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Amazon Is Closer to Drone Shipping Than We Think
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The Journey to 30-Minute Shipping
Amazon went from selling books in 1995 to selling almost everything. Jeff Bezos believes its success can be boiled down to an extreme focus on the customer.
A big part of focusing on customer experience is in the area of delivery. Packages often arrive well before they are supposed to, even if you don’t pay for Amazon Prime. But if you do pay for the service, deliveries are getting even faster. In some major cities like Nashville, groceries can be delivered within 2 hours and some packages are able to be delivered the same day or next. But what Amazon plans to do next is truly inspiring.
Drone Ships
Recently a Japanese filmmaker posted a video of a massive Amazon drone ship deploying several smaller delivery drones. The video wasn’t real and he posted it as a joke, but Amazon did actually file a patent for a floating warehouse. Imagine a fulfillment center stocked with products in the air flying to places where demand is high like major sporting events and festivals. Whenever one of these fulfillment centers needs to re-stocked, a smaller drone ship will meet it in the sky bringing more staff, drones, fuel, and inventory.
Companies file for patents all the time, but it almost never translates into an actual real-world product. What this does show is Amazon’s ambitions for its drones. For the company, this isn’t a joke or a marketing stunt, but a very real possibility.
Drone Delivery Success
The plans to deliver packages within 30-minutes by drone started out in the UK. Two hours north of London, in the Cambridge area, Richard Barnes became the first person to ever receive an Amazon package by drone as a part of Amazon’s test trial.
After putting in his purchase, a fulfillment center received it, then packaged up the items. The maximum weight their drones can carry is 5 lb, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but Amazon is quick to point out that 75% to 90% of its orders are under that limit. After Barnes’ order is packaged, the box is loaded onto a drone and taken via a track to the outside where the ship raises to nearly 400 ft. The drone then guides itself via GPS to his house and uses sense and avoid technology to detect the surroundings.
Since that trial in 2016, the drone’s design has changed, favoring a shape that better uses all of its propellers for movement. Tests are still being carried out in the UK and around the world. Better yet, the drones could be coming to America.
Drone Shipping in The US
Earlier this year, Amazon received federal approval to operate as a drone company in the United States. The drone company joined two others, Wing Aviation, owned by a Google parent company, and UPS Flight Forward.
Getting the OK from the FAA was not easy. Amazon had to prove its operations were safe. The drones are packed with three types of sensors: visual, thermal, and sonar. The sensors can detect when a person gets too close or within the landing zone and can even spot things as thin as a clothesline. Still, when we’re talking about an unmanned aerial vehicle, it’s not without risks.
In case of a catastrophic failure, another Amazon patent shows a drone breaking a part deliberately in the air, before a controlled collision into a tree. Yes, Amazon plans — at least on paper — to explode malfunctioning drones in the air and crash them into trees. The reasoning is if it’s going to crash, it’s better for it to crash in small pieces rather than one large chunk of metal. Another option is to rely on parachutes for the landing. The California startup Zipline uses this method to deliver life-saving blood supplies to rural areas in Rwanda.
Drone Infastructure
While Amazon continues to develop its technology to be safer, they have to figure out the logistics of making drone deliveries within a tight 30-minute window. Fulfillment centers are usually located on the outskirts of cities to accommodate their large size, but this is inconvenient for deliveries into large cities where a growing number of people live.
One solution is to construct different kinds of fulfillment centers that can be tucked into a downtown area. Amazon holds patents for several cylindrical and coned shaped buildings. These buildings would be almost like beehives with drones coming and going. These buildings could also act like a command center, similar to a flight tower at an airport.
Amazon’s drones can travel up to 15 miles before running out of power. Instead of heading back to the fulfillment center to replenish the battery, Amazon could charge their drones on a structure similar to a lamppost, where a drone can land and recharge. These lamp-like structures could also double as a pick-up and drop-off point for packages.
Amazon thinks this kind of set-up could extend to any tall structure like parking garages, church steeples, and cell towers. There are many options to consider. A combination of any or all of them could very well be used, although many regulatory hurdles exist.
If and when delivery drones take to the sky on a large scale, they will change our idea of delivery. We will no longer think in terms of days or hours, but minutes.
I mentioned that the company’s guiding philosophy is a focus on the customer, but there is another philosophy. At Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, Bezos named one of the buildings “Day One,” which reminds everyone to treat every day as the first day of a startup in order to work quickly and focus on results. If it’s day one at Amazon, then they’re just getting started.
|
https://medium.com/swlh/amazon-is-closer-to-30-minute-shipping-than-we-think-ef8827cb4ee
|
['Matt Stevenson']
|
2020-12-14 06:48:33.260000+00:00
|
['Technology', 'Amazon', 'Drones', 'Future', 'Tech']
|
Interview with the IRYO Network team
|
1) What problem are you solving, why do you need the blockchain technology and what are the main pillars that define your company and differentiate you from your competitors?
Wow, a lot to unpack here. OK, I think the first thing to say about Iryo is that we are healing the global e-healthcare industry that has been plagued by inefficient and incompatible technology solutions which in turn takes a toll on the development costs and eventually people’s lives. Iryo creates globally interoperable medical data with openEHR archetypes, allowing patients to take medical histories with them.
We are defined by openEHR archetypes to ensure globally interoperable health data with our unified medical records enabling the efficient exchange of patient data between subjects of trust. We also care deeply about your privacy and are securing the data with zero knowledge decentralized storage with the user being in control of its data at all times.
There are no passwords involved at any point, and doctors will not be able to view data if the request is denied. This presents a revolutionary change in the way that sensitive data is handled and assures total control and ownership by the patient.
Additionally, this type of 3rd party access request is view-only, the new doctor does not have permission to write any new data into the medical file or modify the existing data contained within the file, preventing any sort of tampering.
2) What value are you adding to your industry value chain and which are the main obstacles to the success of your solution?
We are not just another company that is using the blockchain as a buzzword while developing the products that contribute to current e-health industry problems. Our solution is offering decentralised approach with the patient actually being in charge of all the medical records it possesses.
Blockchain technology is being used as an access control mechanism, where the patient is using Iryo’s platform enables patients to leverage their medical data by allowing them to store their encrypted medical histories within the Iryo mobile app. The encryption presents a barrier for doctors that practice outside of the Iryo Network, however, with patient enabled permissions, doctors will be able to view and re-encrypt regardless of their network.
Proxy re-encryption powered by NuCypher, would enable doctors to generate a set of temporary, private & public keys through the Iryo portal. This would allow a view request that would be sent to the patient via an instantly generated QR code which the patient would then review and either approve or deny the request directly on his device. After approval by the patient, the doctor would be able to view the relevant sections of the patient’s medical record. After the session runs out (enforced by the issued blockchain access permissions), the re-encryption key gets wiped out, and storage nodes stop serving encrypted data to that specific source.
At the same time, we are adding value by offering Iryo network platform which is solving the problem of interoperability while offering an improved user experience.
3) Why did you decide to launch an ICO and why do you need a public Token Sale?
We have dedicated 80% of all tokens to go to the supporters. This means only 20% is reserved, with 5% of those 20% going to airdrops, another 5% going to private sale and 10% going to the team and advisors.
Public token sale is necessary to bootstrap the network and the community of the supporters to pull the massive change into reality. We want the development to be community supported which will guarantee open access and interoperability in the long run.
4) How does your token function within the platform and why is it needed? How did you decide the total supply and distribution among stakeholders?
There are three functions of the token, depending on the role the user is playing. The basic principle is that the user data is not uploaded to a third-party server, but is stored on a patient’s device. This enables the user to be in control of the data and can decide who can have access to it.
First usage of token is the payment for anonymized patient data which is requested by the researcher. The data is processed on the user device and the patients are rewarded for the data the researchers request. Second usage of the token is by the patient which he or she can use to pay for medical treatment in Iryo clinics. And third usage is a stake required by the health clinics which can then serve the patient data when the doctor is seeing them. The stake acts as a API key for institution software to access and become the storage node in the decentralised network.
The revolutionary approach secures the data on a patient’s device and the tokens are used to pay for the data and allow access to it. The total supply was decided upon careful market analysis and the plans for the development of Iryo network along with the process of onboarding.
As far as the distribution goes, we wanted Iryo to be a true community-based project which is why 85% of all the tokens are allocated to the community (airdrop, presale and crowdsale). Only 10% is reserved for the team and business development and 5% for the private sale.
5) Where do you see the value of your token in the medium to long term and the ultimate benefit for the token holders?
The value depends on the role the user is playing and is described in the previous answer. The greatest benefit of the Iryo token is the creation of e-health medical ecosystem where all of the aforementioned communities (patients, researchers, doctors) can benefit from it. This greatly increases the token usability and with it the value of it since it can be used for everything from paying for medical examinations to paying for anonymized medical data.
6) Thinking about the future, what are your plans after ending the ICO? Are you afraid that the volatility of the cryptocurrency market might affect the economy of your project in any way?
The first version of the Network will be deployed in refugee camps throughout the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon in the beginning of May. The platform will be piloted by the Walk With Me organisation (run by the non-profit organization Tying Vines, Inc.), an NGO that has close to 6,000,000 displaced refugees that will be able to test the platform.
The deployment will feature a front-facing application for healthcare providers (doctors, nurses and administrators), a secure and distributed storage protocol and a patient app for Android that will enable efficient patient identification. The platform will cover different types of workflows and support healthcare data specifically for primary healthcare services. After gathering feedback and testing within the environment, Iryo will extend the network to Jordan in June, and then to four more countries by fall of 2018 (Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Djibouti).
You can see the whole roadmap here.
Speaking of market volatility, we believe our supporter understands the enormous burden we are trying to overcome with Iryo, which means that this is a long term investment. At the same time, we are seeing similar concepts being developed by Apple, Google and other internet giants which in the past have faced criticism about the handling of user data, sharing it without the users knowledge or permission.
With an ever growing rate of privacy related incidents which have roots in treating personal data as a toxic asset, we foresee an expanding demand for privacy-based digital solutions. That means Iryo will provide a service in high demand, already proven on different international markets.
|
https://medium.com/crypto-unveil/interview-with-the-iryo-network-team-116eec6ebf1a
|
['Crypto Unveil']
|
2018-04-05 14:13:01.736000+00:00
|
['ICO', 'Token Sale', 'Blockchain', 'Ico Interviews', 'Healthcare']
|
Political Illusions
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Political Illusions
The demand for a populist leader
Photo by roya ann miller on Unsplash
Is it not strange how
A political party can present itself
As the party of the downtrodden,
The minority ethnicity and the working class.
Yet still be subservient to the will of the elites.
Wall Street and Silicon Valley donations,
The engine that keeps it running.
I think it is stranger even
When their solution to their base’s problem
Is to try and deceive them,
By making it appear that they are being more progressive,
Installing coloured faces
In some cabinet positions.
Yes, that signals true change is coming.
It is being more progressive,
To diversify political offices,
But I ask does anything really change
When the only thing progressive about them is their skin-tone?
Pro-corporate views define their resume.
I think the populace will see through these distractions,
The illusion that meaningful change is coming
And with time they may lose those voters.
I think what the past four years have shown
Is the desire for a populist leader,
Someone willing to stand up against the ruling powers,
Tax the rich and use the money to pay for healthcare,
More jobs and all the rest of the masses’ wishes.
Is that not what Trump ran on?
Granted he did not come through with many of those promises,
But I think the rift is clearly visible.
That there is a desire for a populist party,
Right or left
Can swing either way.
If this elect administration
Takes this rift for granted,
Their counterparts might jump in and grab it,
For right wing populism is equally as effective.
Tax the rich and build a wall,
Keeping all those immigrants out that will take your jobs.
|
https://medium.com/resistance-poetry/political-illusions-39c7b73164df
|
[]
|
2020-12-06 16:54:12.354000+00:00
|
['Politics', 'Progressivism', 'Poetry', 'Populism', 'Resistance Poetry']
|
Welcome to KidFloor, Your Enforced Meditation Space
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Relax…you’ll be here a while.
Photo by Eileen lamb from Pexels
When the sun has gotten low on the horizon — or you’ve decided to close the blackout curtains at 5 pm — it’s time to find some inner peace on a horizontal surface located in one of our KidFloor Meditation Zones.
We have many locations, but we encourage each of our KidFloor proprietors to put their own unique spin on the space. The age and personality of your KidFloor’s owner may vary according to such factors as “I think I hear thunder,” “that scary dog barked at me yesterday,” or “you were on my brother’s floor last night and it’s MY TURN.”
When you first arrive at KidFloor, you’ll find a number of supplies you can use to enhance the comfort of your meditation space. These supplies may include a crumpled Disney Princess dress you can use to cushion your head, as well as a forgotten and slightly damp towel discarded after bathtime that may keep you warm beneath the fan that must always be on.
We encourage you to be savvy in selecting a floor location. The ideal spot will permit the proprietor to know you are in the space, but will also require the proprietor to actually sit up or move in order to see you. Bonus points if the location allows surreptitious use of your smartphone without the proprietor insisting on another viewing of Baby Shark.
The beauty of KidFloor is its unpredictability. Will you be here for twenty minutes? An hour? Two? No one knows. The arc of time bends and wobbles as you contemplate eternity, berate yourself for allowing consumption of two pudding cups at dinnertime, and wonder which horizontal movement out of the room will avoid the tell-tale creaking of joints that trigger our proprietors to check on you.
The commando crawl is low enough to keep you out of sight, but the dragging sound is a dead giveaway. Infant-style crawling puts too much weight on the squeaky part of the floor right outside the bedroom door. Are they asleep yet? Will they hear?
Better give it another twenty minutes.
KidFloor gives you the time and silence you need to think about life’s big questions while you work on your breathing. Pull air in deeply through your nose (you were hopefully smart enough to find a location sufficiently distant from the Diaper Genie), and exhale slowly through your mouth at a volume just loud enough to provide reassurance of your presence to your proprietor.
Gaze with beatific calmness at the glow-in-the-dark stars pasted on the ceiling and notice that dark patch on the ceiling vent. Is that mold? Is there mold in the HVAC system? What if it’s toxic? Is there a mold-identification guide on the web that you could use to figure out — maybe look for remediation companies and should you maybe paint? How about new paint? You like beach colors…maybe you should start looking for beach colors…the proprietor seems to be out cold, so just take out your phone…
Nope! All of our KidFloor proprietors are expertly trained to redirect your barreling train of thought right back to important questions like “Where does poop come from?” and “Can we go poop right now?” and “Can I watch Baby Shark?” until you reconsider your foolish determination to get things done during important meditation time.
Now settle back down, fluff up that princess dress, and get comfy. Welcome to KidFloor!
|
https://audreyburges.medium.com/welcome-to-kidfloor-your-enforced-meditation-space-ff42da053746
|
['Audrey Burges']
|
2020-02-10 03:17:21.333000+00:00
|
['Humor', 'Parenting', 'Satire', 'Family']
|
America’s Stealth Drone Posed in Guam
|
America’s Stealth Drone Posed in Guam
Air Force photo depicts RQ-170 at Pacific air base
by DAVID AXE
The U.S. Air Force doesn’t say much about its radar-evading RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone—the batwing robot that news photographers first spotted at an airfield in Afghanistan in 2007.
But a close reading of the scant info the flying branch has made public helps us fill in the gaps. We can assert that the Sentinel is a regular visitor to the sprawling Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, from where the flying branch and the Navy keep a close eye on China and North Korea.
War Is Boring obtained a heavily-redacted copy of Air Combat Command’s official history for 2011. Censors removed the entire entry for the RQ-170 … but left the grainy header photo.
The image, reproduced at top and below, might seem generic, but in fact it includes one very revealing detail. In the distance behind the drone is a distinctive structure.
That structure is Andersen’s aircraft maintenance hangar, which Burns & McDonnell, along with Black Construction Company, built for the Navy in 2005. The huge, 51,000-square-foot building “provides maintenance and reliable shelter to B-1B, B-2, B-52, KC-135, F-22 and other aircraft that cannot be flown off the island before a typhoon,” according to Burns & McDonnell’s Website.
It’s safe to say the RQ-170 is another occasional resident.
Now, we don’t know when the Air Force took the photo of the drone with the hangar in the background. But it seems likely that the official historians would choose a recent and relevant photo to illustrate the official recap of the RQ-170’s activities in 2011.
And that tells us that drone was probably back in Guam two years after its apparent first visit.
According to Air Combat Command’s 2009 history—also heavily redacted—the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron, normally based in Nevada, deployed at least one Sentinel to Andersen from Jan. 15 to Feb. 16, 2009.
In August 2009, U.S. Pacific Command issued a “concept of operations” document, or CONOP, meant to establish the methods and goals of flying RQ-170s in the Pacific. It’s possible the drone’s winter visit to Guam helped planners write the CONOP.
Concept document in hand, it would make sense for the Air Force to send Sentinels back to Andersen on a regular basis. The flying branch spies intensively on China, using a large fleet of sophisticated manned surveillance planes—at least one of which is at a U.S. airfield near Chinese territory any given day of the year.
Andersen is also a staging base for recon and bomber flights near North Korea. The RQ-170’s possible Guam visits are particularly interesting in light of the bomber rotations.
In October 2012, the Air Force paired a Sentinel with a B-2 stealth bomber for an important test in New Mexico. The B-2 dropped a 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb designed to destroy deeply-buried bunkers—the kind North Korea builds to protect its commanders and weapons.
Meanwhile, the RQ-170 flew overhead to assess the results of the trial attack run—a clear indication that the Air Force plans to send the stealth bomber and stealth drone into combat together.
Potentially launching from Guam.
|
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/americas-stealth-drone-posed-in-guam-13573f5579b8
|
['War Is Boring']
|
2017-03-05 02:30:55.347000+00:00
|
['Wib Air', 'Drones']
|
10 Things I Am Grateful For This Year
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Book Cover Designed by Retna Media
Let’s all do a global exhalation.
We can all agree, I think, that 2020 was the year for all of us to walk through the fire. Many did not make it to the other side due to COVID, job loss, mental health, suicide, and so much more. For those of us who are still standing, lean purposely into gratitude.
Now, is the time to re-event ourselves, upgrade our skills, work on our relationships, reassess our careers, and overall make better life choices.
As many of us have observed or experienced, there are lots to rebuild from the ground up.
First, start with gratitude:
I am grateful to have been able to connect deeply with family, friends, and colleagues. I am grateful for the essential workers, may their sacrifices and hard work never be forgotten. I am grateful for acts of kindness. I am grateful to be able to create and learn. I am grateful to know my strengths and weaknesses. I am grateful for all the truth(s) revealed. I am grateful for all blessings seen and unseen. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful to live in this present time. I am grateful for how love shows up in my life.
**BONUS- I am grateful for national and global reckoning around inequality and racism. **
|
https://medium.com/@hmudangelo/10-things-i-am-grateful-for-this-year-388ba954efb8
|
["D'Angelo Thompson"]
|
2020-12-23 15:52:49.783000+00:00
|
['Gratitude', 'Yoga Breathing', '2020', 'Covid 19', 'Authors']
|
Naked Mole Rat Documentary
|
Prompts = Tunnel, Share, Chime
‘Are we ready to start? As previously discussed, no lights please; we don’t want to disturb the rest of the colony. Sorry — what’s that? You can’t see? Haven’t developed your tunnel vision yet, have you?’
‘We’re taping? Ok. Hi and welcome to Mole Rat Colony 33. My name is Barry and I want to share with you, courtesy of this BBC documentary film crew, what life is like here. And we’re also live-streaming, so just chime in with questions — I’m happy to answer them.
‘Do we get good reception? Yes — we’ve been wired for years. Let me show you…’
Links to other sites where I publish:
Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/one_hundred_words_by_parz
Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/Parzival-Sattva-427507144484255
Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva
And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess
Join in on the fun of making a story from the same prompts I do! https://www.facebook.com/groups/565109053911712
|
https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories/naked-mole-rat-documentary-907ea37381e9
|
['Parzival Sattva']
|
2020-12-14 09:32:00.599000+00:00
|
['Flash Fiction', 'Microfiction', 'Documentary', 'Naked Mole Rat', '100wordstory']
|
Describing Personas
|
All four of the descriptions above are meant to bring the persona to life. But are they meaningful enough for you to imagine new approaches for the college system, unhampered by existing solutions?
“[Personas] clearly illustrate the problem space you’re dealing with and the people whose lives you’ll affect … to all stakeholders, including the design team.” Andrea Resmini
I urged people in a tweet to try rewriting their personas without reference to demographics. Demographics can cause assumptions, shortcuts in thinking, and subconscious stereotypes by team members.
What the tweet didn’t clarify was don’t throw out the persona itself — if it’s based on solid research. Keep the well-researched persona and replace those demographic descriptions with descriptions of the underlying reasoning. Reasoning rarely conforms to demographic lines. (I’ll show some exceptions below.)
The descriptions for Kailee and Anthony contain photos, ages, location, statements-of-fact, explanations, preferences, and experiences with the tools the college offers. In contrast, the descriptions for A Better Life and Casey feature inner thoughts, reactions, and guiding principles for their larger intents and purposes.
To actually bring a description to life, to actually develop empathy, you need the deeper, underlying reasoning behind the preferences and statements-of-fact. You need the reasoning, reactions, and guiding principles. A Better Life and Casey descriptions contain the deeper concepts. They are personas that resulted from one of the studies I did for the Kentucky Community & Technical College System.
The context of this particular study was understanding what goes through people’s minds as they pursue college from difficult circumstances, recruited from within a low-income bracket. Recruiting is where demographics are useful. (The photos for Kailee and Anthony are from the KCTCS website.)
My tweet started a good discussion on Twitter, as far as 140 character discussions go. I have captured much of it below and hope for additional comments and input here.
“Do you advocate using neutral names (like “Pat”) or just de-emphasizing gender? Names are helpful for communication.” Jared Faris “Gender, at least, is awkward NOT to talk about in scenarios, unless gender-neutral pronouns someday become the norm.” Kim Goodwin
Casey was named Stand Up for Others in the KCTCS study, but for this essay I wanted to demonstrate that you could use a neutral name if you prefer. The gender neutral pronoun “they” is catching on in English, so you can experiment with that. Or you can write your descriptions in first person, which is what I do to facilitate the act of walking in someone’s shoes. And there are reasons for purposely adding a demographic like gender to your description, which I will mention below.
Statements-of-fact, preferences, and demographics frequently serve as distracting barriers. They kick off all kinds of subconscious reactions in team members minds. For instance, phrases such as “low-income,” “single mother,” and “good at math” mean something to you because of your own life experience, people you know, and things you’ve read. It takes extra mental effort to get out from under what you already think in response to these phrases. Additionally, the phrases represent what is important to your organization in terms of its direction. “How can we attract more low-income students? Or single mothers?” Your ideas will derive from the existing frame of thinking. It will limit your creativity.
“I agree that people put all sorts of irrelevant crap into their personas. It dilutes their credibility. … Demographics are seldom necessary when it comes to designing structure and flow.” Kim Goodwin
In the stories I gathered for the study, I noticed that no one described themselves as “low-income.” They didn’t dance around the topic of money, but their stories were about bigger aims than money itself: A solid future. More opportunity. If you know what’s important to the people, instead of what’s important to you and your organization, then you can dream up much more powerful support for them.
When you get caught up in demographics, other issues also arise. Kailee and Anthony both describe the same group. They exemplify the tendency I’ve seen for teams to make demographically different versions of the same thinking style. The thinking style they both represent is pursuing college in order to make a difference for other people, which is described above as Casey. A double representation of the same group, such as Kailee and Anthony, causes unnecessary consideration by teams during ideation and design. The demographics don’t require different offerings or features in the context of this college system. In fact, the participants in the study who catalyzed the patterns for Casey were different ages, ranging from 17 to 33. They were various genders and ethnicity.
Personas Enable Cognitive Empathy
There are a few more things that came up in discussion about the ideas in my tweet.
Don’t Ditch the Qualifiers
“You are suggesting … to hide away qualifiers. Anything that we articulate contains a degree of bias: if you need to combat it, it needs to be made visible … explicit conversational checkpoints that have to be discussed … defused / counteracted and used to increase the complexity of whatever is being produced.” Andrea Resmini
Andrea has a good point — part of the usefulness of personas is to force discussion around things that are often unnoticed or uncomfortable to address. I agree that these qualifiers are important in this role as conversational checkpoints. I wish to describe the qualifiers more explicitly in terms of the underlying thinking, rather than describing them with shorthand references to things like age. There are times when age might be necessary as a descriptor, but I hope teams will try harder to get at what’s driving the behavior.
I sometimes make a further suggestion to client teams who have years of experience working directly (via research) with the diversity of the people their organization supports. I suggest they abandon “persona” (a representation of a person) and replace it with “behavioral audience segment” (a representation of a group). (Note: I have begun calling these “thinking styles” to emphasize that a person can change to a different group based on context or experience.)This change allows those qualified teams to get away from names and photos. I don’t suggest this for everyone.
Note: “Behavioral audience segment” is the name I use, although there may be a better one. In its defense, Susan Weinschenk uses “behavioral science” to mean what I am trying to represent. And “audience segment” is a common way to express a group an organization is focused on.
Anti-Empathy on the Team
I have seen a kind of anti-empathy occur on some teams who demographically relate to one description and subconsciously dismiss the other descriptions.
“One client used a photo of a young blonde-haired woman. That persona would get dismissed as ‘The Blonde.’” Sophie Dennis “I work 99% of my time in an international environment, and can tell you that there’s no end to personal, unintentional, sometimes deeply-rooted bias.” Andrea Resmini
I worked with the UX team at an airline over the course of 15 months. We did 10 studies and found patterns for day-of-travel personas. One of the day-of-travel personas we found was initially called The Grumbler. I was uncomfortable with this name, but agreed to adopt it because the team all thought it was memorable and descriptive. However, one day a team member dissed The Grumbler as a person who had a mal-adjusted attitude toward life. At that point I said to the team, “The name of this persona has to be one that the members of this group would be proud to use to describe themselves in the context of a travel day.” It has to be a description the people who are represented would embrace. So we went back over the transcripts and found a common way people described themselves: frustrated. We changed the name of this group to The Frustrated. It took some time for the stereotype of a grumbling, mal-adjusted person to go away. I kept telling team members that one day, on one trip, they themselves might suddenly become The Frustrated. In order to avoid thinking of yourself as superior or biased toward any persona, be careful with the names and descriptions. Make choices based on your team and stakeholders.
“Assumptions and bias exist in the team. Diverse teams is the solution.” Giles Colborne “[personas] only work when everyone on the team has been in on the research.” Dana Chisnell “[personas] work best when co-researched and co-created.” Jeff Gothelf “Given that not everyone can conduct research, what is the best tool for sharing findings?” Peter Merholz “Or if there is turnover in design teams — a good way to carry research insights forward?” Kevin Hoffman “The best tool is exposure.” Jared Spool
Lack of Empathy on the Team
Sometimes lack of empathy takes other forms. For teams who have not been in contact with many people, or for teams whose own world does not mirror the diversity present in these people, then you’ll want to employ a trick.
The trick is to purposely add demographics to the description that are not common, in order to lift the team out of stereotypical assumptions that come along with using the demographics that have higher correlation.
“I use them to challenge assumptions.” Anne Gibson “Use it to challenge assumptions. E.g. for low digital skills, use someone younger, not the lazy 60+ stereotype.” Sophie Dennis “Demographics sure _imply_ values/attitudes/aptitudes. When chosen consciously, they’re great mythbusters for stereotypes.” Petteri Hiisilä “Photos are badly done at least half the time … but the right set of photos can help the (often very male and white) team remember that the whole user base doesn’t look like what they expect.” Kim Goodwin
So for a persona representing a style of thinking that distrusts digital communications because of privacy issues, because it adds to the load of thing in their daily life, and because it just isn’t necessary, try choosing a 35-year-old mother of two young kids — so long as that demographic does exist. Her reasoning for not having an email account or social media is the same as certain 75-year-old males reasoning. While older people probably correlate more to this line of reasoning, using a younger person will help keep the team focused on the thinking, not the demographic.
Think Carefully About Exceptions
There are some instances where using a demographic is appropriate. These instances have to do with how people react or reason based on what they are seeing about a person — usually fraught with assumptions.
Discrimination Exceptions
If you are studying the way people think when they are facing discrimination, then of course my tweet is completely inapplicable. Discrimination is based on perceiving these demographics, so the demographics cause the thinking when a person is in such a situation. (Context is key to your personas, and I write more about it later on.)
Age Exceptions
Speaking of age, it seems to be the qualifier that people most often cite as something that causes behavior or causes a style of thinking. In most cases this assumption is wrong — aging does bring different life events with it, but it doesn’t necessarily cause a change in underlying guiding principles, reasoning, or reactions. Experiences over decades might influence a change in guiding principles. Physiological changes in the body might cause different reactions and decision-making. But simply taking another trip around the sun does not. What’s at issue is the meaning of the word “age.”
“I think it’s curious that you would frame age as a personal characteristic. Age the number, or age the phase?” Yerbasuena
So often, age is stated numerically. I hope teams will change this to a description. Indeed, a “phase of life” might work, or a physiological or health description, or a life event. I like to work in the underlying reasoning wherever possible. Don’t ignore age, but don’t describe it using numbers.
“Except physical limitations are a huge factor. Example a 90 year old whose digital acuity is a big obstacle for using iphone.” Fellene Gaylord “That has nothing to do with age. It has to do with physical ability. Many 90-year-olds can operate an iPhone fine.” Jared Spool “True. But they will use it differently than a youngster with limited digital dexterity. Why not study that?” Fellene Gaylord
Describe what you’re seeing in your data with the philosophy, approach, intent. A person who is 25 with motor difficulty in their fingers has same problem hitting buttons. The aforementioned 35-year-old mother who doesn’t have a need for email or social media is a good example of guiding principles and reasoning.
“New parents vs. near-retirees have clearly different needs in a financial planning tool.” Kim Goodwin
The wording “new parents” and “near-retirees” are good descriptions to use in place of numbers when in the context of financial planning for the next two decades. A “new parent” and a “near-retiree” might both be 40 years old. What’s more influential in terms of supporting them with financial planning tools is their guiding principles and reactions. So taking it one level deeper, depending on the data patterns, you might end up with “near-retiree who confidently looks forward to the next two decades, with spending plans that allow for the things they want to do” versus “near-retiree who is worried about making financial ends meet” versus “near-retiree who intends to do a little belt-tightening and worries how it will affect lifestyle and happiness.”
There is a big exception for youth, at least in terms of understanding the underlying reasoning and guiding principles. In my experience, young people have a hard time explaining their thinking because many haven’t really developed or examined these underlying thoughts. The listening sessions I have conducted with people in their late teens have frequently met with difficulty in these regards, although not always. Deb Gelman probably has more to say on this, since my experience is fairly limited.
Gender Exceptions
“Will anything you’ve included [in the persona description] reinforce unhelpful assumptions about this population? The person shopping for that minivan could be a dad just as easily as a mom.” Kim Goodwin
If you are about to say, “And most commonly actually is the dad,” then ask yourself why you want to say that. The correlation between gender and who actually does the shopping for the minivan is unimportant. What is more helpful to your organization is understanding how one set of thinking patterns shows, for example, the tendency to make trade-offs in a purchase decision (“if the price is right, then I will choose the minivan with the higher safety record” or “among all minivans with the highest safety records, given a certain price range, which one has the best maintenance record?”) versus the willingness to wait until all the criteria are met completely. So why bother with the gender correlation in this case?
Why report the numbers by gender and age? While this airline is stabbing around in the dark for correlations, why not look at price paid for the ticket, number of days between outbound and return flights, or number of alcoholic drinks ordered on board or in the lounge? Quit stabbing around altogether and go gather actual knowledge about what people are thinking when they check bags.
Additionally, be careful about the context of your persona. If it’s about a purchase decision, that’s different than the use of a minivan, or even possibly different from the decision to get a car and to have that car be a minivan. (I talk about context and scoping a little later.)
There are a couple of exceptions to use gender, of course. Physiological differences in bodies in the realm of healthcare cause different behavior. There are health and illness correlations that run along gender lines. Hormones can influence actions and styles of thinking. Take this into account if your are creating personas for healthcare or something related to physiological aspects.
Gender in different cultures can affect behavior. If I were working with a client exploring a gender-divided culture, I would still want to dive into the guiding principles and reasoning behind it all. I would still want to describe it using those attributes. Depending on the team I’m working with, I might call attention to it with purposeful gender description. But the majority of the description would focus on the thinking style.
Ethnicity Exceptions
Again, it’s the definition of a word, “ethnicity,” that is at issue. If you define it as “pigmentation of skin, color of hair, and color and shape of eyes,” then it does not cause differences in behavior or thinking or guiding principles. (Unless you’re studying discrimination or something similar.) If you define it as “culture,” then probably. What does your data indicate? Concepts your parents teach you form your guiding principles. What your society approves and disapproves can affect your reasoning, reactions, and decision-making. So maybe for your context, differences are important to describe. But try to describe them in terms of guiding principles, reactions, and reasoning. Not everyone within a given culture thinks the same way.
When I see ethnicity highlighted in a persona, usually it is done shallowly, as skin-color, and is used as a head-nod toward diversity. What are your real reasons for highlighting skin color? You could use it if these reasons have roots in culture, affecting thinking in the context of your study. Or the reason could be because the team needs reminding that everyone doesn’t come from the same guiding principles and reasoning as themselves. Or maybe there’s a guideline in the protocol at your organization that requires it. There are reasons to mention it, but they are rare compared to the typical situations that I encounter.
Location Exceptions
I’ll see personas with city of residence listed. There might be reasons to list a location if proximity to the coast or mountains or desert influence behavior within the context of what your organization is trying to support. Or access to natural resources. Or tropical or freezing climates. Or natural hazards. It’s all relative to your context.
“I’d argue location is necessary to avoid defaulting to western / urban / class cultural assumptions, but can fall into stereotype easily if you’re not careful.” Barry Saunders “I think … only include of affects behaviour or motivation. So e.g. urban v. rural could be relevant.” Sophie Dennis “Urban/suburban/rural can matter, in terms of resources available.” Laura Creekmore
These examples would all be subject to the same metric: do they relate to your context? If you are supporting people who are growing vegetables or teaching class in an open air building in a rural area, yes perhaps the rural location would affect the thinking and approach of different personas. If you are supporting people who are tracking wild animals or filming a wilderness adventure, the environment would affect the thinking and decision-making. What’s the thinking when weather threatens to affect equipment or food supply? What’s the thinking on energy sources and recharging? There are all sorts of ways to approach these things. Additionally, the thinking and decision-making within one context, e.g. wilderness filming, would still form into different patterns representing different personas. The environment does not equal the persona. Reference the environment as you describe aspects of the reasoning, reactions, and guiding principles for each persona.
The Grand Exception
When doing this kind of research, I am cognizant of the fact that it’s a situation where an organization is seeking to support an audience segment. I have not had experience doing this kind of research in situations where it’s an artist — someone (like a chef or a jewelry maker, or perhaps even a news organization) is creating something for their own reasons. To create beauty, to thrill people, to get a message out. An audience forms who admires this created body of work. I think this situation is different enough from the support scenario that it merits calling out.
Empathizing without a Face?
Using a photo on a person requires that you choose demographics. But without a face, how can the team empathize? Empathy was one major concern that people voiced in the twitter discussion. Here’s a sampling of these voices:
“If you removed all those things, what would be left would not be a persona.” Charles Lambdin “What’s left would no longer be a persona. Personas use specifics to generate empathy.” Jeff Chausse “… seems hard to empathize with a list of attributes.” Mark Montri “I see your point, but personas without gender and age will make it hard to empathize.” Jörg Linder “But do you have a persona at all without such characteristics? An abstract bunch of data is harder to relate to. … personal characteristics in personas are a feature to enable us to relate to users.” John Wood
If you infer from my tweet that demographics would be replaced by lists of data, these concerns would indeed be valid. But the examples in this essay demonstrate that I am replacing demographics with the inner thinking which enables stronger development of empathy.
Cognitive empathy requires not a face, not preferences and demographics, but the underlying reasoning, reactions, and guiding principles. Without these you cannot develop empathy. And if you cannot develop empathy, you cannot wield it — you cannot walk in someone’s shoes. (I speak about the differences between and uses of emotional empathy and cognitive empathy in this Creative Mornings talk on Empathy.)
“Ok I think I’m seeing it now. Hard to do *and* keep the familiar/quick ref nature, but worth the effort.” Ant Miller
Context, Context, Context
“The point of personas is empathy, and you can’t empathize with a generality. Specificity matters.” Peter Merholz
Scope and context are paramount to your personas. A persona that attempts to represent every aspect of a person overall is pretty much useless.
This tweet is such a fun example of this that I had to screenshot it.
If you are exploring this teenager’s study habits and thinking that went into preparing for the last few maths tests she took, perhaps your philosophies might be similar. In terms of the context of studying, the scope of the last few maths tests, you might both be diligent about studying for several days before the test and feel slightly sick to your stomach in anticipation on test day. If your thinking matches along these lines, you’d both belong to the same persona.
Personas don’t work as generalizations; they need specific context. This is because personas aren’t meant for overall uses — they’re meant for ideation and designing solutions within a specific scope that your organization is concerned with this month or quarter.
When I worked with the airline team, we saw another example of this with our day-of-travel personas. When some people traveled on business, they belonged to one persona, but when they took their family on vacation, they switched to another persona. Some people switched personas after certain experiences. A person is human, and humans don’t remain exactly the same all the time, unswayed by mood or circumstances. Which might seem frustrating when you’re trying to capture the idea of someone in a persona … so that’s why you narrow down the context to a certain situation and focus the scope on what goes through peoples minds as they move toward a particular intent or purpose.
This means you will have several sets of personas within one organization. When I started working with them, the airline had an existing set of personas around the context of purchase decisions. We created the set of personas around day-of-travel. They were working on personas around deciding whether to take a flight or achieve the intent some other way. And we had enough data for me to create some personas within the context of checking bags.
If you can embrace the ambiguity that you will never be able to pin down humans in a complete, concrete way, then you’re ready for the mindset that you’ll always be following new scopes over time and creating new personas as you get budget and interest from your stakeholders.
“The issue with abstract data is while you avoid being too specific, you risk getting too vague. You get the amazing elastic user.” John Wood
This risk is valid, and it’s why we need the context, the scope, and the inner reasoning, reactions, and guiding principles.
Easier Than You Think
As you went over the examples in this essay, you might have had the sense that it would be fun to know a person this well. To talk to a person and get to this depth, as a part of your job, would be awesome. Or else you had a reaction along the lines that it would be a lot of work or take a lot of persuading.
It’s actually pretty easy.
It does require a different mindset. You need to slow down and try to understand what’s beneath what someone says by asking them. You can only get deeper by establishing trust and rapport. You also have to turn off the impulse to solve problems in your head as you hear about them. You have to let go of your product and your organization entirely because this isn’t about them, it’s about the person and what the person is aiming for in the greater scheme of things. And, all this is better to do by phone than in person. (In most cases.) You don’t need to see their artifacts or observe their behavior, because the knowledge you are after only exists in their minds.
This kind of information is collected in small studies, maybe 10–18 participants each. You don’t need to do it all the time — it is completely separate from your development cycle. You will never know everything about people, so you approach it like natural science and explore one little aspect at a time.
No, you cannot collect this kind of information via survey. There’s no way you could think up in advance all the possible ways people reason, react, and guide their decisions, in order to put them in checkbox format on a survey.
Update 2017: Notes on the Process of Discovering Thinking Styles
“Thinking styles” are my new label for behavioral audience segments by context. A person might follow one thinking style in one circumstance and another in a different circumstance. Thinking styles can change over time and with experience. For example, a passenger might have one thinking style when they’re with family v. a different thinking style when they’re alone on a business trip. I’m hoping the new label will help imply the flexibility inherent to human behavior.
I use the listening session data (transcripts) to come up with the thinking styles, but I use it in a way that’s 90-degrees different than how I pull the patterns together to create a mental model diagram (the top part of an Opportunity Map).
Here’s what I do:
1. After each listening session, I spend 20–30 minutes writing a paragraph in first person, present tense, to summarize salient points of the way my participant (myself, since I’m writing in first person–putting myself in their shoes) approaches/reasons through the subject at hand. (The subject is the scope of the study, never stated in terms of the offering/solution, but in terms of the larger purpose. “Take care of my clothes” instead of “do the laundry.”)
2. I go through the transcripts highlighting certain concepts–the reasoning, reactions, and guiding principles of the larger purpose. (This is the point when I often synthesize patterns across participants to create the diagram, but it isn’t required for making thinking-styles.) Now I have a deep understanding of each person.
3. Re-read each paragraph from step one, holding the work I did in step 2 in mind.
4. Write down the “universals,”–concepts that everyone or lots of the participants have in common. This will be the list of things to ignore in the next step, when inevitably the team and I fall into the rut of discussing things everyone does.
5. Consider whether any of the participants seem to have reasoning, reactions, and guiding principles that stand out from any of the other participants. I look for concepts that seem unique. Then I see if any of the other participants can hook into this uniqueness in a similar way, thus diluting the true uniqueness to a theme that two or more participants can have in common. These become the nucleus of a “thinking style.”
6. This step is a loop: I look for whether each participant can fit into a nucleus thinking style, and if not, I loop back to number 5 and choose a different “unique” hook. It takes a few tries, but within 4 tries or so I have some thinking styles that every participant fits into.
7. I write a paragraph description of each thinking style in first person, present tense, highlighting what makes this approach different. I also refer to some of the common concepts here, just for detail. I name each thinking style, and go over every word to make sure it’s something that someone from this group would say about themselves.
8. I test out the thinking styles by approaching people with the descriptions and ask which one they feel describes them. I approach participants, sometimes, too. I end up tweaking the descriptions to be even better. Every once in a while I end up getting rid of a thinking style no one seems to gravitate toward, or I merge two descriptions.
9. I do this again with the next study for the same organization, starting with step 1, to see if I come up with something similar. With subsequent studies along similar scopes, it’s more a matter of seeing if participants easily fall into a thinking style or not.
An example will appear in my next book, to help clarify what this looks like.
Notes
To learn how listening sessions are different than interviews (and more fun and easier):
I have heard of a few other people supporting the same concept as Thinking Styles. Two such people are mentioned on the Hidden Brain podcast episode 28 about discrimination in peer-to-peer transactions. (The Hidden Brain is about human behavior and is hosted by Shankar Vedantam, a social science correspondent.) The first example is a team from University of Tulsa and the Harvard Business School who wrote a chrome app called Debias Yourself. It removes photos and names from social profiles, which research says are things that facilitate discrimination. The second example comes from Raj Ghoshal, a sociologist at Goucher College, who says we should emphasize information about more applicable things in our designs, like living habits, cultural identities, what time you get up and go to bed, and your level of messiness. He says that leading with race and name, which are such a powerful signals, causes unconscious discrimination.
|
https://medium.com/inclusive-software/describing-personas-af992e3fc527
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['Indi Young']
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2020-08-13 02:58:12.016000+00:00
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['Correlation Vs Causation', 'Thinking Styles', 'Personas', 'Product Management', 'UX Research']
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JavaScript Antipatterns — Globals and Variables
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Photo by Dhiva Krishna on Unsplash
JavaScript lets us do a lot of things. It’s sometimes too forgiving in its syntax.
In this article, we’ll look at some antipatterns that we should avoid when we write JavaScript code, including the avoidance of global variables.
Writing Maintainable Code
We got to write maintainable code to save us time when changing code.
Messy code is impossible to read and work with.
Even if we can do something with them, we’ll create bugs easily.
Minimizing Globals
We got to minimize the use of global variables.
This means that we shouldn’t create any global variables ourselves and we just use the ones that are built into the browser.
To avoid creating global variables, we should have strict mode on.
Strict mode is on for modules by default. And we can use the 'use strict' directive to turn it on for scripts.
We can put that anywhere in scripts, but we should put that at the top so that it applies to the whole script.
With strict mode on, we can’t write things like:
x = 1;
to create the global variable x .
However, even with a strict mode on, we can still attach properties to the window property to create global variables.
To avoid that, we just don’t write things like:
window.x = 1;
We just don’t want to deal with them as they can be changed anywhere so it’s hard to trace.
Also, their names can easily conflict.
The Problem with Globals
Global variables are shared by all scripts.
They live in the global namespace and are used not only by our own scripts but also 3rd party libraries, ads scripts, analytics scripts, etc.
To avoid creating global variables, we should use the let or const keywords.
Variables and constants created with them are block-scoped so that they’re only available within a block.
So we can write:
let x = 1;
const y = 2;
and we won’t create global variables.
We also don’t want to write things like:
let x = y = 1;
since y would be a global variable while x is block-scoped.
The assignment is always evaluated right to left.
Side Effects When Forgetting let or const
If we forgot let or const , we’ll create global variables.
Access to the Global Object
The global object can be accessed with the window object in the browser.
However, we can create a function to access the global object in any context by writing:
const global = (function () { return this; }());
At the top level, this is the global object.
So when we run that, global will be assigned to the window object in the browser.
This is because we didn’t invoke the function with the new keyword. Rather, we just called it directly.
Single let or const Pattern
let or const can be used to declare multiple variables and constants as follows:
let x = 1,
y = 2,
z = 3;
or we can write:
const x = 1,
y = 2,
z = 3;
They’ll all be let or const , so it’s different from chain assignments that we saw before.
It’s also great for assigning a property from the previous item to another variable.
For instance, we can write:
const el = document.querySelector("body"),
style = el.style;
We have the body DOM object assigned to el and then el.style is assigned to style all in one line.
Photo by Olav Tvedt on Unsplash
Hoisting
We only have to worry about hosting when we use var to declare variables.
Hoisting is where the variable is available before it’s assigned.
Only the variable is available, but its value isn’t.
That’s just confusing, so it’s one reason that we shouldn’t use var .
Conclusion
There’re a few ways to write maintainable JavaScript code.
We should avoid global variables as much as possible.
Also, we should use let or const to declare variables and constants respectively.
If we really need global variables, we can access it safely by using a function.
We can also a property of a variable or constant that’s been assigned to the variable after if we use a comma to write multiple assignments.
|
https://medium.com/swlh/javascript-antipatterns-globals-and-variables-ec6229793b37
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['John Au-Yeung']
|
2020-06-04 15:46:41.134000+00:00
|
['JavaScript', 'Software Development', 'Programming', 'Technology', 'Web Development']
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All you need to know about Bluehost
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Bluehost started in 1996 and steadily grew to become one of the largest web hosting companies in the world. It now powers more than 2 million websites from all over the world. It has become the largest brand name when it comes to WordPress hosting. They are an official ‘WordPress’ recommended hosting provider. With Bluehost, you never have to worry about your website being slow even when there is a lot of traffic.
Their 24/7 expert support is always there to help when you need it by phone, email, or live chat. They are rated #1 in web hosting for small businesses. On top of that, they are offering WordPress Beginner users an exclusive 63% off discount, a Free Domain, Free SSL, and a free Site Builder with templates.
Get Started with Bluehost
First, let’s see why Bluehost is the top choice;
Pricing: Their hosting plans are well within the reach of most users, particularly those who are just starting out.
Their hosting plans are well within the reach of most users, particularly those who are just starting out. Reliability: They power a large number of websites with minimum downtime.
They power a large number of websites with minimum downtime. No hidden charges: There are no hidden fees when signing up for your account.
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Bluehost Performance Tests
The most important performance metric that you should look for is the speed. It not only affects user experience on your site, but it also affects your SEO rankings. Studies show that a 1-second drop in website speed can decrease your conversion rate by 7%. A 3-second delay can cost you 50% of your traffic.
Bluehost: Speed Test
For a faster website, you will need to choose a fast website hosting company. Keeping this in mind, we created a test site to see how fast Bluehost really is.
This test site was created using WordPress with the default Twenty Twenty theme. As you can see, our test site loads in less than two seconds.
The green line is the number of active virtual users on the site, and the blue line is the server load time. As you can see the server load remained stable throughout the test even at peak traffic.
This test indicates that if you are looking for a really fast website, then Bluehost can be a perfect fit for you.
Bluehost Server Response Time
As you can see Bluehost server in the US performed under the fraction of a second. In other locations, the response was a bit higher but still under less than a second.
In order to get a more accurate server response time, we used another tool called Bitcatcha. It allows you to test server response time without loading any data.
Bluehost Support and Customer Service
We all need help every now and then. It is really important that you choose a web hosting company that offers help and support when you need it.
