. For example, you may choose to only display street names for major roads when a user is zoomed out and have smaller streets appear as a user narrows in on a particular area, preventing your map from becoming overcrowded with information.
CONSISTENCY WITH THE REST OF YOUR APPLICATION
Consistency is key. Once you decide on a particular map style or configuration, stick with it. All aspects of your application should have the same look and feel, including your map. Consistency makes your app feel more intuitive, strengthens your visual brand, and gives users a sense of familiarity.
TomTom makes it easy to apply your brand colors to your design or add a custom layer with your company logo. Your map is completely customizable so you can ensure it matches the rest of your application.
START WITH A PLAN
The best way to follow these guiding principles is to make a plan. Before you start building your map, consider the following:
What branding will apply to the map?
What design will fit the best with your application?
How will this map be used?
HOW TO BUILD A MAP
With these guidelines in mind, we will be going through the steps of creating your ideal map in Map Styler. Before you can use any of TomTom’s map services, you will need an API key. If you do not have one, register by following this tutorial.
SELECT THE BASE LAYER
First, choose the right style for your application. Each of the many styles in the gallery serves a specific purpose. The default is Basic Day, which is a vanilla style without any specific configurations enabled. To select a base layer that best suits your application, click Open then Gallery Styles.
The purpose of your application should dictate which base style you choose. For example, if your application will be used for navigation purposes, choose a style that displays Traffic Incidents. If it will be used to look up restaurants, then Points of Interest (POI) will better suit your needs.
CUSTOMIZE LABELS AND FONTS
You can easily customize your labels to suit the style of your application. Simply select the label you wish to adjust and click on the popup dialog to open its properties.
Here, you can change the color, font, size, zoom level, and much more. If you scroll down, you will find the Text Layout Properties. With these settings, you can select the font and set the size of the label at various zoom levels. Further down, you will find the Text Paint Properties, where you can change the font color.
CHOOSE HOW ROADS ARE DISPLAYED
Similarly to labels, it is easy to select and customize roads. For example, you can choose which colors to use for each type of road. Depending on your use case, you may wish to simplify your map by hiding smaller roads that will not be relevant to your user.
Note that roads in the style usually come as both the outline and the line itself. So be prepared to update both layers if needed.
CUSTOMIZE LARGE POLYGON FEATURES
TomTom makes it easy to personalize large polygon features, such as water, land cover, or background land. Most polygons can be selected the same way as roads and labels. However, the settings for the background are instead found in the layer section, which is at the top of the properties sidebar. Like labels, polygons can be customized to vary by zoom level. TomTom also makes it easy to set different colors for different types of land. For example, national parks can be set to blend in with your map, or stand out with their own color scheme.
CHOOSE WHICH LAYERS TO DISPLAY
To make maps easy to configure, the Map Styler is organized in layers similar to that of an image editor. You can choose exactly what is visible to your users. As stated, too much information will confuse your users, so it is recommended that you only display the layers that are relevant to your application.
Choose which layers to show and which to hide by toggling the eye symbol in the layers section or by selecting the layer you wish to hide in the map and selecting hide in the ellipse menu in the top right corner.
Note that the layers can be also removed if you are sure not to use them, making the map visualization a bit faster — though that should only be a concern if running in a low-speed or very resource constrained browser.
USE YOUR PALETTE TO CUSTOMIZE COLORS
Be sure to utilize the same color palette that you use in your application to give your map the same look and feel. All colors can be adjusted via each layer’s properties.
DON’T GET LOST IN ALL THE CHOICES
With all its possibilities, Map Styler can seem overwhelming. The key is to focus on your specific needs, use the principles outlined in this article to plan your requirements, then execute your plan. But don’t be afraid to experiment along the way — if you make a mistake, you can just hit the refresh button and try again.
To demonstrate a simple use case we can look at the following. Say I want to learn the location of all the fifty US states. I will open a Basic Day base style and zoom in until the entire US is in focus.
I don’t need national parks or big cities so I will hide the following layers:
Large city popRank234
Regional park
National park
Capital city node
State or province park
Country name
This will now only have the States in view which removed all the unnecessary details.
This is now a more focused view, but we need to make sure that the state names are clearly visible as well as the country borders to ensure that we do not accidentally confuse one of the other states with the states in question. For that we will modify the colors of the following layers:
Country border background
State border
State name
For the state name, we also increase the size on Zoom level 4 to 12 to 16 and change the font to Noto-Bold and change the Inspect Mode to Map(tritanopia) to give it a more lively look and below is the final result.
START BUILDING YOUR MAP TODAY
The TomTom Map Styler provides a wide variety of choices for every aspect of your map. TomTom makes it easy to design an attractive, functional map that is tailored to your brand as well as to the use case and style of your application. To learn more about the Map Styler and discover how to create custom map styles, check out these helpful links:
To explore the Map Styler for yourself, register for the TomTom Developer Portal.
Lastly, here’s a short video overview of the Map Styler:
Happy mapping! | https://medium.com/tomtom-developers/creating-a-map-with-the-tomtom-map-styler-step-by-step-e7a157a705e7 | ['Tomtom Developers'] | 2021-03-01 17:55:52.710000+00:00 | ['Mapping', 'Maps Api', 'Software Development', 'Location Technologies', 'Programming'] |
What is Design Research? | Simply put, research is systematic inquiry. You want to know more about a particular topic, so you go through a process to increase your knowledge. The type of process depends on who you are and what you need to know.
A lot of personal research these days begins with a Google query and ends on a Wikipedia page.
Finding information is relatively easy. The knowledge already exists. You just have to find a trustworthy source for it. Assessing credibility is the hard part. As Abraham Lincoln had aptly put, don’t trust everything you read on the internet.
Pure research is carried out to create new human knowledge, whether to uncover new facts or fundamental principles. The researcher or investigator wants to advance a particular field, such as behavioural science, by answering a particular question, such as “Why do people steal?”
Pure research is based on observation or experimentation. The results are published in peer-reviewed journals. This is science. Rigorous standards and methodologies exist to preserve objectivity and ensure the credibility of conclusions. But at the end, the more work you have done and the more obscure researches you have quoted, the more detailed your paper becomes.
Applied research borrows ideas and techniques from pure research to serve a specific real-world goal, such as creating Skynet, or improving the quality of education in rural India, or finding new ways to market ginger-flavoured beer.
While ethics are just as important in applied research, methods are much more relaxed. This in some way means tweaking the questions you ask, or making the most of your imperfect sample group because you’re tight on time.
The research is successful to the extent that it contributes to the stated goal. As with pure research, sometimes you accidentally discover something valuable you weren’t even looking for, and that’s a fantastic bonus. It is hackable, which helps you prove your initial hypothesis. Everyone is happy.
And then there is design research.
Design research is a broad term with a long history. In the 1960s, design research referred to the study of design itself, its purpose and processes. This is still how the term is used in academia today.
There are various institutes of design research around the world, mostly involved in large existential or small theoretical questions couched in highly specialised academic language.
However, when Interaction Designers refer to design research, they typically mean research that is integral to the design work itself — inquiries that are part of designing, not about design.
This research focuses largely on understanding the people for whom we’re designing, often referred to by the term end users. Research is a core part of user-centred design.
Design research both inspires imagination and informs intuition through a variety of methods with related intents: to expose patterns underlying the rich reality of people’s behaviours and experiences, to explore reactions to probes and prototypes, and to shed light on the unknown through iterative hypothesis and experiment.
Design research requires us to approach familiar people and things as though they are unknown to us to see them clearly. Also, asking our own questions and knowing how to find the answers is a critical part of being a designer.
Discovering how and why people behave as they do and what opportunities that presents for the business or organisation will open the way to more innovative and appropriate design solutions than asking how they feel or merely tweaking the current design based on analytics.
One can find that when the hard questions are asked, the job of a designer gets much easier. One will have stronger arguments, clarity of purpose, and the freedom to innovate that only comes with truly knowing one’s constraints. | https://medium.com/coffee-and-junk/design-research-what-is-it-846aa69b7c91 | ['Abhishek Chakraborty'] | 2019-11-03 12:41:08.370000+00:00 | ['Research', 'Interaction Design', 'User Research', 'Design Research', 'Design'] |
3 Simple Reasons Why I Didn’t Replace My Old AirPods With New | Credit: Suganth on Unsplash
3 Simple Reasons Why I Didn’t Replace My Old AirPods With New Tim Schröder Follow Jun 11 · 4 min read
I remember when I first used AirPods. It was in the office at work. I was chatting with my colleague. And he was mentioning that he thinks about selling his pair of AirPods. He had bought them for working out, but they fell out every time.
Eager to try them, he gave me his pair, and I was amazed. I felt every single little and big positive thing others are saying about the AirPods. They are light and comfortable. Besides, they are easy to wear, easy to pair and charge quickly. I was sold.
The next day, I came back with the money and bought them from my colleague. From then on, I took them with me wherever I went.
For over two years, I’ve used my pair of original AirPods in the craziest surroundings possible.
In planes over the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. In the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. And while working out in Bali, amid a humidity which would make every sauna jealous.
However, just like it has turned out with my iPad: The AirPods and me weren’t a true love story after all. I had worn them down. Over time they lost their charge, appeal, and sound quality. I stumbled across their shortcomings, and we started yelling at each other. Okay, admittedly, it was more me yelling at them, because they had lost their sound level…
As it was time to part, I didn’t replace my old AirPods with new. Here’s why: | https://medium.com/macoclock/3-simple-reasons-why-i-didnt-replace-my-old-airpods-with-new-346465d49957 | ['Tim Schröder'] | 2020-06-11 05:11:40.007000+00:00 | ['Airpods', 'Experience', 'Wearables', 'Tech', 'Apple'] |
Öğretilmeden Öğrenen Algoritma | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/t%C3%BCrkiye/%C3%B6%C4%9Fretilmeden-%C3%B6%C4%9Frenen-algoritma-9987f20d6617 | ['İlkan Akgül'] | 2020-12-27 15:35:05.291000+00:00 | ['Derin Öğrenme', 'Yapay Zeka', 'Algoritma', 'Türkçe', 'Podcast'] |
The Gamergate-Like Veneer of Anti-BreadTube Backlash | The Gamergate-Like Veneer of Anti-BreadTube Backlash
Methods once hogged by the far-right have now become common in reactionary leftist circles.
If it appeared on the surface that this recent round of backlash against BreadTube is about the actions of one single creator, it has now culminated into what could only be adequately described as a harassment campaign masquerading as legitimate criticism. This in all ways but figurative emulates a similar pattern of behavior by Gamergate, wherein the furor of a disillusioned loud minority is carried out in intermittent doses at first, to now becoming an entire movement of its own with stated goals and objectives it won’t back down from pursuing until they are fulfilled.
Much like Gamergate, the error would be to assume a group whose main mechanism of conviction is to harass a select few individuals into submission, is indulging in the discussion in good faith at all. As it stands today, Lindsay Ellis, Oliver ‘Philosophy Tube’ Thorn and Harry ‘Hbomberguy’ Brewis have made the shortlist of BreadTube creators who have had to stem the tide of relentless and unending criticism of their affiliation with Natalie ‘ContraPoints’ Wynn, merely on the ground of having featured a controversial figure in her latest video. Now that the fruits of BreadTube are perceived as rotten, its critics see the taking of any measures to grind BreadTube’s cultural impact to a halt as vital to their message. Unfortunately many — including me — have been swept under this current of toxicity, and it’s worth establishing a few ground rules about how discourse functions online and apply the lessons of Gamergate to hopefully instruct a more positive change.
The mistake that BreadTube critics make in trying to distance themselves from Gamergate, is they assume the function of its harassment emanates from an inherent sense of toxicity within the community that most predominantly occupies it — in this case, it’s thought that being a white supremacist and a misogynist are the essential, and sometimes only components you would need to qualify as a Gamergate member. That couldn’t be further from the truth — Gamergate’s strength as a movement is that it wields group identity tension between itself and its targets as a valid pretext for why it is its divine right to harass individuals whom it deems unfit to spare its wrath. The anti-BreadTube current functions in a similar way, whereby the perpetrators of harassment are working through a process of elimination and scanning affiliations of creators — past and present — to determine if an individual is worth harassing. Being bombarded with the same brand of criticism over and over again at the hope a target of harassment might yield isn’t all-that-dissimilar from what Gamergate pioneered five years prior — this time around however, it’s coated in leftist ideals rather than right-wing ones.
If Gamergate’s instigative battlecry was a qualm with “ethics in video game journalism”, this one seems to be more along the lines of “ContraPoints is bad, and anyone who associates with her is also bad.” Concerns about her treatment of non-binary people, or the inclusion of controversial trans activist Buck Angel in her latest video seem almost secondary — if you closely read the feeds of those most devoted to the cause of BreadTube’s downfall, they’ll openly admit that no solution is exhaustive enough to satisfy their needs. The outrage against ContraPoints is used as but a mere vessel to channel a greater anger over BreadTube’s reticence to represent the most fringe parts of the political left online, despite being pandered to.
The key difference between Breadgate and Gamergate, is that the latter has always been doused in political complicity, but never had quite a clear goal to speak of. The — almost terrifying — strength of Breadgate is that it derives its power from exactly the opposite — followers of this doctrine are expected to manifest their political beliefs through praxis, and in a near-constant Marxist fashion, that praxis entails following through with a plan on an artificially-large scale to simulate the appearance of mass appeal. This way, BreadTube creators are à la fois duped into thinking that the grievances of their critics are a legitimate concern, and Breadgaters get to convince themselves of the usefulness of what they’re doing regardless of what little material good it actually achieves.
This correlates pretty neatly with what critics of BreadTube thinks it’s actually doing to them. So far, accusations of impotency are still hypothetical, and nothing BreadTube did or endorsed has yet to cause the purported effect Breadgate is complaining in droves about. The main contention seems to be that the group of progressive creators on YouTube have exploited their fans for fame, sold them out, and are now berating their non-binary fans by proxy of associating with ContraPoints, who has a knack for ruffling feathers against her better judgement — the problem with such a conceit is that it clearly has little bearing on what BreadTube fans think of the movement, and most are actually completely fine with ContraPoints and her creator friends. So far, the like to dislike ratio of recent BreadTube videos doesn’t seem to have suffered in any tangible way, making any reaction to this outrage hugely disproportionate to the damage actually done — it would’ve been akin to Nike cowering to Colin Kaepernick’s dissenters once a few of them started burning their shoes. The pressure felt to respond otherwise is illusive at best.
If what happened with Gamergate is any indication of what will ensue shortly thereafter with Breadgate, is that it’ll have tragic ramifications for all involved. Both those on the offensive will have to inevitably come to terms with the inefficacy of their methods, while BreadTube creators will need to develop a greater distance between their audiences and their work, outlining a clearer distinction between their own beliefs, and the aspiration of political change that a sizeable portion of their critics feel like they’ve not yet assigned great importance. In the here and now, judging by reactions online, it seems as though this won’t blow over anytime soon, and it’s quite a sad state of affairs to realize that no community is immune to toxic impulses — even one that spends its waking hours screaming atop rooftops about mental health and the importance of emotional levity. | https://medium.com/swlh/breadtube-contrapoints-hbomberguy-philosophy-tube-lindsay-ellis-controversy-gamergate-658f6b7d290b | ['A. Khaled'] | 2019-10-24 10:55:33.058000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Culture', 'Social Media', 'Bread Tube', 'GamerGate'] |
Camera Surveillance System Woes | A while back I was asked to help a client with their camera surveillance system.
The had over 200 cameras across multiple locations.
Not knowing too much about the subject I went and met with the system vendor.
They explained to me how their system worked and all the various features and functionality available.
From there I was able to help the client fix their surveillance camera issues and get them on the right track.
I was then asked if I would help to manage and maintain their camera surveillance system going forward.
I agreed — and so began my relationship with camera surveillance systems.
Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work with other vendors and products across many environments.
One common problem I’ve seen across all camera surveillance systems is that they’re highly unmanageable.
This makes it challenging to manage surveillance systems with dozens or hundreds of cameras.
As usual the consumer market pushes ahead with simplicity and ease of use.
Companies like Nest and others are creating, small easy to manage systems.
All the while businesses continue to use what installers refer to ask Chinese crap to provide surveillance.
What’s funny is that the major players in the camera space are all China based companies.
So it would seem that installers are pushing some false sort of anti-China sentiment.
But I digress.
Any chance I get to meet with a camera installer or company I take.
I ask them all the same questions about centralized management, scalability, and design.
And they all say the same thing.
Management is tough.
To be fair, if you need 16 or less cameras in a closed system, it’s pretty easy to set up.
But when you get into dozens and hundreds of cameras the whole thing breaks down.
As I walk through stores and public places I notice cameras now.
I know the brands.
I know how they interconnect.
And I know how they work..
I know that there are people behind the scenes working to improve surveillance camera systems.
So I can only hope that they are making the improvements needed to properly manage large scale camera implementations.
So why am I rambling on so much about cameras?
Well, I’ve got a couple clients that are looking for camera solutions right now and so this topic is top of mind.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is no perfect solution for a camera surveillance system.
Current products will get you 70% of the way there.
And that last 30%?
Well, that will take us at least another 10 years to get to.
Okay then.
I’ll go back to work now designing and spec’ing some new camera surveillance systems. | https://medium.com/getyourtechright/camera-surveillance-system-woes-6411701e32a3 | ['Rob Leon'] | 2018-09-29 01:15:51.638000+00:00 | ['Security Camera', 'Security Services', 'Small Business', 'Tech', 'Surveillance'] |
Top 10 Software Development Outsourcing Companies in Eastern Europe | Top 10 software development outsourcing companies in Eastern Europe
Deloitte reports that 59% of businesses hiring software outsourcing services are looking to reduce overhead cost.
Now, while IT outsourcing companies help you save money and increase your project’s backlog flexibility, your business still needs results. This need is why you can’t hire any outsourcing development team you find.
Software development team
I’ve picked out a list of 10 software outsourcing companies. Regardless, you will likely need just one team. So how do you go about it?
Here’s a brief guide to help you make the best decision towards a productive implementation of your product development.
Take Your Pick, Wisely — Hiring a Software Development Outsourcing Company
These factors have to do with your needs over the software outsourcing company you are looking to hire. So, consider these points before you hire developers that will meet your business needs as outlined or exceed expectations.
Minimal supervision: Outsourcing companies allow businesses to focus on their primary objectives indirectly. Since you don’t have your hands full trying to develop your software, you get to see to other tasks on your business backlog.