Bluehost maintains a huge library of articles, step by step guides, and video tutorials as part of their extensive knowledge base. This is a huge help for beginners and most common issues can be quickly resolved by a simple search.
However, sometimes you may need to talk to an individual to get more help.
Bluehost offers a 24/7 support system where you can talk to their support team representatives using live chat or phone support. This is really helpful when you need quick help from technical support staff.
One thing that is missing is the ticket based support system. Bluehost recently decided to eliminate ticket-based support to focus on personal approach of live chat and phone-based support.
However, some users may still miss the ticket-based support system which is particularly good if your issue cannot be resolved in one live chat or phone session.
Breakdown of Bluehost’s Shared Hosting Plans
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Let’s take a look at what’s included in each plan.
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The basic plan only allows you to host one website. It hosts one domain and 25 subdomains, 50GB SSD storage, 5 email accounts of 100 MB storage for each account. For the first term you’ll pay $2.75 per month. When you renew the account, you’ll have to pay $8.99 per month. Plus: The Plus plan includes unlimited websites with unlimited web space and bandwidth. You’ll also get unlimited email accounts. The price for the first term starts from $4.95 per month. When you renew the account, you’ll have to pay $11.99 per month.
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The Choice Plus plan includes all features of plus plan. You will also get free domain privacy, and automated daily backups powered by Code Guard as extras worth over $80/year. The price for the first term is $5.45 per month. When renewing, you’ll have to pay $16.99 per month. Pro The Pro plan starts from $13.95 per month for the first term after that you’ll pay $23.99 per month. It includes all features of above plans + dedicated IP address.
If you are just starting your website, then you can select any of these plans. You can easily upgrade your hosting plan as your website grows.
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Is Bluehost the Right Choice for You?
After reading this review, you might be wondering if Bluehost is the right choice for your website?
Bluehost is often ranked #1 web hosting provider by many websites. They offer a wide range of hosting options with tons of features that help you easily build your website.
All their hosting plans include expert 24/7 customer support from knowledgeable staff.
Most importantly, they offer affordable starter plans that fit any budget requirement.
If you are just starting out, then you cannot go wrong signing up for a Bluehost shared hosting plan. It’s easy on your pocket and comes with all the right tools. As your site grows you can easily upgrade your hosting plan accordingly.
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https://medium.com/@tadikondachakrri/all-you-need-to-know-about-bluehost-8be99f5ddc7a
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['Chakrri Tadikonda']
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2021-05-07 15:06:22.722000+00:00
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['Coupon', 'Free Domain Hosting', 'Free Domain Name', 'Bluehost', 'WordPress']
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The Vickrey Auction and how a liar helps you tell the Truth
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Let’s assume you love ice cream (a safe assumption), and that there was a neat little parlor in your neighborhood that served the most amazing chocolate ice cream that could ever be conceived. You frequented the place and enjoyed the ice cream and life was bliss until they closed up shop, leaving you devastated.
So imagine your delight when the owner announces he’ll be putting on his apron one last time for a special treat. A treat that will go to the highest bidder. You’re excited about the opportunity, but know that your wallet isn’t the biggest one around, and you need to pay rent so you can actually have a home to eat ice cream in.
You walk into the auction, and they announce that everyone needs to seal their bid in an envelope, and whoever makes the highest bid gets the ice cream. So how much do you bid? If you spend more than $100, you won’t have enough to pay off the loan sharks and this might turn out to be your last ice cream ever. Not a bad way to go, but you’re rational.
And since you are rational, you believe no ice cream is worth $100, and, delicious as it may be, the ice cream is only worth $70 to you. You’re about to put in the $70 bid when something hits you.
What if no one else believes the ice cream is worth $70 — the ignoramuses. What if the next highest bid is only $50? Then you’ve spent a lot more than you needed to and end up feeling shortchanged, even though you were happy paying this amount initially. And besides, everyone else is afraid of overpaying too. So everyone ends up bidding less than they were originally willing to, and the maker of the world’s most delicious ice cream leaves with chump change and a possibly disgruntled buyer.
This is an example of the first-price sealed-bid auction.
|
https://medium.com/@mohammedhamza-1/the-vickrey-auction-and-how-a-liar-helps-you-tell-the-truth-2f1310b0ba41
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[]
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2020-12-16 14:18:49.354000+00:00
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['Game Theory', 'Math', 'Computer Science']
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Why I switched from Illustrator to Affinity Designer.
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Hi! 😊 If you are reading this article, chances are you already know about adobe Illustrator. But have you heard about Affinity designer?
I completely switched from Adobe illustrator to Affinity designer and in this article, I will give you 3 reasons why I love Affinity designer(Aff.Designer).
Context
The first Adobe software I started using was Adobe Premiere Pro. It’s later on that I discovered Adobe Photoshop.
3 years ago when I started taking design as a career I could not imagine my life without Photoshop. I was designing nearly everything(flyers, business card, brochures, book covers, icons, photo retouching etc) with Photoshop. Later on, I decided to learn Adobe Illustrator(Illustrator) for vector design, especially logo design and illustration.
It took me quite some time to learn the basics of Illustrator cause it was quite different from photoshop. What I loved and still love about Illustrator is that it gives you the ability to scale up your design without losing the quality.
Some months ago I decided to stop using adobe creative cloud products
I switched from Adobe XD to Figma
From Adobe Premiere Pro to Davinci Resolve
From Illustrator to Affinity designer
From photoshop to Affinity Photo
From Indesign to Affinity publisher
Why did I switch to Affinity Designer?
Here are the 3 reasons I love Affinity Designer and why I switched.
Pricing(I would’ve spent a lot of money)
“I discovered it will cost me a lot of money” .
Since I wanted to take my design career seriously, I decided I will pay for each software I was using. I discovered it will cost me a lot of money if I had to pay for Illustrator.
If I had to pay for Illustrator and use it for one year, it will cost me USD 239.88(XAF 130 267) and the app does not belong to me.
Price of Adobe Illustrator after 1 year
On the other hand Aff.Designer cost USD 49.99 for the mac and windows app, which is approximately XAF 27 200. There is no subscription, you own the app and updates are free.
Price of Affinity designer
Did I mention Aff.Designer has an Ipad and Windows version? and a free trial version for 30 days.
Illustrator did not have Ipad version until 2 months ago and their trial version is just 5 days(or 7 I don’t remember)
Pricing for affinity designer in December 2020 (Without discount)
Let’s do some maths here:
Amount it will cost you to use illustrator after 1 year =$239 (XAF 130 267)
Amount it will cost you to use Designer after 1 year =$50 (XAF 27 200)
You save: $189(XAF 102 298)
After 2 years
Amount it will cost you to use illustrator after 1 year =$478 (XAF 258 723)
Amount it will cost you to use Designer after 1 year =$50 (and you own it)
You save: $428 (XAF 231 660)
And even if you buy the iPad and windows version you still save a lot of money
User Experience
“Pricing made me choose, simplicity made me stay”
First thing I noticed was the way the interface was so simple and intuitive. I must admit illustrator frustrated me with its complex environment. It took me one day to get started on Aff.Designer. Aff.Designer has way fewer options which are sometimes unnecessary for a beginner or amateur illustrator. Going back to illustrator will be difficult. Pricing made me choose, simplicity made me stay.
Performance
downloading Aff. Designer version 1.8 from the app store is just 755.8 Mb. It’s a very light app and using it feels very smooth. Moreover, Aff. Designer can zoom up till 10000 times with no lagging
It is important to note here that if you intend to work in agencies then I highly recommend you to learn illustrator. A lot of companies out there can’t even imagine life without Adobe products. But on the other hand, if you are a freelancer wanting to save money. while using a powerful and yet intuitive app, then give a try to Aff. Designer.
Hit me up on Twitter if you have any questions on Aff. Designer
|
https://medium.com/@ndouken/why-i-switched-from-illustrator-to-affinity-designer-d5afb53b7814
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[]
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2020-12-20 22:44:32.715000+00:00
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['Illustrator', 'Affinity Designer', 'Design', 'Illustration']
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Puffin 全雲端隔離才是真正安全的隔離
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CloudMosa’s mission is to empower the world’s phones through cloud computing and make them universally powerful and useful.
Follow
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https://medium.com/cloudmosa-tw/%E5%85%A8%E9%9B%B2%E7%AB%AF%E9%9A%94%E9%9B%A2%E6%89%8D%E6%98%AF%E7%9C%9F%E6%AD%A3%E5%AE%89%E5%85%A8%E7%9A%84%E9%9A%94%E9%9B%A2-355e671a037
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['Cloudmosa']
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2020-11-17 02:40:42.805000+00:00
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['Web Isolation', 'Cloud Services', 'Cloud Computing', 'Cybersecurity', 'Remote']
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Machine Learning is NOT rocket science
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“Wow! machine learning? Rocket science, damn complicated..Wanna know more about it but I am not a data scientist, definitely not my cup of tea :(“
Sounds familiar? I definitely can’t blame you as most of the blogs and videos about Machine Learning portrays and illustrates it something like this:
Courtesy : aier.org
These days, Machine Learning is like sex in the school days. Every student was talking about it, only a very few know exactly what it is but only your class teacher was really doing it. Here is my humble attempt to illustrate the fundamentals of sex…sorry, I mean, machine learning in simple way that anyone can understand. So, let’s roll our sleeves up and get started. “Hello, are you still there? :)”
Conditioned Response to a Conditioned Stimulus
Let’s assume, you have a puppy. Let’s call her Mimi. As a lovely pet owner, you bought some delicious food for her (an unconditioned stimulus) and introduced it for the first time in her plate. Mimi loved it and started salivating whenever she see that food, even on TV commercials (an unconditioned response). Stage 1 is completed.
Now on stage 2, instead of feeding her food in the plate, you just created a sound with a bell(a neutral stimulus). Mimi doesn’t care a sh*t about that sound as she doesn’t really understand what the heck the bell’s sound means to her, hence no salivation(no conditioned response). Stage 2 completed. Let’s call stage 1 and stage 2 as “Before conditioning” stage of Mimi’s learning phase.
During stage 3 (during conditioning stage), you fed that delicious food in her plate and started the bell sound simultaneously. Once you train Mimi like this for a few days, the moment seeing the food and hearing bell’s sound, Mimi will get salivated(an unconditioned response). Stage 3 completed, congratulations!
During stage 4 (after conditioning), the moment you play the bell, poor Mimi will get salivated, which is a conditioned response. You win!
Courtesy: edureka!
Now let’s replace Mimi with a computer algorithm. Delicious food is Apple Inc’s past and present stock price along with various market data. The bell sound is a new product launch announcement. Based on the price and specification of the new product, current stock price, various market parameters and along with checking how stock price has reacted in the past for similar announcements, the algorithm can predict whether this is a an opportunity to buy or sell Apple Inc’s stock. This is exactly what some of the machine learning algorithms does. A conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus.
Machine learning algorithms are classified into two:
Classical Learning algorithms Reinforcement Learning algorithms
Let’s try to understand each of them by following our simple approach.
Classical Machine Learning Algorithms
Have you noticed Netflix’s recommendation on the “next videos to watch”? Have you noticed that your bank has temporarily blocked your credit card right after you swipe it at some random shop in a foreign country? Whether you love these outcomes or not, some classical learning machine learning algorithms are behind those decisions. Little bitches!
These algorithms do exist since decades. They search for a pattern and proximity in data points (numbers) and calculate vector’s direction. For that, it needs large amount of data. These algorithms our ancestors have developed were not popular during their time as there was not enough datasets available. Great ideas, wrong timing. Poor ancestors!
(That brings to another interesting topic. Regardless of the precision of machine learning algorithms you develop, you need BIG data to test and fine tune it to increase its accuracy.)
Classical Machine Learning algorithms are really simple, in fact. But interestingly, most of the machine learning algorithms you use on daily basis through your mobile apps, YouTube, Amazon, Netflix etc. etc. are based on these algorithms. Yeah, it is a classic 80–20 situation! Regardless of extremely sophisticated Machine Learning algorithms the programmers develop, this 20% segment of classical algorithms addresses 80% of day to day machine learning scenarios! Surprised?
There are a few types of Classical Machine Learning algorithms.
Supervised Machine Learning Unsupervised Machine Learning
Courtesy: vas3k.com
Supervised Machine Learning
Courtesy : US Department of Education
This algorithm is all about labeling. Let’s compare it with a kindergarten classroom:
Sam : “Teacher, is this a dog in this picture?” Teacher: “Good job Sam, Yes! It is a dog” Sam : “Teacher, how about this one? Dog?” Teacher: “Spot on again! That’s also a dog!”
Now Sam has two pictures of dog (a.k.a data samples). Next time before he ask the teacher, he will compare the new picture with those pictures labeled as dog. While Sam was keep exploring more pictures he came across a picture that doesn’t really look exactly like a dog but there are some commonalities. Little Sam is confused now.
Sam : “Teacher, is this also …a…dog?” Teacher: “Oh sweetie, I know you are confused. That one is a fox, but good try!”
Now Sam has two labelled data sets. Dogs & Fox. The more Sam explores the data, his datasets grow. The more datasets Sam has, his prediction becomes more accurate. This is exactly what a supervised machine learning algorithm do. Classifies the data, label them, use them for comparing patterns and predict the result. If the input value is X, output should be f(X). Y = f(x). That’s all the supervised algorithms do.
Let’s discuss various types of supervised machine learning algorithms in next episode.
Unsupervised Machine Learning
Assuming you have a family dog. Your young toddler knows and identifies the family dog even if no one teach the toddler that the animal is a dog. Toddler loves the dog and recognized it by observation.
One day, your friends visited you and brought their little puppy! Our toddler is seeing this dog for the first time. Seeing its 2 ears, 2 eyes and 4 legs, toddler has predicted that it is a dog! No one supervised toddler to recognize that the cute animal is a puppy!
This is exactly what unsupervised machine learning algorithms does. Had this been supervised learning, someone would have told the toddler that it’s a dog.
These algorithms are not as common as supervised learning. But still it can be used in scenarios where clustering is required. Market segmentation based on the customers and introduce suitable loyalty program is based on unsupervised algorithms.
Let’s discuss various types of unsupervised machine learning algorithms in next episode.
So that’s it guys and girls for the first episode. I really hope that now you got some idea about machine learning, classical algorithms, supervised and unsupervised algorithms. I promise you that I am not going to make you as data scientists by reading this series :) But we will dig deeper in coming episodes by our simplified approach. Stay Tuned!
Thank you for reading, cheers!
|
https://medium.com/swlh/machine-learning-basics-anyone-can-understand-episode-1-1f73401e52e0
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['Dhanesh Valappil']
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2020-06-29 13:41:56.778000+00:00
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['Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning', 'Neural Networks', 'Data Science', 'AI']
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AR vs VR: What’s the Difference? | QAble
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AR vs VR:
Before heading towards the difference, let’s understand the concept of each of the given terms, and we will analyze the difference between them.
What is AR?
AR (Augmented Reality) as, the name specifies, uses the information in real-time. The information can be in the form of Audio, Video, Text, etc. Under the concept of AR, we achieve all the virtual enhancements with the association of real-time objects, and there is no cut-off with the real world. You can also understand the concept of Augmented Reality as the rendering of digital data in real-time objects.
How AR relates to the real world?
The concept of AR is very well-known across the globe. There are various advantages of it in which one is from online shopping. Through AR, consumers will be able to experience the complete feel of a product without having it physically.
All the buyers will be able to visualize the product by checking through multiple orientations. It gives them satisfaction and saves costs along with time.
With the immense growth of technology, the concept of AR is also growing. In this series, Apple launched ARKit in the year 2017, and Google ARCore to create AR applications of respective platforms. AR applications are being used in the health care sector and making an effective contribution.
Use of AR in real life:
To superimpose a route on the live appearance of the road, the concept of Augmented Reality plays an important role. Enhanced Navigation Systems are the source of it.
Nowadays, online games are incomplete without the implementation of Augmented Reality. For example, Football, the concept, is used to draw lines and keep an analysis of the game.
Furniture can be, visualized at home, before purchasing with the help of the AR app offered by IKEA and the name of the app is IKEA Place.
The concept of AR is used during Neuro-Surgery to identify the brain lines.
AR has its presence in the sector of Retail, Advertising, Navigation, Repairs, and Maintenance.
What is VR?
VR (Virtual Reality) prohibits interaction with the real world. There is no interaction with the physical world in VR-driven concepts. It gives you a feel of a hypothetical place. The application of Virtual Reality creates an illusion of being somewhere else that you can experience through many VR Devices like Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, etc.
How VR Works
The concept of VR is simple, and it gives an experience of 3D graphics or 360-degree Videos. One can experience it through mobile phones or computer systems. Furthermore, you can have a feel of VR through Headsets and Goggles.
Nowadays, there are so many devices that create a 3D environment that creates a different environment from the real world. The concept of Virtual Reality revolves around the motion of the head. The view is adjusted based on the vision of users. Its primary focus is to maintain consistency from all viewpoints.
Where do we use VR in the real world?
Developers use the concept of VR during Gaming applications.
3D Movies, a place where we get the feel of being in a 3D environment is through the goggles, a VR application.
VR learning system is acquiring the education world.
VR is making an effective contribution is real estate, Healthcare, Marketing, and Travel industries.
Difference between AR and VR
The concept of AR is based on the real-world, whereas VR cuts contact with the physical world. VR replaces the real world and offers a new hypothetical environment.
Augmented Reality adds a digital element to the real world like the Camera of a Smartphone, while VR takes the user to the 3D graphics or 360-degree video zone. VR separates the user from the real objects.
Conclusion
AR and VR work of opposite approaches but, as per the experts, both the technologies will grow by the coming time and make an effective contribution in their respective fields of technology.
If you have any queries regarding this research, feel free to get in touch. We will be more than happy to serve you. We will continue to add new topics to spread awareness hence, stick to us and keep browsing the page.
|
https://medium.com/@qableio/ar-vs-vr-whats-the-difference-qable-5519673d6394
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['Qable Testlab Private Limited']
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2020-12-25 05:53:49.431000+00:00
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['Virtual Reality', 'VR', 'Software Development', 'AR', 'Augmented Reality']
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Planet OS: Year of 2019 Highlights
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In the realms of climate and environment, 2019 was a remarkable and consequential year. Throughout the year, millions of people across the globe participated in climate strikes and mass protests. With BBC calling 2019 “The Year the World Woke up” and NOAA reporting 2019 as the second warmest year on record, the year marked a pivotal transition from environmental discussion and concern towards large scale environmental action.
Our team here at Planet OS is eager to see climate and environmental issues take greater precedence. As we continue to provide streamlined access to some of the best climate and environmental datasets, we have seen innovative and exciting applications of data with the ability to make a positive impact around the world.
In our efforts to bring awareness to the vast amounts of information available on the Datahub and its nearly infinite applications, we compiled a list of our top stories, data sets, and analytics from 2019 below.
Top Stories and Datasets
Most Popular Datasets
WAVEWATCH III® (Tolman 1997, 1999a, 2009) is a third-generation wave model developed at NOAA/NCEP in the spirit of the WAM model (WAMDIG 1988, Komen et al. 1994). It is a further development of the model WAVEWATCH, as developed at Delft University of Technology (Tolman 1989, 1991a) and WAVEWATCH II, developed at NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center (e.g., Tolman 1992). WAVEWATCH III®, however, differs from its predecessors in many important points such as the governing equations, the model structure, the numerical methods, and the physical parameterizations.
Furthermore, with model version 3.14, WAVEWATCH III® is evolving from a wave model into a wave modeling framework, which allows for easy development of additional physical and numerical approaches to wave modeling.
The Global Forecast System (GFS) is a weather forecast model produced by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Dozens of atmospheric and land-soil variables are available through this dataset, from temperatures, winds, and precipitation to soil moisture and atmospheric ozone concentration. GFS model output can be grouped for different use cases (near-surface, aviation, general), current version is a general one, containing fields from both near-surface and higher atmospheric levels. The current version is modified, so that aggregated variables, given as averages or accumulations, have constant aggregation period of either 1 hour or 3 hours, whereas in the original model output aggregation periods vary from 1 hour to 6 hours.
Renewed just last January, HYCOM provides a 7-day forecast that is used in marine operational planning. This dataset contains multiple variables including temperature, salinity, and sea velocity at depth levels ranging from the ocean surface to water depth of 5000m. It can be used to help determine if it is safe to deploy equipment, conduct operations, or plan an ocean route. Sea surface height and different bottom variables are also available in the HYCOM forecast.
Regional Dataset of the Year
For the Baltic Sea & East Atlantic — The DMI Sea Surface Temperature analysis aims at providing daily gap-free maps of sea surface temperature, referred to as L4 product, at 0.02deg. x 0.02deg. horizontal resolution, using satellite data from infra-red and microwave radiometers.
Most Popular Stories of the Year
1. Transformation and Transportation in the Arctic
In this story, we illustrated how one can utilize the yearly average temperatures and the overall average temperature in the Bering Strait from NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) dataset. With this dataset, it is possible to visualize ice conditions in a crucial international transportation passageway, the Bering Strait.
2. Hurricanes and Disaster Resilience: Does Data Present New Solutions?
In the wake of the 2019 hurricane season, the team at Planet OS illustrated how the Météo France Global Ocean Wave Analysis and Forecast datasets on the Planet OS Datahub can be used to powerful visualizations of Hurricane Dorian as it moved through the Atlantic.
3. Is Polarized Weather the New Normal?
Through the application of the Meteorological Observations From Regional Basic Synoptic Network (RBSN) Dataset, available on the Datahub, Data Integration Engineer, Eneli Toodu created maps comparing severe climate conditions in the two hemispheres of the globe.
New and Updated Datasets and Visualizations
Fire Weather Index on 2019–07–31 from ECMWF ERA5 Fire Danger Indices Historical Data
And more available here.
Most Popular Variables
The three most popular variables requested/used on the Datahub are:
1. Wave Height
Hurricane Dorian Wave Heights August 30-September 10 2019. Credit: Eneli Toodu
Significant height of primary swell waves and wind speed barbs over the Western Pacific Ocean from October 23rd to October 27th, 2018.
2. Wind Speed & Direction
Peaking into upcoming major weather events using weather forecast data
Animating storm development is one of simplest but valuable ways of analyzing it
3. Air Temperature
|
https://medium.com/planet-os/planet-os-year-of-2019-highlights-4e922c8e43fb
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['Chase Walz']
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2020-02-04 16:01:01.133000+00:00
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['Data', 'Risk Management', 'Weather', 'Climate Change', 'Environment']
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Questions for BRCA1+ Trans-Feminine Youth
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Questions for BRCA1+ Trans-Feminine Youth
A new case study this week in the journal LGBT Health explores the story of a trans-feminine youth identified as BRCA1+ at the onset of hormone therapy. Little is known about best practices for BRCA1+ trans youth, even though many physical and hormonal considerations exist.
Image Source: Coursera
In the latest issue of LGBT Health, a medical team in New England presents a case study and ethical opinion pieceabout a trans-feminine youth identified as BRCA1+, meaning they possess a genetic mutation known to increase cancer risk, especially in breast and ovarian tissue. Although BRCA1 testing is not generally recommended in youth, there is theoretical concern for BRCA1+trans-masculine and -feminine youth seeking gender affirming procedures, however little evidence is presently available. It is possible that full breast-tissue removal and hysterectomies are effective cancer risk-reduction strategies in BRCA1+ trans-masculine youth. Likewise, it is possible that feminizing hormones increase the risk and/or rate of onset of some cancers in BRCA1+ trans-feminine youth.
The individual and their family in this particular case study originally presented to the medical team physician when the youth was 14 years old. The youth, born male, was interested in starting puberty-suppressing hormones as part of treatment for gender dysphoria. In the initial visit, the youth’s mother self-reported that she was BRCA1+ and a two-time survivor of breast cancer. It was the physician’s suggestion, with this information, that the youth be tested for BRCA1 before starting feminizing hormones, which could theoretically increase breast cancer risk by promoting breast tissue development. After a year on pubertal blockers, the youth requested to begin estrogen therapy.
‘‘I know I can’t stay on pubertal blockers forever. I have to pick one side or the other and I want to pick the girl side.’’
The medical team genetic counselor met with the family and disclosed the BRCA1+ finding, as well as future cancer screening recommendations. They suggested the family follow those put forth for cisgender women with early BRCA1+ detection (i.e., more frequent and earlier screening), which are known to increase stress and anxiety. The counselor also recommended an oncology consult before starting feminizing hormones. Two referrals were denied on bases of lack of expertise.
“The risk in an XY woman has to be less than the risk in an XX woman. And anyway, I’d rather live a shorter life as a woman than a longer life as a man.”
Through additional outside consultation, the medical team decided that the autonomy of the youth and their family in the decision-making process to start feminizing hormones was to be respected fully. It is well known that hormone replacement therapy can profoundly impact the quality of life of trans youth experiencing gender dysphoria. Therefore, the case was presented to the family as such:
Stop pubertal blockers and allow the youth to experience puberty in their assigned gender (unacceptable risks of gender dysphoria)
Continue pubertal blockers indefinitely, with surgical gender transition (unacceptable risks of osteoporosis)
Continue pubertal blockers until the youth reaches age of consent (risk of delay in puberty and uncertain utility)
Proceed with feminizing hormones with recommendations for appropriate cancer screening (question increased risk of cancers)
The decision had been made more complicated by the mother’s deteriorating health condition. However, the family consented to starting feminizing hormones and the physician agreed to prescribe hormones when the family and therapist were ready. Sadly, the youth’s mom passed away shortly after the consent process. To date, the youth has not begun feminizing hormones and remains solely on pubertal blockers.
This case presents an emotional and personal justification for the visibility of trans lives in research and care recommendations. With profound implications for BRCA1+ trans youth, much more information is needed to understand the physical and hormonal considerations for youth and their families facing difficult decisions like the ones in this case. For medical professionals and families interested in learning more about the ethical considerations during this decision-making process, the authors put out an excellent concurrent piece, available here.
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https://medium.com/qspaces/questions-for-brca1-trans-feminine-youth-a9e926b2fb70
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['Cameron Mcconkey']
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2018-06-11 02:58:50.343000+00:00
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['Health', 'Cancer', 'LGBT', 'Transgender']
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Medical Accounting
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All over the world, different countries vary in their general accounting procedures since each nation has its own financial framework. Although there had been an agreed GAAP — Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures, each country requires a certain type of financial reporting from accountants. Some countries follow GAAP but more developed countries prefer International Accounting standards (IAS).Each country has a unique political and social climate which affects the government. The government is mainly responsible for issuing regulatory policies that would provide guidelines for accounting reports and practices.
International accounting exists because the financial transactions of a developed country is more complicated than that of developing nations. Some set of information for one country may not be relevant or applicable in another country’s finances. For example, Japan has developed an intricate accounting framework that is not easily understood by accounting practitioners from some parts of the world. History may also influence the accounting procedures of a nation as countries like US adopted some of its practices from Germany as a result of the war.
Nevertheless, there is a need for countries to have a clear guideline for accounting reports that is why the International Accounting Standards have been established. The IAS contains a set of standards that states how some accounting transactions should be reported and reflected in financial statements. This helps companies such as multi-nationals and trans- nationals that deals with different countries for their products to consolidate different types of accounting reports. Also, countries that meet and discuss business regulations can establish and analyze financial transactions coming from one point.
The IAS was formerly issued by the Board of the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). Later on, a more updated set of standards was released in 2001 and this is now recognized as the international financial reporting standards. It must be emphasized that IASC provides guidelines for its member countries but cannot impose members to comply with the set standards. It is just an agreement between countries to report in accordance to what has been set by IAS for publicly-traded companies. A better understanding of international accounting can gained by reading books that covers introduction to international accounting. By reading such books, one is guided properly in learning why countries differ in accounting practices and the extent of government regulations in establishing financial reports. International accounting standards and its benefits over GAAP is also explained so readers can compare the advantages of both procedures.
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https://medium.com/@noreply.zinix/medical-accounting-77c7ee92498b
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['Verse Finance']
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2019-11-22 03:26:02.088000+00:00
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['Finance', 'Accounting']
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Ever wanted to be an identical twin?
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“What’s it like being a twin?”
“Have you guys ever switched classes?”
“Can you guys communicate telepathically?”
I could keep going for days… Gotta admit being an identical twin is a terrific icebreaker with women. From there on, it’s complicated. We’re a unique breed. We constitute 0.45% of all pregnancies.
I’m guessing you’ve wondered what it’s like to be an identical twin; having a carbon copy of yourself living under the same roof as you. Fingers crossed this sheds some light on being an identical twin. And no, we can’t communicate telepathically.
Childhood & adolescence
Growing up through childhood and adolescence I’d have to say I liked being an identical twin. My brother was someone I could rely on as a friend, an opponent and as a measuring stick.
I was born in Canada in 1996; six years later my family moved to Adelaide, Australia. Another six years later I moved to Perth, Australia.
My twin brother and I were decidedly opposed to the moves— traveling to a foreign country entering grade two and moving interstate entering grade seven. We put on some bratty tantrums, to say the least. First world problems.
As a result, I’ve been a student of five different public schools between Canada, Adelaide, and Perth. Still, I don’t know how I would’ve survived without my clone to lean on. Especially for all those awkward “new kid” moments.
My guess is I would’ve been okay, they’re just awkward moments that die off. Regardless, it was comforting to have someone I know who’s in my exact position, fighting the same battles.
At least we’re not conjoined? Credit: FX Now
Up until I was 13, I’d get very irritated by people who would get my brother and me mixed up.
“How could these peasants get us wrong?!”
“But we’re so different!”
That’s how I’d justify those irritations to myself. According to Mum, one kid used to say “Hi Matt and Tom! (my brother)” even while only one of us was there. Lil fuckwit. Maybe he’s to blame for those irritations. I’ll just go ahead and blame him for all my problems.
I began to accept my clone identity during my first week of grade seven here in Perth. One boy was sitting down at his desk. A split second later he appeared on the opposite side of the room. Casually walking inside to class.
Am I tripping out? WTF is with Perth? Nope. They’re identical twins. It was a revelation for me — I finally knew how easy it was to get identical twins mixed up.
High school (grades eight through twelve) was no different. Another brand new school for me, and more twins to hammer out my stubbornness.
We had eight sets of twins in my year group to be exact; although I only recall two or three sets of identical twins. We even got featured on the local news. Finally some recognition for the privilege of being a twin.
My brother and I maintained a stable, healthy relationship throughout our years as school students. We had similar friends, similar interests, did the same subjects.
Of course, there were the odd arguments, fights, etc. as siblings do. The only time I’ve ever broken a bone is when he threw a TV remote at my hand. Somehow my hand broke and the remote didn’t.
I’m still looking for the right time to pay him back for that. Nonetheless, we had a relationship that I felt was stronger than most twinships.
Adulthood
This’d be when we started to drift apart. My twin brother and I were finally separated to pursue our own interests following our high school graduation.
Although we both go to the same university, we’re studying completely different disciplines. We never see each other there either. Concerning friendships, we’ve somewhat drifted into different circles.
Most of all, we’re completely different people as adults.
It’s fair to say my brother has progressed faster than me in some avenues. He’s got a full-time job while completing his Master's degree. He’s also a DJ, who’s scored gigs at reputable venues and events around Perth. He’s got a wonderful, loving partner who he’s been with for years.
Me? I’ve got a part-time internship, I’m single and have never held down a serious relationship. I’m also on shaky ground regarding my future as well as what I want to accomplish in this life. There are plenty more struggles I could reveal but I’ll leave it there.
It’d be hard for anyone to not look at your living mirror and say “I want that” or “he’s better than me”. As a matter of fact, I’ve been told that before.
It stung me hard. I’ve spent my whole life being competitive with my twin brother. Although it has waned as we’ve grown up, it’s a line I won’t ever forget.
Final thoughts
Has anyone heard of birth order theory? I wonder if it’s applicable to the birth order of twins, despite me being only minutes younger.
By definition I’m the last born child, so am I more outgoing, persistent and creative than my brother? Ask us both and we’d likely put ourselves over the other — after all, we’re twins. Or do my brother and I both possess firstborn traits?
Check the article I’ve linked above, see for yourself if it applies to your family.
If there are any lessons learned from this, the first one is I love my brother dearly. Even as we’ve drifted apart recently, he’s had a tremendous impact on the person I am today. Competitive, self-aware and measured.
Another lesson is simple — don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone does life at their own pace. The person you are today isn’t who you’ll be tomorrow, a month from now or a year from now. Instagram models post their alluring photos in exotic locations… all while taking a dump in some 3-star hotel.
Sure it’s okay to find external motivation for your own growth, to an extent. Just keep in mind everyone wears a mask (especially on social media).
More thoughts
What is the ideal “birth position” for someone?
Is it:
Oldest of two?
Only child?
Youngest of three?
Somewhere in the middle?
Being a twin?
I’d say we all think about being something else. It’s easy to want what we can’t have. I’m happy being an identical twin though. Although it’s been a difficult journey, there’s only 0.45% of us.
Top that.
What would you rather? To be an identical twin or an only child? To be male-female twins or the same gender? So many “would you rather” questions to contemplate besides your standard “would you rather have a bell go off every time you’re horny or never get horny?”.
|
https://medium.com/@mattjacbs/ever-wanted-to-be-an-identical-twin-55d7b8ca0f3
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['Matthew Jacobs']
|
2019-06-17 13:58:39.104000+00:00
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['Genetics', 'Self', 'Life Lessons', 'Children', 'Twins']
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State Sues to Strip LGBTQ Parental Rights: Fighting for Love!
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There’s a lot of love in this room
My boyfriend and I, along with our not-yet-official foster son Brent, suffered a lot of prickly nerves and sour stomachs before the senior case manager’s words let the air out of our tension.
I was actually sweating through crisp air conditioning when I walked in. How intimidating to have love on the line and face down a finger-drumming older woman in a business suit sitting beside a young man in a tie holding a clipboard.
The boy who had become part of our family ran to his social worker Gloria — the third person in the room — as soon as we walked in. He was all smiles and hugs in his brand new chinos and polo shirt, but she cut him short. “Brent, go sit over there with Jason and Jim, please.”
We weren’t on trial, but it sure felt like it.
While the stone-faced man scribbled notes, the case manager started things off with a brisk voice. “I’m glad you could come, because it’s important I meet you personally. Understand this is all highly irregular, and I’m not quite sure what to do.”
I watched Brent’s smile melt off his face as his eyes widened
I wasn’t surprised. I knew social services weren’t going to hand over a barely 14-year-old boy to be raised by two gay men — the younger not much more than a decade older than the boy — without some tough examination.
Gloria had told us not to worry too much but to do our homework. “Be absolutely honest,” she advised, “no matter how trivial a question might sound. Don’t even come close to shading the truth. If they catch so much as a hint you aren’t being transparent, you can kiss Brent goodbye.”
Why!? I wanted to howl. What have we queer folks ever done to deserve you trying to hurt us like this?
That was the one time her grandmotherly Jamaican accent didn’t comfort me. She was Brent’s fierce and devoted protector, but as I applied to become his official guardian, most of the power trickled out of her hands. She wanted him with us, but his placement wasn’t her call.
She told us we didn’t need a lawyer and that having one wouldn’t help, but Jason and I sat down with our immigration attorney before the meeting anyway. We didn’t have any legal questions, but he was used to dealing with government bureaucrats so we wanted his wisdom.
He recommended dressing down but nice. “A business suit will make them feel like you’re competing with their authority. Chinos and a sport short. Or even dress jeans and a nice shirt. Look humble and be humble when you walk in that room.”
He stirred his martini and wished us luck.
The subway ride over to the government building was hard. Brent was bubbly and looking forward to a special lunch treat after the meeting, poutine with smoked meat. He didn’t understand how consequential the day was, because Jason and I chose not to tell him.
I later regretted the harsh shock he got, but my protective mistake might have worked out for the best.
The case manager started in with almost no preamble
“Jason, what will you do on a Saturday night when your friends ask you to a party and nobody’s home to watch Brent? Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Can you give me a set of workable solutions?”
“Jim, what will you do on a school morning if you have an important meeting at work and Brent’s throwing up in the bathroom?”
Those were easy questions.
Brent backed up our responsible care with first-person bellyaching! We didn’t leave him home alone enough even though he was “way old enough to take care of myself.” I explained about the parents across the street who helped us out sometimes. As in, it takes a village.
I started smiling and cooling down, then the questions got tough.
“Jim, your partner is ten years younger than you. Is that a pattern? How will you feel about Brent a few years from now when he looks more mature?”
I thought, What the hell, lady! while I tried to keep my face neutral.
The question pissed me off, not because I thought she shouldn’t have asked, but that she asked in front of Brent. He was young for his age, still prepubescent owing to a hormone imbalance caused by abuse and malnutrition early in life. He was barely sexually cognizant. I explained that most of my lovers, including my late partner Lenny, had been older than me, but I was shy about getting into details with Brent sitting right beside me.
That’s when he started getting upset. Five minutes into the questioning (grilling?) I could see he realized continuing to live with us was not a given.
I don’t remember which question set him off, but something produced a near tantrum. He jumped up, threw himself at me in a long hug, then huddled in a corner, crying.
Jason knelt and comforted him.
That’s when the severe-looking case manager melted. “I can see there’s a lot of love in this room,” she said after a short cough. She nodded at the note-taking young man and then at Gloria. “I may not be able to quantify that, but I shall certainly take it into account.”
Brent blinked a pair of teary eyelashes at her, throwing her a smile she returned with evident warmth. “Well, if we can just work through three or four more questions, young man, perhaps we can have you out of here in time for a nice lunch.”
My certification as a foster parent arrived in the mail about a week later, along with news of Brent’s placement with me. To say we celebrated is to do a complete disservice to the word celebrate, but that’s a story for another day.
Brent is all grown up now
It took a while, but he mostly recovered from his early abuse. He’s much taller than me and older than that serious young man with the tie and clipboard. Years later, Brent surprised me by claiming most of his tears at that meeting had been of the crocodile variety.
I’m not sure I buy it, but if true he deserves an Academy Award.
Tears shouldn’t have been necessary, of course, any more necessary than my answers to intrusive sexual questions posed in front of a child. But young as he was, Brent understood what I understood. Queer families have to fight if they expect to be treated with anything approaching equality.
To be fair, this happened a long time ago, and the case manager was outside her comfort and experience zone. In some places, things have gotten a lot better. The reason I’m writing this story is that families like ours still have to fight too hard in many parts of the US.
LGBTQ familes face obstacles to love
Queer families today often face obstacles to equality and happiness, often deliberately, with no severe case manager around whose heart can melt at a show of genuine love.
As a gay dad, I follow LGBTQ family news pretty closely. The issue matters deeply to me and the people I care about.
I’ve written at length about, for example, how the U.S. State Department goes the extra mile to deny same-sex parents the right to pass their US citizenship to their children.
I don’t write about the problem just because the unfairness outrages me (as it probably will you) but because I can’t wrap my mind around the denial of love. At least when Brent, Jason, and I sat in that room, real love meant something. Whether Brent’s tears were fake or not, love won the day.
And shouldn’t it?
Isn’t that what it means to live in a society with laws and rules designed to protect the weak and increase the welfare of all? Shouldn’t love for our neighbors be the driving spirit of how we order our communities?
What’s happening in Indiana is outrageous
When I read in Slate last week that the State of Indiana is suing to strip parental rights from eight women in same-sex marriages — in identical sperm-donor situations to parents in mixed-sex marriages whose rights are never questioned — my stomach clenched.
Why!? I wanted to howl. What have we queer folks ever done to deserve you trying to hurt us like this?
The legal details are interesting if you want to read Mark Joseph Stern’s analysis, but it’s the human details I want to write about today. I’d like to know why the State of Indiana has so carefully strategized, so well timed their case, that it’s likely to be granted favorable review by the Supreme Court.
What cold-hearted human being decided that?
How could they have decided to take proactive steps to terminate the parental rights of women who have been mothers to their children for years? How could they decide the State has a legitimate interest in stripping the rights of even those mothers who carried the children in their own uteruses and gave birth to them?
Is there a point besides cruelty? I can’t imagine what that point might be.
Stern is afraid the high court’s new conservative majority will look favorably on the case, Box v. Henderson, using it to start whittling away at Obergefell v. Hodges’ guarantees of equal marriage.
I’m afraid of that too, but mostly I’m afraid of the implications of living in a society where the love of a parent for a child holds little value. How did we get to this dark place, and how do we climb out of it?
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https://medium.com/prismnpen/state-sues-to-strip-lgbtq-parental-rights-fighting-for-love-cc5cf51ad78f
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['James Finn']
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2020-11-30 19:44:24.468000+00:00
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['LGBTQ', 'Parenting', 'Equality', 'Family', 'Creative Non Fiction']
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Unagi: What it really means, and how to learn it
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Unagi is (not) a state of mind.
If you’ve seen “The one with the Unagi” episode (S6E17) from the popular TV series “Friends”, you already know what Unagi is, and what it is not.
Unagi, as seen on Friends
In this episode, Rachel and Phoebe went on a self-defense class and bragged about how they could beat anybody’s ass. Ross disagreed with them and told them that after all these years of studying “karatey”, he learned that in order to defend yourself you need to learn “what the Japanese call” Unagi first.
According to Ross, Unagi is a state of total awareness, and only by achieving true Unagi, you can be prepared for any danger that may befall you. However, Phoebe, Rachel, and Chandler, told him that Unagi is a type of sushi, and specifically a roll made by a freshwater eel.
To prove his point, Ross decides to jumpscare them in the corridor of their building, with Rachel and Phoebe returning the favor later, in his apartment, and make him screech loudly. Ross later decides to meet their instructor in order to ask him how to fight “two women”. The instructor, of course, didn’t offer his help.
At the end of the episode, Ross sees two women outside Central Perk. Since he thought that the women were Rachel and Phoebe he tried to scare them, only for them to attack him. He then runs away, only to see that Rachel and Phoebe are looking at him through a window inside Central Perk, and then he realizes that he is being chased by two unknown women.
Becoming One with the Unagi
Unagi is, according to Ross, a state of total awareness. However, the word that Ross actually means, is the word “Zanshin” (残心). Zanshin exists in many Japanese martial arts, one of them being karate. Its literal meaning can be translated as “remaining mind” or “left over or remaining heart/spirit”.
In kyūdō, which is the Japanese martial art of archery (which originates from kyūjutsu, the samurai archery), Zanshin is a mental aspect that is necessary before, during, and after an action. It is the correct body posture that along with a calm and focused mindset, allows the person to complete his task. It means to be aware of what your mind and your body can do, but also be aware of your surroundings, in an effortless way. In practical terms, one’s goal is for the arrow to find its target consistently.
In kendo, Zanshin means to be mentally and physically alert to face a situation. In practical terms, it means to deal with an attack, and regain your position, in order to attack instantly or defend yourself.
Photo by Bernd Viefhues on Unsplash
Zanshin (or Unagi) as a way of living
To possess the skill of zanshin, a relaxed state of awareness of your body and mind in an effortless method, is not an easy task. The main concept of zanshin is that everything is affected by everything, like the butterfly effect. When you lose focus and commitment, you are stalling, or losing your goal.
Zanshin has to be achieved through practice, and it is doesn’t apply only in martial arts. It can be applied through your lifestyle, and it can help you to focus and complete your goals. In order to become more observant, you should try whatever helps you relax and makes you stop forecasting.
You could try meditation, listen to interesting podcasts, disconnect from social media for as long as you want, and in general, do whatever keeps you focused to make you lose your concentration from your goal. I’m not a mental guru to tell you what to do, or how to be. Just try to become one with the Unagi. Or Zanshin, actually.
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https://medium.com/the-unpublished/unagi-what-it-really-means-and-how-to-learn-it-2ea83de16f91
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['Thanasis Papadopoulos']
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2020-12-24 15:15:10.845000+00:00
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['Friends', 'TV Series', 'Netflix', 'Comedy', 'Humor']
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Allow Neurodivergents the space to think outside the box
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Allow Neurodivergents the space to think outside the box
One of the virtuous attributes and characteristics of an neurodivergent person (Autistic, ADHD, Dyspraxic, Dyslexic etc.) can be a sense of being able to think creatively and pick question things in a different way, the ability to think different. This is no means a special ability or something that all people with conditions listed above would state as personal qualities. However, being neurodivergent meaning having a different means of thinking and processing information from what by the majority view seen as the ‘typical’ means of thinking. Can attribute fo ability to think beyond or not grasp the consept to social constructs or having alternative views on such matters.
Yes autism is a disability and not a special ability. I loath the word special as it often when used to describe disabled people people with learning difficulties or disabilities as special when our needs are the same. However, we do require different adjustments and support for example due to sensory and social differences which is key of what makes autism a disability. Many preferring the social construct of disability rather than the medical construct. Most of the autistic community like myself proud and openly state we are disabled but to much of the challenges we find in society the inequalities, the inaccessibilities and ableism we face.
Being Neurodivergent makes me divergent from social norms and what is seem as the ‘typical’ way of thinking making us reflect on social constructs and ideals in different means. Paige Layla the autistic queen of Tik-Tok has become viral for a recent video she has made on the concept of money and gender. One of the challenges some autistic people face Thunberg the young autistic climate activist has been under mind and her knowledge has been criticised for engaging on in frank and honest discussions on climate change waging for radical action and stating governments enough. With opposition mainly from right-leaning cis gendered elder males via social media assuming she knew little about the environment and that she has been controlled to say the words of others, forced into activism.
When Greta’s story is far from that reality her family and her self speak of a period of the teenage activists period of ill health due to climate anxiety with concerns about her health once she stopped talking or eating a worrying period for her and her families mental health. Scared with the worlds worry on her shoulder. It can be common that quite a few of us autistics feel intense overwhelming emotions when seeing injustices occurring leading can lead to feelings of anxiety.
Its a common myth that autistic people are lacking empathy when it’s rather the opposite we can feel intense empathy but feel an intense wave of emotion and can find it challenging to witness and process injustices. This misconception comes from an inability to process ones emotions or and senses in the same way as most often. Experiencing burnout, shutdowns, panic attacks and moments of being unable to communicate due to the overwhelming sense of emotion.
Being divergent from social norms from personal observation. I understand that many of us don’t feel the desire to attach ourselves with social identity norms with from what I seen quite a few in the community identity as LBTQIA+ or as gender-fluid snd non-binary. From my personal observations seem more likely to accept socially liberal ideals.
Many of us don’t mince our words or speak more radically, Greta Thunberg’s famous words “How dare you!” ring true with this making the bold claim that her childhood is being ripped away with the urgency before it’s too late to call on world. Denying to being a leader of the fight back against climate change has inspired a generation of young people to come out in acts of rebellion to take strike action from school. Something without herd autism she might’ve not even thought about or even felt she had the audacity to do. To become the worlds most iconic teenager, the worlds most iconic activist and the person who could bring autistic women and girls into the spotlight.
Greta Thunberg, herself has described her autism as a superpower which I know would have mixed feelings in the community. Since often when non autistic people refer to autistic people as having superpowers and special abilities crosses over and has paradoxes with ableist inspirational porn and patronising autistic people. However, what Thunberg has done without her activism has highlighted and hopefully resonated with many autistic people and autistic women and girls. As an autistic person myself to have TIME Person of The Year being Greta filled me with a sense of pride. That a young autistic woman has found the her platform though has been talked down and over by nay-sayers including the president Donald Trump with which she had disdain for after he told her to chill out with some old movies with friends.
Thunberg and Layla to me represent a tour de force in the generation of young autistic people. Who are finding their platform to speak ideas outside the box. Neurodivergent people need a space where we can excel to the best of our abilities.
When I watched Layle’s viral Tik-Tok on whilst understanding the concept of what value of currency of economics. She made a point that she didn’t she sense in how different cash notes are different by the value and question why we can’t produce more money. Reason being if for example the Bank of England were to print more bank notes than what is in circulation to funnel money into the economy the value of the pound would decrease. Some saw her video as a sign of that she knew nothing about economics and others saw she had a compelling argument. One no different than profoundly questioning human made social constructs than when Hobbs and Rawls created hypothetical social contracts to answer the question why are we governed. From engaging in the autistic community many autistic people have many closely held strong views and opinions but willing to ask big questions. Harnessing skills as lateral critical thinking what to some could be an ignorant of the concept of economics. It seemed Layla made a juxtaposition and saw if I could imply the inequality that is in the current economic and system of money.