But you may not get this opportunity if you constantly have to tell your outsourcing team what to do or what not to do. So, you need to hire developers who can work with minimal supervision and still produce great results.
Trust: While you will need an outsourcing development team that you don’t always need to supervise, this comes with trust.
If you can’t trust the developers, you will ALWAYS want to supervise so everything is in order. So hire developers you can trust, and minimal supervision is assured.
Technology and resources available: Technology advances every day. Before you forge ahead with any software development company, check if they have the latest technology and resources available to see to your project.
ROI: Yes, BPO Outsourcing helps you cut costs but does this add to your overall Return on Investment (ROI)? Suppose your outsourcing need is an in-house project or for a client, does the product’s development come with the potential for good returns?
Again, yes, outsourcing helps you reduce cost, but how much impact will that cost reduction have? Think about this.
Business fit: Software outsourcing companies have their strengths. We have companies very good with custom software development as opposed to IoT development. You have to look out for a company with the highest success rate for the project you want to work on.
Most importantly, hire developers that have extensive work experience in your business industry. This way, they know what you need even if you don’t know this.
Nearshore or onshore company: What if you need to have a physical collaboration? A meeting? Or does the project you need to get sorted demand a consistent collaboration with the outsourcing development team? In-house developers and outsourced developers? Then you will need a nearshore or onshore company to work with.
Combine these factors to get the perfect fit for your software development project using this list of Eastern Europe’s top 10 software outsourcing companies I will share with you now.
Best Software Development Outsourcing Companies in Eastern Europe
I curated this review from Clutch’s — a trusted website that helps businesses find partners — list of the top software development companies to ensure that we got the best from the best. So let’s get right into it!
1. Altoros
Altoros — #1 software development company in Belarus in 2021 according to Clutch.co
An IT outsourcing company that is hugely focused on R&D activities, Altoros is situated in California with development centers spread across Europe and Latin America. With more than 20 years of experience in the software development industry and more than 350 dedicated professional developers, Altoros can cater to diverse software needs. And they have over 750 clients to show for it. This success is down to their client-centered approach.
They have built a structure over years of experience that businesses can rely on. Their partnerships with renowned brands show their efforts.
Their services include:
Custom software development
Staff augmentation
Cloud-native transformation
Big data and data engineering
Legacy software modernization and more
However, suppose you need a customized product or software solution expertly tailored to your business idea and are in need of cloud computing, in that case, you should check them out.
Portfolio: Samsung, Toyota, Huawei, Siemens, Pfizer, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Solutions and Cloud Computing.
Industries specialization: Healthcare, FinTech, Logistics & Transportation, Banking, Supply Chain, Retail, and Manufacturing.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.
Website: https://altoroslabs.com
2. STX Next
STX Next — Europe’s largest Python software development company
STX Next is based in Poland, one of the leading countries in the software development industry. Their expertise goes beyond the fintech industry to the banking and the gaming industry.
With over 16 years of experience and on average a 3-year partnership with brands, STX Next has served 200 clients on 400 different software development projects. Their services include:
Team extension
End-to-end product development
Consulting
Portfolio: Vyze, NOTA, Unity, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development and Web Development.
Industry specialization: Financial services, Advertising and Marketing, Real estate, Banking, Gaming, and Biotechnology.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Poland.
Website: https://www.stxnext.com
3. MentorMate
MentorMate — software development outsourcing provider with development center in Bulgaria
MentorMate is headquartered in Minneapolis. However, this product development team started in 2001 in Bulgaria playing a part in the country’s technological growth. So far, they have expanded into other regions like Sweden.
Their services range from:
Software design and development
Cloud and DevOps
Their approach to every project is what puts them on the list. MentorMate builds software with an extra human touch to it and prioritizes a secured delivery.
Portfolio: AstraZeneca, Royal Bank of Canada, among others.
Strongest expertise: Web Development and Custom Software Development.
Industry specialization: Healthcare, Education, Finance, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Commerce, and Lifestyle.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Bulgaria.
Website: https://mentormate.com/
4. The Software House
The Software House — #1 software development company in Poland in 2020 according to Clutch.co
Based in Poland, Software House is considered one of the highly recommended software outsourcing companies in the country. Compared to other firms on this list, the Software House started in 2012.
Regardless, they have so far built a clientele who largely refer to them for their services. These include:
Web development
Software architecture
Cloud & DevOps
Mobile development
Product design
Portfolio: eSky.com, Vaana, Smartum, Synerise, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development and Web Development.
Industry specialization: Financial services, information technology, and real estate.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Poland.
Website: https://tsh.io
5. DCSL GuideSmiths
DCSL GuideSmiths — IT outsourcing company with 27 years of experience
With a team of 250+ software experts, DCSL GuideSmiths provide software-related services for startups and SMEs. This IT outsourcing company started back in 1994, making them one of the oldest firms on this list. Their services are categorized into three:
Core software development, i.e., web development and bespoke databases
Specialist software, i.e., UX design and software consultancy
Complementary software, i.e., hosting and data migration
Although they are headquartered in Hampshire, they have development centers scattered across Madrid and Bucharest.
Portfolio: NHS, Berkshire Hathaway, Mitsubishi, Pearson, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development and Web Development
Industry specialization: IT & Technology, Insurance, Retail & E-commerce, Hospitality, Healthcare, Financial & Business Services.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: România.
Website: https://www.dcsl.com
6. Merix Studio
Merix Studio — web application development agency based in Poland
This software outsourcing team boasts more than 200 experts who have worked with close to 300 clients worldwide.
With offices spread across the US and Europe, Merix Studio comes into this list not only because of their expertise but their speed of development.
Their services include:
Web and mobile app development
Product design
Software development consulting
Team augmentation and outsourcing
Machine learning & AI
Software modernization
Portfolio: Volkswagen, Toshiba, Tesco, Deutsche Post, among others.
Strongest expertise: Web Application Development.
Industry specialization: Financial Services, Education, Gambling, and Business Services.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Poland.
Website: https://www.merixstudio.com/
7. Door3
Door3 — software development and UI/UX design agency
Founded in 2002, Door3 is on this list due to its project approach that upholds flexibility, secured delivery, and reliability. With over 80 professional software developers, Door3 has served more than 500 clients worldwide.
Their services include:
Technology consulting, i.e., digital strategy and project management
Software development, i.e., portal development and operations software
User experience design, i.e., UX Audit and design system
Door3 embodies professionalism and a client-oriented focus.
Portfolio: WWE, Wells Fargo, HP, News Balance, AIG, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development and UI/UX design.
Industry specialization: Financial services, Insurance, Legal, Construction, Non-Profit & Education, and Consumer & Retail.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Ukraine.
Website: https://www.door3.com
8. SoftwareMill
SoftwareMill — custom software development provider
SoftwareMill is another BPO outsourcing team based in Poland. Founded in 2009, SoftwareMill has built a clientele from diverse industries highlighting their expertise. Besides Poland, they have centers in the UK depicting their growth despite their relatively early emergence in the software outsourcing industry.
Their services include:
Big data engineering
Machine learning services
Backend and frontend development
Blockchain development
Internet of Things (IoT)
You get a pretty good idea of how your collaboration with SoftwareMill will turn out due to their transparency. From creating a backlog of your idea to shipping your delivery, every process is laid out even before your business commits to the project.
Portfolio: Intelli Messaging, Flexys, Kafka, Tipser, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development, BI & Big Data Consulting & SI.
Industry specialization: Business, Telecommunications, E-Commerce, Consulting, FinTech, and Blockchain.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Poland.
Website: https://softwaremill.com
9. Intetics
Intetics — software development company with 26 years of experience
Founded in 1995, Intetic operates in 6 different countries in both Europe and the United States. The company is both security and quality certified. With a hub of global talents, Intetics have a diversified portfolio encompassing almost every industry you can think of.
Their services include:
Data management
Process automation
Product prototype and MVP development
Advance websystem development, and more.
Portfolio: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Burda Digital, Spreadshirt, Symantec, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development and Mobile App Development.
Industry specialization: Agriculture, Communications & Networks, Life Science, Retail & ECommerce, Logistics, Insurance, Healthcare, Energy, Education, and Media.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Russia.
Website: https://intetics.com
10. Future Processing
Future Processing — software outsourcing company based in Poland
While Artificial Intelligence (A.I) in the future, A.I with a human touch is actually what businesses need. With Future Processing, you can get this. Founded in 2000, this software outsourcing company based in Poland has more than 20 years of experience to show for quality.
Future Processing started with just two developers. Fast-forward to two decades later, they boost a team of 800 software specialists and have worked on 600 projects with 200 clients worldwide.
Their services include:
Discovery and strategy, i.e., design sprints and software audits
Software development services, i.e., software development and product design
Digital innovation, i.e., business intelligence and cloud services
Portfolio: Allocate, Valeo, UK Power, Thomas Miller, Flowbird, among others.
Strongest expertise: Custom Software Development and Web Development.
Industry specialization: Healthcare, Finance, Media, Logistics, Entertainment, Automotive, Construction, Entertainment.
Software development centers in Eastern Europe: Poland and Ukraine.
Website: https://www.future-processing.com
Bottom line
Here’s the thing: it comes down to what your business needs at the end of the day. So first, you will need a clear and detailed outline of what you want to achieve through your idea or what you want to help your clients achieve.
This will help you define the ideal solution that your business needs. For example, is it a web or a mobile app development service? Next up is merging the factors to consider before hiring IT developers.
Combined, you will have a clear picture of the kind of team you would want to outsource your project to. Now, why don’t you get started with that? | https://medium.com/@kanstantsin.lastouski/top-10-software-development-outsourcing-companies-in-eastern-europe-780593ea55ae | ['Kanstantsin Lastouski'] | 2021-09-14 20:06:59.199000+00:00 | ['Information Technology', 'Business', 'Outsourcing', 'Software Development', 'Top 10'] |
An Untold Tale of How I Almost Got Stuck in London | Photo by Levi Ventura on Unsplash
I’ve held off telling this story for a while because honestly, it’s quite embarrassing but at the expense of myself someone needs a laugh today and this is it. I’ll start from the beginning…
I was on a trip to Accra, Ghana (Africa) and I had a long layover in London. At first I was excited to have a stop in London so I could see the city but I didn’t realize how cold it was compared to where I was headed. A Florida boy does not do well with cold weather. It had to be like 40 degrees outside compared to 90 degrees where my destination was. I had no jacket so I took the blanket from the first flight to have some type of warmth.
During the flight I had the typical airplane food but this time something wasn’t sitting right with my stomach and being stuck on that plane for so many hours was not to my benefit. What made things worse was the connecting flight was an hour away at an entirely different airport. I was scared I was going to miss it so I didn’t waste anytime making the move over there. No sight seeing for me.
The Image above was taken on the transit bus to the other airport in London before my stomach really hit the rollercoaster. I was too cold to focus on all the twists and turns. The wine may have played a part in all of this but it was free so I indulged.
I finally get to the other airport and my stomach is on fire. I’m walking all funny trying to look normal but this is a dire situation. I finally find a bathroom and the worst thing that could happen…happened. I’m in such a rush that I drop my passport while I’m in the stall. It hits my foot and slides out of the stall and across the bathroom!
Y’all…my heart literally sank into that stool. I kid you not I was so embarrassed and freaking out at the same time. I didn’t know if I should yell out and say…
Aye! Can someone slide my passport back under the stall please?!
Or just shut up and pray for the best. I opted for the second option. I literally froze and didn’t say anything. I was shook to the -enth (this isn’t a real word) degree. I wrapped up my session in the bathroom as fast as I could while simultaneously praying the entire time.
God please help me and let me find my passport. I don’t want to be stuck in this country!
I left the bathroom and started searching all over for it, asking folks had they seen it. Thank God I ran into a guy who was in the bathroom when it happened and he told me some guy turned it into one of the welcome centers. I scurry along in a panic and I go to the first station and they’ve got nothing but they send me somewhere else.
I go to the second place and sure enough they have my passport. My heart returned to my chest! Crisis averted and I can live again cause I damn near died on that toilet.
For approximately 15 minutes I thought I was going to miss my flight to Ghana. I still don’t know the process for losing your passport and I don’t really want to ever find out. The lesson here is to keep your passport in your backpack! | https://medium.com/econix/an-untold-tale-of-how-i-almost-got-stuck-in-london-6337e42ffda8 | ['Joshua Bent'] | 2020-01-24 16:18:49.774000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Story', 'London', 'Travelling', 'Funny'] |
$100 for Honesty | As a child I distinctly remember my parents emphasizing honesty. I’m not just talking about ‘no lying-always tell the truth’ type of honesty, but the type that’ if you find money on the street to go and donate it’ type.
However, there was one particular time where I was especially tempted to fall into the trap of shaytaan. This trap was highly appealing due to the monetary value involved.
I was a college student and my roommate was going to the mall. I had asked her to return something for me at The Limited and in return I told her they would give me a $50 store credit.
Once she came home she handed me the receipt along with the gift card. I read over the receipt and instead of a $50 credit, it said $150 on it.
Bare in mind I was a college student and $150 was considered a jackpot for me. Actually, its still a jackpot.
So I called the number on back of the giftcard and yep it was true, I had a good $150 to spend.
As I was surfing the Limited site, Jiminy Cricket (Pinnochio’s conscious) dropped by. I forgot to mention it was the month of Ramadan therefore Jiminy Cricket was more like a Jiminy Hippopotamus.(Shaytaan is locked up in Ramadan therefore you think twice about what you do). The hippo lead me to calling my mother, and she said one thing that hit home.
“You wear hijab, you represent Islam, if you go in that store and return this card then it’ll give a good impression of Muslims”.
I instantly realized that returning the extra $100 is the right thing to do.
The next day I drove to the mall, walked into The Limited and went up to the cashier and told her what happened, her response
“So you’re telling me we gave you $100 extra on this gift card?” said the clerk.
That’s right I replied. “Well i’m gonna have to call my manager about this” said the clerk.
The manager came out and again I explained to her what happened.
“So let me get this straight,” said the manager. “We made the error of giving you $150 instead of $50 and you came back to let us know so that we can give you the correct refund?”
I nodded enthusiastically.
“I apologize for this error ma’am, but I’m really sorry you are just going to have to keep this gift card at the value of $150!” said the manager with a big grin on her face.
So, basically I got $100 for being honest, and I’m sure a good few people went home that night thinking that Muslim people are honest (and kinda crazy).
Needless to say, I did some Eid shopping at the Limited that year.
Something to be conscious about…. | https://medium.com/biscuits-and-banarsi/100-for-honesty-799277d1b15 | ['Islamic History Notes'] | 2018-09-10 02:05:12.359000+00:00 | ['Life', 'Honesty', 'Islam'] |
Love Your Life And Take Charge of Your Life | “Live Your Values, Love Your Life”
You wish to be happy and love life. Loving your life is a high state of satisfaction and in it, you obtain more alternatives, are more healthy, and have a larger sense of connection to all these around you and to your Creator.
You might also have instances of the place you’re discouraged or sad. It is a natural cycle of life. Nonetheless, by paying attention to your values and what you worth, you’ll be able to love your life on a regular basis, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances.
I will present a shift from a conventional view of values similar to honesty, integrity, and duty to a view of values that may dramatically enhance your happiness and your perspective to loving your life.
First, let us take a look at conventional values. What are values? Values are normally described as ideas, standards, and qualities that information you in your life decisions. Values are an essential part of society to maintain in relationships and in addition, keep your jobs and your community structure intact.
Usually, an individual’s values are an inventory of qualities like honesty, integrity, spirituality, or duty. There are actually a whole lot of values you’ll be able to say are essential to you. Proudly owning and residing these qualities would not create happiness, per se, what they do, nevertheless, is offer you a framework by which to reside your life.
You may decide an individual’s values by observing their behaviors during good instances and bad. You’ve got in all probability skilled a disconnect when you’ve seen somebody be respectful to a possible buyer after which turnaround and be disrespectful to the executive assistant of that individual. It simply would not work.
How do you take charge of happiness?
The way you deal with anyone is the way you deal with everyone. Improve your happiness in life by altering how you consider folks and the way you deal with folks, whether or not it’s your workers or co-workers, pals, or shoppers.
If you wish to love your life, even more, ask yourself, “What do I value?” This may seem obvious or it might look like a difficult query to reply to, so let’s discover this.
One of many aspects of loving your life is to reside congruently with what you worth. Such a worth typically displays behaviors or attitudes you wish to mannequin or transfer towards. With a purpose to be taught what you worth, discover what you’re feeling drawn towards over the following week or two. For instance, when you’ve all the time needed to take artwork or writing classes, you in all probability worth creativity and self-expression.
Deal with what’s essential to you. Make an inventory of this stuff you worth, like spending time with households and being wholesome. When you begin to determine what’s essential to you and what you worth, you’ll want to have more of these folks and actions in your life.
In case your internal voice has been nudging you to take writing courses, for instance, ask yourself why. Is it since you need an outlet to specific your creativity or a discussion board to jot down your opinions? Both approaches, by doing more of what you worth, you’ll love your life more.
Read More: 5 Steps to Overcome Pain, Stress, and Depression
5 Ways to Take Charge of Your Happiness
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others Less Complaining, More Gratitude Know and Be Yourself Simplify your To-Do list Focus on One
What does it mean to take charge of your life?
“Live your values, love your life” signifies that you make decisions that can be in alignment with what you worth. While you reside in alignment together with your private fact and mindfully incorporate what you worth into your life, you give your greatest in each scenario. You permit nothing on the desk.
Loving your life comes from aligning your actions together with your goals, values, and beliefs. Going towards your goals, values, and beliefs causes stress and dissatisfaction. While you deal with what’s essential to you and what you do to like life, you can be extra profitable, appeal to more alternatives, be more healthy and keep an optimistic perspective.
Take Charge of Your Life
Nearly all of us are exhausted from climbing the company ladder, dressing for achievement, and making an attempt to stability our work and household lives. We reside as if we’re careening down a freeway at warp velocity.
So many people reside by the mantra “I’ve to maintain up,” “I’m what I do,” “I’ve to push myself,” “I’ve to show my price,” “I’ve to maintain going.”
So long as you proceed to subscribe to the philosophy that you’re what you do you will be pushed to show yourself, please different folks, and reside as much as another person’s requirements. In different phrases, your life will not be your personal.
How can I change my life?
Cease and take into account for a second what would occur when you took the following out there exit on the freeway of your life, pulled onto a quiet nation lane, slowed down, and mirrored in your life. What would occur when you requested your self, “Are you doing an excessive amount of” “ Are you pushed by societal and peer pressures?”