Economics is flawed. Often much of business and economy discriminates against disabled people U.K. National Autistic Society has stated 16% of autistic people are in work and 77% of those unemployed would wish to enter the world of work (BBC Work Life 101, Oct 2019). The coronavirus sees an employment crisis the biggest seen in a generation. Rebuilding the economy must answer this question how can work be accessible for disabled people. Harvard University and BIMA have reportedly shown in research that employing neurodivergent people attribute skills that most workplaces require especially when faced with the challenges our society faced today. Research has proven hiring neurodivergent people have the skills of problem solving and innovation.
So why aren’t companies hiring more Neurodivergent people? Is what needs to be answered the industries that are likely to grow beyond the economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic are likely to be technology and digital, pharmaceutical and green industries. The pandemic has proven many reasonable adjustments for disabled people can be put in place working from home where possible, flexible hours and using technology to aid in productivity. The future of the world of work is to be diverse and inclusive if we are to grow to be an accessible society. In diversity in the workplace cognitive which includes diverse genders, race and age this in hiring must include disability and Neurodivergency to think beyond the box.
Something I want to advocate for if we are to achieve outside of the box thinking. Neurodivergent people deserve to be heard and must be heard in positions of power. As voices like Thunberg and Layle are leading this generation and hopefully this will be a moment where the door is opened for neurodivergents to be heard
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https://medium.com/@willsword/allow-neurodivergents-the-space-to-think-outside-the-box-27f01884dd42
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['Wills Word - A Williams']
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2020-12-07 22:18:20.085000+00:00
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['Autism', 'Greta Thunberg', 'Neurodiversity', 'Workplace', 'Diversity']
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Sustainability — the many faces of sustainability in the wine industry
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Photo by Maja Petric on Unsplash
As consumers we are all eager to do our bit for the environment and lighten our footprint on the planet and thus many of us gravitate towards brands that claim ‘sustainability’ in the hope our decisions will make a difference. It is not always clear however, when sustainability is being cynically used as a marketing tool with little to back up its implementation, and when it is a certified practice and a core philosophy. In the world of wine, huge strides are being made in recognising the importance of sustainability, as resources have been put into research, education and official audited certification. The result has been a significant change the way in which grapes are grown and businesses are run. It is a work in progress but we are certainly heading in the right direction.
According to the dictionary sustainability is the ‘avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance’. Following the second world war chemical intervention suddenly paved the way for more economically viable agriculture as it reduced pests and disease and therefore crop loss. It was wholeheartedly embraced across agricultural sectors who were battling food shortages (rationing in the UK continued until 1953) and post war economic recession. The British government stated “stability and efficiency” were absolutely paramount to agriculture and chemicals such as DDT were providing the perfect solution. The chemical age of farming had started and as the population began to boom, it became even more fundamental to all agricultural sectors.
The long term environmental ramifications of the sustained use of chemicals in agriculture began to be seen decades later. Bird, insect and microbiological life in the vineyards have been severely affected, so much so that in 1988 French soil biologist Claude Bourguignon stated that the vineyard soils of Burgundy were ‘dead’. Humans were also being affected. Cases brought to the courts in the last decade, particularly in France concluded that deaths from cancer were caused by the long term exposure to herbicides such as glyphosate, used in the vineyards. Concerns are not only for vineyard workers but surrounding communities.
As a result, awareness has risen sharply in the wine industry and producers around the world, often encouraged by industry and government bodies, are looking to change their practices, embracing ‘lutte raisonnée’ or the ‘reasoned fight’, a method of farming that takes a measured approach to sprays, only using them where and when it is absolutely necessary, as well as organic and biodynamic farming. The sustainability movement has gathered strength, with huge investment into research, education and support. It’s basic tenants include minimal vineyard pesticide and fertiliser input, protection of vineyard soils, the promotion of biodiversity and the preservation of the environment as well as reducing water use, waste management, non-renewable energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Some countries have a clear national industry certification with the requirements for certification outlined on their websites such as ‘Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand’, and ‘Sustainable Wine South Africa’. All wineries who are certified follow clear and audited guidelines. Today 98% of the vineyard producing area in New Zealand are certified under this scheme. Some certified wines display a sticker or stamp on the bottle, as with South African certified wines, others have information on their website. ‘Sustainable Wines of Great Britain’ certification is in the process of being launched.
In some countries certification varies by region, making it more confusing for the consumers to recognise. In the Champagne region of France for instance there are two different sustainable certifications a winery could choose, and these certifications are rarely displayed on the bottle. The two certification options are the Haute Valeur Environnementale ‘HVE’ certification, which works through three increasingly stringent tiers to achieve certification. This was an initiative of the French Ministry of Agriculture in 2001 and is valid throughout France. The Conseil de Vins de St Emilion in Bordeaux have gone so far to declare anyone wishing to use the regions Appelletion d’Origin Protégée (AOP) must be certified HVE by 2023. In 2014 another initiative was launched by the Champagne Trade Association called Viticulture Durable en Champagne or VDC. Certification is equally stringent requiring the adherence to 60 critical standards, 31 major standards and 20 minor standards and are audited every 18 months.
Increasingly there are targets on sustainability to be met at regional and governmental level which is a wonderful step towards the wholesale move to sustainability for the wine industry. Below are highlighted just three of the many extraordinary wine producers who are doing their bit to make our planet a better place, illustrating the many shapes that sustainability can take within the wine industry
Champagne Louis Roederer
Champagne Louis Roederer is one of the smallest Grandes Marques champagne houses, but they are pioneers in the area of viticultural sustainability in the region. They own the majority of their own vineyards, all of which are farmed organically and/or biodynamically (a system eschewing chemical herbicides, pesticides or fungicides). Soil health is of paramount importance and they are HVE certified. Working hard in all areas of the business, they have reduced their carbon footprint by 25% in the last decade and they are now recycling 90% of their waste. With typical Gallic modesty little of this is publicised as they believe it should not be a marketing tool but is simply the right way to work. It is thanks to this deep rooted respect for nature combined with exceptional talent and skill that they are able to create such sublime, elegant and crystalline champagnes from the Brut Premier NV through to the iconic Cristal.
A horse working the Roederer vineyards, image care of Champagne Louis Roederer
Meerlust Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Meerlust Estate is certified as a Sustainable Wine of South Africa, but one of the most impressive and unique things about Meerlust is their work in the area of social and economic sustainability. Tackling a history of racial and economic inequality they set up the Meerlust Foundation focused on the educational, social and developmental needs of the farm workers children. As a result, over the last decade these children have achieved, on average, an additional 5 years more schooling than their parents. They were also instrumental in the creation of Compagniesdrift, a Black Economic Empowerment venture owned by the Meerlust Workers Trust which has grown to encompass the workers from 3 different farms and has become a successful and diverse company providing economic independence and a secure future for themselves and their families. Oh, and the wines are world class too, with their flagship Rubicon an icon of South African fine wine.
The Meerlust homestead, image from Meerlust
Castello di Fonterutoli, Tuscany, Italy
Fonterutoli is a fascinating project focusing on biodiversity and sustainable clean energy. They have built the most incredible cellar designed to have a low environmental impact. Everything is moved by gravity rather than pumps, the cellars are deep in the ground and are cooled and humidity controlled by natural springs that run through the walls. They produce their own clean energy by using agricultural waste products as fuel and of the 650 hectares they own, only 116 are under vine, the rest are given over to woodland both for the sake of biodiversity but also carbon absorption. As a result of all of these actions, their property absorbs 5 times more carbon than it releases. There is nothing like drinking top class wine with a clean, green conscience.
The winery at Castello di Fonterutoli, image care of the winery
Beautiful stories such as these can be seen across the wine world, from Chile and Australia to Portugal and Germany as the wine industry moves increasingly towards a truly sustainable future.
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https://medium.com/the-innovation/sustainability-the-many-faces-of-sustainability-in-the-wine-industry-4ce9ca270a9c
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['Alex Tilling', 'Thedorsetwinelover']
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2020-08-14 07:54:02.220000+00:00
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['Green', 'Social Responsibility', 'Sustainability', 'Wine', 'Environment']
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JS First-class functions & call, apply and bind methods
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These are the 4 Javascript concepts every interviewer more likely asks In this article, we’ll see these 4 concepts in a simple and easy to understand way
First-class function
A function can simply be treated as variable. This makes a function return another function and hence the returned function can be called anywhere down the line. Let’s take a simple example:
We might know that addFunction can be executed by passing a and b values and that value can be stored in other variable. But, the concept of first-class function is that it allows us to return the addFunction to store it in a variable and can be printed it like this.
addFunction itself is stored in add variable and hence we can say that addFunction is the first-class function, and you see we can execute add which in-turn executes addFunction.
Call method
Let’s consider an employee object — john
john object has two properties (name & organization) and a method (getEmail). We can call these properties and method as shown.
Let’s now create another employee — james
Now, of course we can create the getEmail() method in james object as well. But let’s assume there are thousands of employees and do you think getEmail() should be in all of them? Absolutely not! Because, that violates DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle as we are duplicating the code.
So, what do we do to get james email? Ah, remember first-class functions which we discussed above! Let’s try that here on getEmail() from john object.
why the hell do we get an error here 🤨 It had worked fine for the addFunction above.
Well, john.getEmail() will give john’s email because ‘this’ keyword in getEmail() method is referring to john. So, john = this in john.getEmail().But what about just email() function? It is a normal function now and not a method anymore. Always remember that normal function like email() will not have this keyword. In other words, this keyword in normal function will be undefined.
Here comes call, apply and bind methods to rescue
We need a way to make email() function have this keyword. We can do that by calling call method on email().
A few things to note here:
call, apply and bind are the methods that can be called on any function because, ultimately, all functions are objects in Javascript
In email.call(john), the ‘this’ keyword is the first argument which is john and hence we now get the result john@google.com because getEmail() is called with john as this keyword
Now we can use this technique to call getEmail() on james like this,
Notice that in the third line above, even though james object doesn’t have getEmail() method, we still got the getEmail() method called on james using call method.
Let’s look at another method with arguments and then wrap up call method
We have a new method to get the address which takes street and city as arguments. Let’s call that like we did before.
Note that even though the getAddress() method takes two arguments, we are passing three arguments when calling that. As you already know, this is because the first argument is always the object referring to this keyword which is john in this case.
Well, that’s pretty much you need to know about call method
Apply method
apply() method is similar to call() with only one difference. The arguments that must be passed in to the method must be an array rather than a list as shown.
Notice we are wrapping street and city in an array unlike call method.
Bind Method
call() and apply() methods immediately calls the respective methods whereas bind() method will return a function after binding the passed argument to this keyword.
Sounds confusing right? Well, not really if we take a look at the example below.
In the first line we get email (first-class function) which is nothing new to you at this point. Notice the second line where we then bind that email to john object which returns another first-class function which we store it in johnEmail variable. At this point, johnEmail is the function which has this keyword bound to john. Hence, executing johnEmail() gives us john@google.com.
Similarly, we bind email to james and store the bound first-class function in jamesEmail. This, on execution, gives james@facebook.com. Hope this makes sense.
Let’s take a look at the address now to get more clarity on bind.
The address is a first-class function and we are binding it to john in second line. This gives a first-class function which is stored in johnAddress. Now, johnAddress can be called as a normal function by passing remaining arguments.
Can you bind second argument as well along with john?
Well yes! You can. Let’s see how.
Now you see we have combined / bound this keyword john which is first argument and Wall street which is second argument. we got a first-class function johnStreet and we then execute this function by calling remaining argument/s which is city in this case.
Note that we can do this for any or all arguments.
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https://medium.com/@sandeepamarnath/js-first-class-functions-call-apply-and-bind-methods-4007b108daf3
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[]
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2020-12-27 20:05:50.922000+00:00
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['Javascript Tips', 'JavaScript']
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If I Had A Warning Label
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SELF
If I Had A Warning Label
Photo by Diego Catto on Unsplash
Here’s a quick exercise. Imagine you came with a warning label. What would yours say?
Here’s ten to get you started:
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
Is this a warning from you or have you been unfairly labeled? Patch this one onto a bored partner as your partnership slowly dissolves into a sexless, non-communicative relationship. Simmer as the years turn into contempt and slow anguish at having to face this person for the umpteenth time.
He Was Serious When He Said, ‘Please Don’t’
Like many warning labels, they often leave one person hospitalized for not heeding the warning. This one clearly screams you shouldn’t poke, or there’ll be consequences.
Warning: Low Tolerance for Idiots
This is one warning I could enjoy. Carte-blanch to do what you like if the other party is acting the fool. Idiots will be vanquished either physically or verbally. Or the label may well suggest a total shutdown on the wearer's part. No longer will they have to endure your stupidity as their system malfunctions, overheating to a dangerous degree.
I Edit You in My Head Even Though I Try Not To
One for the writers. A possible hospital pass for the partner who doesn’t listen. Or a person who chooses to hear only what they want to hear.
Does Not Play Well With Others
Stand back. Leave immediately. This is a highly dangerous and toxic environment. This person will eat you alive and suck your soul dry.
Do Not Feed After Midnight
Classic Gremlins warning label. The wearer will turn grouchy and a little cannibalistic if you dare to feed them after the witching hour. Worth experimenting to see what level of cray-cray will be unleashed.
Add Caffeine Before Attempting Morning Communications
Here lies a jumbled mess of incoherent babble and sloth-like maneuvers. This person cannot operate without a high dose of super-charged coffee. Squabbling, spitting, irritability are all side-effects of the caffeine light addict.
Expect Inconsistency
Or acting in a high emotional state rather than a rational state. The inconsistent rarely make headway into life as they dawdle on opportunities. Worse, their decision making is questionable as they pick and choose at random without sticking to any hard and fast rules.
Gets Attached by the Slightest Interaction With You
A bad date that has gone horribly wrong. The fatal attachment that lingers long after the honeymoon. A morning-after regret that stays long into the holiday season. Needy and clingy. Don’t make eye contact, or you’ll be submerged into the dingy hell-scape of a lover intertwined with the ill-matched mess of a partner.
Beware. Woke the Dead.
A phenomenal warning that conjures all sorts of images. Does this person have the power to be feared? Do the dead wake up and go on a killing spree? What happened when they woke the dead? Are they to be feared? Do you really want to know the answer?
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https://medium.com/the-bad-influence/if-i-had-a-warning-label-f01b84c0e999
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['Reuben Salsa']
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2020-12-10 13:02:05.394000+00:00
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['Salsa', 'The Bad Influence', 'Humor', 'Ideas', 'Self']
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How Entrepreneurs Can Thrive in a New Era of Uncertainty
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Len Schlesinger is President Emeritus at Babson College and the Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School where he serves as Chair of the School’s Practice-based faculty and Coordinator of the Required Curriculum Section Chairs. He has served as a member of the HBS faculty from 1978 to 1985, 1988 to 1998 and 2013 to the present. During his career at the School, he has taught courses in Organizational Behavior, Organization Design, Human Resources Management, General Management, Neighborhood Business, Entrepreneurial Management, Global Immersion, Leadership and Service Management in MBA and Executive Education programs. He has also served as head of the Service Management Interest Group, Senior Associate Dean for External Relations, and Chair of the School’s (1993–94) MBA program review and redesign process.
In this interview with Carbon Radio, he talks about how entrepreneurs will win in this new era of uncertainty. He addresses how healthcare and higher education are changing, and how entrepreneurial thought and action will enable organizations to thrive in a post-Covid world.
What do you think about what’s going on right now and how can entrepreneurship can play a role in the recovery of the economy?
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, has actually nailed the framing of the issue in a very compelling way, and it’s one that I have been using countless number of times with credit to him. He talks about the three phases of current reality, and the first one is obviously restore. There needs to be some mechanism by which we can restore businesses and organizations to some semblance of reality. The second is recover. What are all the things we need to do to get customers back, to get service providers back, to get the systems working? And the third, and obviously the most exciting and most compelling part of the equation, is reimagine. What we have is the opportunity, whether you’re a small business or a large business of any kind, to use the experience of the last several months to think about ways in which you can reinvent every aspect of your business model and every way in which you interact with customers or constituents, and there’s no question that that work has just begun. And much of what has been done to accommodate constituencies in the context of the pandemic will end up proving to be extraordinarily useful on an ongoing basis. The reality, as you suggest in one of your questions, is we’re still left with an enormous amount of uncertainty about what a current reality is and what reality is going to be 90 days from now, let alone a year from now. And those are the times where the winners are always the entrepreneurs. They are the ones who are able to not only cope with uncertainty, but flourish in uncertainty and figure out ways in which they can actually take some small steps to get a sense of what might or might not work in the new reality called Post Covid-19.
Until we have a well-established vaccine that has the whole world saying, “OK, we’ve got this one licked”, I can’t imagine anything that approaches a state of normalcy. And given the failures of most governments and healthcare systems and quite honestly, most citizen populations around this particular pandemic, there’s an opportunity to reinvent so many aspects of our lives as a community as an outgrowth of this. The question is, “will we have the patience and temperament to do that?” The call I had before you indicated really a deep fear that we’re already seeing that many American populations are just flat out bored with current reality and have just decided they’ve had enough, and so they’re going to misbehave in all sorts of ways. We’re beginning to see the potential for consequences as you see Covid-19 rates begin to spike. I just have a feeling the next few months are going to be pretty ugly.
How do you think healthcare entrepreneurs in particular will play a role in reimagining society moving forward?
There are three or four ways in which it has already become obvious. One is the spike in telehealth. So at the time of Covid-19, there were very few significant players in telehealth. Kaiser had managed to have more than half of their GP appointments done on telehealth, but other than that, it was an idiosyncrasy. And we got forced into telehealth, and it’s proving to be far more robust and far more powerful than anybody imagined. There’s absolutely no question, as part of the process of reinvention, we will begin to think about where and how you need to have a physical interaction with a doctor, because there’s very few industries that are less customer slash patient centric than healthcare. Particularly as you move into parts of the United States where geographic access to healthcare requires a two hour drive, the notion of being able to handle most basic activities over the phone or over the Internet will change all of that. At this point, the folks who will have a profound influence on whether that happens are the insurance companies. Right now, most insurance companies are paying the same rate for live and for telehealth. And if they immediately go back to depreciating the value of an electronic interaction versus a live interaction, I think you’ll see some slowdown, but there’s no question new mechanisms for interaction with doctors and healthcare providers will change in all sorts of ways.
The second piece of that is something I was reading about the other day about how all these people aren’t going to doctors, and there doesn’t appear to be any epidemic of any other kind of healthcare issues over the last several months. So this issue of the habits that we’ve established for visits to doctors and the activities that we go to doctors for, I think lots of people are going to start to challenge that and that has the opportunity to have a profound influence on healthcare costs and old habits that, by and large, are supported by empirical data.
The third piece is to understand how much the economy of the healthcare systems are critically dependent on elective procedures and, quite honestly, how unprepared most healthcare systems were to deal with the underlying structure of the pandemic. I’m reading in the paper today that major healthcare systems here in Boston still don’t have access to PPE. You know, you sit there and say, “oh, jeez.” And so what we have demonstrated is, because it’s not “medical”, but it is “critical” for healthcare, there was a systematic inattention to the global logistics system in healthcare. I don’t know who was responsible for it or how it was thought about, but there was this gravitational pull for everything to go to lowest cost providers and everything to get off shore. We had very few domestic providers. We had no emergency supplies. Our stockpile had run low. And I’ve got to believe that hopefully this ends up being a scary reminder of just how fragile our global logistics system is, not just in healthcare, but in all sorts of industries. This will raise serious questions. All three of those things — new access to physicians, new access to global supply chains, and rethinking the interaction between patients and doctors and when they need to go and when they don’t. All three of those are going to be stimulated and grown by entrepreneurs.
How do you think about small businesses and family businesses in this time and what can we learn or what are we learning about how they’re operating in this time of extreme uncertainty?
I will separate them. I think of family businesses different than I think of small businesses. So, let me start with family enterprise. The one thing everybody tends to kind of romance the notion of family enterprise and think that somehow they’re small businesses. We need to understand on a global scale there’s substantially more wealth in family enterprise than there is in the aggregated wealth of all of the public corporations that exist. Families have longer history. Families have longer aggregations of wealth and quite honestly, there are families that have demonstrated extraordinary resilience. You know, multiple generations of family being able to move through in ways in which our theories about organizations would indicate that private organizations, by and large, have not been able to do. So, I think the challenges that are facing family enterprise in the aggregate aren’t really profoundly different than those that are facing any other organization. There are some special issues associated with family dynamics, alongside organizational dynamics, but the nature of the challenges are roughly the same.
Small business is a whole different ballgame. The most important thing to understand about small business is it depends what country I’m talking to you from. In the United States, if I look at the Small Business Administration, they define a small business as any business with under five hundred employees. And the reality is, when they talk about the significance of small business, they’re really talking about the very small part of the population that has 350 to 500 employees. They ignore microenterprises. They ignore neighborhood businesses. Those are the ones that are just getting killed. Absolutely getting killed. A lot of them, obviously, in food service and in restaurants. The latest data indicates that probably at least 25 percent of them won’t survive. Literally won’t survive, largely because they don’t have stores of cash. Large organizations today are sitting on absolute hoards cash, trying to figure out what they’re going to do when this is all over, what regime they’re going to buy up and what industries they’re going to go into. The smaller microbusinesses, they need the cash flow to operate the business and deliver. That doesn’t exist. The PPP wasn’t necessarily framed correctly, and the most naive part of the PPP here in the United States, and it really was naïve, was operating off the assumption that you could use the banks as the source of application. That was predicated on the assumption that these smaller businesses have banking relationships. And usually they’re making relationships where they have access to capital. So, it ignores, particularly for minorities, the average net worth of a black adult citizen of Boston is eight and a half dollars. If you have eight and a half dollars, you’re not worried about a banking relationship and you’re not calling up your neighborhood banker to get access to it. So, it took a while to understand that. Again, the interim solution for that was the rise of fintech. So, the fintech organizations, most specifically organizations like QuickBooks, stepped in and got authority to actually file the applications, in addition to banks, and stepped in and provided an absolutely critical resource for small businesses that banks, by and large, for the really small ones, don’t play.
That being said, the rules change all the time. It was designed for eight weeks. Now it is designed for 24 weeks. If you do it correctly, by and large, it’s a grant. I understand that. But, it was a grant that was actually intended to keep people on your payroll, and when it was designed, nobody forecasted the length of the Covid situation. So, it didn’t hurt, but it really hasn’t helped.
How do you think entrepreneurs are uniquely capable of operating in what is seemingly the most uncertain time of most of our lives?
Well, I mean, the notion at this point is even in the midst of uncertainty, one can see the opportunity structure and the opportunity structure is entirely driven by uncertainty. So people have hobbies. People have expertise. People have interests. And there’s no better time to imagine new scenarios and experiment. I mean it’s really just that simple. The most powerful way to reduce uncertainty is to take a step and see what happened. As opposed to the traditional business planning process of people sitting around and dreaming of something, the need is now. The problems are now. The steps that one can take to address the problems are now. It takes an entrepreneur with a temperament and a mindset to actually take that step and see what happens to actually create the new solutions in the post-Covid environment.
Do you think people will look at risk differently now or through a similar analysis?
Well, it’s a more robust analysis. We just got hit by something that wasn’t in anybody’s risk analysis framework. And so now you have to add global pandemics to your list of things to worry about. There are only nine more plagues to work with. The reality is the risk management frameworks are not poorly defined and, by and large, are generally pretty well taken care of. Where we’re going to find people right now in risk is people stimulating, particularly in healthcare entrepreneurial activities, to get things to market faster than they should. We’ve seen this before. We saw it with the swine flu vaccine as well. I do believe that the political pressures to announce a vaccine, given the realities of bringing a vaccine to a market that does the job with minimal risk, those tensions are going to be very powerful at the high end, and there’ll be variations on that tension all the way down to the small neighborhood businesses.
You wrote a blog post a few years back titled “Don’t Forget the Mayors”, which focused on the work of Mayors across the country. How should local governments be thinking about investing in entrepreneurial ecosystems?
Thank God for the mayors today. If you’re looking at the folks who are closest to the action, who have the most capacity to be able to shape and influence citizenship behavior, it’s at the local level, and we see countless number of examples of both good and bad mayors across the United States. And quite honestly, the consequences of bad leadership at that level, which really does involve lives, you know, that’s where those lives are being decided on. The question for a government at the core, which is the question that ethicists and all sorts of other people have raised around Covid-19 is how do you balance the desire to get the economy going with the desire to ensure that lives are saved? And we’ve allowed for that debate to go on and be framed as a political debate.
As our administration has oftentimes framed it as we don’t want the cost of compliance and the cost of responding to the coronavirus to exceed the value. And we’re very much in the middle of that right now. Our systematic inability as a nation and as a set of communities to actually have that question addressed without contention is very much at the source of the problems that I expressed that I was concerned about relative for the next several months.
What do you think the future of higher education will look like with the pandemic going on and as technology improves?
Most of higher education got pushed, and I mean pushed, into online learning. And so lots of educational institutions are busily celebrating their ten-day transition to online learning. Most of it, I would guess, is not very good. Now, as we think about what we’re going to do in the Fall, the question then becomes one of, well, how good can we get between April and August? So we’ve got six months. How good can we get? How can we actually figure out how to use all of the tools that we have to dramatically increase the quality of the online experience?
There are three things we know. The online experience can be improved exponentially, and there are countless number of people who are already doing it. They actually tend to have large numbers of students already. What you don’t want to do is ignore the fact that the online leaders, the Arizona States, the Purdues, the Southern New Hampshire University, the Penn States, are already capturing a huge percentage of the capacity in that space. They do it quite well, by and large, and they do it with huge amounts of economic advantages. If I was to wake up this morning and say, “I’m going to go into the online business” and I went and talked to my friend. He’d say, “you’re an idiot.” Unless you have an idiosyncratic niche that hasn’t been covered in any way, shape or form by online learning, you’re just going to get crushed by people who have capacity. That’s number one.
Most of these schools that are making these deep commitments to online, they’re doing it in some respects as a hobby and something to pass the time until they can go face to face. They’re not looking at it as a permanent restructuring of their model. The reality is it has raised fundamental challenges to the higher education economic model that have been raised for the last decade. And just like we had a 10 day transition to online learning, we’ve now had a 10 day transition to a serious examination about “why am I paying 50, 60, 70 thousand dollars a year?” Particularly when institutions delivered online, and in addition to delivering online, refused to cut tuition.
Colleges can’t cut their tuition given their economic model, which is still dependent on labor, and students are beginning to raise questions that are quite legitimate. And so if this goes on for another Fall, the pressure will be even greater. The folks who were writing the book about the college stress test, Zemsky, about six months ago said there are 10 percent of colleges in the United States of about 2,200 colleges, about 10 percent of them that are on the near death list. I think today they would say 25 percent. So you will have death, you’ll have consolidation. The longer this goes on, the less able these schools are to defend what it’s all about.
Now, there are a whole bunch of other schools that have actually come to the conclusion, and I think it’s a gutsy and appropriate choice, that what they need to do is they need to do everything they need to do to deliver what they do, as much of it as is physically possible, live. And they are now all dealing with government, public health and science to try and figure out what they need to do to get as many people on campus in live situations to create the kind of value equation that they are all about. I applaud those schools for being pretty clear about what their strategy is all about and for not wanting to play the nonresidential game. But, in some respects the deal buster at this point are the folks who have been innovating now for a long time like Southern New Hampshire University. What they’ve done now is they have a residential campus, which was the core of that school before they went online, and they accept residential students. And now what they’ve said to the students they’ve accepted for this Fall’s class is, “You can all move on campus. We’re delighted to have you on campus if you want to be there on a campus. We’re not going to run the residential freshman year next year. So, we’re going to give you your first year of college absolutely free as an apology for disappointing you. And the commitment is while we’re delivering that for you, absolutely free, we’re going to be entrepreneurs, reinventing residentially-based education and coming back a year from now at ten thousand dollars a year.”
So, the online people should worry about the big folks, and the residential people should worry about what comes out of Southern New Hampshire University in just a year from now. This is not something that we’re forecasting 10 years from now. They’ve made an ironclad commitment to be ten thousand dollars a year twelve months from now.
How much of a university’s financial sustainability has to do with their endowment and their research funding?
First of all, most schools don’t have large endowments. What you’re dealing with there is the media always writes about the Ivy League and the big state schools that have large endowments, and they ignore two things. One is they have large endowments, but for many of them, it’s 80 to 85 percent restricted. It’s been designated by the donor, and the school has little or no flexibility to figure out what they might be able to do with it and how to use it. So you don’t want to overemphasize. People tend to think about Harvard having 38 billion or 40 billion, whatever the number is now. They should be able to give it all away. Well, they can’t and nor can any school in that space. The reality is the vast majority of schools don’t have large endowments and are critically dependent on tuition, and it’s the dependency on tuition in this incredibly complex environment that is their threat. It’s not the absence of endowment.
Is there precedence for the government getting involved to rescue universities? Would it be reasonable to think about it?
Do I think someone in Congress will come up with a bill? The answer is yes. Do I think it can pass? Not in this environment. I mean not a chance. The colleges and universities came up with a need this spring, I think, of something like 40 to 60 billion dollars. They got 16 billion, and with strings attached, because half of the 16 had to go directly to students. So, they asked for 60 for their needs and they got eight. And that was the first emergency go round. It’s not going to get better.
What do you think about remote work and how it’s impacting employees and how employers think about their office space?
I think this issue of remote work came out of nowhere, literally came out of nowhere, out of necessity to keep people in our homes, and we’re learning a lot. I mean the reality is we only have four or five months of data at this point. We already have some large companies making significant commitments as a result of it. I live out here in the boonies, and people always say, “Well, how is it where you live out there?” I say, “It’s a great place to live as long as you don’t want to go anywhere.” Because getting into the city for me was two and a half to two and three quarter hours a day, back and forth. I have now picked that up. That’s my time. It’s time for sleeping. It’s time for exercising. It’s time for conversation. It’s time for work. So there’s no question people are discovering all sorts of opportunities there. I think there will be a pattern. We’ll be coming back to work. There’s no question about it for most of us, but in environments that are much less densely populated, fewer people required to come in. And this fantasy of remote work will increasingly become the work du jour. There are plenty of occupations and plenty of professions that don’t require people to be at work all the time.
Now, start thinking about the second and third order consequences of that. One is, what does it mean for urban environments? And, what we see here in Boston is rents going down in Boston proper and the suburbs having these incredible spikes of interest as people are looking to move out here. You see that in virtually every major city. Rents down in New York, rents down in San Francisco dramatically, rents down in Boston. Whether that’s temporary or permanent, I tend to think it is a longer alive phenomena than people might think.
The second issue, which is the most profound issue, is what do we do with all these big office buildings if we can’t figure out how to get people in elevators? When people say, “What’s it going to take to get people to go downtown?” Well, if you can only get two people in an elevator and your office is on the 52nd floor, it’s going to take 12 hours to get people in and 12 hours to get people out for two minutes of work. We built an infrastructure that, by its very nature, is potentially ill-suited for the new reality unless someone convinces us that we can put pandemics to bed forever, which is going to be a hell of a task.
Obviously, public transport, the reality is it’s perceived as one of the greatest assets to get people to work and to not put cars on the road, and now there are plenty of people who don’t want to use public transport. If I’m the government in a city, I, too, am dealing with exactly the questions that I started this conversation with you. What does it take to restore some sense of normalcy? What does it take to recover from the greatest disruption to my economic base that I’ve ever experienced in modern history over the most sustained period of time? How am I going to reimagine this city?
If you’re looking for the opportunities for entrepreneurship, the opportunities for local governments to completely rethink what they do and the ability to create ecosystems of all of the players in that local community, to systematically reinvent the logic of that city on a scale never thought about before is completely real.
I was supposed to do some executive teaching in April of this past year right before coronavirus, and there was a case that we had written on a business in the UK that decided to go to remote work. My colleagues thought it was kind of a crazy case. I found some old dissertations that were written on it and some early stage stuff that was written on it, but it was kind of a fluke. Now, just three months later, they’re at the epicenter of a long-term solution.
What do you think about Andrew Yang’s universal basic income proposals both in terms of policy and in terms of political feasibility?
I don’t have deep conviction about the proposals. What we found essentially, in the context of the last four months, was right now the government gave one check, and I guess this morning they’re talking about another check. There’s no question it’s better than nothing, but only marginally better. The other extreme is the Biden proposals, along with the progressives of two thousand dollars a month per person until the Covid situation is over, and the reality there is that’s a big number. And if we’re already complaining about predisposition to not go into work with the 600 dollar supplement on unemployment insurance, that just exacerbates the problem in even greater detail.
So, the idea of a universal basic income is not a bad idea, but it can’t be an idea that is devoid of context in terms of all the other things that happen or don’t happen, all the other supports that exist or don’t exist to allow our citizenry to thrive and flourish. It’s a great slogan. Over the last few years, we’ve learned the slogan of “universal basic income”. We learned “no student debt”, “free college”. I mean I can go through that whole list. Every one of them in and of themselves has the capacity to break the bank, and the fact that they’re not embedded in a broader context of how we’re going to do work, and an economic model quite honestly that allows this to work, is the bigger problem.
What do you think about this field of futurism and the notion of forecasting, and does it have a role to play in these conversations at the Federal level about how we fund things in the long term?
Let’s get very clear about this. This is the joy of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship, by and large, is naturally suspicious of forecasts. If you looked at the first seventy-five days of the Coronavirus and you looked at television, it was a never ending stream of competitive forecasts all of which would reach different conclusions in terms of what was going on and what the most appropriate next step is. I’m not suggesting that we are not interested in data, and I’m not suggesting that we’re not interested in improving the quality of our data, but as any social scientist will say, more importantly any economic investor will say, don’t actually take economic steps based on a forecast, that in fact, the forecasts are as good as the algorithms that go in. The algorithms are created by human beings, and they contain all of the biases of the human condition.
Is the world going to come to an end in 2020 or 2030? I don’t know, but the reality is I don’t spend much time convinced that one forecast is going to be compelling over another, and in some respects, it’s why these dueling forecasts allow us to have political debates about everything. Is there incontrovertible evidence that we have deleterious impacts of climate change? Yes. Is the world going to end in 2030? I don’t know. Is the current reality of climate change an opportunity for a substantial number of entrepreneurs to think about activities they might engage in where you can actually make money and also make a better world? Yep. No question about it.
When we look at the organizations that have done well coming out of the pandemic, there is one thing I’m absolutely certain of without making a forecast. I just believe it in my bones. And that is the organizations that have taken care of their people are the ones that are going to win.
And our ability to avoid this ideological debate about our staff, it just drives me crazy. I gave a talk last month, and I was talking about the people who we’re calling our frontline workers, not healthcare workers, but frontline workers, they’re all being relabeled as heroes. And I just sit there and say, “You know what? Could we stop calling them heroes and could we pay them a decent wage?” It’s just that simple. I don’t want to give them a greeting card. I don’t want to applaud as they walk down the street.
I want to make sure that we are recognizing the risks that they are taking on our behalf, one, and two, that we are recognizing that for a variety of circumstances, they don’t have a lot of other options and that we want to make sure that the most profound way we can communicate appreciation of their work and their effort is to provide them with all of the support they need to minimize the risk of exposure and to pay them for the risk they’re taking. A few organizations did it for a few weeks, and now they got bored.
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https://medium.com/discourse/how-entrepreneurs-can-thrive-in-a-new-era-of-uncertainty-e2da83ae263b
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['Carbon Radio']
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2020-07-29 13:49:58.309000+00:00
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['Leadership', 'Healthcare', 'Future', 'Higher Education', 'Entrepreneurship']
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Cover the King
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Cover the King
Author’s note- This story is an homage to the genre of mystery/crime short that once appeared in magazines like Ellery Queen or Arthur Hitchcock Magazine.
It was while Bethanne was constructing the timeline for the homicide detective that she declared that everything that occurred that morning stemmed from an innocuous invitation the year before.
“I should have known then, that we were here on borrowed time,” she said.
“Known when?” asked Detective Simpson.
“Right after we moved into the complex. Our neighbors, the Rileys came to introduce themselves. They said we’d have to come over for a night of cards sometime. I should have known right then and there that no good would come of it. Not that I could have stopped it, of course. Saying the words “cards” to Dick was like saying “cheesecake” to someone on a diet. Once it got into his head, he’d become obsessive about it.”
“Liked to play, did he?” asked the policeman. “For money, or just simple enjoyment?”
“Both,” responded Bethanne. “Although I don’t think his enjoyment was simple,in any sense. It was more . . . primordial might be the only way to describe it, or maybe primal. You see, he simply had to win.”
“Sore loser, then?” Detective Simpson scribbled into his notebook and added an asterisk and underlined the sentence.
Bethanne shook her head wryly. “That doesn’t even come close to describing it, Detective. If he lost, it could only be through sinister forces in the universe working against him or maybe a cheating opponent. He would actually throw the cards on the floor, like a four year old. It was the most embarrassing thing you could possibly imagine. If only I had listened to my mother. Oh well.” She frowned and began scraping at a spot on her apron.
“Your mother didn’t like him?” asked Detective Simpson.
“Oh no, she never met him” answered Bethanne. “But he failed her boyfriend test. Before she died she told me it was fail-safe and to never get involved with any man who tanked on both parts.”
The female officer who was sitting in on the interview, Officer Lucas, who until now had been sitting silently making her own notes during the conversation, suddenly perked up and leaned in to ask her a question.
“What is this ‘boyfriend test’ of your mother’s? Professional interest only” she added when Simpson slightly sniggered.
“Oh, when I was about sixteen she told me that all you needed to know about whether someone was good boyfriend or even husband material, was to give him two tests as early as possible, so as not to waste time”.
“And these were, what?” asked Lucas.
“ Should I leave the room?” interrupted Detective Simpson. “You’ll tell me but then have to kill me, violation of the sisterhood sort of thing?”
Bethanne looked at him and smiled. “You’ll think they’re very silly. But it’s as accurate as a Geiger counter and radioactivity”.
“Please, don’t keep us waiting.” Officer Lucas looked like she was going to snap her pencil in suppressed impatience.
“Number 1 — ask him in a very public and crowded place to hold your purse while you go to the ladies room. If he refuses, strike one. Very, very serious strike.”
Detective Simpson shifted uncomfortably. “So what’s the big deal if he doesn’t want to hold your purse?”
“Insecure in his masculinity” replied Bethanne. “He doesn’t know anyone there, what does he care if a bunch of anonymous strangers see him holding a purse for a couple of minutes? If he’s that insecure, warning, warning,red alert, abandon ship. Probably in constant need to be domineering and in control of his docile female partner at all times. At least according to my mom.”
“Seems pretty flimsy to me,” Detective Simpson snorted. “Baby /bathwater thing. Hardly a firing offense.”
“Test 2?” Officer Lucas was determined that they not be diverted.
“Test 2 is to play a game with them and see how they handle both winning and losing. Someone who has to always win has no sense of priorities or possibly even compassion or empathy. It’s fine to enjoy winning, but it’s a matter of degree, do you see?” Bethanne stared intently at Officer Lucas, totally ignoring Detective Simpson.
Simpson took the opportunity to go over to the pot and refresh his coffee. He recognized that Lucas had achieved one of her famous ‘bonding moments’ with the subject and he had no desire to impede the process.
“Oh, I see completely. My ex-husband enjoyed nothing more than bankrupting everyone else in Monopoly. Even the kids when they were little! I like your mom’s test. I can think of a few people to share it with.” Officer Lucas tapped some quick notes into her personal phone before closing it and picking up her official notebook again.
“I think we’ve strayed from the subject at hand,” said Detective Simpson, returning to the table. “Let’s get back to the card party at the Riley’s. That was when — last October? What happened then?”
Bethanne sighed. “Everything that I would have expected to happen. Dick started off okay, but as the night wore on and he had more than a few drinks, the real Dick made his appearance. He ridiculed people for their plays, insisted on showing them how they could have managed their hand better, disparaged the food, and won a great deal of money. Detective, have you ever heard anyone chortle?”
“Chortle? You mean like laugh? That’s Advanced Placement English to me. Who chortles except in Victorian novels?” Detective Simpson looked at his watch and sighed. Would this interview ever end? He’d had enough of maternal character tests and vocabulary quizzes. Get on with it, lady!
“Why is this relevant?” Officer Lucas, ever diligent, thought Bethanne in her own meandering way, was leading them down the road to the all important motive responsible for the corpse in the dining room.
Bethanne twisted her wedding ring and looked at Simpson. “You’re right, Detective. Most people have never heard an actual chortle in real life. It’s the sound of triumph, glee, greed and victory all wrapped up together in one sound. That was Dick’s only laugh. His single enjoyment was when he had reduced someone else to rubble. Anyway, that night all he did was chortle. He made everyone feel like imbeciles and poor cooks. I saw the looks and I knew that we would never be invited to another social gathering at Meadows of Runnymeade as long as we lived here. Same old story.”
She started to sniffle and accepted the tissue offered by Officer Lucas before continuing her narrative.
“Officers, we have moved every other year for as long as I can remember. He didn’t mind being a social pariah, but I did. I got lonely, you see. All I ever wanted was to have people over to dinner and play cards and have shopping outings with girlfriends like other people but Dick always spoiled it. He always says that this time it will be different, he’ll keep it in check, be everyone’s best bud, but he never does. Show him the deck of cards and he has to be Master of the Universe. So we’re looking at new complexes now that our lease expires next month. I really really liked it here. I wanted to stay, but Dick says who wants to live surrounded by village idiots.” A single lonely tear traced it’s way down Bethanne’s cheek.
“Tell us what happened this morning, Mrs. Morrow. There must be a reason for what you did.” Officer Lucas spoke softly and kindly to the drab little woman who sat across from her at the table and tried not to notice the numerous speckles of blood that covered her apron.
“I was making breakfast for Dick and listening to my morning show on the radio. He had gone out to get the mail and had just come back in. I had my solitaire game laid out on the table so I could get back to it after Dick ate and I had done the dishes. I had just learned this game a little while ago- double decks and quite complicated. I never win, maybe 1 in fifty. I was about to have a win, I could just feel it. All the kings were covered. But breakfast has to be right at nine, or else, so I had to break away. So Dick comes in with the mail,takes a look at my game, picks up the cards and plays out the hand in about two minutes. I didn’t even know he knew this game! Anyway, after winning, he pushed all the cards together, both decks (!), so sorting them will take forever, and then says “Bethanne, why do you waste your time on that rubbish? Surely there’s something more exciting for you to do aside from endless solitaire. I think your brain is rotting from inactivity. And this garbage on the radio!” and then he turned off my show.
I served him his breakfast and we ate in total silence. I felt very strange, like there was a big weight sitting inside of me that was bursting to get out. I kept quiet and took deep breaths and thought of nice things, just like my daughter showed me. She’s a beautiful girl, lives in Seattle now so we never get to see her. And then I did the dishes.
Dick went through the mail and there was something there from our property manager. We own a few rental properties, Dick buys them at tax sales. They’re all really run down and I’m embarrassed to even own them. Anyway, we had this one tenant, a really nice woman who’s lived there for five years but lately the rent has been slow because she got sick, poor thing. I asked if we couldn’t give her a break as all the other rents were coming in just fine and we had a surplus in the account but Dick said that while one old cow feeling sorry for another old cow was touching, business was business and it was no concern of his if someone got sick, that was their problem.
Dick insisted on reading the letter from the property manager out loud, even though I said he didn’t need to. But he just had to share his victory. It said that our “issue” on River Street had been resolved, the eviction was successful and we would get to keep the entire security deposit. And then he did it. I was drying my old heavy cast iron skillet and I had it right in my hands when he did it. I had a kind of flash and I thought my brain had actually exploded. I don’t really remember what happened next, but when I came out of it, he was lying there and I still had the skillet in my hand and it had blood all over it. So did my apron and the tablecloth and the rug. I can’t believe that I did that. If only he hadn’t done it, maybe he would still be alive and we could move again and get a fresh start.” Bethanne finally lost her composure and slumped over the table, her body wracked by giant heaving sobs.
“Mrs. Morrow, I’m missing something. What exactly did your husband do that upset you so much? Did he try to hit you or abuse you in anyway? Was it self defense?” Detective Simpson waited for the answer that he knew would determine this woman’s future — whether charges would be pressed, a trial held, prison time or not, the whole ball of wax.
“He. . . he . . . CHORTLED! And I knew it couldn’t go on. I couldn’t go on and he couldn’t go on, so I just tried to make it stop.”
***
Later, after booking was complete and all the reports filed, Detective Simpson and Officer Lucas headed out to the Central Marketplace and Food Court to catch a bite to eat after a long and arduous day. They were waiting in line for the latest craze, Hong Kong bubble wrap waffles with short ribs, when Detective Simpson felt something shoved into his hands.
“Hold this, while I catch the Ladies Room. I won’t be a sec,” Officer Lucas dashed off and melted into the throngs of consumers.
Detective Ernie Simpson looked down and saw that he was now custodian of Officer Eleanor Lucas’ handbag.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
© 2018 Valerie Kittell
|
https://medium.com/thecabbagegarden/cover-the-king-9134ad9c7656
|
['Valerie Kittell']
|
2020-08-22 17:43:37.269000+00:00
|
['Short Story', 'Fiction', 'Lit', 'Writing', 'Mystery']
|
Organizing Your Mind in an Age of Information Overload
|
Each day you’re consuming MANY MANY MANY times more information than your ancestors did. It’s a unique and defining feature of the current age that gets negligently little attention and is far outside your evolutionary biology to naturally manage. There’s too much to absorb or remember, so curating and personalizing has become more important than creating new.
What gets even less attention is where you meet this external curation, which is why the only physical book I’ve finished cover to cover in a while is on this topic. There’s so much good info in it, based on actual well-researched science, that I went slow and took copious notes. I’ve found it’s better to absorb 1/3 of the best information and actually use it, than take in 3x more and not use/remember most of it. This means heavily screening what I take in, taking notes, and actually reviewing those notes.
This philosophy lines up with this great book The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in an Age of Information Overload.
Teaching is a way to process info 😈, so here are few of many key highlights:
- Outsource things to other people or take notes so you can be in flow
- Write things out to get them out of your head so you stop thinking about them. Create calendar reminders so your brain doesn’t need to remind you
- Review old notes and sit with things to update your beliefs. It takes years to rewire your brain out of bad habits/beliefs/information (be sympathetic with others)
- You suck at multitasking more than you think. Better to do one task at a time and turn off distractions, and KNOW that’s the most important thing you can be focusing on at that moment. Multitasking also leads to miscategorizing info in your brain. Chunk similar chores together like paying bills. Takes about 50 minutes to get into focus
- Manage your dopamine. It 100% controls your attention. This is why I dopamine diet — starting my mornings with less pleasure than ramping it up over time so I have more control over my life
- Make time for daydreaming/wandering mind. Today’s world is very entertaining and covetous of your attention, at the cost of your peace and creativity. I find it hard to do nothing, but also find doing nothing/meditating to be my most productive time and highly correlated with how well I’m doing in life
- Question your memories and morality for self-interest. Our memories are fictitious and can change over time, and we almost always frame reality so we’re the moral ones when it’s in our self-interest, despite how reality that’s not always true
- Take notes on people after meeting them to remember important details, and review before re-encountering
- Look for depth in others. You’re more likely to believe people in your group are better and more diverse than people in other groups, even when groups are decided by something as arbitrary as a coin toss. Political parties both view neutral reporting as biased against their side
- Break big goals into small manageable chunks. Then pause, reflect, evaluate if reality is mapping out to your ideal mental image/expectation
- Follow experts (actual experts not influencers) with things like workout plans because you can just trust them and not overthink/worry
- Learn and teach indirectly. Better to let lead someone to come up with the solution than feed it directly (too much dense info to do that here)
- Get sleep. It can take a few days to store information so missing sleep even days later can damage earlier memories
- Nap for less than 40 minutes. 10 minute nap = 1.5 hours of sleep for most people
- Grow faster by acting as-if you have the new identity
- Decide how much your time is worth to you on an hourly $ basis so you can make decisions logically about things like how much time or money to spend to save time or money (is it worth spending 20 minutes searching to save $10 on a flight?)
- Early risers are happier, more productive, and more organized than night owls
- 60 hour work week is 50% longer but 25% net less effective than a 40 hr week. Taking vacations, naps, exercise also increases net effectiveness — even when that time could have been spent working
- Give your mind time to relax or ease between meetings — take + review notes before/after call. Therapists do a 50 minute hour
Note that half the population is more on the information gathering side, and half on the organizing side. If you’re extreme on the organizing side it’s likely you’ll still actually do well to take in more information than you are already doing, but you’re likely not reading this anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Wrapping up, if a book were to be labeled “Required Reading” then The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in an Age of Information Overload would definitely be a strong contender. Reading it or not, do be mindful of how you meet the information overload in the modern era, or else it will unconsciously consume you.