You could discover that it’s essential to reassess your priorities based mostly on what you’ve got decided is most significant in your life. You could resolve that you just want extra stability, extra time for yourself. You could notice that you need to take the larger cost of the place you make investments your time and vitality.
By clarifying your values you’ll be able to regulate your life so that you just make investments your time and vitality in this stuff you maintain sacred. But to be able to do that, you need to ask yourself what do I worth? What’s most essential to me?
These sorts of questions won’t solely aid you to know yourself to a deeper degree however in the end to refocus your life around what’s really significant. As unusual as this will likely appear, it is really much less essential to know the that means of life itself than it’s to know the that means of your life.
Take into consideration your core values and ideas. Ask your self the query, what issues? Listing the qualities and attributes that you just take into account important to residing your greatest life. These are the values you utilize to outline your self.
As you learn over your checklist how do you’re feeling? What did you find out about yourself? Have been you stunned by something? Now ask yourself, how are these values mirrored in your present life? Which values are you neglecting? In what methods would your life be completely different when you honored these values?
Evaluating your values is the inspiration for main a life you like. The following time you are confronted with a call ask yourself, “Is that this choice in line with my deepest self, with what’s most significant in my life? Use this query as your compass to maintain you true to your core beliefs. | https://medium.com/@r-prakash202/love-your-life-and-take-charge-of-your-life-e144b4a1bcb8 | ['Ddf Journal'] | 2021-02-16 04:20:02.561000+00:00 | ['Values', 'Life Energy', 'Life Lessons', 'Life'] |
A Photo That Captures an Entire Period of American Political History | Source: Huffington Post
This photo struck me as ICONIC. Could be used in the history books of the future to depict an entire juncture in American history and politics. This will endure long past the caricatures of bitter cartoonists, for sure. I’ll tell you why.
The hands poised like a man who “tells it like it is” or, rather, is about to “tell YOU how it is”. The Strong Man, sturdy stance, mouth open. Could be bluster, could be buff, that is for the viewer to read-in.
The media clamoring to re-post and headline his latest tweets, shoving microphones in his face, desperate to hear every self-righteous take on any and all days of the week, at any and all hours. Taking personal and deep offense at being cut off, as if access to him was their lifeline, their raison d’etre.
The perfect image of an institution locked in the patterns of Stockholm Syndrome, lambasted and persecuted by the man but can’t stay away, longing more and more intensely for the attention of the abuser — forcing the rest of the nation to watch them as they keep going back for more and more, only to face more and more lambasting and hostility from the man whose every word their mental grounding clings to.
Bombs and shooters approach their offices, and they look to him to “tell it like it is”, so they can run around in circles re-processing and fixating on every word and tweet. It’s not their fault, to an extent — although some self-awareness could sure go a long way. It’s just how abusers work.
They want to rile you up and get a reaction, so they can then use your reaction to beat you upside the head and coerce you into submission — to treat you with active engagement and undermining hostility, to keep you depending on their every word for your relative sense of security.
His criticisms of the media will simply be lost beyond the objectives he actually accomplishes with that rhetoric — no one will remember what was “fake news” — because at the end of the day, and at the end of his term, the media was always there, hanging on his every single word, loyal through thick and thin to spreading his every message and platforming him from the beginning of his campaign to the bitter, bitter end.
The Media could never bear to leave his side, and they at least felt and behaved as if they were nothing, without him, if it was not actually true in fact. This was the power of the Trump regime — an iron curtain of THIS STANCE, and the media, in lock-step, inseparable, and this is how the nation was led for x amount of years during this period.
This is America — this photo is fantastic | https://medium.com/@sarah_marilyn/a-photo-that-captures-an-entire-period-of-american-political-history-a1a4273566ce | ['Sarah Marilyn'] | 2018-11-12 20:56:22.084000+00:00 | ['Donald Trump', 'American History', 'Photography', 'Photos', 'Journalism'] |
Difference between TFSA and RRSP | Saving money isn’t as simple as moving a percentage of your pay cheque into a savings account every month. To be effective at saving, you need to understand the differences of the various account structures available to you to save money. In this post we will go over the basic differences between the Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) and Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP).
Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)
What is it?
This is an account that holds after tax dollars. This means, the money that is put into this account has already been taxed (i.e the money you received after all deductions on your pay cheque). Any capital appreciation earned within the TFSA is not taxable.
When should it be used?
The most effective use is for investments with unfavorable tax treatment. In Canada, this would include investments that generate interest since interest is often taxed at a higher rate than dividends and capital gains.
Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)
What is it?
This is an account that uses before tax dollars. By contributing to this account with the money earned after tax, you can receive money back on your tax return. The capital in the account can appreciate over time, and will only be taxed once it is removed from the account.
When should it be used?
This account should be utilized during the time you are in a higher tax bracket than you expect to be in the future. As such, by placing money in the account today you avoid paying higher taxes and can pay lower taxes in the future once you are in a lower tax bracket. This account is meant to help you save for retirement.
Which account should you use?
Ideally, both.
If possible, utilizing both the TFSA and RRSP will help you to effectively save for the future. It is worth noting that each of these accounts have a maximum amount that can be contributed each year. Ideally, both accounts should be maxed out to realize the full benefits.
If saving the annual maximum in each account may not be possible, access your current and future expected tax situation to determine which account is best to start with. | https://medium.com/@moneybunnyfinance/difference-between-tfsa-and-rrsp-cc492cbdf21d | ['Money Bunny'] | 2020-12-20 23:29:33.475000+00:00 | ['Investing', 'Money', 'Saving Money', 'Money Management', 'Saving'] |
Rebalancing David vs. Goliath — How AI can help SMEs get Better Business Terms | Rebalancing David vs. Goliath — How AI can help SMEs get Better Business Terms ChAI Jun 17, 2019·4 min read
Historically, SMEs have tended to hold back in the face of new technologies. First-mover advantages related to technology have usually been captured by bold new entrants or those with enough scale and resources to fully take advantage of emerging opportunities — leaving the middle ground behind. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) it’s a different story — AI has never been less expensive or more accessible, so there is no longer any excuse for not adopting it. For once, the winners in the AI race will be the fastest, nimblest and hungriest, not the behemoths. In this blog, we discuss the benefits of AI for SMEs — as providers of services and products to others, but equally as clients in their own right.
Inside-out: Making SMEs more competitive
Given that SMEs tend to be nimbler with greater organisational flexibility, changes can (at least in theory) be implemented more easily. This means that SMEs should be able to realise the benefits of AI faster than larger companies and compete with them head-on at a whole new level. We see three main ways that AI levels the competitive playing field for SMEs in their own businesses:
Automation : Large companies have more hands on deck to get everything done, making them seem more competitive than SMEs. But SMEs can use AI services to automate repetitive and routine tasks. AI-powered services and systems allow smaller businesses to operate like a large organisation with much more speed and greater efficiency.
: Large companies have more hands on deck to get everything done, making them seem more competitive than SMEs. But SMEs can use AI services to automate repetitive and routine tasks. AI-powered services and systems allow smaller businesses to operate like a large organisation with much more speed and greater efficiency. Data analytics : Large companies have the resources to turn to expensive data scientists, which is out of reach to most SMEs. AI can close this gap, giving SMEs the same ability to spot new revenue streams and opportunities for growth by analysing their data — both historical and forward-looking, no matter how small the company. E g, in agriculture, machine-learning techniques in farming management apps such as FarmLogs help individual farmers to profile soil fertility and then predict, based on weather, climate and prices, when and where to fertilise a crop. Welcome to the AI-powered world of “precision agriculture”.
: Large companies have the resources to turn to expensive data scientists, which is out of reach to most SMEs. AI can close this gap, giving SMEs the same ability to spot new revenue streams and opportunities for growth by analysing their data — both historical and forward-looking, no matter how small the company. E g, in agriculture, machine-learning techniques in farming management apps such as FarmLogs help individual farmers to profile soil fertility and then predict, based on weather, climate and prices, when and where to fertilise a crop. Welcome to the AI-powered world of “precision agriculture”. Customer service: As a general rule,large companies can afford more staff for customer service. But AI can make this a moot point. Virtual assistants and chatbots are making it easier than ever for SMEs to engage with customers in a personalised way and provide instant support — regardless of time or place, looking like a large company.
Outside-in: Enjoying the same terms as larger peers
There is no doubt that AI can help level the playing field for SMEs in terms of how they run their own businesses. But can AI provide other benefits for SMEs as well? Indeed, an equally important rebalancing of David vs. Goliath is the fact that AI can give SMEs access to solutions and business terms that were previously reserved for their larger peers.
In pre-AI times, there was a perfectly good excuse for most companies to focus efforts on their largest prospects and clients. These clients had the highest revenue potential, whereas the cost of understanding their needs and wants was on par with that for smaller clients. AI techniques and big data bring fundamental change to this equation, making the quest for understanding SME business needs a lot cheaper than before. For already data-heavy industries like banking and insurance, tailor-made SME solutions can now easily and cheaply be developed and serviced. Similarly, AI allows for new start-ups to arrive on the stage, offering innovative solutions where large incumbents haven’t been able to.