My own purpose in life is to curate and personalize information at scale, especially in accordance with our individual genetics and personality psychology. Right now this is via GameTree, the top app for curating gamer friends, and in the next evolution as WeTree, a Google for personalized recommendations (friends, dating, work collaborators, products, events…) according to your unique needs and identity. Subscribe to stay tuned for launch.
What’s a tactic you use to manage information in this age of overload?
|
https://medium.com/@boblikesoup/organizing-your-mind-in-an-age-of-information-overload-8529bdb14277
|
['John Uke']
|
2020-12-28 17:25:04.761000+00:00
|
['Life Hacking', 'Wisdom', 'Book Review', 'Psychology', 'Productivity']
|
How to Make an Interactive Experience Meaningful
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“Studies of older Americans find that one of the best predictors of happiness is whether a person considers his or her life to have a purpose.” Mark Lepper
I think this Mark Lepper quote also works for interactive design. Allow me to explain.
When you play a video game, you most likely will invest a great amount of time sitting in a chair, looking at a screen, and perhaps maybe even skipping one of Maslow’s basic needs like a bathroom break or a snack. It is important to feel like the time on a game is worthwhile. In other words, there’s a legitimate purpose behind the time sink.
How do you do it? How can an interactive experience be designed to leave people feeling like the experience was meaningful? Interactive Designers are in luck. Meet Dr. Mark Lepper.
Meet the Chef
Mark Lepper earned a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University in 1966 and later attended Yale University where he received a Ph.D. in Social and Developmental Psychology in 1970.
Since 1982, Lepper has been a Professor of Psychology at his alma mater, Stanford, where he is currently the Chairman of the Psychology Department. He has been known for his work in Social Psychology which includes research on the Hostile Media Effect, Self-Reinforcement, and Social Interference. Lepper is also known for his research on how children are influenced by extrinsic and intrinsic rewards.
Extrinsic rewards are rewards that can be touched and are clearly visible. Think about the bi-weekly paycheck an employee will receive or the trophy a championship football team will earn. On the other hand, intrinsic rewards cannot be touched or seen. They instead, resemble the positive feelings of an individual after participating in an activity that is fulfilling. Examples include feelings of contentment after finishing an entertaining novel, or the satisfaction a runner might feel after beating their PR in a race.
The 5 C’s
Lepper’s research on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation led him to an important conclusion: Extrinsic rewards weaken the learning experience when overused. Instead, he stressed the importance of intrinsic motivation.
This raises the question, how can an interactive activity be designed to be intrinsically motivating?
The answer: Lepper identified the “5 C’s” of intrinsic motivation.
They are: challenge, curiosity, control, competence, and context.
Challenge involves the level of difficulty associated with a game or interactive media. To apply this “ingredient,” the game or activity should be neither completely easy nor completely hard. Instead, the activity should be at an intermediate difficulty where the player is able to find success without feeling like a game is impossible.
Curiosity can be implemented in a game by making sure that there is no shortage of activities to do and areas to explore. Procedural-Generated games like Terraria and Minecraft strive in evoking the curiosity of most players by providing a seemingly infinite amount of content.
An overview of how Procedural Generation is applied to video games, Source: Extra Credits
Control relates to the tendency of players to feel like they are controlling the game, not the other way around. Wii Sports is a good example of a game that perfectly incorporates the “control” aspect. By incorporating motion-sensors, movements of the remote are similar to the movements of playing a particular sport in the real world.
Demonstration of how to use the Wii remote to play Wii Table Tennis, Source: ContraNetwork
Competence can be attributed to the feelings of success or contentment with one’s progress. In interactive games, to foster competence in a player, the pacing should be relevant to the player’s acquired skills and abilities. Ultimately, players should feel like they are improving as the game progresses. More importantly, the player should be able to find success relatively quickly in order to reinforce confidence.
Context simply refers to an imaginary or fictitious environment that the player can engage with in a game or any form of interactive media. RPG(Role-Playing Games) like The Pokemon Series and Undertale have been successful in applying this ingredient by setting up interesting narratives.
A brief explanation of the plot of Undertale, Source: JakeTheGreat
Why Lepper Might Like Mario Kart
To put all five of Lepper’s “5 C’s” into the perspective of one game, I selected a classic game from my own childhood: Mario Kart (Nintendo Wii).
Challenge in Mario Kart is multidimensional. Part of the challenge in the game is racing against others who will throw hazardous projectiles at you such as the red shells, banana peels, and thunderclouds. Beyond simply competing with others, players have to avoid obstacles and enemies on the race tracks. I recall being petrified by Chain Chomps while racing in Mario Circuit but there are many others such as Shy Guys, Goombas, and the infamous Piranha Plants. Each map that the player races on also offers its own unique hazards. For example, on the map: “N64 Wario’s Gold Mine,” players have to contend with bats and gold carts as they race on a railway. On the map: Bowser’s Castle, racers have to deal with a multitude of different hazards, including explosive fireballs, lava-flowing geysers, and a moving floor that distorts the player’s view.
A player races in Bowser’s Castle in Mario Kart Wii, Source: GamerJGB
Curiosity in Mario Kart is attributed to many different components of the game. A notable example is the fact that there are more than 30 different race tracks to choose from, so there is no shortage of places to explore. Additionally, music in Mario Kart is not generic. Each map that the players race has its own unique song or theme. There is also the incentive to play the game often as certain vehicles and characters can only be unlocked after the player reaches certain milestones.
The controls in Mario Kart Wii are straightforward. Players control the movements of their karts simply by moving the Wii remote left and right. Nintendo even released the Wii Wheel in an attempt to make the controls look more like a steering wheel in a typical car instead of a remote. This was a smart move by Nintendo because it incorporated an aspect of reality into an otherwise fictional game, and provided players with a sense that they really are in control of a vehicle instead of an imaginary virtual car.
Demonstration of how to use the Wii Wheel, Source: Gadgets and Gears
Mario Kart Wii does a good job in promoting feelings of competence in players with its use of Item Boxes. In the game, Item Boxes are multi-colored floating boxes with question marks on them. When an Item Box is picked up by the player, the player is given an item that can be used advantageously. Item Boxes can change the dynamics of a race fairly quickly when used. A player in last place for example, can immediately move ahead of other racers if they receive the “Bullet Bill” item. This item, when activated, gives the player a rocket boost that allows them to move down the race track significantly faster than the other players. Another example is the “Blue Shell” item, which can be used to stop the racer in first place from moving for a short period of time. Ultimately, Item Boxes can help to reinforce the confidence of players by allowing them to redeem themselves and change the outcome of a race almost instantly.
Item Boxes in Mario Kart Wii, Source: https://www.supercheats.com/guides/mario-kart-wii/items
Last but certainly not least, context is also clearly recognizable in Mario Kart. The game introduces characters from other games in the Super Mario franchise that many of the players have likely already seen including Bowser, Luigi, and Daisy among others. In many of these other Mario games, it might not be possible to play as one of these characters, so allowing players in Mario Kart Wii to select one of them can be powerful in allowing players to identify with the characters that they know and love.
Depiction of all 24 characters in Mario Kart Wii, Source: https://www.keengamer.com/articles/features/quizzes/mario-kart-wii-quiz-characters-and-vehicles/
A Game That Falls Short? Ride to Hell Retribution
After doing some research and attempting to find consensus on one of the most poorly made video games, I seemed to come across multiple different game review websites that gave the action-adventure game “Ride to Hell: Retribution” terrible ratings. GameSpot gave the strongly criticized video game an “Abysmal” 1/10, while Metacritic PC Version gave it a 16/100 indicating “overwhelming dislike.”
Review of Ride to Hell: Retribution, Source: GameSpot
One of the major areas of dysfunction in Ride to Hell: Retribution is its controls. In an in-depth review of the game, GameSpot criticized the key controls for not being remappable. Essentially, the controls in the game cannot be reconfigured whatsoever.
The game has also been criticized for its terrible movement mechanics. For example, movements of the character’s bike often register with delay and aren’t smooth. This is similar to the fighting/hand-to-hand combat mechanics of the main character where hits are delayed and oftentimes unresponsive.
Lastly, load scenes in the game are extremely long and unnecessary, causing the player’s time to be wasted. Instead of “getting to the point” and progressing through the story quickly, the player is often forced to press “enter” to advance past a loading scene, which may not come intuitively to a player that is playing this game.
Mark Lepper would prefer a game where the controls can easily be identified and where the player’s actions make an impact. He wouldn’t want the controls of a game to interfere with the player’s ability to explore and find success. Plagued by glitches and bugs, Ride to Hell: Retribution unfortunately falls short in satisfying Lepper’s ingredients to an intrinsically motivating interactive experience.
In the End, the Experience Matters
Mark Lepper’s “5 C’s” provide the groundwork for any game designer to develop a game that is intrinsically motivating. It’s important to understand however, that while these “ingredients” can serve as the building blocks to designing a successful game, game designers should also think about the kind of experience they want their players to have. The impact the game has on the mind of the player is just as important as the intricacies and inner-workings that go into its development.
Sources
|
https://medium.com/interactive-designers-cookbook/how-to-make-an-interactive-experience-meaningful-e5150fd5c86b
|
['Matthew Adelman']
|
2020-12-14 04:56:10.442000+00:00
|
['Humanism', 'Intrinsic Motivation', 'Game Design', 'Psychology']
|
Sha-256.io is a cloud mining international
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https://medium.com/@deapujangga/sha-256-io-is-a-cloud-mining-international-3042ab3c6688
|
['Dea Pujangga']
|
2021-04-25 15:30:23.735000+00:00
|
['International', 'Sha 256 Btc Cloud Mining']
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Why You Must Invest in the Success of Others
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Do you know the aphorism “a rising tide lifts all boats”? It suggests that when you improve the overall economy, everyone that is part of it benefits.
Guess what? This also applies to your networks.
When those within your spheres of influence do well, it creates a flow of events — like a trickle-down effect — that inspires you to do well too, just by your association with them.
How does this work?
Let me give you an example.
The Background
A few years ago, my friend Hassan had a struggling business, and it was unfortunately on the verge of bankruptcy. However, I was fortunate enough to be in a position where I provided an opportunity to help him avoid it.
I wasn’t actually able to specifically give what he needed — but my connections could. When I reached out to those who I knew would offer him the necessary resources to push him forward, they were there for me. This is because I make it a habit to consistently foster my relationships; I can’t reiterate how important this is to do! And how significant it is to build robust networks of individuals you can count on.
Together, we got him on his feet again and established the foundation for what turned into an extremely successful and lucrative company. And it continues to thrive today!
The Result
Hassan has not only built an amazing business but has gone on to become a pillar in his community. He’s now in a position where he donates a significant amount of money to those in need, feeds a lot of people that are underprivileged, and has turned the neighborhood around where his company resides.
As I was assisting him, I had no ulterior motive other than to see a great guy succeed. He was hard-working and had a great idea. Luckily, I was able to offer my time, and the right value through my networks which helped lead him to success. And because of the investment I made to help Hassan, and just how “a rising tide lifts all boats”, I have benefited from his success in countless ways including:
· Financial gain = he lent me money to start a company
· Business rewards = he introduced me to multiple people who turned into worthy clients
· Personal rewards = I was able to see my friend and a valuable person within my networks prosper and shine, this is most important to me!
I like to call this selfless benevolence.
I’m not sharing this story to be applauded, but rather to encourage you to support those within your networks who need it. Maybe you’re too busy or don’t have the time to do so. But there really is no excuse not to do it! Even just five minutes a day can make all the difference.
Why Invest in Others
When you’re fortunate enough to leverage what you have and aid in the success of others, you shouldn’t even think twice about it. Not only is this a sign of being a good person and a true friend, but you’ll most likely end up benefiting from it as well, in more ways than one. As said by Kevin Kruse, NY Times Bestselling Author, entrepreneur and keynote speaker: “Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being.”
But you shouldn’t look at situations and think about what you can receive from it. Being generous to others is what networking is all about. Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot to do the right thing. And remember, people never forget those who have helped them. When you need something down the road your connections will be inclined to assist you if you’ve done the same for them.
Of course, you don’t invest your time and effort in others just for the benefits — you should WANT to help those in your networks.
Who Have YOU Helped?
I’m fortunate enough to have quite a few stories like that of Hassan, and I bet if you think about it, you do too. Talk to any entrepreneur and they will most likely tell you someone other than just themselves was instrumental in their success. Speak to anyone that has achieved any level of excellence and they will inform you where someone went a “little out of their way,” and this assistance made all the difference.
Now think about it…who can YOU help today?
Become a NetWorkWise Certified Professional
Learn the right way to invest in the success of others within your networks by enrolling in our certification program! Through self-paced micro-courses, downloadable resources, quiz questions and action steps, you gain an understanding of the right way to cultivate and nurture connections. Once complete, you receive credentials validating you as an expert in creating world-class relationships. I encourage you to sign up day and become a NetWorkWise Certified Professional!
See article originally posted on NetWorkWise: https://www.networkwise.com/why-you-should-invest-in-the-success-of-others/
|
https://medium.com/@adamconnorsnww/why-you-must-invest-in-the-success-of-others-1677e4ee7df7
|
['Adam Connors']
|
2021-06-21 19:09:15.626000+00:00
|
['Networking', 'Careers', 'Habit Building', 'Success', 'Habits']
|
My First User Survey: Crafting the Survey
|
Iteration 1:
The primary objective of this survey is to find out if there are any barriers that exist that keep the general public from using wearables. When beginning to create my first draft of my survey, I thought, “I’ve got this, I’m a teacher, I make tests and quizzes all the time, which are just like surveys!” I soon realized though that a user survey is very different than a quiz or a test I give my students.
In my first draft of this survey I had the following introduction and questions created in a Google Form:
Introduction-
Purpose: This is a quick survey to determine any barriers that may exist in keeping the public from using wearable technology.
There are no wrong answers.
Wearable Technology: Wearable technology, fashion technology, tech togs, or fashion electronics are smart electronic devices (electronic device with micro-controllers) that can be incorporated into clothing or worn on the body as implants or accessories.
Questions:
Do you use wearable technology? Yes/No (These answers lead to different questions based on conditional logic). If yes: What kind of wearable technology do you use? (This was followed by a list of possibilities in a “check all that apply” format with an “other” option as well.) If no Q1: Why have you chosen NOT to use a wearable device? (This was also followed by a list of possibilities in a “check all that apply” format with an “other” option as well.) If no Q2: What, if anything would persuade you to purchase wearable technology? (This was an open ended question with a paragraph format.)
5. What is your profession? (Fill in the blank)
6. What is your age? (Drop down menu with age brackets.)
7. What city and state do you live in? (Fill in the blank)
8. Would you be willing to be contacted with further questions? Yes/ No -If yes, it lead them to a space to leave their email address. If no, it lead them to submit the form.
Well that took me about ten minutes! Great!…Finished!… Right? I reviewed my questions and just did not feel like they were adequate in helping me find trends and real insights into any possible barriers to the general public using wearables. As a teacher, I teach my students how to write a CER scientific argument. In this type of writing, they have to create a claim, back that claim with evidence, and support how that evidence relates back to the claim with reasoning and analysis. I felt like my questions were missing the reasoning part; I just didn’t see how they were going to provide me with data that would link back to my original and ultimate problem. I thought that maybe the question; “What, if anything would persuade you to purchase wearable technology?”, would provide insight, but after reviewing my user survey with two unofficial test users (since I learned that you should always test your survey before you deploy it), they informed me that it was too open ended and that they did not actually feel like answering it. I thought back to what I learned in the checkpoint lesson…
Multiple choice questions vs open ended questions reduce cognitive load. You want the process to be as smooth as possible in order to increase the chance that the participants finish the survey.
I also took another look at some of the suggested questions they provided. I knew I wanted to make a survey that was as short as possible to ensure that my users would complete the entire survey so the quality of the questions and the data that they would render would be the most important thing to focus on. So I started my second iteration…
|
https://medium.com/swlh/my-first-user-survey-crafting-the-survey-4ed36dfd5103
|
['Katy Wellington']
|
2019-11-04 09:09:11.556000+00:00
|
['UX Research', 'Wearables']
|
Hemp shipments in USA should ease later this year
|
The movement of hemp and hemp-based products around the United States should be easier soon as a result of recent developments at the federal level.
Individual states in the USA will not be able to block hemp transports through their states after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) releases hemp production regulations later this year, USDA lawyers recently announced in an advisory opinion.
Meanwhile, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has updated its rules on Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail to clarify that hemp products are legal to mail so long as they adhere to local laws and compliance records are maintained. That includes CBD, as per the USPS update.
States already violating law
At the USDA, lawyers said states that currently ban the transport of legally grown hemp are in violation a 2014 law already on the books, and took issue with a recent case in the state of Idaho in which officials seized 6,700 pounds of hemp.
Under the USDA legal opinion, hemp is no longer a controlled substance at the federal level, and states and Indian tribes are restricted from banning the interstate transport of hemp legally grown under the 2014 Farm Bill.
The update to Postal Service rules came at the urging of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a trade group, which sought clarification of USPS rules regarding hemp in a letter earlier this year. The organization suggested criteria for demonstrating mailings are compliant, including signed statements and test results.
Federal agencies adjusting
The changes at the Postal Service come as federal agencies begin to adjust their policies after passage of last year’s Farm Bill, which removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released guidance for importing hemp seeds in April; in May the Food and Drug Administration held its first-ever hearing on CBD products.
Private delivery services United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (FedEx) have conflicting policies on moving hemp goods. UPS ships hemp-based products including CBD but won’t ship plants, and doesn’t take shipments of hemp products if they come from marijuana vendors. FedEx prohibits shipment of plants, leaves & flowers, hemp oil, hemp seed oil and CBD.
|
https://medium.com/@hemptoday/hemp-shipments-in-usa-should-ease-later-this-year-b05165be5f61
|
[]
|
2019-10-23 15:54:46.517000+00:00
|
['Hemptoday', 'Hemp', 'Hemp News', 'Cannabis', 'Legislation']
|
7 Books Everyone Should Read By Black Women
|
7 Books Everyone Should Read By Black Women
‘I am Not Your Baby Mother’ is one of my favorites
photo by Thoughts catalog, Unsplash
Everyone has their favorite authors. Many of us don’t choose our books based on authors, but based on the genres we are interested in. However, as a black woman, reading from other black authors is where I get my inspiration. I love the following books for different reasons and I think these stories should be experienced by everyone, no matter what race they are, because they are insightful and intellectual.
1. Slay In Your Lane, by Yomi Adegoke & Elizabeth Uviebinene
This book is known as the principal book for every black British woman to read. It delves into the understanding of being a black British woman, the microaggression that black women face, and how to deal with it. It explores history, statistics, and will educate readers on the impacts of white supremacy on black women. The authors have also launched a podcast discussing and sharing the aftermath of the success of the book.
2. Why I Am No Longer Talking To White People About Race, by Reni Eddo-Lodge
This is an emotionally charged book focusing on the educational system that is designed to be pro-division. This book breaks down racial micro and elements of macro aggressions as well as stereotypes. It also provides an understanding of the correlation between class and race.
3. I Am Not your Baby Mother, by Candice Brathwaite
The book truly represents the experiences and obstacles black mothers have faced due to prejudice and discrimination. This is a book that everyone should read to get an insight into this group of women dealing with motherhood. It also removes the cliche of the media’s portrayal of being a British mother.
The author is also the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse.
“Such a funny, thoughtful book. A book I didn’t even know I needed to read. I don’t tend to read mummy bloggers' books because, quite simply, they aren’t very interesting to me anymore and follow pretty similar paths. Candice Brathwaite stands out, not just for being a black woman, but also for ‘spilling the tea’ on whatever it is she talks about, whether that be secrecy in the black community about mental health issues or the white supremacy of the mummy blogosphere. Please don’t think you need to be BIPOC to enjoy this.”
4. Queenie, by Candice Carty Williams
This bestselling book features a character that has been described as the black Bridget Jones. This book is a diary illustrating a black woman living in south London journeying through career and dating. This book, despite it being fiction, discusses existing businesses and areas of London where she lives, making the character all the more relatable. Be prepared for a funny, charming, and poignant story.
5. This is Us: Black British Women and Girls, by Kafayat Okanlawon and Marai Larasi
The portrayals of a black woman between the ages of 4–86 in this gripping book illustrate the lives of women across multiple generations through a collection of Poetry from strangers, acquaintances, friends, and family. This book is more than just for reading, it is a representation of truth, brutality, and sisterhood. It was an honor to be able to read this book and grasp and respect the amount of time and effort it may have taken to gather transcribe the individuals’ biographies.
Reading this book felt so personal as if someone had cut several pivotal chapters of my life and put the pieces together. Its raw and awakening stories keep you gripped and provides a front and center no-filter approach to being a black British woman.
6. Young, Female, and Black, by Heidi Safia Mirza
Black women in western countries are faced from birth with all factors of a fundamentally unequal society. We do well in school and are ambitious and hardworking professionally, yet the success rate in stable professional situations don’t quite match with what is deserved.
I find this book compelling because of the extensive research done by British, American and Caribbean scholars. It provides an uplifting reminder and debunks the status quo myths that black women consistently underachieve in education and the labor market. Instead, it reexamines our misunderstandings and defines what is meant by educational underachievement through the lens of black families and, in particular, black women in Britain.
7. Black Women For Beginners Book, by Saundra Pearl Sharp
The title is exactly that, a timeline of all the strengths and shortcomings of this group of women and their versatility as warriors, healers, teachers, mothers, queens and liberators on all seven continents. It details how they have managed to sustain themselves despite numerous hurdles and hindrances and these stories are to be celebrated and shared.
|
https://medium.com/the-innovation/7-books-everyone-should-read-by-black-women-5861eb9414f7
|
['Cathy Assoba']
|
2020-12-30 12:18:34.259000+00:00
|
['Inspiration', 'Black Women', 'Culture', 'Cathysculturecontent', 'Books']
|
Securing Your Application Secrets With a Secure Vault
|
How to Store and Access Secrets on AKEYLESS Vault
Like I mentioned earlier, there are various methods you can use to store and access secrets on AKEYLESS vaults and we have been able to set up both the CLI and Python SDK.
One thing I didn’t mention is how you can also manage your secrets using the web dashboard. So we can now manage our application secrets through the web dashboard, CLI, and Python SDK.
Cool, right?
Let’s see how to just do that.
Using the web dashboard
To use the web UI dashboard, you’d need to login to the dashboard. So head over to the login page here and enter your access ID and access key correctly. Once it's successful, it should take you to a dashboard below:
Right from this view, you can see a list of secrets — both their name and types. To create new secrets or keys, simply click on the + New button at the top.
This should show a pop up with a list of types of secrets/keys available. You can click on the one you want to create.
To create a new static secret, click on Static Secret, enter the name, description, the secret value, and the encryption key in case you would like to encrypt it with a custom key.
Then click on Save to create your new secrets.
After successfully creating your application secrets, to access your secrets through the web dashboard, you will need to head to the dashboard and click on the name of the secret/key to open the secret details.
By default, your secret value is encrypted with the default encryption or the one provided by you. You can click on the Decrypt and copy to clipboard to decrypt the value and have it copied in your system clipboard.
That’s all for the web dashboard vault.
Using the vault’s CLI
Now let’s look at how to interface with the AKEYLESS vault using the CLI (command-line interface) application we installed earlier.
It’s quite easy to use this, as the commands are easy to remember. To verify if our CLI is working, you can try running:
$ akeyless -h
akeyless <command> -h, --help
If you get the same message as above, then you are good to go or you can try reinstalling it again.
The first thing we want to do here is to create a secret key using the CLI create-secret command.
To create a secret key, you will need to follow the below create-secret command syntax:
$ akeyless create-secret --name <SecretName> --value "<SecretValue>"
Where:
<SecretName> is the name of your secret. <SecretValue> is the secret key/value.
With this, we can create a new secret key:
$ akeyless create-secret --name AppSecret --value "wiutiJHQ&(Q*&)R*Q7r^Q#"
Then, to get our secret, you will need to use the get-secret-value command structure, as below:
$ akeyless get-secret-value --name <SecretName>
With that, we can run this command to get our secret value:
$ akeyless get-secret-value --name AppSecret
Another cool thing is you can update your secret using the command below:
$ akeyless update-secret-val --name AppSecret --value "new secret value"
Other available commands are: create-dynamic-secret , get-dynamic-secret , create-ssh-cert-issuer , get-ssh-cert-issuer and so on. You can read more here.
Using the Python SDK
So far, we have looked at how to interface with our vaults using the web dashboard and CLI. Now, we’ll be looking at how to do just that with the Python SDK.
Ensure you have followed the Python SDK setup instructions mentioned earlier in order to continue.
We’ll be continuing from where we stopped in our Python SDK setup. Make sure you have this connection code below running:
Like I explained earlier, for every request we will be sending through the Python module, we need to pass along the token as it serves as authentication to be able to access our vaults.
To create a new secret, we’ll be using the create_secret function. Let’s look at the code below:
secret_name = '<secret_name>' # Secret name
secret_value = '<secret_value>' # secret value
secret_metadata = '<secret_metadata>' # Description about the secret (optional)
create_response = api_instance.create_secret(secret_name, secret_value, token, metadata=secret_metadata)
Looking at the code above on line 4, we passed our token to the create_secret function to authenticate our requests. Running this will create a secret with the name provided assigned to the value given.
To access our secret, all we need to do is to pass the token and secret name to the get_secret_value function:
secret_val_res = api_instance.get_secret_value(secret_name, token) print(secret_val_res) # secret value
This should print out our application secrets key.
To update our secret key, we can simply write below:
new_secret_value = "this is a new secret" api_instance.update_secret_val(secret_name, new_secret_value, token) secret_val_res = api_instance.get_secret_value(secret_name, token)
Below are other functions you can call to create different types of secret/keys:
dynamic_secret = api_instance.create_dynamic_secret(name, token, metadata=metadata, key=key) # creates a dynamic secret - can provide `key` for encryption ssh_cert = api_instance.create_ssh_cert_issuer() # create new ssh cert issuer pki_cert = api_instance.create_pki_cert_issuer() # create new ssh cert issuer
You can read more about the available functions here.
|
https://medium.com/better-programming/securing-your-application-secrets-with-a-secure-vault-74f292c5b84e
|
['Oyetoke Tobi Emmanuel']
|
2020-08-11 14:01:01.905000+00:00
|
['DevOps', 'Technology', 'Programming', 'Software Development', 'Security']
|
Practical Tips for Quarantined Holidays
|
Practical Tips for Quarantined Holidays
From a military family that’s been there.
Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash
Yeah, I know there are a ton of hot topic guru level ‘How-To’s’ out there already. Considering that I don’t expect this one to gain a huge amount of attraction. But I wanted to offer a different spin on these lists published by internet influencers. The reality is most of us do not have an in-house chef or a sprawling house with home theaters or millions of followers at our disposal for entertainment. What does quarantine holidays look like when we take away all that celebrity fluff?
Like ours, a military family for the last decade.
My husband and I have shared many a laugh this year. Watching the panic of the prospect of quarantining for the holidays spread across our social media feeds. Or the truly laughable (to us) notion that suddenly the government is overreaching or telling folks what they can and cannot do in their own homes.
None of this is to say we have been sharing a funny, ha-ha with each other at the seriousness of COVID-19 because that is absolutely not the case. Our hearts have been broken at the millions of Americans who have lost their lives to this pandemic and we too have felt fear, loss, and a deeply seated helplessness.
We are quite accustomed to being told what we can, cannot, should, and should not do though. After all, the government via the military dictates where we live, how long we stay, when we can move, and if we are together at all for any given holiday, no matter the significance. I have spent holidays completely alone, we have traveled to our home state for them and had those days limited by my husband’s job, and we have spent a considerable amount of holidays just the two of us. And we have also planned vacations for holidays, only to get a day or two before the phone rang and we had to cut our holiday trip short.
You learn to get a little creative when you spend Christmas in a rental cabin waiting on a house to move into with nothing except an air mattress and some random odds and ends the moving company would not pack. You learn to not attach much significance to a set day or date. Because what truly ends up mattering after the fact is how you felt.
Here are some tips for navigating the pandemic holidays from a military spouse that has existed in a strange parallel universe to similar situations.
Stay off social media.
Why? Because taking in all the family photos and posts from those who can carry on with regularly scheduled holiday get-togethers will only serve to remind you what you are missing out on.
I have made this mistake an untold amount of times. Sinking further and further into the hole that is FOMO (fear of missing out) with each flick of my thumb scrolling. Don’t do it. Put your phone in another room instead. Having these post-worthy pictures in an endless supply will have a direct impact on how you feel about this holiday.
Order take-out.
Ahead of time. Many restaurants are closed for nearly every holiday normally anyway. This is amplified now with many restaurants at a takeout only pandemic policies. Plan ahead to order from your favorite restaurant the night before.
I have had pasta from my favorite Italian restaurant for Thanksgiving and chicken wings for Christmas dinner before. And you know what? Those have been some of my favorite holiday meals. Taking away the traditional food concept makes it feel less like a sad, one- or two-party occasion.
Make new traditions.
Doing this will make way for new traditions to be born. Those chicken wings I had for Christmas dinner a few years are my go-to now. It happened out of sheer desperation at the time. I did not plan ahead, and every restaurant was closed except this one, local chicken wing shack.
Make new traditions by not hyper-focusing on what you are missing. There are no actual rules for when you can have turkey and dressing. A plain ol’ Tuesday in July is just as good as a Thursday in November.
Get creative.
Literally. Work a puzzle, paint, decorate, bake, cook. It doesn’t even matter. Occupying your time with activities that also engage your brain can be extremely helpful in many ways. For one thing, it will elicit dopamine and serotonin, the feel-good stuff. For another, it can serve as a distraction and time filler. Plus, any craft can become a multi-party, family affair.
Immerse yourself in nature.
If possible, of course. Change the Thanksgiving Day narrative to be a fun hike instead. More and more research continues to emerge about how well humans respond to nature. Take advantage of this if possible, for more feel-good brain stuff.
Dedicate the day to self-care instead.
If none of these suggestions sound like you or simply won’t work for your situation, dedicate the day to practicing self-care instead. Take a long bath, read a book, fit in a workout, or simply veg out in front of the TV binging season 4 of the Crown.
Final Thoughts
Look, I’m not suggesting that this year has not sucked. It has. And to top off the year with a holiday season quarantined is pretty much salt in the wound here. But I am suggesting that there are other folks out here like me and many other military families that have become professionals at making do with the crappiest of circumstances. Aside from military families, there are many of you who may be reading this that feel the sting of not having a family at all for whatever reasons every holiday, too.
These days are workable, survivable, and thrivable.
I promise.
|
https://medium.com/the-ascent/practical-tips-for-quarantined-holidays-8cf3436c5549
|
["Leah O'Daniel"]
|
2020-12-08 20:19:12.970000+00:00
|
['Holidays', 'Quarantine', 'Ideas']
|
Flare Network’s FTSO : Voting, Delegation, Rewards and WFLR
|
Flare Network’s FTSO : Voting, Delegation, Rewards and WFLR
Oracle and Flare Network’s FTSO
In DeFi world, including stable coin protocols, getting the exact price of cryptocurrencies is very important. The price of cryptocurrency is usually brought from off-chain to on-chain through an “oracle” system. Untrusted price information may cause vulnerabilities such as flash loan attacks. And this makes DeFi, which relies on Oracle, to not work. In this article, you can see how FTSO (Flare Time Series Oracle) works, the price oracle mechanism of the Flare network.
TL;DR
FTSO is the price oracle mechanism of the Flare Network.
In the FTSO, the price is determined based on the values submitted by FLR and F-Asset token holders.
A weighted median method is used to determine the price.
The actual right to submit prices is reserved for WFLR token (and F-asset as well).
FLR and F-Asset token holders can delegate their voting powers to other price providers through WFLR’s delegation feature.
Price Providers are delegated authority from the token holders to submit price information on their behalf.
In FTSO, price submission uses a commit and reveal scheme.
The basic mechanism of FTSO
In the FTSO of Flare Network, FLR and F-Asset token holders submit estimated prices for each asset. For the sake of brevity, this article only covers the case where FLR token holders submit prices to FTSO.
After FLR token holders submit prices, the submitted estimates are aggregated to create a “weighted estimate distribution”. In order to remove outliers, the 25% low prices and 25% high prices are truncated from the distribution.
With the price remaining after truncation, a weighted median is calculated to determine the oracle price. Token holders (submitting a price between the top 25% and bottom 25%) will be rewarded for their contribution to price determination.
The reward rate for FTSO participation (and for participation as data provider) is initially set as 10% of the annual circulation of FLR tokens. This reward rate can be changed through governance voting.
An example of FTSO mechanism
Let’s take a simple example for better understanding.
Alice : with 10 voting power(FLR), submit price as 3
Bob : with 20 voting power, submit price as 4
Charlie : with 30 voting power, submit price as 5
Eve : with 20 voting power, submit price as 6
First, a weighted estimate distribution is created with the submitted prices (left side of the figure). Since the voting power involved in the price submission is 80 FLR in total, the 20 FLR of the top 25% and the 20 FLR of the bottom 25% are truncated. The gray area in the picture above corresponds to the truncated area.
The Oracle price is calculated from the remaining price after truncated (green in the figure). 10 FLR out of 40 FLR voted for price 4, and 30 FLR voted for price 5. So we can calculate the oracle price like this:
The median of the distribution = 5
As 20 FLR voted for price 4, Bob’s voting contribution (10 FLR) is equal to 50%. And as 30 FLR voted for price 5, Charlie’s voting contribution (30 FLR) will be 100%. According to the formula in the white paper, FTSO rewards will be divided as follows:
Alice: No reward (All votes are in the bottom 25%)
Bob: 33.3% of the total FTSO Rewards (Contribute only 50% of the votes)
= 0.5 / (0 + 0.5 + 1.0 + 0)
= (10/20) / {(0/10 + 10/20 + 30/30 + 0/20)}
of the total FTSO Rewards (Contribute only 50% of the votes) = 0.5 / (0 + 0.5 + 1.0 + 0) = (10/20) / {(0/10 + 10/20 + 30/30 + 0/20)} Charlie: 66.6% of the total FTSO Rewards (Contribute 100% of the votes)
= 1.0 / (0 + 0.5 + 1.0 + 0)
= (30/30) / {(0/10 + 10/20 + 30/30 + 0/20)}
of the total FTSO Rewards (Contribute 100% of the votes) = 1.0 / (0 + 0.5 + 1.0 + 0) = (30/30) / {(0/10 + 10/20 + 30/30 + 0/20)} Eve: No reward (All votes are in the top 25%)
Once you understand the basics of how FTSO works, let’s move on.
Wrapped FLR (WFLR) token for voting & delegation
In the above, FTSO voting was described using the FLR token, but the token that has voting power is the WFLR token (and F-asset token as well).
The WFLR token is a generic ERC20 token. Moreover, WFLR token has the following features:
FLR and WFLR will always have a 1:1 ratio
WFLR is required to participate in FTSO voting
1 WFLR has 1 voting power
Another feature of WFLR is the ability to delegate voting power. This means that while holding WFLR, a holder can just delegate voting powers to other price providers. A WFLR token holder can delegate voting power by percentage to a limited number of addresses, currently 3.
The features of WFLR can be summarized as shown in the figure above. Through deposit and withdrawal of FLR, 1:1 exchange with WFLR is possible. And it has the inherent ability to delegate voting powers to other addresses while holding WFLR tokens.
FTSO Provider
FTSO price submissions should occur every few minutes. A transaction signing is required for every price submission. It is very difficult to sign a transaction manually once every few minutes. (Unless the token holder is a machine)
So it is needed to delegate voting power to the FTSO price provider who keeps submitting Oracle prices. In this case, the delegation feature of the WFLR token can be used.
How to submit the price for FTSO
Price submission in FTSO uses a “commit and reveal” scheme. The reason for using this scheme is to prevent a provider who see the other provider’s price submitted first and then tries to submit based on the other provider’s price to get more rewards.
Here’s how it actually works. Only submit the hash value of the price first(commit). Then submit the actual price after all price providers have submitted the hash value. If the submitted price does not match the hash value submitted earlier, it will be rejected as an invalid price submission.
An example of FTSO price submission and delegation
Finally, let’s summarize it with an example.
Alice has 10 FLR, she has no voting power which is delegated to her. Alice exchange her 10 FLR to 10 WFLR. She now has 10 voting power. Bob has 30 WFLR so he has 30 voting power. Bob decides to delegate 50% of his voting power to Alice. Now Alice has 25 voting power and Bob has 15 voting power. Bob receives 20 more WFLR tokens. Now Alice has 35 voting power and Bob has 25 voting power.
As shown in the example above, when a token holder who delegate voting power receives additional WFLR tokens, the smart contract automatically updates the voting power according to the delegated percentage. It is also important to note that delegation is handled on a percentage basis, not on a quantity basis.
Conclusion
We briefly explored how FTSO works and the WFLR token for voting power delegation as well. Hope this article to help you in understanding more about Flare Network. :)
Unlocking Value!
References
|
https://medium.com/dcentwallet/flare-networks-ftso-voting-delegation-rewards-and-wflr-4ce45fcc9cfa
|
['Minho', 'Yoo']
|
2021-07-15 11:24:29.438000+00:00
|
['Flare Network', 'English', 'Oracle', 'Wflr', 'Ftso']
|
Aura Carver review: This landscape-only photo frame automatically pairs portrait images
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A smart, elegant digital photo frame that you can set up and enjoy within minutes, the Aura Carver makes for an easy and handsome way to show off your snapshots, provided you have a steady Wi-Fi connection and you’re comfortable with cloud storage.
This sturdy, $200 photo frame comes with a bright, vivid screen; a landscape-only design; and an AI-powered photo-pairing feature for displaying portrait photos side-by-side. But the lack of user-accessible local storage means that photos must be stored in Aura’s cloud servers, a requirement that raises privacy concerns (cloud storage is free and unlimited, at least), while the frame’s support for voice assistants is perfunctory at best.
[ Further reading: A smart home guide for beginners ]DesignLike Aura’s other frames, the $299 SawyerRemove non-product link and the $399 SmithRemove non-product link, the Carver isn’t wall-mountable; instead, it’s designed specifically to sit on a table, a shelf, or another flat surface. Unlike Aura’s other two frames, the Carver has a landscape-only orientation, while the Sawyer and Smith frames has a swiveling stand that allows you to switch from landscape to portrait modes.
Ben Patterson/IDG The Aura Carver photo frame has a sturdy bass and a removable braided power cord.
Measuring 10.63 x 2.6 x 7.45 inches and available in charcoal and “white chalk” flavors, the Aura Carver weighs nearly two pounds, which gives the frame a reassuringly sturdy heft. The frame itself has a minimalist yet elegant look, while the solid, wedge-shaped base is deep enough to keep the unit upright and free from wobbles. The Carver comes with a detachable braided power cord, although the boxy wall wart (about 1.6 x 1.6 inches) will block the lower socket of a two-plug wall outlet.
DisplayThe Carver’s 10.1-inch IPS display has a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which comes out to 224 pixels per inch. Looking closely, I couldn’t detect any pixelation or screen-door effect. Colors looked vivid yet natural, and viewing angles were excellent (as is the case with most IPS panels), with the screen barely dimming while I was looking from the side or above.
Related product Meural Canvas II (wood frame) See it A (barely visible) sensor in the top-left corner of the frame measures ambient light and adjusts the screen brightness accordingly, or turns the display off altogether when the room goes dark (which, during my testing, the sensor did quite reliably). You can also put the display on a daily schedule, although you can’t set different wake/sleep times for weekends or specific days of the week.
SetupTo get started with the Carver, you’ll first need to install the Aura app for either iOS or Android, and you’ll need to set up an account (that includes creating a user name and a password, meaning you can’t just sign in via Google, Facebook, or Apple).
Once that’s done, you pair the app with the frame by tapping in the four-digit code that appears on the frame’s display, after which the app connects the frame to your Wi-Fi network (there was no need to enter my network password, at least not with the iOS version of the Aura app). While the Carver only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks, the frame had no trouble connecting to my dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz mesh network.
After you’ve named the Carver and decided whether to invite family members or friends who can view and add images to the frame, it’s time to start adding photos. The easiest way is to pick and choose photo albums on your phone, but you can also sync the Carner with albums in your iCloud Photo Library or Google Photos account (but not Facebook, unfortunately), as well as upload images from your Mac or PC using Aura’s Web Uploader tool. If you choose to upload iCloud or Google photo albums, any subsequent photos you add to those albums will automatically be added to the frame.
All your images are stored on Aura’s cloud server, which is powered by Amazon Web Services and protected by AES-256 encryption. In its privacy policy, Aura promises that only you and those you choose to share the frame with will have access to your photos, although Aura says it will analyze your snapshots in order to do a better job of grouping them together (more about that in a moment) while skipping duplicates and fuzzy images.
Unfortunately, the Carver doesn’t come with any user-accessible internal storage or memory card slots (the Carver’s local storage is intended only for image caching), which means any photos you want to display on the frame must be uploaded first, and it rules out pre-loading the Carver with photos and sending it to a friend or relative who lacks—or refuses to get (I’m looking at you, Bubbe)—Wi-Fi. It also means that those who are squeamish about uploading their personal photos to a third-party cloud server (an entirely reasonably attitude) would be better off consider an alternative digital photo frame with local storage options.
Back on the plus side, you can upload an unlimited number of photos to Aura’s cloud server for free. That’s no small thing given the pricey subscription plans that other digital photo frames come saddled with.
Operation and featuresOnce you have your photos synced to the Carver (the process can be a lengthy one, depending on how many images you upload—and my iPhone got pretty hot during all that uploading), your snapshots will start appearing on the display, and you’ll quickly see one of the innovations that comes with the Carver: Aura’s new “Intelligent Pairing” mode.
Ben Patterson/IDG The Aura Carver’s “Intelligent Pairing” mode uses an algorithm to pair similar portrait photos for side-to-side viewing, thus avoiding any unsightly black letterbox bars.
An antidote to displaying single portrait photos with big black borders in a landscape-oriented frame, the AI-powered Intelligent Pairing mode uses (according to Aura) a “sophisticated algorithm” to pair “related” photos and display them side-by-side. The whole “Intelligent Pairing” conceit isn’t a new one as far as digital photo frames is concerned—the Google Nest Hub Max, which doubles as a photo frame, does much the same thing—but it is new for the Aura line, and for now it only works on the Carver frame.
I found that Intelligent Pairing (which you can disable, although I’m not sure why you’d want to) did a pretty nice job of picking photos that complemented each other, although it probably helped that I only uploaded albums with family photos (as I suspect most other users will), which means pretty much everyone in each photo was related in some way. Mostly, I was just happy to see that portrait photos were always displayed side-by-side rather than by themselves with distractingly ugly black borders.
You can set the interval between photos to be anywhere between 15 seconds to four hours, or you can manually switch to the next picture (or pictures, in the case of a pair of portrait photos), by swiping a touch-sensitive strip along the top of the frame.
<small class="credit">Ben Patterson/IDG The touch strip on the top of the Aura Carver lets you navigate photos and display more information about them, as well as delete them from the frame.
You can also single-tap the touch strip to see more information about the photo, such as where and when it was taken, along with who shared it to the frame. Touching and holding the strip lets you delete a photo, which you can only do after you’ve confirmed it with an additional swipe. While the touch strip gestures are relatively intuitive, the strip itself could be quite finicky about registering touches and swipes, and I often found myself having to repeat gestures more than once.
Besides the touch strip, you can also control the Aura Carver with voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant, although the process is too clunky to be of much use. With both Alexa and Google Assistant, you must first open the Aura Frames skill (“Alexa, open Aura Frames”) before issuing any commands, and in both cases the list of available commands (“show me the next photo,” “where was that photo taken”) is pretty basic. In most cases, you’re better off simply using the touch strip rather than asking Alexa or Google Assistant for help.
Bottom lineProvided you’re fine with the Wi-Fi and (free) cloud storage requirements, the sturdy and attractive Aura Carver makes for a simple, practically plug-and-play way of displaying your photo collection, while its AI-powered photo-pairing abilities means you’ll never see ugly black bars letterboxing your portrait images. That said, we do wish the Carver’s touch strip was a bit more forgiving, and we would have preferred more advanced and easier-to-use voice assistant support.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.
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https://medium.com/@Preston18793344/aura-carver-review-this-landscape-only-photo-frame-automatically-pairs-portrait-images-dcd07a8ec498
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[]
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2020-09-22 08:12:36.610000+00:00
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['Mobile', 'Chromecast', 'Electronics', 'Home Tech']
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[Blah-Chain : Talk10. Smart Contracts]
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Last time we talked about what Ethereum is and learned that smart contracts and dApps are the main features. So, what are they?
Today, let’s talk about what smart contracts are.
Assume that you buy a cup of coffee. You go to the supermarket, pick the coffee you want to buy, and give the money to the cashier to pay for it.
Although you have enough money, you will first need to head to the cashier then pay and leave with your coffee.
Then let’s think about the vending machine. You just put enough money into the machine, it then dispenses a cup of coffee directly.
You do not need to pay via a person. One thing you need to do is to satisfy the condition: pay for the purchase.
This is what smart contracts are like.
The smart contract is a computer code that can execute without the need of third parties when the conditions are met. Ethereum is the first to implement smart contracts.
Smart contracts can prevent danger, such as falsification or unilateral breach of contract, and reduce the reliance of third parties, time and cost.
Developers can code the conditions and contents of the contract by themselves.
The smart contract can be used in various fields such as finance, real estate, IOT, and so on, and that is why smart contracts are considered as an innovative technology.
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https://medium.com/commons-foundation/blah-chain-talk10-smart-contracts-2d89d1660245
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['April Jung']
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2019-03-07 09:31:00.823000+00:00
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['Technology', 'Blahchain', 'Ethereum', 'Blockchain', 'Smart Contracts']
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Beloved Silicon Valley institution Buck’s of Woodside goes up for auction — as an NFT
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On a Monday morning, Jamis MacNiven—equal parts restaurateur, entertainer and teller of (sometimes) tall tales—stood beneath an enormous, leathery anaconda hide that runs the length of the dining room inside his Silicon Valley restaurant, Buck’s of Woodside. There, in a cowboy hat and a bright red, short-sleeved button down shirt, MacNiven addressed a packed dining room filled with entrepreneurship students who’d just rolled in on a bus from a San Mateo university founded by third-generation venture capitalist Tim Draper.
MacNiven had joked that he was going to “scream the history of Buck’s” to his breakfast audience, an often-invoked spiel that he says is “all just fun. I tell truths and lies in equal amounts.”
His latest announcement — delivered beneath that sprawling serpent skin with a sign that boasts it was stripped from a snake in the Amazon that had attacked a child — also existed somewhere in between fact and fiction: MacNiven was putting Buck’s up for auction.
Jamis MacNiven shares the history of Buck’s of Woodside with an audience of entrepreneurship students from Draper University, on Monday, August 2, 2021. The restaurant has played an essential role in Silicon Valley history as a meeting place where deals were made and ideas hatched for startups that went on to become household names. (Photo by Sara Hayden)
No, not the actual, physical restaurant at 3062 Woodside Road that’s seen the birth of many a tech company over the years, but its digital doppelgänger, via non-fungible token. “We’ve recently launched an NFT,” MacNiven declared. Some of the students responded with a laugh, but it was true—Buck’s was indeed listed on the OpenSea marketplace as “the world’s first 3D immersive NFT.”
By the time the auction closes August 19, whoever places the winning bid for Buck’s NFT will own access to the one and only complete digital re-creation of the restaurant. These days, with something akin to a digital deed on a blockchain database, you can own digital assets like a tweet or an animation. So why not a replica of a near-legendary Silicon Valley institution?
As a place to meet and greet, wheel and deal, Buck’s is a big deal. Indeed, the NFT brochure states that since Buck’s opened its doors at the start of the 90s, “An invitation to ‘Breakfast at Buck’s’ would go on to become an official step in the high-tech startup funding process.” The practice has even been the subject of a Harvard University study.
The breakfast gathering that morning marked entrepreneur Giulianna Crivello’s first visit to Buck’s, a pilgrimage that was coinciding with a new fund she was launching, supported by Tim Draper. “It feels historical,” she says, “the inner child in me is screaming.”
But when you remove these interactions, and bring Buck’s back solely in pixels, does it hold the same kind of draw?
MacNiven seems to be betting that when treated like a digital museum filled with tech artifacts and lore, preserved at a specific moment in time, Buck’s still has plenty of appeal.
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https://thesixfifty.com/beloved-silicon-valley-institution-bucks-of-woodside-goes-up-for-auction-as-an-nft-64a2f55d31b9
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['Sara Hayden']
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2021-08-20 21:30:34.953000+00:00
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['Technews', 'Nft', 'Technology News', 'Silicon Valley', 'Investment']
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7 Shopping Influencers From Various Countries You Need To Follow
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Influencer marketing is living its golden age since social media becomes a more integrated part of our lives. People are interested in their favorite influencers’ advice and recommendations. 74% of people trust social networks to guide in their purchasing decisions. Also, statistics demonstrates that 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations. Thus leveraging social media platforms by companies increased the importance of shopping influencers.
Searching for a shopping influencer on Instagram or elsewhere is time-consuming. Keepface influencer marketing software helps you identify, recruit and negotiate with influencers in one platform. Brands can spend less time trying to find influencers. Especially finding influencers with a smaller but more engaging audience can be more challenging. With the help of Keepface, brands can know an influencer’s engagement rates and have a full report on performance metrics before working with them. They can search influencers through advanced filters and analyze their key metrics to find the best-fitting influencers for their campaigns. Brands also get an in-depth analysis of influencers’ social profiles, performance data, and audience. Search over the 350Kinfluencers & content creators and find the right influencers.
Our first influencer is Rianne Meijer. Rianne posted a blend of lifestyle shots with fashion content featuring the latest trends in fashion. She isn’t hung up on looking stereotypically adorable. Rianne’s natural and sincere content is making her an outlier in the world of fancy influencers. She shares her post with her over 1.3 million Instagram followers, where the engagement rate is 8.94%.
Our next influencer is Chadia. Chadia is a Morocco-based Influencer with a 1,8M audience and a 9.02% engagement rate on Instagram. Her social media posts include shopping as well as beauty and fashion. Her content let us become closely acquainted with Morocco cultures.
While Irina has 96.4 followers on Instagram, her popularity came from youtube with 511K subscribers and 50M views. This charming Russian-based influencer mostly shares her purchasing on youtube besides lifestyle videos, fashion tricks, etc. Also, She shares posts in soft tones that are in harmony with each other on the Instagram account.
Nadjiba is one of the top fashion & shopping influencers in Azerbaijan with a 350K audience and an 11.55% engagement rate on Instagram. Najiba regularly shares and recommends products which she uses by herself. Therefore she has faithful followers. I must say that her feed is really colorful and positive.
Welcome to Tuğçe’s Beauty School. She mostly shares about shopping, fashion, make-up, styling, practical information, and many more on her Youtube and Instagram account for fashionable & chic women and women who wear hijab. She has 311K followers with a 1.93% engagement rate and 146K subscribers with over 5M views.
Layna is addicted to shopping, eating eclectic foods, and photographing anything & everything. You can read it from her social media account because she reflects it very well. Layna is a United States-based influencer. You can find her on Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter as well. Layna has a 168k total audience and a 7.28% engagement rate for now.
Romanian social media star whose fashion and beauty photos and vlogs have amassed her 440,000 followers on Instagram and 220,000 YouTube subscribers.
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https://medium.com/@keepface-com/7-shopping-influencers-from-various-countries-you-need-to-follow-44547b046099
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[]
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2020-12-16 05:42:55.660000+00:00
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['Shopping', 'Clothing', 'Influencers', 'Influencer Marketing']
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Are you addicted to your screens?
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Suppa is a new social network focussed on helping users make in-person connections rather than digital ones. We help users expand their social and professional circles by facilitating in-person networking at the best bars and restaurants in London.
The digital economy offers big benefits, but it also comes with serious drawbacks. Overuse of our digital devices can make us feel more isolated, lead to chronic time-wasting and stop us from fulfilling our potential.
It often feels like social media and the digital economy have taken over our lives. Whilst there’s no doubt the digital world has improved our lives in some ways, it comes with various disadvantages too. Many people say we are losing the art of in-person communication and missing out on opportunities to meet new people in person.
Over recent years, we have started spending much more time on our devices with usage skyrocketing during the pandemic. Various studies have found that this can be detrimental to our mental and physical well-being. If you are interested in expanding your social and professional network in person this summer help is available. With already thousands of sign-ups pre-launch, Suppa is an increasingly popular app designed to help people start making fantastic new connections in person.
Are smartphones damaging our mental health?
Before we talk more about Suppa and how it can help you expand your social network, let’s take a look at some worrying statistics about smartphone use. A study carried out by Forward Partners, a professional coaching firm, found that 30% of 18–24 year olds had a screen time of 6 hours or more, with several respondents logging screen times in excess of 8 hours. Spending just 5 hours a day on your smartphone can result in you wasting 15 years of your life “doomscrolling”.
The world’s most popular social media and video streaming platforms have been designed to hold your attention for as long as possible — the longer you stare, the more money they make; great for the tech giants, terrible for you the consumer.
Could smartphone use be reshaping our brains?
A study in the journal Addiction Behaviours saw researchers from Germany’s Heidelberg University use magnetic resonance imaging to assess the brains of people suffering from smartphone addiction. It said individuals with the addiction had “lower GMV in the left anterior insula, inferior temporal and parahippocampal cortex”. There was a reduction of ability in the insula, said to be responsible for self-awareness. The authors of the study said their findings questioned the “harmlessness of smartphones, at least in individuals that may be at increased risk for developing smartphone-related addictive behaviours”.
A 2015 Social Science Computer Review found a link between high levels of smartphone usage and loneliness in students. A Korean Society of Nursing Science study from 2017 also detected a connection between high levels of smartphone use and loneliness, depression and attachment anxiety.
How Suppa can free you from your device
Suppa was created to help people expand their social and professional networks by spending more time away from their devices. The app allows users to invite matches for lunch, coffee and drinks at the best bars and restaurants in London. When you use the app, you can tell others what your attentions are; these can include discussing business opportunities, mentoring opportunities, connecting with a new sports partner or simply hanging out and enjoying some fantastic food and interesting conversation. Once an invitation has been accepted, the app creates a match so the meet-up can be arranged. The app is designed for group meetings as well as one-to-one meetups, so it’s perfect for after-work networking with colleagues/ friends.
Suppa was built to help users break free from digital excess and start developing long-term, meaningful connections. Although it’s perfectly possible to make a large number of connections over social media, these often tend to be highly superficial, failing to give us the fulfilment real-life connections provide us with.
Connect with like-minded individuals
Even though cities like London are most likely packed with people who share your interests, values and passions, it can be hard to seek these people out. Our app will make potential matches much more visible to you, helping you lay down the foundations for various memorable meetups with like-minded individuals. Whether you have only been experiencing feelings of isolation since the first lockdown or were struggling to expand your network long before the pandemic struck, Suppa can help you start connecting with the right people.
Support the hospitality industry
Our app is designed to help you support the struggling hospitality industry. For most people, eating and drinking at home simply isn’t the same as heading to a warmly-welcoming café, bar or restaurant. By spending time at a local hospitality venue getting to know someone new, you can help to support an establishment that may not survive without custom from people like you.
Once you start making the most of Suppa, you can break the monotony that may have been reducing your quality of life considerably since early 2020. With Suppa, you can spend less time “doomscrolling” and focussing on others’ lives and more time making the most of your free hours. Escape your four walls and start meeting interesting new people who share your passion and outlook on life.
Register for the Suppa app here and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to keep up to date with the latest developments.
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https://medium.com/@slyonline/are-you-addicted-to-your-screens-aa6de440f3f
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['Sylvester Lewis']
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2021-06-17 06:06:01.913000+00:00
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['Networking', 'London', 'Social Media Addiction', 'Phone Addiction', 'Meetup']
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What I Learned from Losing Locations Before Filming
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What I Learned from Losing Locations Before Filming
Preparation is key.
They always tell you to plan for the unexpected — what could go wrong almost always will.
When I was starting out, I learned a lot of valuable things from making mistakes. Just two days before principal photography was scheduled to start on a short film of mine, I got a call from the location that was central to the film. The owner said some plans had changed and they could no longer allow us to film there.
I panicked. Would I have to postpone the shoot? Would everyone still be available if I changed the date? Where am I supposed to get a new location in such a short period of time? Will my budget cover this?
Writing and budgeting.
I didn’t have the budget to really consider having a second location (or anything else) as a backup. I didn’t have the owner sign a release form (don’t rely on verbal agreements). I didn’t consider the fact that, quite possibly, things could go very wrong. As stressful as the entire ordeal was, I learned from it in the best way possible.
I contacted everyone in the cast and crew to tell them a problem had arose with the location, and if things don’t get sorted out in time, the shoot might be postponed. Everyone was understanding, and consoled me, assuring me things would be fine.
Then miraculously, one of my crew members told me that someone else he had worked with on another shoot might have exactly what I needed. I got in touch with the person, who was gracious enough to lend me a location that was exactly what I needed — and for free.
Some of the shot list and blocking had to be changed last minute, but otherwise, everything else went exactly as planned. The dates and budget didn’t have to change. Everyone was cooperative, and it was a smooth, quick, and fairly painless shoot.
While everything worked out, it was an important reminder that I wouldn’t get so lucky every time, so I needed to plan and prepare better — and for the worst. Always scout more than one location and have a backup. Make sure all the details are covered. And always sign a release form.
Also, keep the weather in mind. I was lucky this was an interior set and we weren’t affected by the weather. But I also did once film on an exterior set covered in snow and ice, with additional snowfall in the forecast… but that’s another story for another time.
For my following film, I learned from my mistakes. I had backups for everything from location to craft services, and made sure release forms and other necessary paperwork were signed. I ended up having to use one of the backup locations. While some additional accommodations had to be made, it wasn’t the same horrifying situation as the first time.
At least the second time around, I was prepared.
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https://medium.com/el-films/what-i-learned-from-losing-locations-before-filming-5f27316c0139
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['Evelyn Lee']
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2018-07-27 16:29:59.201000+00:00
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['Movies', 'Filmmaking', 'Independent Film', 'Film', 'Women Directors']
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Breastfeeding When Pregnant: Everything You Need To Know
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“Can I breastfeed during pregnancy?” Is one of the most frequently raised questions by mothers all around the globe. And the answer is yes, your body will keep on making milk while you’re pregnant, so you will be able to breastfeed your baby without any complications.
The requirement to breastfeed during pregnancy can be fulfilled safely. There might be pregnancy hormones like oxytocin present in your milk, but these are not harmful to your child in any means. Still, consulting with a healthcare provider is the best way to decide whether you should continue breastfeeding while pregnant.
Increasing The Milk Supply
Another concern is regarding how to increase milk supply while pregnant. Most of the mother’s milk supply start to decrease around 4 to 5 months after birth. To make sure that your baby is receiving the right nutrition, include other nutrients like calcium, fat, iron, proteins and zinc in your baby’s diet. It is also very important that your new-born baby receives the colostrum or your early milk as it has high concentration of protective immunoglobulins and cells.
No pre-lacteal fluids/feeds (Prelacteal feeds are foods given to new-borns before breastfeeding) should be given to the new-born according to the guidelines published by Indian Academy of Paediatrics.
There is also a multitude of natural ways to increase your milk supply like staying hydrated, having a well-balanced diet, taking your vitamins, letting the baby feed fully on each side, using a breast pump etc.
Breastfeeding Tips
You can breastfeed both your babies (tandem feeding) if you’d like to because you will have enough milk for both your children. Another benefit of tandem feeding is that the moms who tandem feed are likely to get mastitis (Mastitis is an inflammation in your breast tissues) than moms who feed one baby.
So, how can you make sure that the baby is getting the right amount of milk supply? Well, the baby is getting enough milk if they have 8 to 12 breastfeeds in 24 hours, go through 6 to 8 wet nappies in a 24-hour period, gain on average 150 gms or more every week for the first 3 months.
Now let us cover some vital aspects which you should consider while breastfeeding.
Make sure that you’re sitting or lying down in a very relaxed spot while breastfeeding so you could get some extra time to rest as your baby is fed.
You can switch your baby from one breast to the other offering each breast twice.
Make sure that you’re drinking a lot of water and having a healthy balanced diet without missing any meals.
Also, make sure that you’re resting as much as possible between the feeds.
Getting Pregnant While Breastfeeding
“Can I get pregnant while I’m breastfeeding?” is also an incessant doubt raised by mothers and you might have heard a lot of myths regarding this topic. Yes, you can get pregnant while you’re still breastfeeding, but moms who breastfeed during pregnancy exclusively tend to experience a delay in the return of their fertility. It can take weeks, months or even longer for your body to become fertile again after the labour because it takes around six weeks for your body to heal.
For many women, once breastfeeding is no longer exclusive, they notice that the ability to get pregnant gradually returns. By around six months, your child will be eating solid foods and may also be sleeping throughout the night so that you’ll be breastfeeding less often and your fertility may begin to return.
There is an old-fashioned belief that a woman can’t get pregnant while breastfeeding. This is not true. They can get pregnant while breastfeeding even if their periods have not yet resumed after giving birth because ovulation (egg release) can occur before the start of menstruation. So the answer to the question is yes, you can get pregnant while breastfeeding.
Pregnancy Symptoms
What are the symptoms of pregnancy while breastfeeding? Early signs of pregnancy after giving birth are generally the same as those seen in a regular pregnancy. Some noticeable changes are:
Changes in the breasts
Change in milk production
Other physical symptoms
The earliest sign of pregnancy is usually considered as the changes in the breasts. A woman may notice these changes when she is about six weeks pregnant because these changes are side effects of the pregnancy hormones oestrogen and progesterone. These changes will affect the breasts and prepare them for breastfeeding after birth, even if she is nursing already. Breast changes can occur for various reasons, so avoid thinking of them just as signs of pregnancy.
In cases of confusions like these, it is best to consult your doctor. Adopt these tips and follow their instructions to be the best mom you could be.
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https://medium.com/@larkcs/breastfeeding-when-pregnant-everything-you-need-to-know-3a87209c93e9
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[]
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2020-08-06 05:10:29.905000+00:00
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['Newborn', 'Motherhood', 'Pediatrics', 'Breastfeeding', 'Pregnancy']
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How to work in conditions of uncertainty?
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How to work in conditions of uncertainty?
The most cherished and oldest dream of mankind is to learn how to create social systems, which can work. Working means being predictable and living according to the scenario that we set. We are naively convinced that the skill of creating such systems will save us from violence, war, disease, poverty and sadness.
In fact, the opposite is true: in attempts to create such systems, people are willing to fight and feel sad, because any formalization (systematization, categorization, and other “-zation”) kills living processes. We count metrics, optimize all sorts of processes, and hold endless meetings, while ignoring the fact that we are surrounded by very uncertain conditions.
😬How formalization deceives us
Everyone’s favorite way to avoid uncertainty is to formalize processes. An illustrative example of the victory of formalization over truth is a series of experiments on mice called “Universe 25”. Briefly about the experiment:
Four mice were placed in a paddock with an unlimited supply of food and good conditions, after which they bred their colony. However, after a while, they began to behave “strangely” (they stopped eating, fell into depression, and often observed phenomenon among them was homosexuality). As a result, they died out in these “ideal” conditions.
The problem here is the omission of a large number of factors that form a living process, rather than a formal one. In the experiment with mice, all natural conditions were reduced as much as possible: the unlimited territory; the natural extinction factor, which in real life helps other mice to survive; natural threats that are important at the stage of upbringing (mice were already born in “ideal” conditions), and many other factors. The author of the experiment tried to draw a direct analogy with human society, but in this experiment the living process is missed and therefore the conclusions only superficially resemble something similar to society, by being a beautiful lie. But ultimately, this experiment is more “about the behavior of mice in a paddock.”
👔Corporate selfishness
A sign of a flawed formalized system is focusing on yourself. Take a group of people who, for some reason, decided that beans grown in Kenya improve health. They launched their startup and began to prove to people the importance of their beans: they provided statistics, research, and expert opinions about their product. You’ve met such companies, haven’t you?
Moralizers focus on the belief in the importance of something: “This is useful! Don’t you understand?” But, the beauty of human thinking is the ability to determine what a person needs. Therefore, any training to convince a person to “be smarter, better, more successful” is so flawed.
Technology could simplify the relationships between employees, but instead, IT patterns are actively transferred to the relationships between people in companies.
Google search
In such systems, the task is a set of formal indicators that we agreed on in advance, but not real indicators that are always obvious. It turns out that we are trying to maintain a vicious system by constantly introducing “scrum-kanban-agile”, and not changing the focus on what is behind the walls of the office.
Work with unfamiliarity
Formalization does not work with the process itself, but with a process model that takes in our imperfect view of the world. Each model hides an internal “live” process. For example, it is not the state that works, but a culture with a complex structure of laws from different fields of knowledge: society, finance, geopolitics, etc. One article that we translated earlier, using the example of creating IT products, describes how to correctly prioritize tasks in conditions of uncertainty:
“We have noticed that very rarely products are created with a pure vision. We all try to create great things throughout our careers, but we never have a clear path. In the process, we constantly correlate our hypotheses and the harsh conditions that the project faces in order to create products in accordance with our vision” — Radkiha Dutt.
These guys offer their solution. Probably, there are many similar methods, but you can ask two simple questions that help you focus:
What kind of live process are you working with?
It is important to remember that the living process is changeable and much bigger than you. It does not live in a vacuum and is not formalized.
It is important to remember that the living process is changeable and much bigger than you. It does not live in a vacuum and is not formalized. What don’t you know?
Knowledge can never be a vector of movement that will allow us to change — not to mention the fact that we rarely (or never) have stable knowledge. If we talk about business, then most likely, everyone around us already has the same knowledge for some magical reasons. Ignorance sets the vector.
After answering these questions, you will determine the vector and understand how much you are changing the sphere. It is about the sphere, not yourself — stop thinking about yourself! If you measure your effectiveness by the impact on the external world, rather than on the internal world — you will have more objective performance indicators and it will be easier for you to move in research/in the market. There are some useful results that you will get if you follow this path:
|
https://blog.amai.io/efficiency-75cc13c1ab10
|
['Denis Nushtaev']
|
2021-06-08 08:35:39.862000+00:00
|
['Startup', 'Utopia', 'Amai']
|
CALL FOR TEAMS AND PROPOSALS: The GovLab, AFD, and Expertise France Launch New #Data4COVID19 Africa Challenge
|
CALL FOR TEAMS AND PROPOSALS: The GovLab, AFD, and Expertise France Launch New #Data4COVID19 Africa Challenge The GovLab Follow Dec 15 · 2 min read
From now through February 5, 2021, l’Agence française de développement (AFD), together with Expertise France and The GovLab, is soliciting innovative proposals (re)using data in a collaborative and responsible way to provide actionable intelligence for decision-makers and people to respond to COVID-19 and future pandemic challenges across Africa.
CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact, killing over 1,600,000 people around the world and leading to global economic disruptions. Though the effects on countries like the United States and France has been well-observed, considerably less attention has been given to the African continent. Early estimates suggest COVID-19 will result in a 1.4% decline in GDP across the continent, with smaller countries facing significant contractions. An estimated 250 million primary and secondary children are out of school due to disease control measures.
FOCUS: To help local decision-makers address these and other effects, the French Development Agency (AFD), together with The GovLab and Expertise France, is seeking ideas and proposals that (re)use data to provide actionable insight on COVID-19 in Africa. Focusing on the three domains of public health, social, and economic issues, the challenge aims to spur data collaboratives that can provide actionable intelligence for decision-makers and people to respond to COVID-19 and future pandemic challenges across Africa. The challenge looks specifically for proposals that make use of alternative, non-statistical data and involves participants operating in Francophone Africa.
HOW TO APPLY: Applications are open today through February 5, 2021. Successful applicants will receive up to EUR 100,000 in funding to pursue their proposal. We encourage interested applicants to review the full requirements and apply at the challenge’s dedicated website: https://datachallenge.africa/.
|
https://medium.com/data-stewards-network/call-for-teams-and-proposals-the-govlab-afd-and-expertise-france-launch-new-data4covid19-412080dd4f25
|
['The Govlab']
|
2020-12-15 15:12:39.932000+00:00
|
['Data', 'Development', 'Covid 19', 'Data Responsibility', 'Data Collaborative']
|
Petrea Volubilis (Sandpaper vine) Growing Conditions and Caring Tips.
|
I am extremely excited about this article as I am going to introduce an exotic plant specie named Petrea Volubilis Plant. It is commonly known as Sandpaper Vine. Besides, It has got several other names like Queen’s wreath, Purple wreath, and Nilmani.
In case, you’ve been through my previous article How to start your own terrace garden step by step (a complete guide), you have seen a long list of plants in there. However, I intentionally didn’t mention this vine there because I was preparing to write on this one individually.
Here’s the complete video guide if you’re planning to bring this beautiful vine home to make your garden look extremely fascinating.
Petrea Volubilis (Sandpaper vine)- GROWING CONDITIONS AND CARING TIPS
This tropical plant belongs to the family of VERBENACEAE and its real name is Petrea Volubilis. This vine is a perennial plant that yields violet, whitish purple, or sometimes even blue colored flowers which resemble the shape of a star. Although the flowers are not fragrant, yet if added to your garden, this vine will definitely enhance the beauty of your garden.
You can expect your vine to bloom in the early summer season and it will keep on rewarding you with flowers until the arrival of the winters. However, the plant becomes completely dormant in winters but that won’t cause any internal harm to the plant. In fact, during winters, you’ll hardly notice any growth in the vine but that’s all for a short span of time. The vine will grow back wonderfully as the spring season arrives.
There are few exciting fun facts related to this plant:
Petrea Volubilis (Sandpaper Vine) Blooms
First, the leaves of this plant produce a rough, crinkly sound when scratched. Also, the upper surface of the leaves is rough, dry, and coarse; This is the reason why this vine is named as sandpaper vine.
Petrea Volubilis (Sandpaper Vine) leaves
Second, the hanging violet flowers of this plant resemble the Japanese Wisteria Vine, so some people even consider it to be a cousin of Wisteria.
Photo by Larisa Birta on Unsplash
Here are the growing conditions of this plant:
Sunlight
Sunlight Requirements for Petrea Volubilis
Like any other flowering vine, the Petrea Volubilis vine requires full sunlight to bloom clusters of flowers. However, the plant can bear semi-shaded sunlight too, but you must not keep the plant in full shade. Overall, your vine will grow well if it receives direct sunlight from 5–6 hours.
Watering
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
The plant needs water only when its soil becomes dry and hard. In fact, it can bear the drought conditions to some extent, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll not water it for several days. In peak summers, you must water it once every day.
Compost Requirements
Compost Requirements for Petrea Volubilis
Compost or manure is one of the favorite diets of this vine. In summers, you must add compost like dried leaves or kitchen waste to the soil of this plant and this should be done once a month. You can skip this in winters because then, the plant is in its resting stage.
Pest Attacks
Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash
This vine is highly pest resistant and you will barely need to make use of any pesticide or insecticide. Seems like the rough surface of the leaves do not fascinate the pests. However, honey bees, bumblebees, and butterflies love the flowers of this vine and so they’ll often visit your garden in summers.
|
https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/petrea-volubilis-sandpaper-vine-growing-conditions-and-caring-tips-442b16cd54da
|
['Parth Mayn']
|
2021-05-10 00:58:02.415000+00:00
|
['Petrea Volubilis', 'Plants', 'Queens Wreath', 'Sandpaper Vine', 'Nature']
|
Who are the real victims of this crash?
|
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash (altered by author)
To the Editor:
I read your article about the new regulations for the financial sector and I have to say, I’m outraged. How dare they try to protect my investments? If I want to lose my life savings to a conman, that’s my business.
What about the real victims of this crisis, the bankers? Haven’t they suffered enough? Their bonuses have been slashed to mere millions. Five-car garages don’t pay for themselves, you know. And what’s the point of having one if you don’t have an extra Ferrari parked out front just to impress the neighbors?
Same thing with yachts. And private planes. Think of all the underpaid craftsmen who will lose their jobs. The super rich may be less than one percent of our population but they make all the important decisions so naturally they deserve the bulk of our wealth. This is America, not Cuba. Our forefathers worked hard to create a system that cheated the poor at every turn. Let’s not let them down by turning it into one that benefits us all.
Signed,
A Patriot
|
https://medium.com/down-in-the-dingle/who-are-the-real-victims-of-this-crash-c696fd319566
|
['Darrell Miller']
|
2020-12-03 03:21:24.035000+00:00
|
['Freedom', 'Inequality', 'Money', 'Satire', 'Humor']
|
An Ode to the Geological Map
|
Geological map Britain William Smith 1815
I have done a lot of mapping and field trips with many people. I met people from Canada, the US, Paraguay, South Africa, Poland, Australia, France, India. I worked under many academics from a wide field and from many universities. In the spirit of the Moine field trip, I wrote mine own poem about the geological map:
A rainbow of colour runs across a map,
A weird concoction of symbols, plans and land,
With mighty faults criss-crossing with teeth,
A geological map is a mystery indeed.
Information gathered in the wind and rain,
Or under the blue sky, on wide sunny plains,
Dip direction and dip angle put together by compass,
With under the watchful eyes of characters of science!
The map of colour cracks open the Earth,
With Folds, Fossils, Lavas, Volcanoes on the wide turf,
All is a head-scratcher like Peach and Horne,
Yet it all boils down to the ideas of James Hutton.
All students, all teachers, all men hold it in awe,
The opener of deep secrets of the mysteries of terrains,
As precious to men of geology, as a casket of ale,
To us, a geological map is like uisge-beatha or fine champagne!
|
https://medium.com/passive-asset/an-ode-to-the-geological-map-26c4eb207cf7
|
['Hunor Deak']
|
2020-11-28 03:04:00.200000+00:00
|
['Poem', 'Maps', 'Poems On Medium', 'Mapping', 'Geology']
|
Ruby Iteration Methods
|
Ruby Iteration Methods
Iterators are the methods which are supported by collections (Arrays, or Hashes). Collections are objects which store a group of data members. Ruby iterators return all the elements of a collection one after another. For example, I have an array of numbers and I want to multiply each number in the array by 2. Array= [1,2,3,4] and I want to get Array= [2,4,6,8]. I can use ruby iterator methods to do that. There are many iterators in Ruby (each, collect, map, times, upto, downto, step, each_line).
I will talk about each and collect/map methods (map and collect are the same). Both each and collect are helpful methods for iterating through when you want to make changes that affect each element in an array or hash. Each method yields and returns the original array
Example:
array= [1,2,3,4]
def multiply (array)
array.each {|x| puts x*2}
end
prints 2,4,6,8 and returns [1,2,3,4] no matter what
If I want to change the return value of each method, I should tell it to do so.
Example:
array= [1,2,3,4]
def multiply (array)
new_array = []
array.each do |num|
new_array << num*2
end
new_array
end
this will return [2,4,6,8]
Collect/map method creates a new array and pushes the results of the block into it; then it returns this new array.
Example:
array= [1,2,3,4]
def multiply (array)
array.collect {|x| puts x*2}
end
prints 2,4,6,8 and returns [nil,nil,nil,nil]. It returns nil because of “puts” who is return value is always nil to avoid that I can do
Example:
array= [1,2,3,4]
def multiply (array)
array.collect {|x| x*2}
end
return value is [2,4,6,8].
If I need to use the result of my iteration method to write a code that depend on that result, it is better to use collect/map because it returns a new array in other word the array that passed a specific test, else I can just use each.
|
https://medium.com/@zainab-alshaikhli01/ruby-iteration-methods-f7bb5645964a
|
['Zainab Omar']
|
2020-09-02 16:30:24.293000+00:00
|
['Iteration', 'Map', 'Collect', 'Each', 'Ruby']
|
The New Page
|
The New Page
Photo by Michał Bielejewski on Unsplash
those few minutes
before the sky awakens
and those handful of stars
trying to save the poems
before the colours spill.
that new page waiting
to be inked.
|
https://medium.com/spiritual-secrets/the-new-page-c128b35e26f2
|
['Priyanka Srivastava']
|
2020-12-13 19:08:24.494000+00:00
|
['Morning', 'Writing', 'Muse', 'Poetry', 'Spiritual Secrets']
|
Do Paying Users Stay Longer?
|
2.5. Evaluate results — to determine the best model
F1 score is the harmonic mean of precision and recall therefore it enables us to optimize for the precision and the robustness of a model at once. While precision tells us the proportion of users being correctly predicted as churners recall tells us the proportion of true churners successfully found.
Confusion matrix for the churn label prediction — image by author
Although F1 score was the preferable metric for so an imbalanced dataset (remember that only 23% of the users were churners) I calculated all the below evaluators for the models:
Recall (or sensitivity) = TP / (TP + FN)
Precision = TP / (TP + FP)
F1 score = 2 * Precision * Recall / (Precision + Recall)
Accuracy = (TP + TN) / All
From a business perspective, it is recall that is critical in churn prediction cases as the business might want to find as many of the potential churners as possible — even if some false positive findings might end up in the pool of predicted churners.
Model evaluation results turned out to be different for different runs of the code as I did not fix the seed either for the train-test split or the random forest models.
Evaluation of model performance (first running)
At a first running of the script, the Logistic Regression and the first Random Forest models performed equally good although none of these performed objectively very well (62% for recall and 73% for F1). The exactly same performance might be explained by the very narrow test dataset (0.2 x 225 = 4.5 records) while the poor model performance by the sample size and the simple models applied.
Evaluation of model performance (second running)
At the second running of the above script, the model performance results were somewhat different (as to be seen above in the printed results). Given that it is crucial for a streaming business to identify probable churners and act against their future churn I recommend choosing model based on its recall metrics. As a comprehensive metrics, using F1 score is more reasonable than using accuracy as the label is not balanced in our case (only 23% churners in the dataset). Based on this, Logistic Regression seems to be the best (least worse in this case) model to predict customer churn.
Evaluation of model performance (third running)
At a third run, when I also added hypertuned models I again received different results for the primary three models. As the above table summarizes, hypertuning the parameters of the model did not improve the performance of the Logistic Regression models with respect to the primary metric, F1 score (80% compared to the previously achieved 84% in case of Logistic Regression). These differences in metrics might be within the maximum tolerance for statistical error given the randomity in splitting the data, training the models and the modest sample size.
Evaluating which features played a key role in predicting the churn label according to the above models:
Chart 6: Feature importance based on the Random Forest model — top features (first run)
Some of the formally most important features do not help better understand customer behavior such as:
timestamp_registration
timestamp_last .
While a more detailed analysis - only on a significantly larger sample - could explore patterns in the behavior of earlier vs. later adopters of the platform, in our case, the associated feature importance is probably just a bias due to the extent of available data (certainly, non-churners seem to stay longer in a given timeframe). This could be balanced if the churner and non-churner user base would be matching regarding the date of registration.
The top important features that seem reasonable are the following:
visit_frequency (how often a user uses Sparkify) — Who uses Sparkify rarely is probably more prone to churn.
(how often a user uses Sparkify) — Who uses Sparkify rarely is probably more prone to churn. event_length_min and session_length_max (what the minimum length of an event is for the user) — While we can assume that users who are listening to music for a very long time are more satisfied with the music streaming experience therefore the maximum length of sessions might be an indicator for their willingness to stay with Sparkify. The minimum length of an event, on the other hand, is less self-evident. E.g. it could mean that the user was dissatisfied that is why she jumped to another screen but it also could mean that the user can easily navigate through the application.
and (what the minimum length of an event is for the user) — While we can assume that users who are listening to music for a very long time are more satisfied with the music streaming experience therefore the maximum length of sessions might be an indicator for their willingness to stay with Sparkify. The minimum length of an event, on the other hand, is less self-evident. E.g. it could mean that the user was dissatisfied that is why she jumped to another screen but it also could mean that the user can easily navigate through the application. Save Settings (proportion of going to the Save Settings page among the sum of page visits) — Probably, who invested time to explore the taylorization of the app liked it more and was less prone to churn.
(proportion of going to the Save Settings page among the sum of page visits) — Probably, who invested time to explore the taylorization of the app liked it more and was less prone to churn. max_gap_days (maximum number of days between two subsequent visits of Sparkify) and session_count (how many times a user used Sparkify) — These attributes reveal how often a user uses Sparkify. Maybe, who uses it less frequently is tend to churn more probably.
To better understand the probable direction of the impact a feature might have on the label outcome one can take a hint from the evaluation of the feature coefficients from the Logistic Regression model:
Chart 7: Top positive feature coefficients (from the Logistic Regression)
I case of features with a positive coefficient, the larger is the value of that feature for a user the more probable is that the user is a churner.
Chart 7: Top negative feature coefficients (from the Logistic Regression)
In case of features with a negative coefficient, the larger the absolute value of a feature is the less probable is that the user is a churner.
|
https://medium.com/@eszterrr/do-paying-users-stay-longer-86737ead01b1
|
['Eszter Rékasi']
|
2021-09-16 22:14:01.304000+00:00
|
['Pyspark', 'Spark', 'Music Streaming App', 'Predictive Modeling', 'Churn Prediction']
|
Episode 4: Crimmigration Nation
|
Episode 4: Crimmigration Nation
This week, Stories from the Border Summer Fellow, Julia Huesa, interviews Phil Torrey. Phil is the Managing Attorney of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program. The two talk about the historical context for crimmigration, his work with clients, and the impact of crimmigration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen to the episode at https://anchor.fm/broadcastsfromtheborder/episodes/EP4-Crimmigration-Nation-ehc5ri
Or, listen on Spotify here and on Apple Podcasts here.
Read below for the transcript:
Meena:
Welcome to Broadcasts From the Border. I’m your host, Meena Venkataramanan. This week, Stories From the Border Summer Fellow Julia Huesa interviews Phil Torrey. Phil is the managing attorney of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program. The two talk about the historical context for crimmigration and its impact now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Julia:
So to start off, could you give us a bit of an overview of your work at the Harvard Law School Crimmmigration Clinic, why it’s so complex, and also why it’s different from your work at the Harvard Law School Immigration and Refugee Clinic?
Phil:
When I first started there, I was in the Immigration and Refugee Clinic, primarily working with individuals who were seeking various forms of humanitarian protection in the United States. I had come from a legal services background and when I was in legal services, many of my clients had criminal convictions and were facing deportation because of those convictions, often very minor offenses. And so after working for a couple of years at Harvard on asylum issues, with the help of our director at the time, I decided to start the Crimmmigration Clinic. It obviously focuses on the intersection of criminal law and immigration law. The work in the clinic, I really think of it as three distinct buckets. So we have some direct representation — it’s probably the smallest part of our clinic — in which we represent folks in immigration proceedings who are facing deportation because of a criminal issue. We have a policy bucket where we work with nonprofit organizations around the country on issues that are important to them. And then the third bucket is the litigation bucket.
Julia:
So, just to clarify, does your clinic mainly represent clients in their immigration cases, their criminal cases, or both?
Phil:
In terms of the criminal cases, what we do is provide something called Padilla Advisals in which individuals who are not US citizens that are facing immigration consequences because of a criminal charge, are required to receive advice from their criminal defense counsel about what those immigration consequences may be. And so we work with criminal defense counsel around the country, and also here locally, to provide that type of advice. So that’s the context in which we work in criminal proceedings, but most of our clients are folks in the immigration process.
Julia:
Thanks, that’s really helpful. Could you walk us through the process of, or put us in the shoes of, when a person who is not a citizen or whose citizenship is in question is accused of a crime until when they learn of or experience the immigration consequences of that crime?
Phil:
What happens is the criminal law system leverages the immigration system and uses it as a form of domestic crime control, and the immigration system leverages the criminal law system as a unique method to increase the deportation pipeline. So the two systems really feed off of one another. And so entry points into those two systems vary for different individuals. But a typical case might look something like somebody who’s not a US citizen, let’s say, was pulled over while driving because they theoretically in any way crossed a divider, crossed the line in the road. And when they’re stopped, they don’t have a valid driver’s license. They could pick up a criminal charge in that sense, and what can happen is they get fingerprinted. Those fingerprints are shared with a national database that includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement can then request from the local law enforcement agency to notify Immigration Enforcement before they release that person. And a lot of times what happens — and this is sort of a misconception sometimes — is that the criminal law proceedings and the immigration proceedings are completely separate. So somebody in the criminal law process could get charged with an offense, get picked up by immigration, moved over to the immigration removal process and detained, and their criminal proceedings — the state criminal proceedings — keep going. And they end up not being able to show up for those court hearings, and so they can default on the criminal proceedings while they’re in immigration detention. And then if that person gets deported, getting back into the country when you have a default on your record is really really difficult to do.
Julia:
If they’re defaulting on their criminal proceedings while they’re in immigration detention, what are their chances of getting representation in either kind of proceeding?
Phil:
One of the biggest factors is just geographic location. Once somebody is put into an immigration detention center, let’s say, in Massachusetts, the federal government can easily move that person down to somewhere like, let’s say, Oakdale, Louisiana; somewhere where it’s really difficult to get access to immigration counsel. And so in most proceedings, there’s something like, I think the figure is something like 37% of folks have counsel in immigration proceedings. If you’re detained, that number drops to something like 14%. So while you have a right to counsel in immigration proceedings, you don’t have a right to one appointed to you like you do in criminal proceedings. And so if an individual is moved to a location where there aren’t many immigration attorneys or there aren’t pro bono services, or they’re really difficult to get access to, in those areas, the rate of representation is much lower than that 14%. In other areas, places like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, even Boston here, where there are programs in which there are pro bono services in place for folks who are detained, then that figure is much higher than that 14%.
Julia:
Is there any public funding for representation in immigration proceedings?
Phil:
So there’s no federal public funding, there is some funding, and it’s sort of a growing movement amongst states and city councils specifically to provide immigration counsel using state funds or city funds. And there’s a couple of different reasons behind that growing movement. One, obviously, is the fact that there isn’t a lot of immigration counsel and folks are in dire need of it, and a lot of times people can’t afford it. Another is, from an economic standpoint, the city would much rather not have families get separated, you know, it’s dealing with foster care if a family gets separated or unemployment or, you know, increased reliability on, you know, public benefits and things like that. So, all of those issues sort of culminated in this movement that began really out of New York several years ago.
Julia:
Do lawyers even bother representing people who have been accused of crimes if they’re undocumented?
Phil:
There are a lot of programs in which there’s funding and willing pro bono attorneys to sort of step in to provide representation to folks without immigration status that have no criminal record whatsoever. You know, whether that’s a minor child coming across the border or someone who’s overstayed a visa. Just from my experience, anecdotally, there is more services and resources for those folks. And I think part of this is, unfortunately that sort of the national rhetoric and the sort of dichotomy between the good immigrant and the bad immigrant. The good immigrant being the person who’s sort of fleeing violence, who’s here, who’s paid taxes, who has a family here, who’s an employee, who has no criminal record at all, and the bad immigrant being the individual that has convictions for, let’s say, for crimes of poverty or otherwise. And that dichotomy sort of plays out in the representation too I think, so a lot of individuals are apprehensive about representing folks who have criminal convictions. The other piece of that is it really can be very complex and confusing to determine what the immigration consequences of a criminal conviction may be. So crimmigration is in a much more nascent stage, so there’s less certainty out there about what, you know, what lawyers should be providing terms of services when folks have a criminal conviction.
Julia:
And in your ideal world, what kind of advice would lawyers be able to give on the immigration consequences of criminal proceedings?
Phil:
There has been a range of different standards in terms of type of advice. At one end of the spectrum, you have the recent Massachusetts decision, the DeJesus case, in which Massachusetts has said lawyers need to provide advice about, you know, whether that person is going to get deported because of the criminal offense, whether the defense or the offense bars any kind of potential immigration relief, what the detention consequences are. And then in other areas of the country, it’s sufficient, according to courts there, to simply say, “Yeah, this conviction may result in your deportation.” I firmly believe that the former standard — providing them particularized advice — should be the standard nationally. Now, as I’ve mentioned a couple times before, immigration consequences of criminal convictions can be really difficult to figure out, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not there. In my opinion, that doesn’t excuse an attorney from not doing their due diligence and engaging in those kinds of analyses, and providing that kind of advice. So, while, you know, especially in public defender’s offices that are already extremely overworked, it can be really hard for those attorneys to suddenly become crimmigration experts. But there’s a couple of models that have been followed around the country that I think are great. So in some defense counsel offices, like in Brooklyn and the Bronx in New York, there are in-house immigration lawyers that help criminal defense attorneys decipher what the immigration consequences of criminal convictions may be, but in other areas that are, you know, more underfunded, that can’t afford to hire those kinds of immigration attorneys, there are private attorneys in the area that can provide that advice. I provide that advice all the time to criminal defense counsel around the country. Ultimately, what I would say is that immigration consequences are there and they often are very clear, they’re just difficult to unearth.
Julia:
Could you give us a few examples of cases in immigration proceedings that you think could have really benefited from appointed counsel?
Phil:
I’ve taken on, for example, appeals where the individual was representing themselves. And just in reading through the transcript, the level of confusion in those proceedings is so, it’s so obvious and heartbreaking. You know, I have a client right now, for example, who’s in Mexico that was deported years ago and separated from his family. He lived in the United States for 40 years. He had a relatively minor conviction out of Oregon and represented himself in his immigration proceeding. And like didn’t totally understand that these proceedings could result in his deportation. And a lot of the language that was used by the immigration judge that was interpreted to him in Spanish with legalese, and so he ended up getting deported. And we’re now representing him to try to bring him back because his conviction clearly should not have triggered the deportation consequences that he ended up facing. So I see that kind of scenario all the time. In fact, in most of my appellate cases that I’ve taken on. Yeah, it’s heartbreaking. It’s tough to see.
Julia:
Could you talk to me a little bit about this idea that immigration consequences are not considered punishment for the crimes they are consequences for?
Phil:
In reality, immigration consequences are significant. They’re severe and often more severe than criminal consequences. So it is this sort of legal fiction that we’re living in where, you know, things like immigration detention and deportation are considered “civil.” Whereas, you know, you could get a fine for an offense that’s considered criminal. It doesn’t make a lot of intuitive sense. And I think there’s a growing recognition that these consequences are just about as close to punishment as you can get, if not more so. You know, to give you one example, if you look at immigration detention, which is, again, considered civil confinement and not criminal incarceration. In reality, there are something like 250 immigration detention facilities around the United States. A large majority of them are privately run, so they’re for-profit facilities. And then the remaining facilities largely are county-run criminal facilities. So here in Massachusetts, for example, there are three main county-run facilities that are run by county sheriffs. They’re criminal incarceration facilities, so the majority of individuals who are detained there are serving criminal punishments. And then they rent out space, rent out that space to the Department of Homeland Security to detain folks in immigration custody. It’s the exact same facility, it’s the same guards, it’s the same cells, it’s the same foods, same access to recreation, to the library. It’s the same, you know, visitation rights for family and counsel. For all intents and purposes, it looks exactly the same. One of the few differences I see is that, is the color of the jumpsuits that are worn by the criminal incarcerated individuals versus the civil immigration incarcerated folks.
Julia:
Could you talk about how these different systems of punishment under civil law play out in the immigration consequences of involvement with a criminal legal system plagued with systemic racism and police violence that we as a nation are once again reckoning with.
Phil:
So racism and white supremacy is very deeply embedded in our immigration laws and have been really from the start. If you go back to the first federal immigration law in 1790. What that law said was that only free white persons were eligible to become US citizens. That concept has not left our system. So you’ve got laws, late 19th century laws, like the Chinese Exclusion Act, which did exactly what it says, it excluded individuals from China and other Asian countries from immigrating to the United States and becoming US citizens and posed a whole host of consequences upon them that we’re not applied to others, particularly white individuals from Western or Central European countries. And then if you fast forward to the mid 90s, where you’ve got the War on Drugs at its height, culminates in this series of laws, both from the criminal and immigration end. That’s when you really have the beginning, in my opinion, anyway, of this crimmigration system, you know, this unholy marriage between the criminal law system and the immigration system, both of which have these deeply racists roots. The two of those systems get together and, again, sort of leverage one another, and you have this sort of exponential, deeply racist system that has developed today. So for example, one aspect of immigration we’ve talked about is immigration detention. More than 70% of folks in immigration detention right now are held in private detention facilities, so for-profit, publicly traded corporations that make money off of Black and Brown bodies who are caged in their facilities. That system was first created in the South, post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, in something called the Convict Lease Program. And you have increased criminalization of recently-freed slaves and a particular focus on the Black community. And the result of that was a huge increase in the number of Black individuals who were incarcerated in these facilities. And what happened, in particular, starting with a facility called Parchman Farm, is they leased out — this is how they termed it, right, so they’re basically talking about people as chattel; as property — leased out individuals to farmers and mines and all kinds of corporations that particularly, that previously relied on slave labor, at extremely low rates. And those folks basically took convicts and re-enslaved them. That was really the beginning of this concept of for-profit detention centers. And now we have a system where we incarcerate in immigration, something close to between 400,000 and 500,000 individuals every year, more than 70% of which are in private facilities.
Julia:
And — also something that we’re all experiencing today — could you talk about the impact of the coronavirus on an already backlogged system of immigration cases and how your clinic is dealing with representing its clients during this pandemic?
Phil:
With the COVID-19 pandemic, just about all of our clients are detained in these immigration detention facilities around the country. So we have a few, for example, that are here, detained in Massachusetts. And what we did was work to try to get them out of those facilities because there’s, you know, there’s a lot of studies that COVID-19, once it gets into a detention facility, spreads like wildfire, and it’s obviously very deadly. So we filed habeas petitions in District Court arguing that our clients should be at least given a hearing to determine if they should be released given the pandemic and given their vulnerable situation. A lot of times these facilities detain folks in close quarters; sanitation is not done up to par. You know, they share bathroom facilities, shower facilities. So, so anyway, we sort of went full speed ahead in trying to get folks out of detention. In terms of the backlog, so prior to this pandemic, the immigration court backlog was over like a million cases. The detained docket continued to go forward. So what happened practically was our hearings were done via teleconference, you know, we tried to represent folks this way, which has its own kinds of just logistical challenges. And, you know, I foresee that happening, continuing in the near future. A lot of facilities are starting to try to decrease the number of individuals that are there. But I think immigration is particularly reluctant to release folks so we’ll continue to fight to make sure we try to get as close as we can.
Julia:
Great. Well, thanks again, Phil Torrey. I’ve really enjoyed talking to you and we’re so glad to have you on the show this week.
Meena:
This episode was produced and edited by Julia Huesa and Jess Eng. Thank you to Emily Hong and the Blue Dot Sessions for their original music. If you liked this episode, please share it with your friends and follow us on Spotify or iTunes for more content. And find us on StoriesFromTheBorder.org or follow us @bordersstoriesaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
|
https://medium.com/stories-from-the-border/episode-4-crimmigration-nation-eaafe6da7083
|
['Stories The Border']
|
2020-11-26 18:06:25.369000+00:00
|
['Migration', 'Criminal Justice', 'Criminal Justice Reform', 'Immigration', 'Podcast']
|
JavaScript Modules: A Beginner’s Guide
|
If you’re a newcomer to JavaScript, jargon like “module bundlers vs. module loaders,” “Webpack vs. Browserify” and “AMD vs. CommonJS” can quickly become overwhelming.
The JavaScript module system may be intimidating, but understanding it is vital for web developers.
In this post, I’ll unpack these buzzwords for you in plain English (and a few code samples). I hope you find it helpful!
Note: for simplicity’s sake, this will be divided into two sections: Part 1 will dive into explaining what modules are and why we use them. Part 2 (posted next week) will walk through what it means to bundle modules and the different ways to do so.
Part 1: Can someone please explain what modules are again?
Good authors divide their books into chapters and sections; good programmers divide their programs into modules.
Like a book chapter, modules are just clusters of words (or code, as the case may be).
Good modules, however, are highly self-contained with distinct functionality, allowing them to be shuffled, removed, or added as necessary, without disrupting the system as a whole.
Why use modules?
There are a lot of benefits to using modules in favor of a sprawling, interdependent codebase. The most important ones, in my opinion, are:
1) Maintainability: By definition, a module is self-contained. A well-designed module aims to lessen the dependencies on parts of the codebase as much as possible, so that it can grow and improve independently. Updating a single module is much easier when the module is decoupled from other pieces of code.