As one of these start-ups, an area particularly close to our hearts is that of commodity price risk management. Price volatility is a major risk to all sellers and buyers of commodities, yet the current financial tools available to deal with price risk are designed for the very largest, most sophisticated entities or financial institutions (such as hedge funds), rather than small-scale players who are mainly price-takers.
To illustrate, the margin requirement to access a futures contract for aluminium on the London Metals Exchange is $3,000 per lot (1 lot = 25 tonnes). Let’s assume that a small manufacturer, who uses aluminium as a key input for its production, spends 40% of annual turnover on buying the metal. With a turnover of $3 million, $1.2 million is spent on aluminium each year. At $1,900 per tonne, the company buys 632 tonnes of aluminium — translating into a margin requirement of almost $76,000. A lot of money for a small company for one year’s price risk transfer.
At ChAI, our first mission will be to help such small and mid-sized manufacturers de-risk their supply chain of industrial metals like aluminium and copper by making price risk transfer accessible, affordable and simple for them. We proudly sit at the intersection of manufacturing, finance and technology to bring stability and predictability where price volatility otherwise can run havoc with SME P&Ls.
ChAI is joining a growing group of FinTech startups such as US-based WorldCover who are disrupting the commodity price risk management industry. Whereas WorldCover have grown from a point of understanding agriculture and farming, ChAI’s starting point is the world of manufacturing, global supply chains and commodity trading. However, our approaches are similar in that they:
Look to level the playing field for small and mid-sized clients who have long had to get by without the hedging tools available to their larger peers
for small and mid-sized clients who have long had to get by without the hedging tools available to their larger peers Are made possible by recent advances in data science , an explosion in available data sets — particularly alternative data like satellite imagery — and the significantly reduced cost of computational power , meaning that large numbers of small clients can now be serviced cost-effectively
, an explosion in — particularly alternative data like satellite imagery — and the significantly , meaning that large numbers of small clients can now be serviced cost-effectively Are based on third-party data, which brings objectivity — thus avoiding disputes and fraudulent claims — and speed as no manual assessments are required
Author; Silvi Wompa, CUO | https://medium.com/@chai-predict/rebalancing-david-vs-goliath-how-ai-can-help-smes-get-better-business-terms-a51478cb1783 | [] | 2019-06-18 12:50:52.522000+00:00 | ['Fintech', 'Commodities', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Technology', 'Insurtech'] |
Agile Project Management vs. Lean Continuous Improvement: A Real-World Example — Seamless.Partners | By Dave Kearney, Susan Larson Bouwer, and Anjan Chatterjee
Suppose you’re thinking of opening a restaurant. You’ll need to make a lot of smart decisions so that your establishment will achieve success. These choices include location, pricing, and cuisine-all of them will have a significant impact on your ability to succeed. To help with these decisions, you might first look at the community in which you’re thinking of locating your restaurant. Who lives in the neighborhood? What can they afford? And what kinds of food might they like to eat?
Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash
Both Lean Continuous Improvement and Agile Project Management provide benefits to your new enterprise and help your new restaurant thrive. To start, let’s look at Lean. Lean is a way to organize operations to maximize the flow of value to customers while minimizing waste. By using Lean, your staff can identify specific areas for improvement by observing where and how people do the actual work. With a Lean mindset, you rely on those who do the job to determine the best improvement course. Through this collaborative process, your cross-functional team can introduce changes and evaluate them against pre-determined improvement metrics.
But how would Lean apply in our restaurant example? Lean addresses operational and process questions: How does the wait-staff take the customers’ orders and deliver them to the kitchen? How does the kitchen manage and process incoming orders? What happens if there are problems or hiccups? And how do your customers receive and pay their tabs? Using Lean methodologies, you can create cross-functional processes and procedures to keep operations flowing at their highest capacity.
Photo by Hemant Latawa on Unsplash
Lean can also help if significant organizational changes are necessary. What if your restaurant is not very popular or not profitable? Maybe your prices are too high, your location is not optimal, or perhaps your food is just not very good. Lean provides methodologies for creating and evaluating via tests and experiments with your customers to gather information and make structural “pivots” when necessary.
The things to remember about Lean Continuous Improvement is that it can improve efficiency, reduce waste, and increase productivity. Companies that employ lean generally experience increased product quality, improved lead times, sustainability, higher employee satisfaction, and increased profits.
As you can see, Lean Continuous Improvement helps at a macro level, whereas Agile Project Management helps at the micro-level. Lean encourages the tests and experiments that we mentioned. It’s Agile that provides a set of methodologies for creating and building new products and services despite some level of uncertainty.
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
To better understand Agile, let’s once again turn to our restaurant example. You’ve run some tests or surveys and decided that you want to make a new shrimp dish for your menu. You know that other restaurants in the area serve shrimp, but you have an idea for something new with spices that you believe will appeal more to your customers. With an Agile Project Management approach, you can set in motion a collaborative project plan to build the recipe over time. Using a systematic process, you can design, test, and create your new shrimp dish with the flexibility to improve it over time.
The essential advantage to Agile is clear from its name-it provides real flexibility in the creation of its solutions. If some new idea doesn’t seem like it’s quite having the level of impact you envisioned, you can adjust it on the fly the same way you would fine-tune a recipe in the kitchen until you started receiving 5-star rave reviews. Agile allows you to tailor and re-tailor your approach until you reach your goal.
Lean and Agile methodologies provide a disciplined and structured approach to managing workflows with little or no drama, even during an emergency. Team members all know their responsibilities and have both responsibility and accountability. Team project tracking and measuring in companies that wholeheartedly adopt Lean and Agile are a source of pride instead of fear. Lean Continuous Improvement and Agile Project Management work hand-in-hand to build flexibility and optimization into any organization and drive success at every level.
Dave has been building and scaling companies for 20+ years-driving performance through business-aligned technology strategy, product innovation, and data integration. As a CEO, CTO, and entrepreneur, he is skilled in solving real-world problems for startups through Fortune 500 organizations. He empowers teams to deliver robust, scalable infrastructures, and powerful solutions that automate processes, improve performance outcomes, and set the stage for exponential growth.
You can reach Dave at his website: https://seamless.partners.
Susan has worked on strategy, innovation, and change projects for small and large organizations. Susan calls on her 20+ years’ experience as a teacher, community organizer, and non-profit manager to connect with all stakeholders. Susan loves finding new ways to solve old problems, and thinks the phrase “we’ve always done it this way” is an invitation to exploration. Susan has studied and written extensively about humor in workplace culture and loves to see the idiosyncrasies of humor in different organizations.
Susan has spent most of her life involved in education and the wine industry; two divergent industries that are enjoying a synergistic relationship at this moment. Most of her work has been to modernize processes and introduce new technologies that improve student and family outcomes. She believes the most important thing we can do for the next generation is to get out of their way.
Anjan has been part of technology services for over 17 years and has been instrumental in delivering large scale enterprise applications. As a thought leader, he has been operating in the cross-section of technology and business and has been successful in bringing innovation within technology for solving business problems. Currently leading the digital transformation and intelligent automation initiatives at V2solutions, his focus is to deliver business value with the smart choice of technologies building scale, automation, and efficiency.
Reach out to Anjan at https://v2solutions.com. | https://medium.com/@kuryus/agile-project-management-vs-lean-continuous-improvement-a-real-world-example-seamless-partners-6f2fcc5a50c1 | ['Dave Kearney'] | 2020-11-24 20:17:04.107000+00:00 | ['Agile', 'Team Building', 'Lean', 'Leadership', 'Project Management'] |
Tony Fernandes Bitcoin — Review. “Bitcoin Trader Tony Fernandes” Click… | “Bitcoin Trader Tony Fernandes” Click Here To Join!
Check out my analysis to see how we compare to other auto-traders in the crypto industry.
Here’s my brief review of my Bitcoin Dealer.
I got together with Bitcoin Trader to keep it quick, and I added $250 to my account because it’s the sum recommended to maximize your earnings ultimately. Today is my sixth day using the software, and I was able to hit $11,000+, but I’m still trying to reach my $21,000 target by the end of the week.
My Honest Analysis of Bitcoin Auto Trader:
Bitcoin Dealer has a super-speed program that exchanges a large number of trades every day. The framework uses the existing business establishment and rapid AI, which gives this program a favorable position over the other systems.
This item has an unfortunate speed of just .07 percent after more than six years of automatic trade. This means you’d have a very low chance of losing your cash, like less than 1% of the probability of misfortune. Take the divider lane!
The machine signal carries out transactions with 163 exchanges in 35 countries, and the amount of trades it is getting to is disconcerting-4 million!
After looking at the association behind this signing scheme, I found that it was on favorable terms. In 2018, this Trading Application earned $723 million in benefits, which was 11 percent more than the Merchant of 2019. A beautiful return.
This year, regardless of how the market sectors are in a state of unrest, this bitcoin merchant has determined that he will start picking up $650 million in benefits amid immense misfortunes on world securities exchanges.
I’ve been wildly looking for some real technique to pick up money online from home for as long as two years. I was looking for a dream that I couldn’t get my all-day pound by working my hours and making shrewd speculations. So when I caught the breeze of the broker robot on my Facebook channel, the thought provoked my curiosity.
How does it work?
You start by opening a record to use Bitcoin Dealer. At the hour of my registration, they provided a record master to walk you through the cycle and “hold your hand” for your first projects. For the calculation to make trades, it needs assets to work with, so I just stacked the base to start with $250. In any case, writing this out of what’s to come, I’m thinking about how much better my earnings would have been if I had started higher. When I stacked the assets, Bitcoin Broker dominated and started to do business for me!