Going back to our book example, if you wanted to update a chapter in your book, it would be a nightmare if a small change to one chapter required you to tweak every other chapter as well. Instead, you’d want to write each chapter in such a way that improvements could be made without affecting other chapters.
2) Namespacing: In JavaScript, variables outside the scope of a top-level function are global (meaning, everyone can access them). Because of this, it’s common to have “namespace pollution”, where completely unrelated code shares global variables.
Sharing global variables between unrelated code is a big no-no in development.
As we’ll see later in this post, modules allow us to avoid namespace pollution by creating a private space for our variables.
3) Reusability: Let’s be honest here: we’ve all copied code we previously wrote into new projects at one point or another. For example, let’s imagine you copied some utility methods you wrote from a previous project to your current project.
That’s all well and good, but if you find a better way to write some part of that code you’d have to go back and remember to update it everywhere else you wrote it.
This is obviously a huge waste of time. Wouldn’t it be much easier if there was — wait for it — a module that we can reuse over and over again?
How can you incorporate modules?
There are many ways to incorporate modules into your programs. Let’s walk through a few of them:
Module pattern
The Module pattern is used to mimic the concept of classes (since JavaScript doesn’t natively support classes) so that we can store both public and private methods and variables inside a single object — similar to how classes are used in other programming languages like Java or Python. That allows us to create a public facing API for the methods that we want to expose to the world, while still encapsulating private variables and methods in a closure scope.
There are several ways to accomplish the module pattern. In this first example, I’ll use an anonymous closure. That’ll help us accomplish our goal by putting all our code in an anonymous function. (Remember: in JavaScript, functions are the only way to create new scope.)
Example 1: Anonymous closure
With this construct, our anonymous function has its own evaluation environment or “closure”, and then we immediately evaluate it. This lets us hide variables from the parent (global) namespace.
What’s nice about this approach is that is that you can use local variables inside this function without accidentally overwriting existing global variables, yet still access the global variables, like so:
Note that the parenthesis around the anonymous function are required, because statements that begin with the keyword function are always considered to be function declarations (remember, you can’t have unnamed function declarations in JavaScript.) Consequently, the surrounding parentheses create a function expression instead. If you’re curious, you can read more here.
Example 2: Global import
Another popular approach used by libraries like jQuery is global import. It’s similar to the anonymous closure we just saw, except now we pass in globals as parameters:
In this example, globalVariable is the only variable that’s global. The benefit of this approach over anonymous closures is that you declare the global variables upfront, making it crystal clear to people reading your code.
Example 3: Object interface
Yet another approach is to create modules using a self-contained object interface, like so:
As you can see, this approach lets us decide what variables/methods we want to keep private (e.g. myGrades) and what variables/methods we want to expose by putting them in the return statement (e.g. average & failing).
Example 4: Revealing module pattern
This is very similar to the above approach, except that it ensures all methods and variables are kept private until explicitly exposed:
That may seem like a lot to take in, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to module patterns. Here are a few of the resources I found useful in my own explorations:
Learning JavaScript Design Patterns by Addy Osmani: a treasure trove of details in an impressively succinct read
Adequately Good by Ben Cherry: a useful overview with examples of advanced usage of the module pattern
Blog of Carl Danley: module pattern overview and resources for other JavaScript patterns.
CommonJS and AMD
The approaches above all have one thing in common: the use of a single global variable to wrap its code in a function, thereby creating a private namespace for itself using a closure scope.
While each approach is effective in its own way, they have their downsides.
For one, as a developer, you need to know the right dependency order to load your files in. For instance, let’s say you’re using Backbone in your project, so you include the script tag for Backbone’s source code in your file.
However, since Backbone has a hard dependency on Underscore.js, the script tag for the Backbone file can’t be placed before the Underscore.js file.
As a developer, managing dependencies and getting these things right can sometimes be a headache.
Another downside is that they can still lead to namespace collisions. For example, what if two of your modules have the same name? Or what if you have two versions of a module, and you need both?
So you’re probably wondering: can we design a way to ask for a module’s interface without going through the global scope?
Fortunately, the answer is yes.
There are two popular and well-implemented approaches: CommonJS and AMD.
CommonJS
CommonJS is a volunteer working group that designs and implements JavaScript APIs for declaring modules.
A CommonJS module is essentially a reusable piece of JavaScript which exports specific objects, making them available for other modules to require in their programs. If you’ve programmed in Node.js, you’ll be very familiar with this format.
With CommonJS, each JavaScript file stores modules in its own unique module context (just like wrapping it in a closure). In this scope, we use the module.exports object to expose modules, and require to import them.
When you’re defining a CommonJS module, it might look something like this:
We use the special object module and place a reference of our function into module.exports. This lets the CommonJS module system know what we want to expose so that other files can consume it.
Then when someone wants to use myModule, they can require it in their file, like so:
There are two obvious benefits to this approach over the module patterns we discussed before:
1. Avoiding global namespace pollution
2. Making our dependencies explicit
Moreover, the syntax is very compact, which I personally love.
Another thing to note is that CommonJS takes a server-first approach and synchronously loads modules. This matters because if we have three other modules we need to require, it’ll load them one by one.
Now, that works great on the server but, unfortunately, makes it harder to use when writing JavaScript for the browser. Suffice it to say that reading a module from the web takes a lot longer than reading from disk. For as long as the script to load a module is running, it blocks the browser from running anything else until it finishes loading. It behaves this way because the JavaScript thread stops until the code has been loaded. (I’ll cover how we can work around this issue in Part 2 when we discuss module bundling. For now, that’s all we need to know).
AMD
CommonJS is all well and good, but what if we want to load modules asynchronously? The answer is called Asynchronous Module Definition, or AMD for short.
Loading modules using AMD looks something like this:
What’s happening here is that the define function takes as its first argument an array of each of the module’s dependencies. These dependencies are loaded in the background (in a non-blocking manner), and once loaded define calls the callback function it was given.
Next, the callback function takes, as arguments, the dependencies that were loaded — in our case, myModule and myOtherModule — allowing the function to use these dependencies. Finally, the dependencies themselves must also be defined using the define keyword.
For example, myModule might look like this:
So again, unlike CommonJS, AMD takes a browser-first approach alongside asynchronous behavior to get the job done. (Note, there are a lot of people who strongly believe that dynamically loading files piecemeal as you start to run code isn’t favorable, which we’ll explore more when in the next section on module-building).
Aside from asynchronicity, another benefit of AMD is that your modules can be objects, functions, constructors, strings, JSON and many other types, while CommonJS only supports objects as modules.
That being said, AMD isn’t compatible with io, filesystem, and other server-oriented features available via CommonJS, and the function wrapping syntax is a bit more verbose compared to a simple require statement.
UMD
For projects that require you to support both AMD and CommonJS features, there’s yet another format: Universal Module Definition (UMD).
UMD essentially creates a way to use either of the two, while also supporting the global variable definition. As a result, UMD modules are capable of working on both client and server.
Here’s a quick taste of how UMD goes about its business:
For more examples of UMD formats, check out this enlightening repo on GitHub.
Native JS
Phew! Are you still around? I haven’t lost you in the woods here? Good! Because we have *one more* type of module to define before we’re done.
As you probably noticed, none of the modules above were native to JavaScript. Instead, we’ve created ways to emulate a modules system by using either the module pattern, CommonJS or AMD.
Fortunately, the smart folks at TC39 (the standards body that defines the syntax and semantics of ECMAScript) have introduced built-in modules with ECMAScript 6 (ES6).
ES6 offers up a variety of possibilities for importing and exporting modules which others have done a great job explaining — here are a few of those resources:
What’s great about ES6 modules relative to CommonJS or AMD is how it manages to offer the best of both worlds: compact and declarative syntax and asynchronous loading, plus added benefits like better support for cyclic dependencies.
Probably my favorite feature of ES6 modules is that imports are live read-only views of the exports. (Compare this to CommonJS, where imports are copies of exports and consequently not alive).
Here’s an example of how that works:
In this example, we basically make two copies of the module: one when we export it, and one when we require it.
Moreover, the copy in main.js is now disconnected from the original module. That’s why even when we increment our counter it still returns 1 — because the counter variable that we imported is a disconnected copy of the counter variable from the module.
So, incrementing the counter will increment it in the module, but won’t increment your copied version. The only way to modify the copied version of the counter variable is to do so manually:
On the other hand, ES6 creates a live read-only view of the modules we import:
Cool stuff, huh? What I find really compelling about live read-only views is how they allow you to split your modules into smaller pieces without losing functionality.
Then you can turn around and merge them again, no problem. It just “works.”
Looking forward: bundling modules
Wow! Where does the time go? That was a wild ride, but I sincerely hope it gave you a better understanding of modules in JavaScript.
In the next section I’ll walk through module bundling, covering core topics including:
Why we bundle modules
Different approaches to bundling
ECMAScript’s module loader API
…and more. :)
NOTE: To keep things simple, I skipped over some of the nitty-gritty details (think: cyclic dependencies) in this post. If I left out anything important and/or fascinating, please let me know in the comments!
|
https://medium.com/free-code-camp/javascript-modules-a-beginner-s-guide-783f7d7a5fcc
|
['Preethi Kasireddy']
|
2019-10-29 22:54:08.754000+00:00
|
['JavaScript', 'Education', 'Programming', 'Web Development', 'ES6']
|
Analysis of New York MTA Turnstile Data
|
Data Cleaning:
The MTA opens their turnstile data to the public and can be downloaded for free here. Here are the different variables found in the dataset:
C/A = Control Area
UNIT = Remote Unit for a station
SCP = Subunit Channel Position represents an specific address for a device
STATION = Represents the station name the device is located at
LINENAME = Represents all train lines that can be boarded at this station
DIVISION = Represents the Line originally the station belonged to BMT, IRT, or IND
DATE = Represents the date (MM-DD-YY)
TIME = Represents the time (hh:mm:ss) for a scheduled audit event
DESc = Represent the “REGULAR” scheduled audit event (Normally occurs every 4 hours)
ENTRIES = The cumulative entry register value for a device
EXIT = The cumulative exit register value for a device
For this project we used the turnstile data from 2016 to 2018 for the months from March 1st to June 15th. Notice that Entries and Exit columns are cumulative measures and are measured every four hours. In order to calculate the number of people who went through a specific station in a given four hour interval, we subtracted each rows of the cumulative entries and exits. We will then add the subtracted cumulative entries and exits to form a column for “total number of traffic”.
|
https://medium.com/@junyoung_lee/analysis-of-new-york-mta-turnstile-data-95251e212206
|
['Noah Junyoung Lee']
|
2019-05-12 19:06:04.562000+00:00
|
['Pandas', 'Turnstile', 'Matplotlib', 'Python', 'Seaborn']
|
Decorators and the Draper Gem
|
Decorators and the Draper Gem
What is a decorator?
A decorator (or presenter) is a class that is responsible for presenting the model logic to the view. The presenter is usually initialized in the controller and usually expects to receive a model object. The presenter can then be used in the view. For example:
# app/models/user.rb
class User < ApplicationRecord; end # app/presenters/user_presenter.rb
class UserPresenter
def full_name
"#{user.first_name} #{user.last_name}"
end
end
class UsersController < ApplicationController
def show
user = User.find(params[:id])
end
end # app/controllers/users_controller.rbclass UsersController < ApplicationControllerdef showuser = User.find(params[:id]) @ presenter = UserPresenter.new(user)endend # app/views/users/show.html.erb
<h1><%= @presenter.full_name %>
In this example, full_name does not handle any system logic. The method is only concerned with formatting logic in a human readable way, for the user. Therefore, this method is only a presentation concern so it makes sense to pull it out of the model and put it into the UserPresenter .
Why should you separate presentation logic?
Many Rails applications will mix business logic and presentation logic inside their models. So why is it advantageous to separate business logic and presentation logic:
You may need multiple presentation options. For example, you may want to give the user an option to view their account on screen or to download it as a PDF. In this case you will need methods for formatting to HTML and methods for formatting to PDF. If these methods are all kept inside the model it will result in a lot of duplication. With presenters you can create multiple presenter classes to handle different formats.
For example, you may want to give the user an option to view their account on screen or to download it as a PDF. In this case you will need methods for formatting to HTML and methods for formatting to PDF. If these methods are all kept inside the model it will result in a lot of duplication. With presenters you can create multiple presenter classes to handle different formats. You may want to re-write the presentation layer without touching the model layer. For example, you may decide that you want to re-write your Rails views using a front-end JavaScript framework. Having nicely separated presenters will make this task a lot easier.
For example, you may decide that you want to re-write your Rails views using a front-end JavaScript framework. Having nicely separated presenters will make this task a lot easier. It makes your system easier to understand. Large models make your system difficult to understand. When I open up a new class I don’t want to have to sift through methods that are just formatting HTML. I only want to know what the model is responsible for. Presenters allow developers to understand the system more easily.
Isn’t that what helpers are for?
Helpers are build into Rails. They allow you to define functions that can be used in your views. For example, you could definite a helper method to output a patients full name:
# app/helpers/patient_helper.rb
module PatientHelper
def full_name(patient)
"#{patient.full_name} #{patient.last_name}"
end
end
All helpers are included into each of your Rails views, which makes them very convenient. However, helpers can become unwieldy when used on large projects.
Presenters solve this problem because they are defined on specific classes. This means that presentation methods are nicely contained within objects and only the relevant objects are initialized for relevant views.
Draper gem
Draper essentially makes it easier for you to use presenters in your Rails app. Here are some of the things that Draper handles for you:
Generates a decorator class every time you use rails to scaffold a new model
Provides the Draper::LazyHelpers module so that you can easily mixin all of the helper methods
module so that you can easily mixin all of the helper methods Gives you an easy way to access and use decorators. To access the decorator for a user, with Draper, simply run: user.decorate .
Lets re-write the example above, using Draper:
# app/models/user.rb
class User < ApplicationRecord; end # app/decorators/user_decorator.rb
class UserDecorator < Draper::Decorator
def full_name
"#{object.first_name} #{object.last_name}"
end
end # app/controllers/users_controller.rb
class UsersController < ApplicationController
def show
@user = User.find(params[:id]).decorate
end
end # app/views/users/show.html.erb
<h1><%= @user.full_name %>
Drawback of using presenters
One of the drawbacks of using presenters is that it can be hard to track which presenter is being used in a view template, especially if you have lots of partials. Look at this example:
<h1><%= @presenter.name %></h1>
From looking at this file it is hard to know which presenter is being used. If you were using a helper method directly then it would be much easier to search for the method by name. In this case, it’s difficult to find where the name method is defined.
The only way to mitigate this problem is to give your instance variables good names, when you set them in the controller.
Summary
A decorator/presenter is responsible for presenting the model logic to the view.
The reasons for separating out presentation logic are: it allows for multiple presentation options, it allows you to re-write the presentation layer without touching the model layer, it makes your system easier to understand.
Draper makes it easier to use presenters in Rails.
Be sure to give your presenters descriptive names so that it is easy to find the corresponding presenter class from the reference in the view template.
|
https://medium.com/kadwill/decorators-and-the-draper-gem-be9ff03bfb5e
|
['Tom Kadwill']
|
2016-12-19 18:03:18.398000+00:00
|
['Ruby on Rails', 'Model View Presenter', 'Rails']
|
9 Favorite Songs Not From 2020
|
This year felt like the right time to escape the present. And so, I ditched hip hop, neo-soul, and modern R&B and journeyed back to the 60s and 70s. These nine songs are tasters of the music that kept me company in this bizarre year. I hope they lift you up, too.
All the songs mentioned in this post are available in this Spotify playlist.
Tofino, BC, Canada
“Another Star” by Stevie Wonder
The song riles me up every time I play it. I might even prefer it over “I Wish” and “A Seed’s A Star/Tree Medley”. I first heard it when I put on Songs in the Key of Life during a game of FIFA with my friend. It came on after halftime when I was losing and my friend said he felt the momentum of the game turn against him. The song is an absolute scorcher, finishing Stevie Wonder’s masterpiece with an echoing bang.
“Don’t Let My Teardrops Bother You” by Dionne Warwick
I’ve loved J Dilla’s “Stop” for years and when I finally heard the original song, Dionne Warwick’s “You’re Gonna Need Me”, I realized how much Dilla’s song owed to the original’s production and instrumentation. Curious to hear more, I listened to the rest of Warwick’s album Just Being Myself on a walk around the neighborhood and found her glorious “Don’t Let My Teardrops Bother You”. Wonderfully produced and arranged, the song makes heartbreak sound beautiful and invigorating.
“Since I Found My Baby” by Brother Cornelius and Sister Rose
I discovered “Too Late To Turn Back Now” in the BlacKkKlansman soundtrack when I watched the movie with my dad during quarantine. Since then, I’ve been listening to the whole album, The Story of Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, over and over. It’s hard to pick a single song because the album is so consistent, but “Since I Found My Baby” is one of my favorites. To me, this album proves that you can write great songs using the same form. You know where they’re aiming, but it doesn’t matter because they’re deadly accurate.
“Oh Happy Day” by The Edwin Hawkins Singers
This song sounds like hope, love, and joy, and it convinces you that they’re all the same thing. The song owes its surging power to the tremendous choir, which sounds like a whole community singing together. It’ll make you want to meet all your neighbors when the global pandemic is finally under control.
“Run, Shaker Life” by Voices of East Harlem
BB King starred in the Thanksgiving Concert at Sing Sing Prison, but it was one of the supporting acts that suddenly came on and jolted the audience onto their feet (at 29:00). Their electrifying performance of “Run, Shaker Life” stunned me. Its similarities with Kendrick Lamar’s album version of “i” from To Pimp A Butterfly is a reminder of the progress seen and the stasis still endured in the 40+ years that have passed.
“I’m Waiting For The Man” by The Velvet Underground
This song snuck up on me. It’s so straightforward that I didn’t expect the enthusiasm I’d eventually feel about it. It sparked my newfound love for The Velvet Underground’s noisy, guitar-driven rock ’n’ roll. From here, I went on to discover garage rock like “Psycho” by The Sonics and early psychedelic rock like “I Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” by The Seeds.
“Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones
It surprised me to discover that The Rolling Stones were originally bluesmen. I ignorantly conflated them with other rock bands like AC/DC and Aerosmith that I associated with condescending dads. Their early material didn’t do much for me, but then “Street Fighting Man” pushed me to find my place in their discography. It was intimidating to delve into the legendary band’s long discography, but of course I had the time to do it. I soon learned that their 1968–1972 album run is considered one of the most prolific in rock ’n’ roll history. Sure enough, I found new favorites like “Gimme Shelter” and “Moonlight Mile”.
“I’m Only Sleeping” by The Beatles
I grew up listening to The Beatles’ #1 Hits CD, but I’d never thoroughly and mindfully explored their discography, until this year. As a kid, I preferred McCartney, but now I prefer Lennon for songs like “I’m Only Sleeping”. I’m enchanted by the gruff sound of the acoustic guitar, the reversed electric guitar riffs, and the aloof attitude of the lyrics. The verse and the chorus are great and yet somehow the bridge is my favorite part — when Lennon sings “Keeping an eye on the world going by my window”. John Lennon also wrote other of my favorite Beatles’ songs like “Across The Universe” and “You Can’t Do That”.
“Tombstone Blues” by Bob Dylan
This song won me over early in the year, in the first few weeks of quarantine. I love the bluesy guitar, the noisiness, the galloping pace, and the blemished vocals, elements that would later draw me to other songs in this list. I still feel the raw, pleasant ache of excitement in my gut that I felt when I first listened to this song and realized that my journey into the past would be fruitful.
Now, You Owe Me 9
If you come across this little post and wish to enrich my life with recommendations, please do reach out to me on Instagram.
|
https://medium.com/@okjuan/9-favorite-songs-not-from-2020-e1c1f285269c
|
[]
|
2020-12-30 04:23:15.740000+00:00
|
['Funk', 'Music', '2020', 'Soul', 'Rock And Roll']
|
Building Satoshis Games #2. The second article of a development…
|
The second article of a development blog series
#Devblog-1
https://medium.com/satoshis-games/satoshis-games-devblog-1-d960238d02c7
Hello👋!! I am Carlos, creator of Satoshis.Games. On these development blog series, I will be summarizing the most important updates, challenges and ideas that lead Satoshis.Games development.
TL;DR
2 New games: The Legend of Satoshi & Bcraft⛏️📝
Iframe for an indexed gaming experience🎮
New leaderboard design📊
Lightning-powered games coming (super-bro)⚡
Games
The Legend of Satoshi
This game is a minimalist text adventure based on the creation of Bitcoin. This game is forked from the open sourced game A Dark Roomhttp://adarkroom.doublespeakgames.com. We have not implemented any lightning feature yet, as it does not have any competitive feature. The aim of this game is enjoying the story, and find easter eggs and clever jokes hidden in the course of the game.
The Legend of Satoshi — Starting the game
The Legend of Satoshi — Gameplay screenshot
Bcraft
Bcraft — Startup screen
Bcraft — Gameplay
BCraft is a crafting game forked from PCraft from NuSan. You wake up on a deserted island, with no crypto, and you have to survive. Gather materials and build your tools. Explore the area and find the Satoshi’s cave. Will you find a way to escape the island full of fiat & zombies?
Iframe
We are using iframe to display enable gaming from the same page. By doing so, links to redirect to subdomains will no longer be necessary. Therefore, the gaming experience is dramatically improved by providing every needed option easily accessible.
|
https://medium.com/satoshis-games/satoshis-games-devblog-2-6fb5809b1294
|
['Carlos Roldan']
|
2019-01-28 16:42:55.068000+00:00
|
['Blockchain', 'Lightning Network', 'Lightning', 'Bitcoin', 'Games']
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Customer Segmentation in Online Retail
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In this article, I am going to write about how to carry out customer segmentation and other related analysis on online retail data using python.
This is going to get a bit long, so feel free to go through some sections at a time and come back again.
Before going into the definition of customer segmentation, let us take a look at how online retail works and how the associated data would look like. When a person goes into a retail store and purchases a few items, the following basic data points should be generated:
Customer Name/Customer ID Address/Contact number of the customer (Demographic information) Invoice number Product name and product code Quantity Unit Price Date and time of the transaction Coupon Code (if applicable) Discount amount (if applicable)
Now that we have developed a basic idea about how retail data looks like, let us think about how a company should think in order to make effective marketing policies.
For a small company, the customer base is usually quite small and individually targetable. But, as a business grows in size, it will not be possible for the business to have an intuition about each and every customer. At such a stage, human judgments about which customers to pursue will not work and the business will have to use a data-driven approach to build a proper strategy.
For a medium to large size retail store, it is also imperative that they invest not only in acquiring new customers but also in customer retention. Many businesses get most of their revenue from their ‘best’ or high-valued customers. Since the resources that a company has, are limited, it is crucial to find these customers and target them. It is equally important to find the customers who are dormant/are at high risk of churning to address their concerns. For this purpose, companies use the technique of customer segmentation.
One axiom frequently used in business and economics is the Pareto principle. This can be applied to understanding the revenue stream of a company as well.
As per the Pareto Principle, 80% of outcomes result from 20% of all the causes of any given event.
In business terms, we can say that 20% of customers contribute 80% share of the total revenue of a company. That’s why finding this set of people is important. I will explain the importance of customer segmentation in a detailed manner later in this article itself.
Let us now try to understand what customer segmentation is and why is it such an effective tool for developing an effective strategy. Then, we will work on how to perform segmentation.
Understanding Customer Segmentation
Customer segmentation is the process of separating customers into groups on the basis of their shared behavior or other attributes. The groups should be homogeneous within themselves and should also be heterogeneous to each other. The overall aim of this process is to identify high-value customer base i.e. customers that have the highest growth potential or are the most profitable.
Insights from customer segmentation are used to develop tailor-made marketing campaigns and for designing overall marketing strategy and planning.
A key consideration for a company would be whether or not to segment its customers and how to do the process of segmentation. This would depend upon the company philosophy and the type of product or services it offers. The type of segmentation criterion followed would create a big difference in the way the business operates and formulates its strategy. This is elucidated below.
Zero segments: <Undifferentiated approach> This means that the company is treating all of its customers in a similar manner. In other words, there is no differentiated strategy and all of the customer base is being reached out by a single mass marketing campaign. One segment: <Focussed approach> This means that the company is targeting a particular group or niche of customers in a tightly defined target market. Two or more segments: <Differentiated approach> This means that the company is targeting 2 or more groups within its customer base and is making specific marketing strategies for each segment. Thousands of segments: <Hyper segmentation approach> This means that the company is treating each customer as unique and is making a customized offer for each one of them.
Once the company has identified its customer base and the number of segments it aims to focus upon, it needs to decide the factors on whose basis it will decide to segment its customers.
Factors for segmentation for a business to business marketing company:
Industry Number of employees Location Market cap/Company size Age of the company
Factors for segmentation for a business to consumer marketing company:
Demographic: Age, Gender, Education, Ethnicity, Income, Employment, hobbies, etc. Recency, Frequency, and Monetary: Time period of the last transaction, the frequency with which the customer transacts, and the total monetary value of trade. Behavioral: Previous purchasing behavior, brand preferences, life events, etc. Psychographic: Beliefs, personality, lifestyle, personal interest, motivation, priorities, etc. Geographical: Country, zip code, climatic conditions, urban/rural areal differentiation, accessibility to markets, etc.
Why segment your customers?
Photo by Ivan Bajalovic on Unsplash
Customer segmentation has a lot of potential benefits. It helps a company to develop an effective strategy for targeting its customers. This has a direct impact on the entire product development cycle, the budget management practices, and the plan for delivering targeted promotional content to customers. For example, a company can make a high-end product, a budget product, or a cheap alternative product, depending upon whether the product is intended for its most high yield customers, frequent purchasers or for the low-value customer segment. It may also fine-tune the features of the product for fulfilling the specific needs of its customers.
Customer segmentation can also help a company to understand how its customers are alike, what is important to them, and what is not. Often such information can be used to develop personalized relevant content for different customer bases. Many studies have found that customers appreciate such individual attention and are more likely to respond and buy the product. They also come to respect the brand and feel connected with it. This is likely to give the company a big advantage over its competitors. In a world where everyone has hundreds of emails, push notifications, messages, and ads dropping into their content stream, no one has time for irrelevant content.
Finally, this technique can also be used by companies to test the pricing of their different products, improve customer service, and upsell and cross-sell other products or services.
How to segment your customers?
To start with customer segmentation, a company needs to have a clear vision and a goal in mind. The following steps can be undertaken to find segments in the customer base on a broad level.
|
https://towardsdatascience.com/customer-segmentation-in-online-retail-1fc707a6f9e6
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['Rahul Khandelwal']
|
2021-01-03 07:14:41.468000+00:00
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['Customer Segmentation', 'Python', 'Clustering', 'Cohort Analysis', 'Marketing Strategies']
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Weigh in on: Shaping the Government Technology Vendor Ecosystem
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The Code for America Summit is coming up fast (May 30 — June 1! you should come!) and all of us involved in the planning are thinking about how to reflect on the last year and half since the last Summit. We’re also thinking about how we ask the right questions to provoke the community and spur the next year of progress and change. But we know we can’t do this alone. We’d love a little help from all those who care about government that works better for all Americans (and others like them around the world.)
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to ask a few open-ended questions about the big themes at the Summit and ask you to weigh in. You can do that by writing a response here on Medium or tagging your response #weighinonCfASummit on Twitter or wherever else you hang out. Dan Hon and I, who serve as co-chairs for the program, as well as some of our advisory committee and CfA staff, will be looking at these responses and pulling some of the ideas into the program, so please make sure we can contact you. So, let’s get started with the first of these questions.
How do we shape the vendor ecosystem to better serve the needs of government and the public?
Government needs vendors, especially in technology. Vested interests, resisting the movement for better digital government, have tried to claim that groups like 18F represent an attempt to insource all technology development, but this is blatantly false and impractical. The drive to bring tech savvy into government and to build the tech savvy of those already serving is clearly having great benefit, but the vast majority of the technology and design work will still be done by vendors.
Many vendors are leaning into the new landscape. But despite notable positive change over the last five years, some are fighting to protect the status quo, and the landscape is still dominated by expensive projects with high failure rates, despite evidence that more modular, iterative, user-centered approaches reduce risk and improve outcomes. Often vendors exhibit both behaviors — one part leaning in, and another resisting change. What are the best ways to change the rules of the procurement game to consistently get better outcomes for taxpayers and users? We don’t believe that any single stakeholder or stakeholder group can change things alone, so we’re looking for your best thoughts across the board:
What can/should procurement officers, program staff and leadership in government do? What’s worked so far that others in government should be borrowing? What bold ideas need championing and pioneering? What can/should government contractors do (both leadership and employees)? Given that they don’t tend to set the rules, what responsibility do they have to be part of changing them? Who’s been showing leadership here and how might others? What can/should the general public do? Across the United States and around the world, Code for America Brigades have been successfully advocating in their communities for changing procurement practices at the local level, so we know the public must play a role. What does this look like and how do concerned citizens make a difference?
We’ll be having this conversation online in the weeks leading up to the Summit, but we also want you there in person to continue the discussion, so use the discount code WEIGHINON for 10% off your ticket and be “in the room where it happens” in Oakland at the end of May!
|
https://medium.com/code-for-america/weigh-in-on-shaping-the-government-technology-vendor-ecosystem-858e690057ba
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['Jennifer Pahlka']
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2018-05-10 22:49:07.404000+00:00
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['Cfasummit', 'Code For America', 'Digital Service', 'Notes From Our Founder', 'Government']
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What are Q-Q plots?
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In real-world scenarios for data analysis, one of the most important parts is to draw conclusions from the available data. As data collection can be a very costly affair a lot of times, trying to fit the available handful data points as a part of a well known and analyzed distribution can be an effective method to apply pre-defined inferences.
One such method to check whether the available dataset follows a distribution is plotting Quartile-Quartile Plot, popularly known as Q-Q plots. For the ease of understanding, the following explanation will check whether the data available is Normally distributed or not.
Steps to plot a Q-Q graph
The first step towards determining if the data follows Normal Distribution or not is computing the percentiles.
Consider we have a set X with the following data points:
The first step is to make a list sorted in ascending order for the values of x as:
After we arranged the list of all the data points in an ascending ordered list, we need to compute the percentile values for the above list and obtain percentile values for the same(in this scenario, we took 100 percentile values).
Now, we need to get a set which is Normally Distributed (for the sake of this example) as follows and compute the percentiles for this list similar to the set X.
such that the mean for this distribution is 0 and the variance is 1.
We have obtained the list of 100 values for both the sets(ordered X percentiles and theoretical quantiles from Y). Considering the first list as the list of x coordinates and the second as y coordinate, we will plot these points on a graph. This graph is known as Q-Q graph.
Drawing Inference
If the points plotted on the graph lie on a straight line, then we can easily conclude that both the sets of data have similar distribution (In this case we can say that X is Normally Distributed)
Limitation
One of the major limitations for this method is that we need to have huge data points, as making a conclusion on fewer data would not be a wise decision.
Conclusion
This concept can be extended to test any data by replacing the Y set with the desired distribution. The recognition of the distribution can be very useful for drawing already studied inferences about the data.
|
https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/what-are-q-q-plots-9c85a0bd7a14
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['Prafful Mishra']
|
2019-05-24 07:03:26.944000+00:00
|
['Data Science', 'Mathematics', 'Statistics', 'Exploratory Data Analysis', 'Data Visualization']
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Rebellious PR Trend Watch — June 2021
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Expect the Unexpected
Gemini season came in hot. It’s got us feeling a bit stirred up, but excited and ready for change. On that note, you may have noticed that we’ve evolved Trend Watch into a whole newsletter! If you’ve been a fan of our Medium articles you’ll love the newsletter for the quick TL;DR, additional social media trends and more. But don’t worry, the long form Trend Watch will still be here too (because in true Gemini fashion we like having options). Subscribe to the newsletter via the link here.
Not Surprised, Still Disappointed
It’s June, which means PRIDE Month and rainbow print everything. Unless you’re sending the proceeds of those items back to an aligned cause or otherwise contributing to the LGBTQIA+ community, KEEP IT. It’s not productive to the cause if you’re not genuinely supporting the folks you market to. The commercialization of important cultural movements like PRIDE are endangering their significance.
You can find real ways to support, highlight and participate in PRIDE as an ally via online resources and/or activism. For the LGBTQIA+ community, PRIDE celebrations are back IRL and we deserve to live it up! For many, this might be the first plunge back into the outside world, but there are still online options for those who want to take things slowly.
Juneteenth isn’t your “Day Off”
June 19th is Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States. The Senate just passed a bill making the day a federal holiday, which means that soon folks nationwide will get the day off from work and school. The real question is how will this day off be used, particularly by non-Black folks?
Many corporations were patting themselves on the back for recognizing Juneteenth (for the first time ever) last year, but giving your employees the day off is quite literally the least you could do. Again, the sentiment returns to tangible progress and action. Use Juneteenth to examine intersections of power and privilege and do your part to affirm and support the Black community.
Making Real Progress
As you may know, we started our pro-bono PR program Project Uplift a little bit over a year ago in response to the racial reckonings of 2020. We’re so excited to announce and begin working with our Q3 Project Uplift recipient Jimanekia, Founder of Tending the Garden; an online & IRL summit that seeks to bring a healing and accessible space for all sexual assault survivors, especially the marginalized.
Through Project Uplift we are able to truly show up for the communities that need it and allocate our resources to causes that are bigger than ourselves. Here at Rebellious it’s not about patting ourselves on the back (though it is important to recognize work well done); it’s about creating real and lasting change. To support more impactful pro-bono PR work consider purchasing Project Uplift merch or making a direct donation.
It’s Getting Hot in Here (Literally)
Summer officially begins on June 20th — but let’s be real, it actually started when Megan Thee Stallion returned from hiatus. We’re already feeling the heat, and on the West coast where much of our team is located, we’re preparing for a long, dry Summer. This brings up the discussion of climate change yet again and the emphasis on environmentally friendly practices.
Father’s Day falls on the same day as the Summer Solstice, so use this intersection to do something with the father figure(s) in your life that incorporates adventure and the great outdoors (while we’re still able to enjoy it). If you’re looking for last minute gift ideas, check out this gift guide from Worth featuring our client The Bitter Housewife!
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https://medium.com/@rebelliouspr/rebellious-pr-trend-watch-june-2021-504277f8d3f6
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['Rebellious Pr']
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2021-06-21 17:31:44.073000+00:00
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['Summer', 'Pride', 'Culture', 'Pr', 'Trends']
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Re-Learning History
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We’re moving further back in the Americas, too.
For the longest time, archaeologists believed modern humans came to the Americas from Asia relatively late, across a land bridge in the Bering Strait around 12,000 years ago (you might remember that one from school). But there is now evidence telling us that isn’t the case at all.
We may have been here over 15,000 years ago. In fact, there could be proof humans were here over 130,000 years ago!
But before we get to one of the most fascinating new discoveries on that front, there’s a point worth making. There’s an odd quality to Archaeology, it seems, among the sciences, where a prevailing assumption, if propounded with enough force by a forceful enough academic “personality”, becomes a prevailing “fact” — even to the detriment of doing actual science. It can be very difficult to change a prevailing idea.
One of these assumptions was what they called the “Clovis First” hypothesis.
“For nearly half a century, schoolchildren have been taught that the first human visitors to the New World belonged to the Clovis culture… (who) crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia about 12,000 years ago. To dispute Clovis-first by a few thousand years was controversial… But to propose a site more than 100,000 years older was professional suicide. It would undermine the research and reputations of most archaeologists now studying the New World,” noted the Los Angeles Times, in their December 2017 article, Archaeology As Blood Sport: How An Ancient Mastodon Ignited Debate Over Humans’ Arrival In North America.
And so, when The Cerutti Mastadon Site discoveries were announced in San Diego, California in 2017, offering a possible date around 130,000 years ago for the appearance of modern humans in the Americas — well over ten times earlier than had been the prevailing assumption — the peer-reviewed science, published in the most esteemed journal, Nature, was rejected and dismissed by many without proper consideration.
“‘If you claim something is that old, you get blasted,’ (Richard) Cerutti said, ‘which is why some archaeologists stopped working on sites like this. They didn’t want to get blasted’.”[xxi]
Blasted? The L.A. Times article explained: “George Jefferson, former associate curator of the Page Museum in Los Angeles and district paleontologist for the California State Parks, was blunt: The archaeological community was not ready for such an unsettling claim of antiquity. ‘Keep it under wraps,’ he said. ‘No one will believe you.’[xxii]
The San Diego Museum of Natural History’s curator of paleontology, Tom Deméré, was stunned by the backlash against their peer-reviewed findings after their publication in 2017. “I was taken by surprise that it would be that extreme,” he said in a video accompanying the article. “Certainly the extreme negative reactions. Almost emotional reactions, and saying ‘it’s impossible,’ ‘It can’t be! And it can’t be because I say it can’t be!’[xxiii]”
What they discovered — and documented with the assistance of a highly credentialed team — is pretty amazing: It’s what seem to be the remains left by human scavengers who picked apart a Mastadon carcass, and broke open its bones to get to the marrow. One of the mastodon’s tusks was stuck directly, vertically, into the ground, as if to mark the spot. Bones which defy breaking by natural elements were shattered, and piled around the site. Anomalous rocks and cobblestones were there, primitive hammers used in their scavenging.
“(They) assembled a team… of paleontologists, archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, mastodon specialists, Paleo-Indian specialists, sedimentologists, geomorphologists, geochronologists and lithic fabrication specialists,” the L.A. Times reported. “Each scientist took an element of the site and applied their proficiency. One concluded that there had been no raging torrents that might have crashed the stones and bones together in a seasonal fury. Another focused on the fragments scattered around the site. The few pieces of bone that they found fit into the smooth spiral fractures… another re-dated the site… …concluded that the bones were 130,700 years old… George Jefferson, who had advised Deméré to “keep it under wraps,” was invited for his experience… “Each new test,” he said, “supported the claim.”[xxiv]
“The earliest dispersal of humans into North America is a contentious subject, and proposed early sites are required to meet the following criteria for acceptance: (1) archaeological evidence is found in a clearly defined and undisturbed geologic context; (2) age is determined by reliable radiometric dating; (3) multiple lines of evidence from interdisciplinary studies provide consistent results; and (4) unquestionable artefacts are found in primary context,” [xxv] the group wrote in Nature in April of 2017.
After a year of peer review and testing, they revealed their findings: “Here we describe the Cerutti Mastodon (CM) site, an archaeological site from the early late Pleistocene epoch, where in situ hammerstones and stone anvils occur in spatio-temporal association with fragmentary remains of a single mastodon (Mammut americanum).”[xxvi]
The Cerutti Mastodon Site — Photo Credit: From January 25th, 1993 — A concentration of fossil bone and rock. The unusual positions of the femur heads, one up and one down, broken in the same manner next to each other is unusual. Mastodon molars are located in the lower right hand corner next to a large rock comprised of andesite which is in contact with a broken vertebra. Upper left is a rib angled upwards resting on a granitic pegmatite rock fragment. SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM.
The Mastodon bones, tusks and fragments found dated back to 130,700 (± 9,400) years. The way the fragments were spread around suggested that the breakage occurred at the site. The spiral-fracturing pattern of the bone and molar fragments indicated the breakage occurred while the corpse was fresh, and several fragments displayed evidence of having been pounded on by the rocks found nearby. Five of the rocks found on site (“large cobbles”) showed wear and impact marks indicating they were used as hammerstones and anvils. And given they were found in sand and silt, water didn’t wash them there.
“These findings confirm the presence of an unidentified species of Homo at the CM site during the last interglacial period (MIS 5e; early late Pleistocene), indicating that humans with manual dexterity and the experiential knowledge to use hammerstones and anvils processed mastodon limb bones for marrow extraction and/or raw material for tool production… The CM site is, to our knowledge, the oldest in situ, well-documented archaeological site in North America and, as such, substantially revises the timing of arrival of Homo into the Americas.”[xxvii]
They were savagely attacked by their fellow academics — the Times didn’t call Archaeology a “Blood Sport” for nothing.
Two of the more surprising sources of criticism, in a National Geographic article covering the Cerutti Mastodon announcement, were scientists who had suffered for their own Pre-Clovis discoveries.[xxviii] Now, they were, in effect, casting the same kind of aspersions at Deméré and his team.
Tom Dillehay fought for years for recognition that his discoveries at Monte Verde in Chile were authentic. And Jim Adovasio incurred the wrath of the “Clovis First”-ers when he kept digging at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter site in Pennsylvania and found signs of a demonstrably older human habitation.
“Adovasio… discovered evidence that humans had camped at Meadowcroft, under a protective rock overhang, sixteen thousand years ago — a few thousand years before the Siberian crossing. ‘Nobody believed it… ‘They said our dating had to be wrong’,” Adavasio said in a 2013 New Yorker story. “A couple of years later, however, archaeologists working at a site known as Monte Verde, in Chile, found evidence of a human presence at least fourteen thousand eight hundred years old.” [xxix]
Yet, even in 2013, Meadowcroft’s dating was still controversial: “You can find people who would sit here with you today and say, ‘None of these pre-Clovis sites are real. They’re all nonsense. There’s something wrong with every one of them,’ although that number keeps shrinking,” Adovasio said at the time. “It has become clear that there have been multiple incursions from Siberia by ethnically, linguistically, genetically, and technologically different populations. Some of these pulses may have begun before the last glacial maximum, before twenty-two thousand years ago. Not all of them would have succeeded.[xxx]
Now, all that said, Adavasio’s dismissal of the Cerutti Mastodon site seems surprising. Although, revising back a few thousand years is, perhaps, one thing — a hundred thousand certainly another. Then again, maybe Adovasio didn’t want Meadowcroft to have to give up the claim to possess “the earliest evidence of people in North America, dating back 16,000 years.”[xxxi] Or it could just be simple defensiveness — Meadowcroft’s dating continues to come under attack. A 2016 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on a reunion with old colleagues from the dig refers to “the still controversial idea that the Meadowcroft Rockshelter is pre-Clovis.”[xxxii]
As mentioned above, it was Dillehay in South America with his Monte Verde site in Chile that truly forced the Pre-Clovis issue after two decades of study — back in 1997. “A group of archeologists, including some of Monte Verde’s staunchest critics, inspected the artifacts and visited the site, coming away thoroughly convinced,” the New York Times reported at the time. “Finally vindicated, Dillehay said, ‘Most archeologists had always thought there was a pre-Clovis culture out there somewhere, and I knew that if they would only come to the site and look at the setting and see the artifacts, they would agree that Monte Verde was pre-Clovis’.”[xxxiii]
But. It is a tribute to the stubborn staying power of the Clovis hypothesis, and — perhaps moreso — to the ardent zeal and ignoble, vindictive academic power of its supporters, that over 20 years later most people still don’t know the Clovis claims have been disproven. Even some who agreed on the early dating of Monte Verde in ’97 have equivocated since.
Dillehay has continued to publish on Monte Verde. In 2015, he helped author a study on new evidence suggesting human habitation there between 18,500 and 14,500 years ago.[xxxiv] Intriguingly, towards the paper’s end they state that, “…the chronology and nature of the peopling of the New World are the focus of great deliberation between multiple schools of thought: some stress a short chronology and others a long chronology, some advocate one migration and others multiple migrations, some point to Asia as the only source of human entry and others point to Europe.” They go on to state, “For the moment, the majority of anatomical, archaeological and genetic evidence gives credence to the view that people were relatively recent arrivals to the Americas, probably sometime between 20,000 and 15,000 years ago. The current evidence presented here for the Monte Verde area best fits this scenario; however, this may change as more data are gathered and assessed. The early archaeological record of the Americas continues to be remarkably unpredictable and intriguingly complex”.[xxxv]
This was just over a year before Deméré et al published on the Cerutti Mastadon site, and yet this assessment seems more charitable than Dillehay was willing to be towards the Cerutti Mastodon Site findings.
Dillehay remains active. Earlier this year, he led publication on more evidence from Monte Verde for a date of habitation around 14,500 years ago.[xxxvi]
Like Adavasio, Dillehay was willing to go Pre-Clovis — but not by much. Yet the provenance of the Cerutti Mastodon site suggests the dating of human migration into North America may have to be reevaluated yet again, whether Dillehay, Adovasio and the others want to or not.
They forced a revision of the timeline for the migration into the Americas, which keeps creeping back still, based on new discoveries (recent findings in Texas place Pre-Clovis humans there 15,500 years ago).[xxxvii]
Adavasio, Dillehay, and their contemporaries overturned Clovis-First, allowing for slightly earlier settlements in the Americas. But taking a giant leap back more than 100,000 years seems to be too big of an ask for many of them right now.
All the same… We keep moving back.
The work continues — history is, indeed, always changing. Dillehay’s latest results were published in April, while at the same time another site near Monte Verde announced the discovery of — possibly — the oldest footprint found in the Americas, at 15,600 years old.[xxxviii] In May, in Tibet, we found the first fossil evidence of Denisovans outside of the cave where they were originally discovered, from about 160,000 years ago[xxxix].
And now? We have the Apidima skull announcement, placing an anatomically modern human in Greece 210,000 years ago — the discovery of humans in Europe tens of thousands of years earlier than we ever thought possible.
We do keep moving back.
We seem to discover something new about humankind’s early origins nearly every day.
And so? It seems we must always be relearning history.
Mike Luoma is a writer and researcher from Vermont — find out more at http://MikeLuoma.com.
|
https://medium.com/swlh/re-learning-history-8e0db5ed8724
|
['Mike Luoma']
|
2019-07-19 12:39:16.203000+00:00
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['Archaeology', 'Humanity', 'Science', 'Discovery', 'Ancient History']
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String Concatenation Overloads
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C# CONCEPTS
String Concatenation Overloads
With the “String” class, concatenate the following types:
One or more instances of strings.
One or more instances of objects.
The string representation of values like an array.
Overloads available
Please find below the List of overloads available.
Let’s test some overloads
Example 1 — Concat<T>(IEnumerable<T>)
Concatenates the members of an IEnumerable<T> implementation.
Consider an entity of vehicle with attributes engine & cost, so when you perform a LINQ query on the List of vehicles, the output is IEnumerable<Vehicle>.
Keeping that in mind, let’s understand how to return string response from IEnumerable object using the “concat” method.
Vehicle Entity
Override the “ToString” method to return particular member variable during the concatenation.
|
https://medium.com/c-sharp-progarmming/string-concatenation-overloads-e3c745dafda8
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['Sukhpinder Singh']
|
2020-09-08 09:24:40.543000+00:00
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['Dotnet Core', 'Csharp', 'Oop', 'Dot Net Training', 'Dotnet']
|
Can I make a living with Freelancer.Com?
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Freelancer.com is one of the few freelancer sites where people have some trust that they can make a part of their living while working at home.
Before enrolling in any sites as a freelancer, please check your possible earnings per month and see if you can survive with that money. Depending on where you live on this globe, maybe you can. Are you living in India, in Bali?
Although the top paying jobs are very appealing, they are not posted often! Many competitors are bidding for the top paying jobs where you have to make your way among 150 to 60 competitors to be selected. We can approximately calculate your chances as 1,5–1,66% in average for every top paying project.
How much you can earn as an IT consultant, in average?
Let’s assume that you will put all your efforts for a year for giving bids for top paying jobs only. For example, IT top paying jobs can make you earn $5,000 per month and are posted approximately 90 times per month….but since there are 90 bids and 145 freelancers fighting for it…
$5,000 x 90 posts per month x 12 months x being the first among 145 freelancers $5,000 x 90 x 12 x 0.68% = $36,720 per year after proposing 1,080 bids.
There are approximately 3,000 IT job posts per month.
$5,000 per month (3%)
$700 per month (17%)
$500 per month (25%)
$375 per month (65%)
How much you can earn as a Graphic Designer, in average?
In Graphic Logo Design, the graphic design top paying jobs can make you earn $1,700 per month and are posted approximately 18 times a year….but since there are 80 bids and 80 freelancers fighting for it…
$1,700 x number of bids in a year x chances of being the first among 80 $1,700 x 18 bids x 1,25% = $ 382 per year You are most likely to make $382 per year even for bidding only for the highest priced job posts. The only way to differ is to be very very exceptional!
There are approximately 76 job posts for graphic design. Job bids and your possible monthly gains from that project are as follows:
$1700 per month (2%) Job: logo design, 80 bids in average
$700 per month (4%) Job: brochure, logo design, brand guidelines, 50 bids in average
$500 per month (4%) Job: brochure, logo design, brand guidelines, 46 bids in average
$300 per month (24%) Job: logo, business card design, 70 bids in average
$100 per month (65%)
Architectural 3D Modeling and Interior Design?
Approximately 30 job posts per month. Job bids and your possible monthly gains from that project are as follows:
$1700 per month (3%), 60 bids in average
$945 per month (24%), 40 bids in average
$750 per month (3%)
$400 per month (27%)
$200 per month (53%)
ACAD Drafting?
Approximately 2,3 job posts per month. Job bids and your possible monthly gains from that project are as follows:
$964-$500 per month. 44 bids in average
Business Plan Studies?
Approximately 2 job posts per month
$900 per month, 58 bids
$300 per month, 11 bids
CONCLUSION
The most likely sector to make some money through freelancer.com is IT. There is a lot of demand for IT sector freelancers, most of them are driven by entrepreneurs and dreamers. They demand things like build a website like ‘freelancer’, build a dating app, design me a crypto etc.
Being part of freelancer work force and giving bids for projects brings 0 payment for you. However it gives you some experience on dealing with customers, managing your business. If you are not from IT sector, think it like an internship program, from which you may/may not be paid.
|
https://medium.com/@zey-bahar/can-i-make-a-living-with-freelancer-com-bdc192d188f8
|
['Bahar Yayla']
|
2020-03-03 06:14:52.135000+00:00
|
['Freelancing', 'Freelancers', 'Graphic Design', 'Information Technology']
|
I do not have that word in my diary
|
Hanishka Motwani
She has no intention of getting married now, should she get married even if her career is cut short? Desamuduru Bhama Hansika is questioning.
You have to make a series of films until the opportunity arises. When your career is declining you need to find a good person, get married and settle down. This is the trend that all heroines are following right now. However, Hansika said she was not following this trend. Hansika made her debut in Tollywood with the film ‘Deshamuduru’ but got a good craze even though she did some films. Her fate changed when she moved from here to Kollywood.
With a series of films, she became a star heroine. With this, she became busy making films in Kannada and Malayalam movies respectively. However, Hansika’s career has slowed down in recent times. Her offers ran out with the arrival of new heroines. With this, the campaign started that Hansika will get married soon. Hansika, upset with the news, said she has no plans to get married now.
The word ‘marriage’ has no place in my diary right now. Should I get married soon if my career is slow? ‘With the latest comments it seems that this sale has no idea of getting married right now. The Kollywood community is debating whether to do anything to rethink OTs if the opportunities in the movies don’t come up. During landing, the swan works well if it is plump and thin.
#HanishkaMotwani #tollywood #kollywood #sandelwood #malluwood #celebwiki
|
https://medium.com/@dorababusrinu98/i-do-not-have-that-word-in-my-diary-4b0b242ffd64
|
[]
|
2020-12-29 06:35:04.203000+00:00
|
['Tollywood', 'Bollywood', 'Celebrities News']
|
Using the New PHPicker With SwiftUI
|
1. Add PHPicker to SwiftUI
So, let’s introduce PHPicker to this app.
In order to use PHPicker in SwiftUI, we need to prepare the view that conforms to the UIViewRepresentable protocol and create an instance of PHPicker inside of it.
Ths step of connecting to PHPicker goes as follows:
Create a view that conforms to UIViewRepresentable .
. Add the makeUIViewController method and provide a PHPicker view.
method and provide a view. Add updateUIView .
. Add a Coordinator class and makeCoodinator method.
So, create ImagePicker.swift at the root folder:
makeUIViewController is in charge of creating an instance of PHPicker and returning it. The configuration should be done here.
makeCoodinator provides a coordinator class that handles all of the events of PHPicker .
The Coordinator class is used to handle the picker event and triggers the completion handler after getting data from the Photo Library.
In this case, we’re supposed to handle multiple photos.
Next, we will use this view in ContentView.swift :
ContentView.swift
In pickerConfiguration , you can customize the configuration to whatever you want. In this case, we only use .image data and set a limit of 10 pics.
When the “Add photos” button pressed, the Photo Library shows up and you can select multiple photos:
GIF
It seems to work fine.
|
https://medium.com/@lyndonhannibal/using-the-new-phpicker-with-swiftui-f904d7fba2ab
|
['Lyndon Edward Hannibal']
|
2020-12-09 18:28:27.461000+00:00
|
['Swiftui', 'Simple', 'Small Business', 'Software Development', 'PHP']
|
The Great Conjunction: Jupiter & Saturn Alignment’s Influence
|
Every 20 years or so, something magical and extraordinary occurs in our skies when Jupiter and Saturn appear closest together in the sky. It is being touted as a great transformation and such, mainly because it occurs in the sign of Aquarius. It is seen as the start of a new era and the Age of the Aquarius. The jury is still out on when it begins while some feel this year, with all the turbulence, isolation and back to basics, is already experiencing the Age of the Aquarius, while others feel the world needs more transformation before it happens.
However because the Great Conjunction tomorrow falls under the influence of Aquarius, many have seen this as a sign that the time is now. Whenever an event takes places under a particular sign, we will often see it influence us from a global to a personal level. Therefore even if it’s not the Age of the Aquarius, there will be plenty of similar themes.
My Guides have been whispering messages that humanity will be going through a huge shift — from within.
We will be looking at very personal themes — life purpose, making a difference and our spirituality. Aquarius from what I know is about advancement — so in our world, it would be digital, technology and breakthroughs.
Just last night I dreamt that of Eastern European brothers who had created high powered long distance laser-like beams that could be used for military operations. I woke up a little shaken and very concerned. I sent out a prayer that this advancement will be used for the good of mankind.
Aquarius is about harmony, community, innovation, being compassionate and not being afraid to do things differently, with a touch of eccentricity!
2020 has opened our eyes to what is possible. I never thought I would be able to run workshops online! I can only imagine how many would have laughed at that notion in 2019! In fact, I have had requests for online spiritual courses for the last three years by some of my international clients but I was never confident. This year has seen me take my offerings 100% online and by doing so, increased business by leaps and bounds.
I have also connected with friends and family more this year than before as isolation has somehow brought us closer digitally. Perhaps we all took for granted the 400 or 6000 Facebook friends we had and hit “like” instead of sending a card or picking up the phone. After all the sad loses both from Covid and non-Covid deaths, we have had a little wake-up call to be present in the lives of the people we care about. A jolt to remember that life is short and that we are vulnerable.
There is a huge debate about the speed the vaccines are brought to the market compared to previous vaccines or medicines. What is being missed is that we have been shown what is POSSIBLE when money is no object when Governments, authorities and scientists COOPERATE — they can get things done quicker and less red tape.
I do feel there will be similar collaborations in the future for other diseases, and although I can’t pinpoint on exactly what, I can see it involves children.
We have also seen medical and local hero’s. People who put their own safety and comfort aside to help others. I can see more community-based efforts happening, and doing things that can help with other people’s mental health.
In the last couple of years, humanity has been focused on self, the material and presenting that façade of happiness and success. You know what I mean — look what I have, where I am eating, who I am with and where I am right now. The Great Conjunction along with the Full Moon in December will help us reflect on being REAL and speaking the truth — what are your real concerns? What is your current mood?
I have seen some amazing and extraordinary things this year. I have seen total strangers doing things for others without expecting anything in return. I am sure you have too in your local Facebook groups or community groups.
As we plod through the debris of 2020, many of us will spend some time reflecting and processing the goals, plans and aspirations that we set in January. If you were trying to sell your house, you may have started to redecorate and it the process, fallen back in love with your home. Perhaps you had booked in several big holidays but all got cancelled and now have a sizeable sum of money in the bank. Has your feelings about how to spend the money changed? A confirmed singleton who has realised that the one thing missing in life was a partner? Or a super busy person who never had time for things like meditation or nature but now because of isolation is exploring things they dismissed before.
I see two things happening between now and Dec 30. Many of us will experience prophetic dreams either about our own lives or world events. So expect very vivid lucid dreams that will take you all over the place with different themes. WRITE it all down. Look back on what you wrote when things strike you as “sounds familiar” and see the themes in your dreams.
The other thing I see happening is increased spirit activity. We will hear more and more people talk about passed ones visiting, wanting to connect and feeling Spirit. This may come from well-known people and or those you’d never expect to speak on such topics.
I don’t have to tell you there will be a surge of mental health issues next year. We will see meditation, yoga or alternative healing being included as part of the school curriculum to help children to process their emotions.
Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system therefore its energy will be felt as it aligns with Saturn. This is also the Winter Solstice when we will experience the longest hours of darkness in the year. A time for rebirth and transformation. Both events are powerful and full of revelations therefore providing us with a foundation to work on before the Full Moon on the 30th.
It is also the planet of expansion — of thoughts of what you already have. the same principles in manifesting — more of what you have. So keep your thoughts positive, think about the things you would like more of — happiness, money and so on while Saturn is the great teacher!
I am not surprised that the UK has seen a much stricter lockdown so close to the conjunction as Saturn can push our boundaries and throws the book at us when the energy is amplified.
So what can you do on the 21st that can help or balance the energies?
Let Go — resisting change can be a hindrance. For example, Christmas will be different for most of us thing year, so rather than saying, its cancelled, try to find ways to make it work for you. I have seen people yesterday saying they had to reduce the number of people they can have at Christmas, therefore, wanting to donate food to the community. Let go of expectations, and control of situations that you really can’t control right now. Be open and flexible!
— resisting change can be a hindrance. For example, Christmas will be different for most of us thing year, so rather than saying, its cancelled, try to find ways to make it work for you. I have seen people yesterday saying they had to reduce the number of people they can have at Christmas, therefore, wanting to donate food to the community. Let go of expectations, and control of situations that you really can’t control right now. Be open and flexible! Do what is right for you . If you feel like lounging in you pyjamas all day and eat chocolate then go ahead. Be kind to yourself!
. If you feel like lounging in you pyjamas all day and eat chocolate then go ahead. Be kind to yourself! Listen to your intuition — what is your soul trying to tell you? Pay attention to thoughts, dreams and even things that you keep seeing. What is the Universe trying to tell you?
— what is your soul trying to tell you? Pay attention to thoughts, dreams and even things that you keep seeing. What is the Universe trying to tell you? Rituals — for me the best thing to do when you have big energy about is to clear the existing energy. I use good quality white Californian sage or frankincense to smudge the house and myself. Always start at the front door and go around the house and come back to where you started. Keep a positive mind as you do this.
— for me the best thing to do when you have big energy about is to clear the existing energy. I use good quality white Californian sage or frankincense to smudge the house and myself. Always start at the front door and go around the house and come back to where you started. Keep a positive mind as you do this. You can also have a nice warm bath relax the body — sprinkle a tiny bit of turmeric, add some flowers and even a couple of drops of lavender to the bath to balance and energise.
You can read more about the Great Conjunction and where to see it here. I am hoping for a clear sky!
|
https://medium.com/@raysofloveandtrust-2313/the-great-conjunction-jupiter-saturn-alignments-influence-a0d70020675b
|
['Angela Mitchell']
|
2020-12-20 19:44:05.354000+00:00
|
['Jupiter', 'Saturn', 'Great Conjunction', 'Aquarius', 'Astrology']
|
Mercy
|
Spiralbound
Comics for life, brought to life by Edith Zimmerman.
|
https://medium.com/spiralbound/mercy-9a13b53e20e2
|
['Katie Fricas']
|
2019-09-17 11:42:38.664000+00:00
|
['Funerals', 'Death', 'Family', 'Comics', 'Sex']
|
On mastering your tools
|
Historically, blacksmiths held an important position in the village. People might go to them for a pedestrian project like fixing a small appliance. They might also get called upon to fix wagon wheels, create armor, and even weapons to be used by the military. A blacksmith’s knowledge of heating iron with carbon gave them the ability to turn a natural resource into any tool that was needed in the village. Naturally, the definition of the job could be extended to bladesmith, nailmaker, and even dentist.
Codans as blacksmiths: We stepped away from building Coda docs one night and forged steel objects at Lawless Forge in Seattle.
Codans as blacksmiths: We stepped away from building Coda docs one night and forged steel objects at Lawless Forge in San Francisco.
Whatever project was thrown at the blacksmith, they found a way to produce the tool necessary and become masters of their craft — something I feel everyone should be empowered to do as they challenge the status quo of their own tools.
Once a toolmaker always a toolmaker
Think about all the online tools and applications you use at work today. Email, internal real-time chat, video conference, project tracking; all these platforms have an opinionated way of how you should get your work done. Have you ever asked yourself the question: why must we communicate or track projects the way the software dictates?
I started asking myself this question early on in my career as a financial analyst. Spreadsheets were a means to an end. I took some numbers, move them around the cells, and bam! The work was done. My stakeholders and management had the numbers they needed, and I could move forward with analyzing another data set.
As I wrote in this post, the skills I learned from analyzing data in spreadsheets prepared me for a career of toolmaking.
I started to question the process in which the work on my team gets done (which typically involved data in a spreadsheet). Instead of the spreadsheet being an opinionated tool for how I should analyze data, I had my own vision for how the spreadsheet could be molded and fine-tuned for my team to work better. The spreadsheet became my iron.
Source: Western Maine Blacksmith Association
Aside from wanting to help my team be more efficient and productive, I could never switch back to a state of accepting a spreadsheet with poorly structured data, incorrect formulas, and inconsistent formatting. Similar to a blacksmith refining his technique through trial and error, I discovered keyboard shortcuts would make me as a toolmaker more efficient in…well…making tools. The spreadsheet would be molded to fit the requirements of the project, and I would accept nothing less.
Makers as blacksmiths
As a master of their tools, the blacksmith knows all the shortcuts to bypass the inefficiencies with building or creating their next project. Makers share many similar characteristics as blacksmiths. Software engineers, for example, are always thinking of the most efficient method of solving a problem.
Clive Thompson discusses these characteristics at length in his book Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World. In this Wired article, Thompson tells the story of a software engineer named Jason Ho who was helping his dad with creating a more efficient employee clocking time system for his dad’s business. Ho created a prototype in 3 days and eventually productized the tool and started generating $10,000 per month from his project. Thompson describes the reason coders have a passion for efficiency:
Removing the friction from a system is an aesthetic joy; coders’ eyes blaze when they talk about making something run faster or how they eliminated some bothersome human effort from a process.
Thompson’s book includes stories about engineers who may not be optimizing for a financial outcome when working on various projects. For blacksmiths, I’d argue just being able to build the tool, knowing the tool works as intended, and helps others results in an “aesthetic joy.”
One of my favorite stories about a maker-turned-blacksmith who saw an inefficiency with how Instagram influencers get compensated built a bot that would post beautiful pictures of NYC on Instagram:
Chris Buetti wanted to get free lunches in NYC so he had his bot post eye-catching photos with captivating captions to get thousands of followers. He then automated the emails to restaurants saying that he would post about them on his Instagram account if they gave him a free meal. Buetti was a master of his tools, and used it to not only score free meals, but shed some commentary on the influencer ecosystem that has been generated by platforms such as Instagram.
You are a maker
My own maker experience is far from unique — Buetti’s own experience shows that the barrier to being a creator in today’s digital landscape is very low. The rise of “maker” communities ranges from YouTube creators on one end of the spectrum to engineers releasing cutting-edge open-source technologies on the other. This TED@MotorCity talk by Dale Dougherty of MAKE magazine gives a nice overview of the “maker movement,” which has evolved to include people building digital products.
Your perception of a maker might be someone who is good with building with their hands or likes tinkering with electronics, but I believe the definition of a maker stretches way beyond that. You may not identify as a maker today, but chances are you have already “made” something in the past month. For example, if you have created YouTube video, taken a recipe and changed it a bit to fit your tastes, or invented a new workout routine at the gym, I would argue you are a maker. There is a lot of creativity that goes into creating engaging online content, and understanding the algorithms behind platforms like YouTube require patience, testing, and experimentation.
For example, think about Cassey Ho, creator of Blogilates, the #1 female fitness channel on YouTube with over 500 million video views and 4 million subscribers.
As a fitness instructor, she deeply understood the barriers people face to exercise and decided to challenge the status quo of the traditional pilates class. By combining fun music and innovative choreography, Cassey created an entirely new genre of exercise: Pop Pilates. Through her dedication to her craft, she shaped the fitness industry and paved the way for YouTube creators to come.
Or consider one of my favorite TV shows growing up—MythBusters with Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. Adam and Jamie would spend the whole show creating some contraption to test a hypothesis and potentially dispel a myth. What I loved the most about the show was that these contraptions were sometimes way over the top and Adam and Jamie probably could’ve tested their hypothesis with a highly controlled experiment in a lab. As the duo are building their contraption, you could feel the excitement and joy during their process of imagining and building their creations even though the final test may only last a few seconds.
Source: Business Insider
The key takeaway from the show that applies to this story is that becoming a maker doesn’t mean you have to be driven by profit, fame, or views. What Dale and and MythBusters teaches us is that you can be a maker by just being curious about the world around you and the tools you use. During a 2012 Maker Faire talk, Adam sheds some light on his journey becoming a maker:
It doesn’t matter what you make. And it doesn’t matter why. The importance is that you are making something. When you are making, the process you’re going through, the problem solving, the shaping your future with your hands, it’s inherently a good and positive conversation. It makes you into a critical thinker.
Be the master of your craft
In Hammer’s Blow, one of the journals produced by The Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America, you’ll typically find tutorials and diagrams on how to build certain tools and crafts. The content is not too dissimilar from a video tutorial you might find today of some digital cloud platform. The author of one of the issues pays homage to and reminisces on a conversation with Francis Whitaker, a famous blacksmith who passed away in 1999:
Hammer’s Blow, 2000
You’re the blacksmith…you are the expert on ironwork. You must do the highest standard of work possible, then use that work to teach your clients of the possibilities of hand forged iron. Through the work you will find the clients who value it. — Francis Whitaker
By becoming a master of ironwork, Whitaker was able to create pieces that his clients didn’t even think were possible. He teaches us that knowing a tool inside and out not only makes you an expert on that tool, but gives you satisfaction in knowing you are getting closer to perfecting a craft.
I think the values of the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association can crossover to so many other industries. Especially if you are in an industry that is averse to change and generally doesn’t adopt new methods or ways of doing things. The Artist-Blacksmith’s Association shows us that we can all be makers and change the course of our careers and industries. This quote from the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America’s mission statement is illuminating:
With hammer and anvil, we will forge for mankind a richer life. We will preserve a meaningful bond with the past. We will serve the needs of the present, and we will forge a bridge to the future. Function and creativity is our purpose. Our task is great and so is our joy.
While the traditional blacksmith only had an anvil, hammer, and iron at their disposal, today’s digital maker has hundreds of SaaS tools, design tools, and APIs to build unique tools that traditionally would take a large development team to build. Instead being a master of one “tool” like the spreadsheet, these makers are masters of integrating toolsーbeing able to connect disparate tools together to build something greater than the sum of its parts.
Like Whitaker said, we should all pursue the highest standard work possible, shining a spotlight on ideas others have never seen before. In order to do this, we can no longer be complacent with the tools we are given. As we acknowledge ourselves as makers, we should feel empowered to become masters of our crafts and challenge the status quo of the tools we use.
|
https://blog.coda.io/on-mastering-your-tools-428ffa477f0e
|
['Al Chen']
|
2020-03-13 14:36:55.641000+00:00
|
['Makers', 'Toolmaking', 'Programming', 'Alchen', 'Blacksmith']
|
Olympics Flashback: Jim Thorpe won two Gold medals with shoes someone had thrown in the trash
|
Jim Thorpe won two medals wearing different shoes and socks
Jim Thorpe grew up with adversity. As a Native American in the early 1900’s, he faced racial prejudice and a difficult upbringing. His twin brother died at age 9. His mother and then father died just a few years later. He became an orphan.
So when somebody stole his shoes…
So when somebody stole his shoes right before he was set to compete in the Olympics, it was probably no big deal to Jim. He simply put on two other shoes that someone had tossed in a trash can. They were different sizes, though, so he had to wear extra socks on one foot to even them out.
He went on to win two Gold medals, but that only touches the surface of what he did in those games. He won gold in the (now defunct) pentathlon, winning four of the five events (long jump, discus throw, sprint, and wrestling). The one event he didn’t win was the javelin. He’s never competed in that event for the Olympics. He finished third in the world.
He’d actually tried to throw the javelin once before, in the Olympic trials. At the time, he didn’t know that he could throw it with a running start. He threw it standing still, and placed second.
Back at the Olympics, he also took part in the grueling decathlon. To give you an idea of how great of an athlete he was, Thorpe finished first in four events (shot put, high jump, 110 meter hurdles, and 1,500 meters.) He finished third in four other events and 4th in two more.
After the Olympics…
Shortly after the Olympics, he broke the Amateur Athletic Union’s All-Around Championship record by winning 7 of 10 events outright and finishing second in the 3 others that make up the decathlon.
Later, a newspaper reported Thorpe had been paid to play minor league baseball in 1090 and 1910. He was stripped of his amateur status and forced to return the Gold medals. His amazing performance was erased from the Olympic record books. 70 years later, he was awarded replica Gold medals posthumously. But his records still don’t appear in the Olympic annals.
Thorpe, it seemed, could play any sport
Thorpe with the NY Giants
Thorpe would amass an amazing professional athletic career, playing baseball with the National League championship NY Giants in 1913 and continuing to play professional baseball until 1922. He batted a career-best .327 in his final season.
Thorpe also played professional football, winning championships in 1916, 1917, and 1919. He played for the Canton Bulldogs, one of the 14 teams that would become the National Football League.
He also played professional basketball, barnstorming the country with a group of other Native Americans in 1926.
|
https://medium.com/sportsraid/when-jim-thorpe-won-two-gold-medals-with-shoes-someone-had-thrown-in-the-trash-3c3f7090f9e7
|
['Paul Dughi']
|
2018-02-18 04:17:57.828000+00:00
|
['MLB', 'Sports', 'NFL', 'Jim Thorpe', 'Olympics']
|
How To Use LinkedIn Mail. One important aspect of LinkedIn is its…
|
LinkedIn is easily one of the most useful tools that people can use to climb up the ranks on a professional front. Not only does it help users keep in touch with colleagues and classmates, but also puts them on the high road to making lucrative connections.
One important aspect of LinkedIn is its mail feature, which sadly, many users tend to overlook. This feature is designed to help people keep in touch with their contacts and reach out to people who can help them land better paying jobs.
If you wish to understand how LinkedIn mail works, then you have come to the right place! Let us go through some of the basics to teach you how to use LinkedIn mail.
· Composing a mail
One of the best things about LinkedIn mail is that it lets you message up to 50 contacts at a time! Better known as InMail, the feature allows you to directly send mails to your contacts. All you have to do is click the message button present on the front page. Next, hover over to the compose message icon and select the people you would like to message. Make sure you uncheck the first tiny box at the bottom, to keep your contacts from seeing each other’s mail addresses. It is extremely simple to narrow down your connections, as you have the choice to pick them based on location and industry. Once you are done selecting the recipients, you can start composing your message.
· Message guidelines
Since you will be reaching out to colleagues or potential employers, it is important to maintain an official tone. Refrain from sending a casual sounding mail, as it might not look professional. Try to incorporate links that lend value to your mail. Make sure you drive across your point in the best possible manner. If you happen to be a senior, compose a mail that will be relevant to your contacts and subordinates.
· Sending the message
The next step is to send your message to your recipients. To do so, click on the “send message” button at the bottom.
The question now is, how often should you be sending out mails to contacts? Well, there is no right answer to this question, as it depends on how well you wish to connect with your contacts. Most professionals send out mails only if necessary and mention key information. Make sure the recipients you choose appreciate your mails, as otherwise it might end up becoming redundant.
Things to know
· The InMail service is only available for premium account holders. If you have a basic account you will have to upgrade it to a premium account to use the InMail feature.
· You must use InMail credits to send messages/mails. You will be given a few credits as a sign-up bonus. You can buy more credits once you exhaust them. It is simple to buy fresh credits, as all you have to do is use your credit card to buy them.
· In case your InMail subscription expires, you have to renew it to use the feature.
· A premium business account holder too can access this feature.
LinkedIn mail is a powerful tool that can help you reach out to all your contacts — be it colleagues, bosses or tentative employers!
|
https://medium.com/@cninja4321/linkedin-is-easily-one-of-the-most-useful-tools-that-people-can-use-to-climb-up-the-ranks-on-a-f56dcee08c82
|
['Content Ninja']
|
2019-02-06 05:17:36.836000+00:00
|
['LinkedIn']
|
gold ringGold Ring Trend 2022 — Introducing 2 most famous gold rings in the world
|
gold ringGold Ring Trend 2022 — Introducing 2 most famous gold rings in the world Zomorodijewelry Dec 21, 2021·4 min read
A few days ago, the famous company Pantone introduced the color of 2022. Blue Very Peri that many of you must know by now! Because they affect your choices for bags, shoes, clothes and… for next year, and every year you look forward to the color of the year being announced!
But I’m sure you, like many other fashionable people who are looking for the trend of the day in the world, ignore the trend of jewelry or pay much less attention to it. I have to tell you that all these things together form an ideal package and you can not say that you are a fashionista and follow the trends, but you only pay attention to a small part of it!
Fashion designers all over the world try every year to be able to design all the products related to fashion and beauty in such a way that they complement each other, then we choose only one of them and our final style is incomplete. !
In order to prevent this from happening and to be able to have a perfectly harmonious and fashionable style, I decided to talk about the 2022 jewelry trend in this article, and in particular the 2022 gold ring trend.
So, if you want to shine in the next year with your unique style in any group, stay with me until the end.
Gold Ring trend 2022
What really caught my eye about next year’s jewelry trend was the variety in design! This variety is so great that you can find any type of necklace, earrings, gold ring and your own هر, whatever your tastes, this year.
But this year’s fashion may seem a little disappointing to the minimalists, as Mies van der Rohe’s “less is more” ideology has given way to “more is more”! But do not be completely disappointed, with this amount of variety, an ideal design will be found for you.
In the jewelry trend of 2022, we saw very large, exaggerated and glamorous jewelry. Everything from glitter to diamonds to a large, shiny gold ring or polished gold bracelet that you can see clearly in it can be seen in many fashion shows.
So as we see next year gold ring fashion are shiny and polished designs with large size. If you want to go according to the trend of the world, say goodbye to matte gold for now!
One of the jewelry trends of 2022 is the heavy use of colors in designs. This trend can be seen in the design of all models of jewelry and with any type of material. This means that next year’s trend for a gold ring, gold bracelet or. Is to use two or three colors of gold together.
2 most famous gold rings in the world
Now let’s go to a few gold rings from some world famous brands that are not only in harmony with this year’s fashion, but have been ruling the jewelry fashion world for several years, and I do not think they will relinquish power now!
Cartier love ring
More than 50 years after its design by Aldo Cipullo, the Cartier Women’s Gold Ring is still one of the most popular jewelry designs in the world. This Cartier’s design owes its popularity to its timeless design and the love story behind its unique design.
Cipullo performed his first love design on a bracelet, but after a few years and seeing its tremendous popularity, he also produced a ring, necklace and earrings. But Cartier love bracelets and gold rings became more popular.
The simple and magnificent design of this bracelet and gold ring was inspired by the headband!
Earlier, this product was sold only in pairs and with a screwdriver to loving couples to symbolize love and loyalty between them. This bracelet could only be opened by that screwdriver and by our love!
Over time, this bracelet and ring were sold individually, but it is still remembered as a symbol of love.
Cartier TRINITY RING
Cartier himself describes this ring in the most beautiful way possible:
Love. Loyalty. Friendship. The Trinity Collection, designed by Louis Cartier in 1924, has become a symbol of the most important relationships in life. Three intertwined stripes in pink, yellow and white gold. Countless memories, with you forever.
This time too, Cartier has created a masterpiece and how much this design is in line with the conversation we had about colors from this year’s trend!
This time, Cartier has impressed his audience with his special and unique gold ring with a beautiful story. This is one of the great skills of this brand that makes its designs timeless!
source
|
https://medium.com/@zomorodijewelry5/gold-ring-trend-2022-introducing-2-most-famous-gold-rings-in-the-world-37019d74b5b5
|
[]
|
2021-12-21 05:32:07.610000+00:00
|
['Ring', 'Gold', 'Jewelry', 'Gold Ring']
|
Dev Diary ┆Vol. 1
|
We’re finally back with the diary and we’re really proud of it. Here are our developments this week;
Hello! I am Batuhan, the creative director and game designer of the team.
We will finally begin sharing the development diary with you today. Because this is the first diary, we’d like to tell you a little bit about ourselves and where we’re at in the project.
Metagalaxy Land, a browser-based 4X strategy game, is in the works. You can control your planet as a Space Cowboy or explore the galaxy as a Space Pirate in this galaxy! Its narrative concept is similar to the “Age of Discovery.” Humanity has begun to colonize the unknown vastness of space with the discovery of Faster-Than-Light travel! There are numerous planets to claim, as well as numerous ancient secrets to unearth.
We want Metagalaxy Land to be a game with its own universe. A universe with its own economy, rules, and laws, as well as its own history. We hope to see you on a regular basis throughout and after our adventure!
|
https://medium.com/@metagalaxyland/dev-diary-vol-1-f03880d73f20
|
['Metagalaxy Land']
|
2021-12-28 18:53:43.369000+00:00
|
['Play2earn', 'Metaverse', 'Bnb', 'Binance Smart Chain', 'Nft']
|
Using React-Native-KeyChain to Secure Mobile App Credentials
|
Using react-native-keychain in mobile apps
First and foremost, we can start by installing the react-native-keychain in our React-Native project.
Installing packages
Installing react-native-keychain is as straight forwards as installing any of the npm packages. You can use both npm or yarn to install the package.
npm i react-native-keychain
yarn add react-native-keychain
If you are using React-Native version 0.59 or less, run the following command, it will link your library with React-Native.
react-native link react-native-keychain
If you are developing iOS, Run pod install in ios/ directory to install iOS dependencies. Finally, rebuild the application.
Then, by using the library’s default APIs, you can now access the iOS Keychain and Android Secure Shared Preferences.
Note: When you are using react-native-keychain , it’s important to note that only specific methods are compatible with iOS or Android. However, the ones we use in this article are equally usable in both Android and iOS.
Screenshot from Library GitHub https://github.com/oblador/react-native-keychain
You can also use some of the platform-specific features if you have any advance requirements related to authentication.
Using the library in practice
This example shows how to store, retrieve, and use credentials for re-login to an app.
Step 01 — Save credentials
We can use setGenericPassword function to store user credentials (username and password) in the Keychain. (Note: By default, strings can be stored using their function. When storing objects, it is recommended to use JSON.stringify ).
Step 02 — Retrieve Credentials
Use the function getGenericPassword to get the saved user credentials from the Keychain. (Note: By default, the function returns String. So when retrieving objects, it is recommended to use JSON.parse ).
Step 03 — Using in a real-world scenario
In the following code snippet, the first checkUserStatus() the function will be called within the useEffect hook during the component mount and set user credentials by retrieving them by the Keystore. Then login() the function will be invoked to log in to the user using obtained credentials.
Step 04 — Remove credentials
|
https://blog.bitsrc.io/using-keychain-in-react-native-and-keeping-the-app-session-alive-ff8f8850119c
|
['Charuka Herath']
|
2020-12-17 23:45:38.857000+00:00
|
['Security', 'Authentication', 'Software Development', 'React Native', 'JavaScript']
|
[Therese — the girl who disappeared,] Documentary S1E4 𝒮𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃 1 Episode 4 Eps [HD]
|
THE STORY
After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) forgoes the standard opportunities of seeking employment from big and lucrative law firms; deciding to head to Alabama to defend those wrongFully commended, with the support of local advocate, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most poignant, case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, who, in 62, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 2-year-old girl in the community, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and one singular testimony against him by an individual that doesn’t quite seem to add up. Bryan begins to unravel the tangled threads of McMillian’s case, which becomes embroiled in a relentless labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt unabashed racism of the community as he fights for Walter’s name and others like him.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Throughout my years of watching movies and experiencing the wide variety of cinematic storytelling, legal drama movies have certainly cemented themselves in dramatic productions. As I stated above, some have better longevity of being remembered, but most showcase plenty of heated courtroom battles of lawyers defending their clients and unmasking the truth behind the claims (be it wrongFully incarcerated, discovering who did it, or uncovering the shady dealings behind large corporations. Perhaps my first one legal drama was 624’s The Client (I was little young to get all the legality in the movie, but was still managed to get the gist of it all). My second one, which I loved, was probably Primal Fear, with Norton delivering my favorite character role. Of course, I did see To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in the sixth grade for English class. Definitely quite a powerful film. And, of course, let’s not forget Philadelphia and want it meant / stand for. Plus, Hanks and Washington were great in the film. All in all, while not the most popular genre out there, legal drama films still provide a plethora of dramatic storytelling to capture the attention of moviegoers of truth and lies within a dubious justice.
Just Mercy is the latest legal crime drama feature and the whole purpose of this movie review. To be honest, I really didn’t much “buzz” about this movie when it was first announced (circa 206) when Broad Green Productions hired the film’s director (Cretton) and actor Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. It was then eventually bought by Warner Bros (the films rights) when Broad Green Productions went Bankrupt. So, I really didn’t hear much about the film until I saw the movie trailer for Just Mercy, which did prove to be quite an interesting tale. Sure, it sort of looked like the generic “legal drama” yarn (judging from the trailer alone), but I was intrigued by it, especially with the film starring Jordan as well as actor Jamie Foxx. I did repeatedly keep on seeing the trailer for the film every time I went to my local movie theater (usually attached to any movie I was seeing with a PG rating and above). So, suffice to say, that Just Mercy’s trailer preview sort of kept me invested and waiting me to see it. Thus, I finally got the chance to see the feature a couple of days ago and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the film. And what are they? Well, good ones….to say the least. While the movie does struggle within the standard framework of similar projects, Just Mercy is a solid legal drama that has plenty of fine cinematic nuances and great performances from its leads. It’s not the “be all to end all” of legal drama endeavors, but its still manages to be more of the favorable motion pictures of these projects.
Just Mercy is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous directorial works includes such movies like Short Term 6, I Am Not a Hipster, and Glass Castle. Given his past projects (consisting of shorts, documentaries, and a few theatrical motion pictures), Cretton makes Just Mercy is most ambitious endeavor, with the director getting the chance to flex his directorial muscles on a legal drama film, which (like I said above) can manage to evoke plenty of human emotions within its undertaking. ThankFully, Cretton is up to the task and never feels overwhelmed with the movie; approaching (and shaping) the film with respect and a touch of sincerity by speaking to the humanity within its characters, especially within lead characters of Stevenson and McMillian. Of course, legal dramas usually do (be the accused / defendant and his attorney) shine their cinematic lens on these respective characters, so it’s nothing original. However, Cretton does make for a compelling drama within the feature; speaking to some great character drama within its two main lead characters; staging plenty of moments of these twos individuals that ultimately work, including some of the heated courtroom sequences.
Like other recent movies (i.e. Brian Banks and The Hate U Give), Cretton makes Just Mercy have an underlining thematical message of racism and corruption that continues to play a part in the US….to this day (incredibly sad, but true). So, of course, the correlation and overall relatively between the movie’s narrative and today’s world is quite crystal-clear right from the get-go, but Cretton never gets overzealous / preachy within its context; allowing the feature to present the subject matter in a timely manner and doesn’t feel like unnecessary or intentionally a “sign of the times” motif. Additionally, the movie also highlights the frustration (almost harsh) injustice of the underprivileged face on a regular basis (most notable those looking to overturn their cases on death row due to negligence and wrongFully accused). Naturally, as somewhat expected (yet still palpable), Just Mercy is a movie about seeking the truth and uncovering corruption in the face of a broken system and ignorant prejudice, with Cretton never shying away from some of the ugly truths that Stevenson faced during the film’s story.
Plus, as a side-note, it’s quite admirable for what Bryan Stevenson (the real-life individual) did for his career, with him as well as others that have supported him (and the Equal Justice Initiative) over the years and how he fought for and freed many wrongFully incarcerated individuals that our justice system has failed (again, the poignancy behind the film’s themes / message). It’s great to see humanity being shined and showcased to seek the rights of the wronged and to dispel a flawed system. Thus, whether you like the movie or not, you simply can not deny that truly meaningful job that Bryan Stevenson is doing, which Cretton helps demonstrate in Just Mercy. From the bottom of my heart…. thank you, Mr. Stevenson.
In terms of presentation, Just Mercy is a solidly made feature film. Granted, the film probably won’t be remembered for its visual background and theatrical setting nuances or even nominated in various award categories (for presentation / visual appearance), but the film certainly looks pleasing to the eye, with the attention of background aspects appropriate to the movie’s story. Thus, all the usual areas that I mention in this section (i.e. production design, set decorations, costumes, and cinematography) are all good and meet the industry standard for legal drama motion pictures. That being said, the film’s score, which was done by Joel P. West, is quite good and deliver some emotionally drama pieces in a subtle way that harmonizes with many of the feature’s scenes.
There are a few problems that I noticed with Just Mercy that, while not completely derailing, just seem to hold the feature back from reaching its Full creative cinematic potential. Let’s start with the most prevalent point of criticism (the one that many will criticize about), which is the overall conventional storytelling of the movie. What do I mean? Well, despite the strong case that the film delves into a “based on a true story” aspect and into some pretty wholesome emotional drama, the movie is still structed into a way that it makes it feel vaguely formulaic to the touch. That’s not to say that Just Mercy is a generic tale to be told as the film’s narrative is still quite engaging (with some great acting), but the story being told follows quite a predictable path from start to finish. Granted, I never really read Stevenson’s memoir nor read anything about McMillian’s case, but then I still could easily figure out how the movie was presumably gonna end…. even if the there were narrative problems / setbacks along the way. Basically, if you’ve seeing any legal drama endeavor out there, you’ll get that same formulaic touch with this movie. I kind of wanted see something a little bit different from the film’s structure, but the movie just ends up following the standard narrative beats (and progressions) of the genre. That being said, I still think that this movie is definitely probably one of the better legal dramas out there.
This also applies to the film’s script, which was penned by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, which does give plenty of solid entertainment narrative pieces throughout, but lacks the finesse of breaking the mold of the standard legal drama. There are also a couple parts of the movie’s script handling where you can tell that what was true and what fictional. Of course, this is somewhat a customary point of criticism with cinematic tales taking a certain “poetic license” when adapting a “based on a true story” narrative, so it’s not super heavily critical point with me as I expect this to happen. However, there were a few times I could certainly tell what actually happen and what was a tad bit fabricated for the movie. Plus, they were certain parts of the narrative that could’ve easily fleshed out, including what Morrison’s parents felt (and actually show them) during this whole process. Again, not a big deal-breaker, but it did take me out of the movie a few times. Lastly, the film’s script also focuses its light on a supporting character in the movie and, while this made with well-intention to flesh out the character, the camera spotlight on this character sort of goes off on a slight tangent during the feature’s second act. Basically, this storyline could’ve been removed from Just Mercy and still achieve the same palpability in the emotional department. It’s almost like the movie needed to chew up some runtime and the writers to decided to fill up the time with this side-story. Again, it’s good, but a bit slightly unnecessary.
What does help overlook (and elevate) some of these criticisms is the film’s cast, which are really good and definitely helps bring these various characters to life in a theatrical /dramatic way. Leading the charge in Just Mercy is actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays the film’s central protagonist role of Bryan Stevenson. Known for his roles in Creed, Fruitvale Station, and Black Panther, Jordan has certain prove himself to be quite a capable actor, with the actor rising to stardom over the past few years. This is most apparent in this movie, with Jordan making a strong characteristically portrayal as Bryan; showcasing plenty of underlining determination and compelling humanity in his character as he (as Bryan Stevenson) fights for the injustice of those who’s voices have been silenced or dismissed because of the circumstances. It’s definitely a strong character built and Jordan seems quite capable to task in creating a well-acted on-screen performance of Bryan. Behind Jordan is actor Jamie Foxx, who plays the other main lead in the role, Walter McMillian. Foxx, known for his roles in Baby Driver, Django Unchained, and Ray, has certainly been recognized as a talented actor, with plenty of credible roles under his belt. His participation in Just Mercy is another well-acted performance that deserve much praise as its getting (even receiving an Oscar nod for it), with Foxx portraying Walter with enough remorseful grit and humility that makes the character quite compelling to watch. Plus, seeing him and Jordan together in a scene is quite palpable and a joy to watch.
The last of the three marquee main leads of the movie is the character of Eva Ansley, the director of operations for EJI (i.e. Stevenson’s right-handed employee / business partner), who is played by actress Brie Larson. Up against the characters of Stevenson and McMillian, Ansley is the weaker of the three main lead; presented as supporting player in the movie, which is perfectly fine as the characters gets the job done (sort of speak) throughout the film’s narrative. However, Larson, known for her roles in Room, 6 Jump Street, and Captain Marvel, makes less of an impact in the role. Her acting is fine and everything works in her portrayal of Eva, but nothing really stands in her performance (again, considering Jordan and Foxx’s performances) and really could’ve been played by another actress and achieved the same goal.
The rest of the cast, including actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk and O Brother, Where Art Thou) as incarcerated inmate Ralph Meyers, actor Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Big Short) as legal attorney Tommy Champan, actress Karan Kendrick (The Hate U Give and Family) as Minnie McMillan, Walter’s wife, actor C.J. LeBlanc (Arsenal and School Spirts) as Walter’s son, John McMillian, actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things and Mudbound) as death role inmate Herbert Richardson, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Long Shot and Straight Outta Compton) as death role inmate Anthony “Ray” Hinton, actor Michael Harding (Triple 2 and The Young and the Restless) as Sheriff Tate, and actor Hayes Mercure (The Red Road and Mercy Street) as a prison guard named Jeremy, are in the small supporting cast variety. Of course, some have bigger roles than others, but all of these players, which are all acted well, bolster the film’s story within the performances and involvement in Just Mercy’s narrative.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s never too late to fight for justice as Bryan Stevenson fights for the injustice of Walter McMillian’s cast against a legal system that is flawed in the movie Just Mercy. Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s latest film takes a stance on a poignant case; demonstrating the injustice of one (and by extension those wrongFully incarcerated) and wrapping it up in a compelling cinematic story. While the movie does struggle within its standard structure framework (a sort of usual problem with “based on a true story” narrations) as well as some formulaic beats, the movie still manages to rise above those challenges (for the most part), especially thanks to Cretton’s direction (shaping and storytelling) and some great performances all around (most notable in Jordan and Foxx). Personally, I liked this movie. Sure, it definitely had its problem, but those didn’t distract me much from thoroughly enjoying this legal drama feature. Thus, my recommendation for the film is a solid “recommended”, especially those who liked the cast and poignant narratives of legality struggles and the injustice of a failed system / racism. In the end, while the movie isn’t the quintessential legal drama motion picture and doesn’t push the envelope in cinematic innovation, Just Mercy still is able to manage to be a compelling drama that’s powerful in its story, meaningful in its journey, and strong within its statement. Just like Bryan Stevenson says in the movie….” If we could look at ourselves closely…. we can change this world for the better”. Amen to that!
|
https://medium.com/therese-the-girl-who-disappeared-nrk1/therese-the-girl-who-disappeared-documentary-s1e4-1-episode-4-eps-hd-8ed28723e649
|
['Rival Sayah']
|
2020-11-27 15:04:11.926000+00:00
|
['Documentary']
|
CRUD Operation in ASP.NET Core MVC Using Visual Studio and ADO.NET
|
In this ASP.NET Core article, we are going explain how to perform CRUD operation in ASP.NET Core MVC with ADO.NET and Visual studio from the beginning. Here we will creating simple web application from scratch for demonstrating CRUD operation in ASP.NET Core with ADO.NET.
Perquisites:
Download .NET Core 2.0 or above SDK from here
Download visual studio 2017 or above from here
Follow the below steps to perform CRUD operation in ASP.NET Core.
Step1. Open SQL server and create a database and following table.
CREATE TABLE dbo.tbl_Employee
(
Sr_no int IDENTITY(1, 1),
Emp_name nvarchar(200) ,
City nvarchar(200) ,
State nvarchar(200) ,
Country nvarchar(200) ,
Department nvarchar(200)
)
Step2. Now we will create stored procedures for INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE and view record.
CREATE PROC Sp_Employee
@Sr_no int ,
@Emp_name nvarchar(500),
@City nvarchar(500),
@STATE nvarchar(500),
@Country nvarchar(500),
@Department nvarchar(500),
@flag nvarchar(50)
AS
begin
IF(@flag='insert')
BEGIN
INSERT INTO dbo.tbl_Employee
(
Emp_name,
City,
State,
Country,
Department
)
VALUES
( @Emp_name,
@City,
@State,
@Country,
@Department
)
end
ELSE IF(@flag='update')
BEGIN
UPDATE dbo.tbl_Employee SET Emp_name=@Emp_name,City=@City,State=@STATE,Country=@Country,Department=@Department WHERE Sr_no=@Sr_no
END
ELSE IF(@flag='delete')
BEGIN
DELETE FROM tbl_Employee WHERE Sr_no=@Sr_no
END
ELSE IF(@flag='getid')
BEGIN
SELECT * FROM tbl_Employee WHERE Sr_no=@Sr_no
END
ELSE IF(@flag='get')
BEGIN
SELECT * FROM tbl_Employee
end
END
Now, our database part has been completed. So we will proceed to create ASP.NET Code application using Visual Studio 2017.
Step3. We will be creating the web application in ASP.NET CORE MVC.
Open Visual Studio 2017 》New 》 ASP.NET Core Web Application 》 MVC
Step4: Here we will use ADO.NET for database related operation, so we need to create db class for performing all operations.
Step5: Write following code snippet into db.cs for performing CRUD operations.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
using CrudAspCore.Models; namespace CrudAspCore.Models
{
public class db
{
SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection("Data Source=ADMINRG-N8EO0RN\\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=testdb;Integrated Security=True"); // For View record
public DataSet Empget(Employee emp, out string msg)
{
DataSet ds = new DataSet();
msg = "";
try
{
SqlCommand com = new SqlCommand("Sp_Employee", con);
com.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Sr_no", emp.Sr_no);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Emp_name", emp.Emp_name);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@City", emp.City);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@STATE", emp.State);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Country", emp.Country);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Department", emp.Department);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@flag", emp.flag);
SqlDataAdapter da = new SqlDataAdapter(com);
da.Fill(ds);
msg = "OK";
return ds;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
msg = ex.Message;
return ds;
}
} //For insert and update
public string Empdml(Employee emp, out string msg)
{
msg = "";
try
{
SqlCommand com = new SqlCommand("Sp_Employee", con);
com.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Sr_no", emp.Sr_no);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Emp_name", emp.Emp_name);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@City", emp.City);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@STATE", emp.State);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Country", emp.Country);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Department", emp.Department);
com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@flag", emp.flag);
con.Open();
com.ExecuteNonQuery();
con.Close();
msg = "OK";
return msg;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
if (con.State == ConnectionState.Open)
{
con.Close();
}
msg = ex.Message;
return msg;
}
}
}
}
In the above code snippet Empget() return as Dataset on the basis of flag(get/getid), This method used for view all record and find the record by their id.
Empdml method used for insert and update record according to their flag (insert/update)
Step6: Now adding model to the project, name as Employee.cs.
Right click the model folder and add class name as Employee, this will add file inside model folder.
Add following code snippet inside to the Employee class.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
namespace CrudAspCore.Models
{
public class Employee
{
public int Sr_no { get; set; } = 0;
public string Emp_name { get; set; } = "";
public string City { get; set; } = "";
public string State { get; set; } = "";
public string Country { get; set; } = "";
public string Department { get; set; } = "";
public string flag { get; set; } = "";
}
}
In the above code, I have also provide default value for each property because if user does not provide the input then it will take their default value.
Step7: Adding Controller to the application:
Right click on Controller folder and add controller class as HomeController.cs. It will create new file inside Controller folder. Here we will create all business logic.
Step8: Add views to the application:
To add Views for controller class, we need to create folder inside Views folder with same name as Controller class (Here name as Home) and then add Views to that folder.
To add Views files, Right click on Home folder inside Views folder and then select View name as Index.cshtml and also add two more Views name as Create.cshtml and Edit.cshtml
Our Views folder look like this.
Step9: Index view: This view will display all employee records from database.
Open Index View and write the following code snippet.