Having used Bitcoin Merchant for a couple of days, I’m very excited about the performance. Bitcoin Broker can consistently trade when the conditions are acceptable, but it is inactive as a general rule. However, I’ve found out on the off chance that you’re only keeping your PC running with the intention that it can do business at whatever point it needs to, you have the best results. So I just let it go and let it get me some cash while I’m resting!
My Score of Bitcoin Trader: 4.75 /5
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“Bitcoin Trader Tony Fernandes” | https://medium.com/@macymnr/tony-fernandes-bitcoin-review-8dd092530339 | ['Macy Monroe'] | 2021-06-22 11:43:00.301000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin Wallet', 'Bitcoin Mining', 'Bitcoin News', 'Bitcoincash', 'Bitcoin'] |
React Native: How to Load and Play Audio | React Native: How to Load and Play Audio
Expo AV: Reliable Native Audio Support
This article introduces the expo-av package, a universal audio (playing and recording) and video module for React Native projects. The package is maintained by Expo, the go-to library for bootstrapping React Native projects targeting a range of platforms.
Audio packages have come and gone in the React Native ecosystem, most of which either do not work or have not been updated for a significant amount of time. When looking at packages to adopt — especially for critical tasks like audio playback — a reliable and well maintained package is needed. Major iOS updates are launched on a yearly basis and Android updates considerably more regularly. These updates sometimes come with breaking changes, so choosing reliable source code on the React Native side will be in every developers interest.
Note that react-native-audio has not been updated in over 2 years, and react-native-sound has been stagnant for over 1 year (since the time of writing this article); these packages should be avoided as they will not support the latest native APIs, and will lead to dead-end troubleshooting when they do not work in your project.
With all this being said, expo-av ticks all the boxes in terms of maintenance and platform support. With weekly downloads at >25,000, and the last update published a month ago (at the time of writing), it is a fairly strongly adopted package that the developer should have confidence using. Not all apps require audio, so it can be hard to gauge the popularity relative to the whole React Native ecosystem.
expo-av also has strong documentation that is kept up to date. The reader can visit the package on GitHub as the true source, but the majority of documentation is hosted on the Expo website, where there is a dedicated audio page along with an API reference page for the Expo AV module. It is this documentation that we’ll be referencing throughout this article as we build some audio tools.
What this article will cover
Now that I have hopefully persuaded you that Expo AV is the way to go with React Native audio, it is time to delve into some development. Instead of writing a standard tutorial of loading and playing an audio clip, we will make things more interesting to more closely reflect real-world use cases. After installation, this piece will:
Explain the audio loading and playing workflow and the key APIs needed to get audio working.
Walk through an audio controller class that loads, plays, resets and stops audio clips. This class will be separate from React components as to separate the audio logic from component logic.
Demonstrate how to load and manage multiple audio clips simultaneously. For this piece we will assume that a male and female audio clip need to be loaded, whereby the end-user can choose which gender to listen to. Of course, switching the gender can be achieved simply by toggling that gender via state management, but the corresponding audio itself must be loaded and available, ready to be played.
and audio clip need to be loaded, whereby the end-user can choose which gender to listen to. Of course, switching the gender can be achieved simply by toggling that gender via state management, but the corresponding audio itself must be loaded and available, ready to be played. Walk through a <PlayButton /> component, that will initialise the audio (request to load the audio files from a remote server), and manage the audio state. More specifically, we will visit concepts such as auto play, tap to play, tap to stop, and reflect this in component state. Another thing we need to manage with audio is the component state while the audio is being retrieved. This means asynchronously requesting the audio and waiting for it to be fully loaded before it can be played. This adds further (but needed) complexity into the component as to not attempt to play an unloaded audio file that would result in a runtime error. | https://medium.com/@rossbulat/react-native-how-to-load-and-play-audio-241808f97f61 | ['Ross Bulat'] | 2020-12-25 07:28:49.655000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'App Development', 'React Native', 'Software Engineering', 'Programming'] |
Top Free Zip File Software List | looking for free text effect in adobe illustrator click here
Top Free Zip File Software List
7-Zip is open source, which means it’s totally free, in any event, for business use. It’s just 1MB in the estimate and can pack and unload pretty much any compacted document file you can toss at it.
7-Zip isn’t the most appealing WinZip elective around, however, it’s so very much planned that you won’t miss the smooth interfaces of its paid-for counterparts. You can find records to be documented utilizing a straightforward Windows Explorer-style record tree, or intuitive them into the fundamental window.
Its own 7z position is intended for high pressure and is bolstered by practically all record documenting instruments — both paid-for and free — settling on it a perfect decision for sharing. 7-Zip can likewise make self-removing 7z files.
You can apply secret word assurance to bundled chronicles and split them into volumes, which is helpful for sharing especially huge documents. The main key element it’s missing is the capacity to fix harmed files — other than that, it’s a genuinely outstanding project.
Many free Winzip choices cover their best features behind an erratic course of action of menus. Ashampoo Zip Free is an exceptionally extraordinary case, with a sensible interface and an optional touch mode with greater, tap-obliging images.
An impressive part of the decisions showed up on the essential sprinkle screen are associations with paid applications like committed encryption and translating instruments, nonetheless, don’t let this put you off; all the nuts and bolts that you’ll find in other free record pressure writing computer programs are accessible and right, including annual creation, extraction, fix, and multi-volume ZIP forming.
Abnormally, Ashampoo Zip Free also gives sneak looks of archives before you expel a document. This can be useful, nonetheless, it happens thus so don’t be terrified if a music record begins playing on mouseover.
Ashampoo Zip Free doesn’t offer an amazing number of choices, and all of its features are clearly presented and explained. Impelled customers may lean toward the more fine-grained customization gave by contraptions like 7-Zip, yet for the typical customer, this is a sublime choice.
PeaZip is another open-source WinZip elective, yet with a couple of more highlights in an extensively bigger bundle (around 10MB contrasted with 7-Zip’s 1MB).
PeaZip’s standard establishment will make document affiliations and include setting menu alternatives consequently, which you probably won’t need in case you’re attempting it just because. Select ‘Custom’ in the event that you need to settle on your own decisions.
PeaZip is good with essentially every packed record group there is. PEA, its own organization, organizes security over-pressure, with discretionary uprightness check and verified encryption. In contrast to 7-Zip, it can fix harmed chronicles.
Its convenient additional highlights incorporate the capacity to change over chronicle organizations and test documents for blunders. It can’t cluster blower watermark pictures as a portion of different devices here can, however, can turn and yield them for you.
Hamster Zip Archiver is another free option to WinZip that is also planned the same number of paid-for applications. The route is clear, with natural contacts like a basic slider for altering the degree of pressure and the capacity to transfer chronicles to cloud administrations.
In any case, this straightforwardness includes some major disadvantages. Hamster Zip Archiver offers far fewer alternatives when making chronicles, and in spite of the fact that it can open a wide scope of packed record designs, it can just make ZIP and 7z documents.
There is one disadvantage to keep an eye out for: Hamster Zip Archiver’s primary installer is in English, however on the off chance that you decide to refresh the product physically you may end up gave a couple of alternatives in the engineer’s local Russian. Take care not to inadvertently consent to introduce any extra additional product or program modules that you don’t need.
Zipware looks in the same class as any exceptional document pressure programming and is superbly easy to utilize. Just pick ‘New’ or ‘Open’, pick your source document or chronicle, change a couple of discretionary settings and you’re finished.
Zipware’s champion component is coordinated infection examining: if a chronicle is under 32GB, you can check it for dangers with Virus Total. This is probably not going to hold any importance with power clients, however is a useful expansion for any individual who’s uncertain about extricating downloaded files (or who knows somebody with an inclination to coincidentally open such things).
Zipware is allowed to utilize, yet in the event that you choose to stay with it, the site welcomes you to make a gift to help its turn of events — a sensible solicitation on the off chance that you can manage the cost of it.
Adobe Photoshop 2020 New Features & System Requirements. | https://medium.com/@firevectors/top-free-zip-file-software-15de6f964a13 | ['Fire Vectors'] | 2020-12-26 09:11:48.015000+00:00 | ['Software', 'Top 10', 'Zip', 'Free Software'] |
BEST Method to Lose Weight in 15 Minutes a Day | BEST Method to Lose Weight in 15 Minutes a Day
And this was without any special diet and without any tough workout plan. Meaning Mar 3, 2020·2 min read
If you had tried absolutely everything to lose weight.
Keto Diet
Vegetarianism
Low-Carb
High-Carb
Paleo
Fasting
But they did not work.
Keto Diet, Vegetarianism, Low-carb…. ???
And this was especially important if you wanted to lose weight without worrying about diet or exercise.
Rule #1: Understand It’s your subconscious mind and NOT your diet or exercise that gets rid of the fat.
Rule #2 of Hypnotic Weight Loss is: Your Brainwaves Need to be In Sync.
Rule #3 of Hypnotic Weight Loss: You Must Repeat the Process Until it’s Permanent.
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Good luck ! | https://medium.com/@pokemonpokc/best-method-to-lose-weight-in-15-minutes-a-day-c6b46d42f22d | [] | 2020-03-03 06:54:02.076000+00:00 | ['Method To Lose Weight', 'Weight Loss Program', '15 Minutes A Day', 'Weight Loss Tips', 'Lose Weight In 15'] |
Why Do We Call Them the “Middle” Ages? | Why Do We Call Them the “Middle” Ages?
What’s in a name? Centuries of disparagement.
Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash
What do we mean when we call something “medieval?” From “Pulp Fiction” to Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down,” modern references to the Middle Ages tend to invoke backwardness, brutality, or intolerance. But this is not a misuse of the term. The moniker “the Middle Ages” was always intended to disparage everything medieval.
This time period, which lasted from around 500–1500 CE, has been called “middle” for centuries. Enlightenment thinkers named it to distinguish themselves as new, special, and uniquely tied to the classical Greek and Roman past. The idea was that the time between Rome and the Renaissance formed a “middle age” in which there was no memory of the past, original thought, or innovation. This concept was also behind their name “Renaissance,” which means “rebirth” in French and refers to the reemergence of classical ideas.
What’s the problem, then?
This perception of the Middle Ages is just not true. The Middle Ages were not a break with Roman traditions or a time of exceptional irrationality. And Renaissance humanists were not as unique as they and their successors believed.
The memory of Rome remained strong throughout the medieval period. Roman motifs, literature, and thought did not just vanish. Instead, medieval people used them in new ways. Medieval kingdoms, including Francia, England, and Islamic Spain, drew on the traditions of Rome to bolster their legitimacy. They incorporated Roman laws into their own legal codes. Many of kingdoms continued to use Latin, which evolved over time into the Romance languages. Roman literary motifs are also common in medieval literature. Virgil’s Aeneid, the works of Ovid, and Suetonius’ biographies all remained relevant and influential throughout the period.
It is also false that the Middle Ages were especially “backwards.” In reality, medieval people were not any less intelligent, rational, or innovative than people of any other time. Some of the world’s greatest thinkers lived and wrote in the Middle Ages. Thomas Aquinas, Christine de Pisan, Maimonides, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) all tried to transform the way that people thought, and their contributions are still valuable today. Medieval Europeans also invented the university to further intellectual pursuits and made great architectural and artistic innovations.
Medieval people get a bad wrap. But they were not extraordinarily stupid. Educated medieval people did not think the Earth was flat, and they were not totally blinded by religious dogma. They also weren’t unusually smelly or dirty. And although medieval science and medicine seem laughably wrong today, the same is true of most of the science and medicine of the Enlightenment and even the early twentieth century. The medievals were as right as they could be at the time with the tools they had available to them. And although they were often intolerant of religious or ethnic difference, they were not measurably more prejudiced than the people of any other time period.
Renaissance thinkers were also kidding themselves when they claimed to be a totally new phenomenon. If they were right, it would be easier to determine when the Middle Ages end and the Renaissance begins! There are lots of turning points to choose from, including the fall of Constantinople (1453), the rise of the Medici in Florence (the early 15th century), and the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) to name a few.
But even scholars who agree on an end for the period still bicker about what should count as “Renaissance” thought, art, or literature and what is still “medieval.” Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch, for instance, are all fairly claimed by scholars of both periods. The truth is, the shift from the late Middle Ages to Early Modernity took place slowly. There is no one event that we can point to as the end of the Middle Ages, and there are plenty of antecedents to the Renaissance in the late Middle Ages.
Renaissance humanists, no matter what they claimed, owed a lot of their thinking to medieval thought. Machiavelli’s Discourses on Livy, for instance, often invoke the backwardness of the Middle Ages and glorify the Roman past. But even Machiavelli’s Discourses are philosophically indebted to the Middle Ages. Machiavelli is concerned that knowledge of the past may vanish and thinks of time as a divinely planned linear progression of events. But these ideas are not Roman. Roman historians wrote to provide behavioral models and to comment on the present, not to preserve knowledge for posterity. They also did think of time as a single divine plan — that was a later, Christian idea. So, medieval thought remained influential, even in the Renaissance. It was not totally replaced in favor of classical ideas.
Photo by Flo P on Unsplash
A global problem
But calling this period “middle” is even less straightforward today than it was in the Enlightenment. This is because of history’s recent global turn. Historians and literary scholars increasingly aim to study the whole world and to bring more attention to regions outside of Europe and North America. Many medieval scholars have embraced this development, speaking of a “global Middle Ages.” This is fruitful, fascinating, and important work that has helped us better understand the world between 500 and 1500 CE.
But there was no “Renaissance” outside of Europe. So the medieval period is defined differently in different geographical and cultural contexts. It also doesn’t always fit perfectly with each region’s traditional set of periodizations. Different regions usually have different names for time periods, and often divide them in different ways.
This is not to say that there are no regions outside of Europe which use the labels “ancient,” “medieval,” and “modern” for their history. Scholars of Chinese history have used this periodization since the 19th century. But even though the names are the same, the time periods they represent are different. The Chinese Middle Ages may have begun as early as 220 CE — almost three centuries before the European medieval period! And, although, just as in Europe, there is much debate about when the Middle Ages ended in China, the possible dates range from 770 to 1600 CE. Using the same label for both periods implies that they refer to the same span of time. And this could flatten the finer distinctions between East Asian and European history.
But at the same time, the word “medieval” makes as much sense in China as it does in Europe, if not more. The Middle Ages are differentiated from the ancient and modern periods in China by meaningful political, cultural, and social changes. And the word “medieval” is not pejorative in the context of Chinese history in the same way that it is in European history; it just conveys that the period is situated in between two others. Scholars of Chinese history therefore use the name “Middle Ages” without the derogatory subtext, and are just as entitled to it as European historians.
So what should we do?
The name “Middle Ages” may not make much sense. But it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The name is just too ingrained in popular understandings of the time period. It will be hard for scholars to call the Middle Ages anything else if they want the public to know what (and when) they are talking about.
The myth of the Middle Ages’ backwardness is deep-rooted and frustrating to medievalists. But it is not the most dangerous threat to the field of Medieval Studies. A widespread lack of interest in the period threatens the field’s future. And the resulting vacuum of general knowledge about the Middle Ages has allowed white supremacist groups to co-opt elements of the period. These hate groups are wrong to believe the Middle Ages were “whiter,” “purer,” or better than the present. But their abuse of medieval history, symbols, and ideas could irreparably damage public opinion of the the Middle Ages.
The time period’s name is therefore not its most pressing problem. It is more important to educate the public about what “medieval” really means than to try to ditch the word itself.
Suggestions for further reading
The 2019 essay collection Whose Middle Ages?: Teachable Moments for an Ill-Used Past is a wonderful, readable introduction to the use and abuse of the medieval in the modern world. It covers topics including racism, antisemitism, gender and sexuality, and conflict between Christians and Muslims, and is therefore a good place to start looking into what the “medieval” means today.
For more on the global Middle Ages, see the Global Medieval Studies Bibliography compiled by Georgetown University faculty. Many thanks to Professor Michelle C. Wang for her invaluable help with this article! | https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/why-do-we-call-them-the-middle-ages-60402bf22231 | ['Rachel Singer'] | 2020-07-22 17:13:31.028000+00:00 | ['Names', 'Renaissance', 'History', 'Medieval', 'The Middle Ages'] |
Vision 2027-Ideal Version of Myself | In the era of the digital world, startups are evolving vigorously and among them, one name is Aditya Rajotia. He is of the top successful personalities in digital marketing and turns into a unicorn in 6 years, he is a youth icon in the digital era and has marked his signature in the digital world. He provides online services and owns an XYZ agency to train and motivate the youth of the future world.
He has a group of 201 individuals, Mostly clients from Asian and European nations, and works distantly with no actual headquarters in that capacity, he says one can telecommute or work distantly, simply need to trust in ourselves and comprehend the genuine force of the internet, then, at that point there will be no requirement for corporate workplaces, going for work.
Gazing at the world, Ideal me-Just begin more milestone to achieve
Aditya is from Delhi-NCR, who remotely accesses all his work, he hardly meets his team once/twice a year physically, he gives a new definition of work by not going to the workplace, balancing the life of work and home with the help of the internet, turning into an expert and useful as in genuine corporate life. It’s not freelancing anymore, it’s a 2.0 version of freelancing.
He quotes ‘’this is the future of work and will all be our boss’’. All you need is the internet and your determination to master your skills, don’t run for a better life blindly ’’just be your boss’’, and one day the world will follow you.
He owns a luxury house and Farmhouse in Delhi-NCR and Bangalore itself, he travels 7 months in a year abroad working remotely, and in the remaining months he loves to spend time with family in his luxury home and farmhouse with remote access to work, he also has a good collection of luxury cars.
Ideal Home
He has a positive approach towards life and never recede to opposing forces. He meditates and does body exercise daily without fail, as physical and mental health are requisite of happiness. Good health is something we can not buy, he added don’t bargain with the norm in your life, just hang tight for the ideal opportunity.
The impact of his lifestyle motivated youths to start their career in the digital era and want to become their own boss.
Get insights into the development levels in Digital Marketing
Hey, everyone this post is a part of my internship(Digital Deepak internship Program) assignment, hope you will appreciate the efforts. | https://medium.com/@adityaeddy/vision-2027-ideal-version-of-myself-5073bd2654eb | ['Aditya Eddy'] | 2021-08-23 06:24:36.193000+00:00 | ['Digital', 'Future Of Work', 'Ideal Version', 'Startup', 'Vision'] |
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