@model IEnumerable<CrudAspCore.Models.Employee>
@{
ViewData["Title"] = "Home Page";
}
<table class="table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Sr No.</th>
<th>Employee Name</th>
<th>City</th>
<th>State</th>
<th>Country</th>
<th>Department</th>
<th>Actions</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
@foreach (var item in Model)
{
<tr>
<td>@item.Sr_no</td>
<td>@item.Emp_name</td>
<td>@item.City</td>
<td>@item.State</td>
<td>@item.Country</td>
<td>@item.Department</td>
<td>
<a asp-action="Edit" asp-route-id="@item.Sr_no">Edit</a>
<a asp-action="Delete" asp-route-id="@item.Sr_no">Delete</a>
</td>
</tr>
}
</tbody>
</table>
Open HomeController.cs file and write the following code snippet
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using CrudAspCore.Models;
using System.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
namespace CrudAspCore.Controllers
{
public class HomeController : Controller
{
db dbop = new db();
string msg;
public IActionResult Index()
{
Employee emp = new Employee();
emp.flag = "get";
DataSet ds = dbop.Empget(emp,out msg);
List<Employee> list = new List<Employee>();
foreach (DataRow dr in ds.Tables[0].Rows)
{
list.Add(new Employee
{
Sr_no=Convert.ToInt32(dr["Sr_no"]),
Emp_name=dr["Emp_name"].ToString(),
City = dr["City"].ToString(),
State = dr["State"].ToString(),
Country = dr["Country"].ToString(),
Department = dr["Department"].ToString()
});
}
return View(list);
}
}
}
As we can see that we have created object of db class to handle the database operations.
In the above code, you can observe that Empget method return dataset and the convert this dataset into Employee type list format.
Create View: This view will be used for add new record for Employee into database.
Open Create.cshtml and write the following code snippet
@{
ViewData["Title"] = "Create";
}
<form asp-action="Create" class="form-horizontal">
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">Name</label>
<input asp-for="Emp_name" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">City</label>
<input asp-for="City" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">State</label>
<input asp-for="State" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">Country</label>
<input asp-for="Country" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">Department</label>
<input asp-for="Department" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<input type="submit" value="Submit" class="btn btn-primary" />
</div>
</form> @model CrudAspCore.Models.Employee@{ViewData["Title"] = "Create"; Name City State Country Department
For handling business logic, Open HomeController and write the following code snippet.
public IActionResult Create()
{
return View();
}
[HttpPost]
public IActionResult Create([Bind] Employee emp)
{
try
{
emp.flag = "insert";
dbop.Empdml(emp, out msg);
TempData["msg"] = msg;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
empData["msg"] = ex.Message;
}
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
In the above code snippet you can see that we have created two action methods for Create, One method for HttpGet and another for HttpPost. The HttpGet action method will display the form for user’s input and HttpPost handle the post request when user click on Save button after entering the record.
The [Bind] attribute is used with parameter Employee to protect against over-posting.
Edit View: This view will be used for update record for Employee into database.
Open Edit.cshtml and write the following code snippet.
@{
ViewData["Title"] = "Edit";
}
<form asp-action="Edit" class="form-horizontal">
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">Name</label>
<input asp-for="Emp_name" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">City</label>
<input asp-for="City" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">State</label>
<input asp-for="State" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">Country</label>
<input asp-for="Country" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label class="control-label">Department</label>
<input asp-for="Department" class="form-control" />
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<input type="submit" value="Submit" class="btn btn-primary" />
</div>
</form> @model CrudAspCore.Models.Employee@{ViewData["Title"] = "Edit"; Name City State Country Department
For handling business logic, Open HomeController and write the following code snippet.
public IActionResult Edit(int id)
{
Employee emp = new Employee();
emp.Sr_no = id;
emp.flag = "getid";
DataSet ds = dbop.Empget(emp, out msg);
foreach (DataRow dr in ds.Tables[0].Rows)
{
emp.Sr_no = Convert.ToInt32(dr["Sr_no"]);
emp.Emp_name = dr["Emp_name"].ToString();
emp.City = dr["City"].ToString();
emp.State = dr["State"].ToString();
emp.Country = dr["Country"].ToString();
emp.Department = dr["Department"].ToString();
}
return View(emp);
}
[HttpPost]
public IActionResult Edit(int id, [Bind] Employee emp)
{
try
{
emp.Sr_no = id;
emp.flag = "update";
dbop.Empdml(emp, out msg);
TempData["msg"] = msg;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
TempData["msg"] = ex.Message;
}
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
Here we have created two method, one for fetching the record on the behalf of their id and other is update the record after posting the record.
Delete View, here we will delete the record on the behalf of their record id.
Open HomeController.cs and write the following code snippet into the Controller.
public IActionResult Delete(int id)
{
try
{
Employee emp = new Employee();
emp.flag = "delete";
emp.Sr_no = id;
dbop.Empdml(emp, out msg);
TempData["msg"] = msg;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
TempData["msg"] = ex.Message;
}
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
Now run the application and see the following output.
Also Read: How to read Connection string from Appsetting.json in ASP.NET Core
Thanks.
If you like, Please share with you friends.
For Source code visit: http://voidgeeks.com.
|
https://medium.com/@dotnetguru93/crud-operation-in-asp-net-core-mvc-using-visual-studio-and-ado-net-e9011bbaeeb9
|
['Csharp Space']
|
2020-04-21 07:35:28.451000+00:00
|
['Crud In Aspnet Core', 'Aspnetcoremvc', 'Aspnetcore', 'Crud Operations']
|
Using sessionStorage in a javascript application
|
Recently I built a single page application using vanilla JavaScript on the frontend and Rails as an api for the backend. One of the first issues I came across when building out this application was the inability for the frontend to communicate with the backend without sending a fetch to my SessionsController every single time.
The process of sending a fetch every time I needed to check who was logged in and then sending another fetch from the response of the first fetch to actually do what I needed to do didn’t seem very effective to me. This isn’t a huge issue in the grand scheme of things, however it got to be a bit tedious. My brain went down the rabbit hole of trying to learn how to use session cookies that are stored in your browser.
Unfortunately all of the documentation I found involved installing some type of middleware into my application that, probably because of a user error on my end, never worked properly for me. After a few hours of trying to get this to work I felt that I was stuck in the same place for too long, I decided that there had to be an easier way for me to store my logged in users id on the frontend and after some digging I discovered the javascript object sessionStorage . According to W3, ‘The … sessionStorage properties allow [you] to save key/value pairs in a web browser.’ This was the golden ticket I needed, and I’m going to explain to you how I used sessionStorage in my application.
Having had my user model set up, and the form for user login/signup built, my issue kept arising when I would reload the page to reset my DOM. Each time the DOM would load my application would have no knowledge of the user that I had signed in or created before the reload. As a regular user of any website, my vision was that unless a user logged out explicitly, the session should persist. This isn’t a universal rule, however most websites (Amazon, Twitter, GitHub) don’t log a user out when the user closes or reloads the webpage, and if they did it would be a little annoying. The problem as I saw it was that my frontend needed to recognize that there was a user logged in. This is what sessionStorage was built for. Implementing this was simple; when a user successfully logged in, set the id of the user to the key :user-id inside of the sessionStorage object.
fetch sent when user is signed in
This set a key/value pair to persist throughout my application as is unless explicitly set to something else or reset. Anywhere in my application at any point during my session, sessionStorage.user_id will return my current :user_id . This is useful for several reasons. For starters, now when I load my DOM, I can set a conditional to check the sessionStorage object.
DOMContentLoaded eventListener
Here inside my DOMContentLoaded event listener, javascript checks the sessionStorage object and if a user is logged in, a fetch is then sent with the sessionStorage object as the body . On the backend, the :user_id is set to the session[:user_id] for any other methods that I’ve built in rails that will need my current :user_id . If my sessionStorage object is empty, javascript just renders my home page without logging a user in.
Another, probably the most, useful function of this sessionStorage object is the ability to use the :user_id in a fetch . When fetching the objects belonging to a user , the path for my api is /users/:id/objects . With the sessionStorage object, a simple string interpolation is perfect for this.
fetch all child objects belonging to current user
The final use of sessionStorage is clearing the sessionStorage when a user logs out or deletes their profile. This is a fairly straight forward. Simply add sessionStorage.clear() into the function used to log out or delete the user . This will reset sessionStorage to an empty object. It’s important to remember on these two logout/delete functions to send a fetch so that the sessionStorage object on the frontend will match the session hash on the backend. This is a manual process making the javascript object and ruby hash match, however it allowed me more flexibility when building the application.
logout and delete user functions
|
https://levelup.gitconnected.com/using-sessionstorage-in-a-javascript-application-9c920a546465
|
['Jackson Morgan']
|
2020-11-14 03:31:31.934000+00:00
|
['Software Engineering', 'Software Development', 'JavaScript', 'Rails', 'Web Development']
|
Your Privileged Point of View Misses the Real Point
|
Here in Louisville, Ky., our Fox news affiliate has a long-standing tradition of broadcasting an editorial Point of View segment. Instead of featuring one of the city’s op-ed writers from the Pultizer Prize-winning Courier-Journal or maybe someone with intimate knowledge of the topical issues being discussed, they pass the mic to the much-needed voice of the people — an old, rich white dude.
Dale Woods, President and General Manager of the station, gets several minutes of airtime to discuss whatever issue he considers most pressing. Usually, it’s some real old man yells at cloud stuff like, “The DMV lines are too long!” But often it’s a right-wing talking point made more palatable for a primetime audience.
Most recently, he offered a “tongue-in-cheek look at Jefferson Square Park’s new image” in which he described driving past, seeing tents set up and allegedly trash. He expressed dismay that the city would allow this as he looked for a KOA campground sign. [What a knee-slapper.] Then of course to drive home some Fox News rhetoric, he made some comments about tax dollars, yadda, yadda. Here it is:
What he didn’t mention at all was that this has been the site that protestors demanding justice for Breonna Taylor have been occupying for nearly 200 days and counting. He didn’t mention that protestors have been outraged by the loss of the 26-year-old essential worker who served our community in a local emergency room during a pandemic. He didn’t mention the miscarriage of justice in the case, the corruption by the local police force, the police brutality in response to protests of police brutality.
If he would have bothered to get out of his car, he may have seen that no one is “roasting marshmallows” because some of the tents shelter the houseless of which the city has many. Protestors have had the audacity to realize they are not an eyesore — they are people trying to survive. Look even closer and you’ll see a community garden growing, which provides fresh veggies to the food insecure in the community. In the square, the houseless are given food, shelter, dignity, and respect.
I understand this may be a wild concept to someone who sees “trash” instead of the truth. Could Mr. Woods be so glib he actually mistook the memorials for Breonna, David McAtee, Tyler Gerth, and Travis Nagdy — all of whom have been tragically killed since the protests began — as… trash?
The truth is if he bothered to walk into the square, he may have seen what I captured one random afternoon.
This is the scene Mr. Woods described as a trashy campsite. You can see a tent set up for community resources, a vast memorial full of original artwork for Breonna Taylor, and — oh! What’s that? Someone literally sweeping debris at the square to keep the area neat and tidy. If he dared to speak to anyone at the square, he would learn that the people there take great pride and ownership over what they built.
To erase Breonna Taylor from the conversation and completely dismiss why anyone is at the square is beyond willful ignorance when Mr. Woods also justifies his displeasure with stereotypical racial tropes (trash, property damage, tax dollars wasted, for example). To focus his ire on being confronted with racial injustice instead of the racial injustice itself during this historical reckoning time is beyond insensitive. His comments are repulsive and offensive to both Breonna Taylor’s legacy and those relentlessly fighting in her name.
The only trash here is Mr. Wood’s Point of View.
|
https://medium.com/@farrahalexander/your-privileged-point-of-view-misses-the-real-point-88576fba42bb
|
['Farrah Alexander']
|
2020-12-11 19:01:18.733000+00:00
|
['Racial Justice', 'Politics', 'Protest', 'Activism', 'BlackLivesMatter']
|
"I don' t think anyone expects him to be the 'dad' they never had in childhood."
|
"I don' t think anyone expects him to be the 'dad' they never had in childhood."
The subconscious can be very murky.. It certainly is pre-verbal.
I have noticed that this is the shared expectation of DT's worshippers. (There are other red threads and similarities between them; but this one is the one that they all have in common, whether American or international.) They project onto him the father they did not have, the father who will save the day, the father who will keep them safe, the father who will punish bullies.
They also "like" his personality, just as victims of kidnapping eventually identify with their captors, feel the captors’ feelings, develop some kind of kinship that is one-sided, yet provides a sense of safety that is situational and not exactly easy to relate to, from the outside or from an objective perspective.
There were some voters who voted for DT for his economic plan or because they hated Hillary R. Clinton, or were tired of the Democrats.
However, once you scratch deeper, there is some father wound in many of this group too.
|
https://medium.com/@nandajurela/i-don-t-think-anyone-expects-him-to-be-the-dad-they-never-had-in-childhood-d8bc44e2a317
|
['Nanda Jurela']
|
2020-12-19 16:26:32.188000+00:00
|
['Father Wound', 'Stockholm Syndrome', 'Childhood', 'Identification', 'Unmet Need']
|
An Interesting Account Takeover!!
|
The original token and the forged token had a difference of 32 characters. This was a huge problem as the server was not accepting any junk value in place of that 32 characters. Both the tokens were being decrypted to the same value i.e
“a:2:{s:9:”timestamp”;i:1614104013;s:10:”profile_id”;s:8:”40884692";}”.
This left me totally frustrated 😫 😫. I started searching more about Zlib Compression. I went to Reddit and posted my query and surprisingly my Inbox was flooded with numerous amazing blog posts and ideas on how to deal with the Zlib.
And after 2 hours of reading on the internet, I found out that Zlib includes an ADLER32 checksum if you use the Adler-32_Checksum() function after inflating you get BC89137A, notice that this checksum is present in the original token. In Zlib, everything after this checksum is not part of the compression stream and will therefore be ignored, this was the reason why both tokens give the same result even after a difference in length.
So now the challenge was to find the 32-bit string. As all the token-related work was happening on the client side I was pretty sure to find something in the JS files.
After few hours of looking in the JS file, I Found an endpoint “ /php / user ”. I decided to brute force the directory and finally found the endpoint “https://example.com/php/user/example/”, this endpoint had a string named “Transction_Token”, and indeed this was the last piece I was looking for.
Putting the pieces Together
Now it was time for putting everything together and exploiting it.
This attack needed to be precise as every time the page is refreshed the “Transaction _Token” changes. So I made a python script to automate the whole thing.
I generated the token for my second account and used it to change the password and IT WORKED!!!!
Important Takeaways
If there is a token then there is a chance that it can be cracked.
Manually read the JS file once as these contain very important information on working of the Web App
Try asking on Reddit for technical details, it will surely surprise you, Also there people don't see your follower count before replying to you 😅 😉.
Trust your Gut Feeling And Always Go the Extra Mile 😇
Thanks a lot for reading. Share if you like it
You can find me on Twitter: mayank_pandey01
|
https://medium.com/@mayank-01/an-interesting-account-takeover-3a33f42d609d
|
['Mayank Pandey']
|
2021-03-18 16:21:53.648000+00:00
|
['Web Penetration Testing', 'Cybersecurity', 'Hacking', 'Cryptography', 'Bug Bounty']
|
How You Can Use Social Media To Get More Freelance Clients
|
Why You Should Use Social Media
There are hundreds of millions of people that browse social media every single day and you can take advantage of that. On Instagram alone, there is over 25 million business that you could do some kind of freelance work for.
Another great thing about social media is that it is really easy to reach out to these businesses. You can also have business discover you so that you have freelance work coming in without you having to do anything.
If you can create really nice profile you can grow quickly. There are some great ways to grow fast and if you can get one of your posts to go viral, you can grow significantly.
Another amazing thing about social media is that if people follow you for a while, they may see more of the orders you have completed in the past. This means that potential clients will be able to trust you more and therefore more likely to buy your service.
|
https://medium.com/the-kickstarter/how-you-can-use-social-media-to-get-more-freelance-clients-5c56491e494d
|
['Ewan Mcbride']
|
2020-11-28 13:35:12.055000+00:00
|
['Digital Marketing', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Freelancing', 'Social Media', 'Social Media Marketing']
|
04 Cassiopeia
|
04 Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia is about feeling forgotten. It’s about being surrounded by so many people that are so focused on themselves and their own lives, that they forget to take the time to care about the people that matter most to them.
“Cassiopeia, cause of my dysphoria
Like a bad bacteria, result in nausea
I still don’t need no one, yeah we’ll see what I become
A New Yorker on the run, gotta make something of myself, gotta be someone”
Cassiopeia is the vain queen in greek mythology that boasts about her beauty. This is a double entendre, one interpretation can be people who are too busy trying to succeed in their own life, and another can be people’s online personas. The way we boast about the good parts of our lives often leads to self comparisons with all of the success and happiness we scroll through, feeling depressed and incomparable to the great things that some of us might not have in our own lives.
“Stranger than the sound of overstimulation all around
Silence echoes louder in this town
I wonder what metaphor this part of life is now
I fill the empty space asking why and how”
You can feel isolated no matter how big of a city you live in. The sound of large masses of people living their lives just becomes white noise that you feel disconnected from, and doesn’t actually make you feel any more connected to anybody around you. But again, I like to take these depressing feelings and look at them in a positive light. I choose to make my negative feelings motivate me, push me harder to do what I love and find comfort in what life is giving me in this strange feeling of loneliness.
“So long old friend
I’ve gone off the deep end”
This line is simply about reaching a breaking point. Good or bad, but I look at it as a good thing. It’s the point where depression and sadness might hit so hard, that you finally have to do something about it, this for me is usually when my creativity kicks in. It’s a rejoice line, an escape line, a sigh of relief.
This song defines a feeling that is sort of a result of lack of encounters, but still fits the theme of the EP.
|
https://medium.com/@jessebarki/04-cassiopeia-f7671444b361
|
['Jesse Barki']
|
2020-02-07 00:09:02.660000+00:00
|
['Encounter', 'Loneliness', 'Motivation', 'Self-awareness', 'Isolation']
|
Authenticate Yourself
|
Authenticate Yourself
I am really good at pretend,
but I’m opposed to fraud.
and I can run on fumes
the way others run on energy,
but I can’t will an unwilling engine
to turn on just because.
eagerness is a response
to something real
and not just something needed.
the way an imaginary friend is
more real than my appetite,
and when hunger is a craving I’ll eat.
twelve and thirteen hour days
may not lesson my to do’s,
but I am endlessly motivated
by an insatiable drive
with its own timeline.
bay side wedding ceremonies
and barbie play dates,
cross state moves
and adrenaline powered projects,
book store deep dives
and deliberated curation,
and when I’m ready,
requests of my time that don’t
stir me creatively.
maybe when you asked me to be myself,
you meant only one of them.
an earlier moment would have
led me to make that mistake too.
maturing refocused my discipline
into more self knowledge,
and less performance.
and the voice in my head
that would like to collect
these fumes into energy
just can’t tell if her no
is ready
to be met with conditions,
instead of consequences.
perhaps if what was real
felt less straightforward,
and timing anything
but exact
in how it wants to be used.
|
https://medium.com/@aclindamood/authenticate-yourself-ad51476acd8a
|
['Amanda Lindamood']
|
2019-09-23 00:00:54.016000+00:00
|
['Poetry', 'Maturity', 'Authenticity', 'Self-awareness', 'Health']
|
The Struggle Of Becoming
|
The Struggle Of Becoming
Photo by Vlad Bagacian on Unsplash
Sometimes, becoming the person
you are destined to be, is not fun.
Sometimes, it’s the furthest thing
from fun, or glamorous, or some
happy story of empowerment and
self-love.
Sometimes, the becoming rips your
heart open and splinters your bones
into too many pieces to count.
But it’s that moment, the part when
you feel as if you’re breaking beyond
repair and the furthest thing from
where you thought you would be,
well, it’s that moment where you are
made into something you never
thought possible.
That’s the moment where you find
the strength you never thought you had.
That’s the moment where you see
what matters and what doesn’t.
That’s the moment where you shed
the layers of what you once were,
and breathe fully into the human that
you are now.
It’s a process, for sure. It’s a journey
that hurts and disappoints, and will
often leave you teary and breathless.
But at the end of it all, there is a light.
There is a light that will shine through
your windows, kiss everything it touches
with a perfect golden glow.
There is a light that will bathe you in
love and laughter and rejoice in your
celebration, whatever that looks like
for you.
But you must keep holding on as you
journey towards it.
Keep holding on.
|
https://psiloveyou.xyz/the-struggle-of-becoming-de5c8b9c26c3
|
['Megan Minutillo']
|
2020-12-06 13:02:41.999000+00:00
|
['Self-awareness', 'Poetry', 'Self Love', 'Life Lessons', 'Poetry Sunday']
|
Trump urges Congress to amend ‘wasteful’ coronavirus aid bill.
|
Over half of the bill that congress presented to the present has nothing to do with the US population and/or the coronavirus. A lot of money goes outside the United States.
Add to this the Elected Officials have had seven months to be working on this and now is another last minute dance to get it done.
Maybe it’s time to recall most if not all the whole bunch of them and start over?
|
https://medium.com/time-to-bitch/sosdd-d5d3e5a36c3
|
['Zob Zaris']
|
2020-12-26 14:41:18.443000+00:00
|
['Trump Administration', 'Money', 'Trump', 'Congress', 'Money Management']
|
Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 4
|
Feedback is an essential part of learning any language. With feedback, you gain a sense of direction, more quickly pinpoint areas you need to work on, and get acknowledgement for when you’re going in the right direction. These are all important ways to not only give your learning motivation a boost, but to progress in your studies faster.
There are a few different ways to get feedback on your language skills, but the one that I find most effective is studying with a tutor. Why?
Because a tutor will not only be able to point out my strengths and weaknesses, but offer me ways to build the areas that I’m weak in. They can also answer my questions about the language that I’m learning. When I want to know a rule or why the language does what it does, they have the training and background to answer my questions.
Is this the first post in this series that you’re reading? Follow this link to learn more about my Hungarian language challenge.
Brunch in Budapest, Hungary
Milestone 4: Have a Hungarian lesson
Once I’ve had a few weeks with the language, I like to schedule a lesson with a professional language tutor on iTalki. That way, I can get feedback on my progress, context for the language I’m learning, and have the chance to interact in the language.
It can be intimidating to try to figure out an entirely new language on your own, and that’s why I like to work with someone who can tell me (honestly) how I’m doing.
What do I look for in a language tutor?
When I’m ready to take lessons, I try out several teachers. I look for someone who:
Is willing to adapt their teaching style to my needs as a learner
Doesn’t ask that I follow a set lesson plan but help me work towards milestones that I set for myself in the language
Doesn’t mind typing words I don’t know into the chat
Keeps the lesson almost entirely in the language — even if my speech is halting, slow and mistake-ridden
Doesn’t stop me with corrections but instead, they also add these to the chat
I get along with
Each of these are things I take into consideration when selecting a tutor I’ll work with long-term. You can get an idea of how my lessons go in this milestone’s update video.
During my first lesson, my tutor and I worked through introductions and greetings. It was perfect because I learned to phrase things differently than what I had worked out on my own, had the chance to learn a bit about grammar, and I was also able to practice my self-introduction with someone new.
Milestone 4 Stats
Between Milestone 3 and Milestone 4, I had to take a break from Hungarian because of a conference I attended in Shanghai. I had to focus on other languages to prepare for the trip and wasn’t able to study Hungarian alongside them.
At this stage, I was somewhere between 250–275 words in Drops.
A Note About Breaks
Life happens. And sometimes it means that you need to put your language learning on hold. When this happens, it can be difficult to get back into the swing of things. It’s hard to pick up a habit like studying after taking a break from it.
Here are a couple of tricks that I use to restart my language studies when I take time off:
Start small : Rather than try to pick up your habit exactly the way you left off, start small. Aim to study just five minutes a day rather than an entire hour. Install an app on your phone so that you can study anywhere rather than try to allocate time to sit down at your desk. Read just one page in your coursebook rather than try to work through an entire chapter or section.
: Rather than try to pick up your habit exactly the way you left off, start small. Aim to study just five minutes a day rather than an entire hour. Install an app on your phone so that you can study anywhere rather than try to allocate time to sit down at your desk. Read just one page in your coursebook rather than try to work through an entire chapter or section. Stay small : Sometimes the reason we take a break from our language studies is because our routine was too aggressive to maintain long-term. If your break happened because you were burned out or just couldn’t squeeze language learning into your day, this might be why you stopped. Create a more manageable daily routine so that you can stick with your studies longer.
: Sometimes the reason we take a break from our language studies is because our routine was too aggressive to maintain long-term. If your break happened because you were burned out or just couldn’t squeeze language learning into your day, this might be why you stopped. Create a more manageable daily routine so that you can stick with your studies longer. Focus on today: Rather than worrying about if you’ll get back your study habit, focus on studying just for today. One day is just one day and you can do something today. Plus, once you can check “language study” off your to-do list one day, it’s much easier to do the next.
What about you? Are you taking lessons for your new language? I’d love to hear about how you get the most out of your lessons in the comments below!
Read the previous post in this series | Read the next post in this series
|
https://medium.com/languagedrops/learning-hungarian-with-drops-milestone-4-1f016ae429b3
|
['Shannon Kennedy']
|
2019-10-02 21:10:59.245000+00:00
|
['Hungarian', 'Apps', 'Hungarian Language', 'Language Learning']
|
Quicksort — The Best Sorting Algorithm?
|
How Quicksort Works
Quicksort (especially in-place Quicksort) can be a bit confusing, so let’s walk through an example to show how this sorting algorithm works.
Suppose we are given the following array to sort:
Now let’s choose something called a “pivot point”. The goal is to rearrange the array such that all all elements less than the pivot are to its left, and all elements greater than the pivot are to its right. The choice of the pivot point is arbitrary; it can be the first element of the array, the last element of the array, or even a random element! For our purposes though, let’s choose the pivot point to be the last element in the array, 5.
After rearranging the array around the pivot point 5, we should obtain the following array:
We then recursively follow the above procedure for the subarrays to the left and to the right of the pivot point.
The subarray to the left of the pivot point is just one element. No point in sorting an array of length one, so there’s nothing to do here!
The left subarray
On the other hand, the subarray to the right of the pivot point is not so trivial. Following the procedure described above, let us choose 7 to be the new pivot point for this subarray.
The right subarray
After rearranging the elements of the subarray around the pivot point, we obtain the following:
The right subarray rearranged around the new pivot point, 7
By continuing recursively, and merging the left subarray with the pivot and the right subarray, a sorted array is returned.
|
https://medium.com/human-in-a-machine-world/quicksort-the-best-sorting-algorithm-6ab461b5a9d0
|
['Esha Wang']
|
2016-04-17 11:06:14.097000+00:00
|
['Algorithms', 'Arrays', 'Code']
|
Psychology of “Frequent Pattern Mining” & Why They Succeed As a Recommendation System?
|
If you have some experience in Recommendation system and if you have thought
“I have been asked to build a recommendation system. I really want this sophisticated Deep Reinforcement Learning Model to Outperform the baselines but I having hard time understanding the Cost to Benefit of these new methods.”
then,
Welcome to the club of Deep Learning / AI evangelists , those have a conviction that complex methods might beat classical ML models. After all we crave for complexity in every aspect of our life! ML is no such exception.
It is true that Data Scientists who have specialised into these domains look for simplicity in solution as it is easy to communicate to business stake holders. Many a times, I have seen them work too! At least we knew why they won’t!
But with the advent of DeepLearning and the exponential increase in Online DL Courses , many people breaking into data science is convinced about the Super power of these neuron -inspired models. When given a problem, they directly go to their python IDE and type. “ import tensorflow as tf ”.
With latest methods being marketed over news like “ X models outperforms human, hence used by Y company” , we are motivated to try them out. But we also overlook the classic methods and baselines.
I do understand that our time is limited for a project. This may not be useful for a Computer Vision/ Natural language Processing problems. But for Recommendation Systems, might be!
Just saying that I am not against NN or RL (In fact, much of my work now is in Deep RL).Yes, they are very powerful. In fact, I have seen the representation power of Neural Networks, even for some tabular data (really stunning!). Also the RL’s adaptability in case of cold-start situations.
But when it comes to building recommendation systems and especially from scratch, I always had a strong conviction on efficiency of simpler sub-domains like Frequent Pattern Mining . If you are not familiar with the above term, you would have seen this section “Frequently Bought Together” at least once your online life.
Items bought together with a Washing Machine . Courtesy — amazon.in
It all happened one day, when I was reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Yes, you heard that right. I was thinking about ML models while reading a self-help book on habits!
An interesting chapter in the book talks about building habits through a technique called “Habit Stacking”. It talks about how stacking your habits one by one increases the overall success of performing them.
The author also mentions about Diderot Effect . Inspired from the essay of a person named Diderot, it talks about how his new dressing gown made him to buy a lot of unnecessary furniture and goods, eventually putting him into debt. Although it is a sad story about irrational impulse buyer, we may have to remember that a significant portion of purchase decisions we make in today’s world happens at a blink. Of course, let’s exclude monks and buddhas!
So while reading about “Habit Stacking” & “Diderot Effect”, one familiar concept came to my mind. Yes, it is “Frequently Bought Together” way of recommendation. We are psychologically habituated to fix to the items that are bought together (in sequence!). Thus buying one item automatically triggers our impulse to look for the next item that has bought frequently together because they get stacked into our purchase routine.
This is one of the main reason why “Frequently Bought Together” recommendations , however simple , every time…….WORKS! especially for domains like e-commerce and retail, where significant number of items are purchased in a single session.
Trying to understand the co-purchase pattern of consumers, helps us to understand the psychology behind their preferences. Hence we can recommend better items (at better profits too!) but without spamming them with junk. I have seen companies, mostly stick to just one frequently bought item (may be because of average transaction length could be 2!). But mining a longer chain of these Item Stacks(yeah , I coined it!) revealed interesting insights in one of the uses cases for my client.
Classical methods like Apriori, Frequent Pattern Growth, PrefixSpan are used to mine these frequent and sequential patterns. You can check out this interesting framework called SPMF(Sequential Pattern Mining Framework). Also, we can go for Advanced Sequence Prediction Frameworks like Compact Prediction Trees, HMM, RNNS, Transformers.
If you are building recommendation system for your client, you may consider sequence prediction. But before that, there should be some design considerations as to:
What kind of products have been sold ? How many products (on an average) has been bought ? Does mining these item stacks is useful for your other recommendation use cases like up-selling , cross-selling etc?
It is an interesting point of psychology meets ML. In the End, all our ML models are trying to capture the intents /psyche/choice of our consumers. By trying to connect these two worlds together, I am sure that we will be empowered more as Data Scientists / Story Tellers. What do you think ?
|
https://medium.com/swlh/psychology-of-frequent-pattern-mining-why-they-succeed-as-a-recommendation-system-229aea79b9c8
|
['Yashwanth Kumar']
|
2020-11-09 19:56:10.312000+00:00
|
['Machine Learning', 'Psychology', 'Recommendation System', 'Psychology Marketing', 'AI']
|
Poetry Changes You as Nothing Else Can
|
POETRY
Poetry Changes You as Nothing Else Can
Glimpses into the magical world beyond
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels
During my 10-day silent retreat, reading was forbidden. You could write, draw, walk, meditate, pray, eat, smile. Even browse the bookstore — so tantalizing. But no reading.
Each day I’d meet with Rob, my spiritual director. That was the only non-silent part of the day, chatting with Rob.
A couple of days in, I went on a walk in the country lanes around the retreat center, and I told Rob about what happened:
“A butterfly landed in the hedgerow, right in front of me,” I said. “I just watched. It was a beautiful blue and white. Then I reached out to touch it, to cup it in my hands, and it flew away.”
The incident left me overwhelmed with wonder. I told Rob how it reminded me of some lines from William Blake:
He who binds himself to a joy
Does the wingèd life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise
As Rob’s role was to be my spiritual guide, I expected him to use this as a starting point of interrogation, to ask: “What joys are you binding yourself to?” or something like that.
But that wasn’t Rob’s way. Instead, he asked: “Do you like poetry, then?”
|
https://medium.com/reading-rhombus/poetry-changes-you-as-nothing-else-can-b1bf4222464a
|
['David Majister']
|
2020-12-14 14:53:44.671000+00:00
|
['Creativity', 'Reading Rhombus', 'Spirituality', 'Poetry', 'Writing']
|
“classnames” the ngClass of React
|
There’s nothing better than a good conditional rendering of classes on an element to make it shine.
But as one of the many things not present in React, conditional class render is also one of them. I mean there are workarounds to how you can implement the classes to be implemented for e.g.:
Lets use the array approach to add/remove classes on condition change in the below component
class App extends Component {
state = {flag: false}; onClickHandler = () => {this.setState({flag: !this.state.flag});}; render() {
const classes = ["btn", this.state.flag ? "btn-green" : "btn-red"].join(" "); return (
<div className="align-center ">
<button className={classes} onClick={this.onClickHandler}>
Click me!
</button>
</div>
);}
}
Conditional Button Color
One of the main problems with this approach being, as the number of elements increase that need classes based on condition, it makes it harder to maintain code.
One of the most preferred approaches to handle this is, just add a dependency library called classnames.
|
https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/classnames-the-ngclass-of-react-244f81e5dc5d
|
['Abhimanyu Chauhan']
|
2020-01-22 06:09:23.099000+00:00
|
['JavaScript', 'Front End Development', 'CSS', 'Reactjs', 'React']
|
A McDonald’s vs Taco Bell Simulation: finding the healthier choice
|
Photo by Shaafi Ali on Unsplash
Imagine this. You finished a long day of work and decide to pick up some groceries on the way home. After running some errands, you look at your watch: 9:00pm. To give yourself some rest, you decide to grab dinner at a fast-food joint. Sound familiar? I bet.
We all live incredibly busy lives. Although we all know that fast food is not necessarily the most healthiest option, a lot of people still utilize these facilities due to their immense convenience. We tend to bundle all of these chain restaurants as being equally unhealthy as the next. However, looking into the specific nutritional facts is key to distinguishing them and making the right choice for a healthier meal. In this case study, I focus on two very popular fast-food restaurants, McDonald’s and Taco Bell, and answer the age-old question:
Eating from which restaurant would be the healthier choice in the long-run?
Simulating the System
I first grabbed the menu’s from both restaurants and labelled each item as either an entree, drink, side, dessert, sauce, or dressing. For McDonalds information, I pulled from a dataset on Kaggle and for Taco Bell, I created the dataset myself based on a nutrition facts website I found. I kept drinks that were unique to each restaurant and discarded the rest from the analysis. In other words, drinks such as Coke, Sprite, etc. were removed from both datasets as I only consider food items that are trademark to the restaurant. The scope of this analysis encompasses lunch and dinner menu items only.
I then created four distinct simulations in which a customer would purchase meals from each restaurant, the key difference being the definition of the word “meal”.
Simulation 1: A customer purchasing one entree alone
Simulation 2: A customer purchasing one entree and a drink
Simulation 3: A customer purchasing one entree, a drink, and a side
Simulation 4: A customer purchasing one entree, a drink, a side, and a dessert
To make the analysis even more realistic, I created stipulations within certain menu items for both restaurants. If a salad were to be randomly picked as a side item, the script randomly picks a salad dressing to go along with the meal. If chicken nuggets or chicken strips were picked as an entree item, then the script randomly selects a sauce to go with it as well. For Taco Bell entrees, I made sure each simulation randomly selects two sauces to go along with each entree item.
For each simulation, meals following these combinations were sampled 10,000 times. From this, clear distinctions were able to be made between between the facilities. Let us first consider the simplest case in which a customer orders one entree alone. From simulation 1, I created the following plot:
Simulation 1 results indicating similar nutritional distributions for entrees alone. Image by author.
Note that the average calories, calories from fat, cholesterol, and sodium are quite similar between the two facilities. I was curious if this trend carries over for all simulations, leading me to compare the averages for these features for all simulations run. The short answer is no. I created this plot which shows us the results.
Averages for all simulations (n=10,000). Image by author.
We see that stark differences can be made in nutritional features across trials. Simulation 1 is in fact the only trial that resulted in seemingly similar results for both restaurants. This means that the drinks, sides, and desserts in the restaurants exhibit higher variance in nutritional qualities. The previously mentioned features are quite higher for McDonald’s than for Taco Bell. To assess if these differences are mathematically significant, I ran a non-parametric test (a Mann-Whitney U Test) for all simulations. Predictably, I obtained very low p-values for all trials, indicating a significant difference between the nutritional features displayed above for the two restaurants. I did not expect a significant difference for Simulation 1, however.
Let’s take a closer look at Simulation 4, which encompasses a full-course meal. In my opinion, this should be the trial that we place the most emphasis on. If we take a snapshot of how the nutritional features compare from one meal to another for the first 500 samples, we would see the following:
|
https://towardsdatascience.com/a-mcdonalds-vs-taco-bell-simulation-finding-the-healthier-choice-7de797772df5
|
['Vishnu Nair']
|
2021-06-30 13:04:23.861000+00:00
|
['Food', 'Exploratory Data Analysis', 'Simulation', 'Hypothesis Testing', 'Fast Food']
|
3 Magical Ways to Deal with People Who Need to One-Up You
|
What does it mean to “one-up” someone? All of us have been on the receiving end of that behavior. I offer an exercise for you after I describe three experiences I had that reveal what I used to do when I was on the receiving end and what I do now, instead. It is a magical shift, and has made all the difference in the quality of my life. It might for you, too.
WHY do people behave this way? It is a form of control they are exerting, with you as the objective. What triggers this for them — jealousy? Envy? Blind competitiveness? Narcissicism? Desperation? A behavior they have learned or a compulsion that drives them?
The cause is something you may never know, directly, but your reaction to it is something entirely within your control. That is the good news!
The words below identify the kind of things people will do to one-up someone else. What matters most, as I’ll show you, is how to identify when someone is doing this, not recognizing it only after it has occurred. That is important to be able to sense. Our successful reaction to people is entirely defined by the weight we give their words and behavior, nothing more and nothing less:
manipulate, exploit, play games
wield power
upstage
deceive, scheme, lie, cheat
spread gossip
wheel and deal, pull strings
Three Cases
#1
A person I recommended to be hired (I was in corporate) and who was thus hired, held meetings with our boss when I wasn’t there and gave him my ideas as her own. From that point forward, the boss did not involve me in decision-making. Until then, I had been the driver for the project. I was astonished he fell for her routine and did not align himself with me, though we had worked together almost a year. My reaction was intense resentment and fury, but I said nothing, afraid my job was at risk.
And therein lies the lesson…
By not addressing the outcome directly, the whole matter festered in my mind, deepening the resentment I felt. In the ensuing weeks I became discontented and let that show in the office environment. Everything seemed tainted not only by her betrayal and need to one-up me, but by his lack of support toward me. I was laid off three months later.
When that happened, a realization came to me suddenly and my resentment dissolved. To my boss’s surprise (and mine) I said to him in his office with its three walls of windows overlooking green hills (rather different from our cubby holes) that his decision did not define me, that life was more than a job, that something in my time there must have been of value, but now I go on to another chapter in my life. I felt so calm, even though I had no idea what I would do next.
Because the resentment had dissolved…and this made all the difference…
#2
I introduced someone I saw as a good friend to a very well-known person leading a three-day conference on profound teachings and books on wisdom and humanity, subjects I had long loved reading. She stopped associating with me during the conference and spent all her time with the leader and others in charge of the sessions. I was surprised. I saw it as a kind of treachery, but said nothing. What could I do? (So I told myself.)
A few days later, when I was back at home, she called and told me one of the writers I had hoped to see at the conference had died months before and that she had learned this during a lunch with the well-known leader. They had laughed together about how long it would take me to find out, because I had written a letter to him. If I had taken action, our friendship might have lasted. But instead, I buried my anger and feelings of disappointment and angst about being mocked and talked about when I wasn’t there.
I did nothing. I listened to her. I said nothing.
And therein lies the lesson…
I let the feelings marinate. I ceased to find anything I really liked about my friend. I let the feelings continue for a long time, too long. The friendship died. Because I let it.
I could have taken action when she called by stating my real feelings. By not telling her what I thought, that talking about me like that was deeply unkind and a betrayal done for no reason but to one-up me and get in with the leader, I allowed something good to disappear. For my friend might have felt dismay at the outcome of her actions. She might have sought to rectify it. I never gave her the chance.
I have learned to hold no grudges. They are nothing but destructive. They solve nothing. There are always other ways open to me. Among them, saying what I feel when I feel it — kindly, if possible. Stopping the poison of resentment from leaking into me.
#3
I dated someone who found my own skill set annoying — I had a doctorate, owned a lot of books, loved Nature walking, amusement parks, bookstores, golden retrievers, and traveling to ancient places. Guess what he didn’t like? Exactly. None of the above. (Out of that list the most inexplicable is not loving a golden retriever on the instant, incidentally.)
Why was I with him? Because I was supposed to be with someone — isn’t that the mantra? That a woman alone is an enigma? Even now in these modern times that thought worries itself into people’s minds. I wanted to follow the norm (I thought). I let him announce his own preferences instead of promoting my own. And he was always willing to tell me every time we were together how much more important he was in so many ways than I was. He needed to feel superior, to one-up any of my accomplishments. I let him.
And therein lies the lesson…
This was a big one, for I hesitated to say anything that might drive him away, but if I had, it is possible the relationship could have expanded and grown and become more than it was through our communication. Or, by taking action and leaving him, I would have asserted my right to be who I was. It took me a long, long time not to repeat that mistake, not to let men one-up me, before I realized I was consistently choosing the wrong men! I discovered, eventually, we are meant to live with our integrity and whole being and authentic self — nothing less, no matter who we are with.
Every relationship is lived well when I am true to myself.
Conclusion
In each of these cases I did not truly understand what I was doing by holding on to resentment and hurt. In Case #1, I did see more clearly after the resentment dissolved, but only after I had indulged my bitterness.
The key thing is not to settle for what we feel, but to ask why the event is happening when it happens, and so be in a better place right away to know what we are meant to learn from it. Nothing is accidental.
We are always responsible for what we do when others treat us badly. Letting things linger in your heart that are not life-giving hurts no one but yourself. I learned this well. No one spent as much time dwelling overmuch on injustice done to me as I did. To what end? It changed nothing.
Only when I took responsibility for seeing clearly, not dealing with wishful thinking or naivete or being gullible, was I able to let go of grief — because it is actually grief we feel when we have been betrayed or wronged or ignored or abandoned by those we have allowed ourselves to trust.
I didn’t understand, for too long a time, that people choose to one-up another person out of their own need. Right or wrong, this is a truth. It really is their problem.
So why let time linger wherein you dwell on being wronged? Stop it at the source. Speak your truth when the situation is right in front of you!
It takes courage to do this. It also takes insight, and a willingness to face what is happening head on. (Not in anger if that can be avoided, but certainly directly.)
Then what?
You stop reacting to the triggers because you habitually see behind what people are doing. There is no time for the dreaded life-sapping resentment to install itself in you because you are able and willing to let people know how you feel and why.
Not feeding on negative reactions is freedom, your goal and your greatest gift to yourself. It is how you enter into the harmony you deserve in all things, the true self you are here to share with everyone.
Exercise
It has often been said that writing things down instead of letting them spin around in our heads is valuable — it serves as a way not only to express our feelings, but to become more aware of what is troubling us, and how to take action.
Write down a description from your own experience in which someone one-upped you for some reason and you said and did nothing about it. Be as detailed as you can be about what they did and how long you felt resentment, or whatever emotion was in your reaction. If more than one emotion filled you,, write about each one — how intensely you felt it.
Now, write down why you think the person did whatever it was.
Lastly, read through all you have written and ask yourself this about your description:
Is it true?
Write down your answer. It could surprise you.
|
https://medium.com/@regina-clarke7/3-magical-ways-to-deal-with-people-who-one-up-you-67a4295c5c29
|
['Regina Clarke']
|
2020-12-27 21:54:32.909000+00:00
|
['Mindfulness', 'Life Lessons', 'Courage', 'Happiness', 'Personal Development']
|
US company builds world’s largest drone
|
A US company has developed the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called “Raven X”, which it claims can deliver satellites in a very short time and at very low cost. Will be able to reach space.
Developed by a company called ‘Ayum’, the drone is 80 feet long and 18 feet wide with a wingspan of 60 feet.
Despite its large size, it will only need one mile of runway for takeoff and landing.
The company claims that it will be able to fly fully automated and return to the ground in the same way, but based on all the drones built so far, it is more accurate to say that although it will not have a pilot. But one or the other pilot must be controlling it “from afar”, meaning we can call it semi-automatic, but it will not be fully automatic.
Read More
|
https://medium.com/@nickey728/us-company-builds-worlds-largest-drone-b5a7312c5898
|
[]
|
2020-12-21 12:19:21.610000+00:00
|
['Drones']
|
Walking Can Help You Lose Weight
|
Walking is a great form of exercise, and walking for 1 hour each day may aid weight loss and provide other health benefits. It’s effective because it helps you increase the number of calories you burn. At the same time, you’ll need to pay attention to your total calorie intake. All you need to do is enter your name and email below for instant access…The detrimental effects of sitting at your desk for far too long. Strategies to switch your inactive body into a fat-torching machine. How to get rid of sitting too much and begin to invite an unlimited burst of energy, health, and vitality into your life.This Book (VALUE $47) Is Yours FREE! >>click here<< to download.to watch video visite my channel <<here>>
|
https://medium.com/@adamsmith1978/walking-can-help-you-lose-weight-c3c5443e3155
|
['Adam Smith']
|
2020-12-24 14:09:20.513000+00:00
|
['Health', 'Weight Loss', 'Walking', 'Diet', 'Walking Dead']
|
Meet Stuart. A Slack love child.
|
Note: this was originally published on another platform in May 2014
We’ve been using Slack at Propeller for about six months now. And like most teams, we love it. Lots of folks have have written about why they love it and we enjoy it for all of the same reasons. Less email. More transparency. And more collaboration.
But what I love the most are the integrations. The list of integrations is growing every day and they’ve made them as easy as hotdogs to setup. Github, Google Docs and Trello are my favorite stock integrations. However, the glue that is the most compelling are the open ended ones — inbound and outbound webhooks and custom slash commands. You can connect these to do anything your imagination can dream up.
I’ve used each of these to do a variety of hacks to both trash talk and educate the team. While powerful, it can turn into a random Lego project after a bit of time with pieces bolted on in all sorts of forms. I wanted an extensible bot framework that was just as easy to setup and extend as the native integrations inside of Slack.
I set out to fix this. Stuart was born and he lives in a Node.js server.
By himself, Stuart won’t do anything. He does make it a snap to plug in directly to your Slack instance by writing only two functions for bi-directional communication with your team, and only one function if you’d like to inject messages into the conversation from the background.
Slash command integration
Your team can talk to Stuart through his slash command, /stuart. You can add new functions to his slash command by defining the definition in the plugins.json spec and writing two functions — run() and help().
For example,
/stuart conference
/stuart conference 37821
… will dynamically create a Twilio conference room for you. You can customize the passcode as well and Stuart will shutdown the line for you a week later.
Stuart will even give you lunch recommendations using Yelp, /stuart food pizza
Cron — automated background tasks
The Cron tasks make it really easy to do background tasks and push result into the team’s conversations. Reporting the morning weather is a simple example, but it’s easy to build custom tasks that tie into your own back end.
For example, at the start of each week, Stuart reports in on the trend for new accounts being created inside Propeller. He also shares statistics about how many people interacted with the weekly email, how many users are syncing their sensors with Apple v. Android, and how our awesome new sensor is performing.
The potential integrations are boundless for your team. And it only takes two functions to extend him.
Get started.
Update : I failed to mention Stuart’s bonus feature. If you connect the Twilio integration, you can talk to your team with the Stuart persona by sending him text messages. He’ll also update you with messages in the event someone mentions his name.
|
https://gregtracy.com/meet-stuart-a-slack-love-child-dff60b18a3b9
|
['Greg Tracy']
|
2019-12-01 18:14:28.030000+00:00
|
['Slack', 'Bots', 'Hacking']
|
How Unsplash Went From a Tumblr Page To Fully-Fledged Platform
|
How Unsplash Went From a Tumblr Page To Fully-Fledged Platform
And how we can apply it to our projects.
Photo by Rubén García on Unsplash
You’ve heard of Unsplash, no doubt. The thumbnail of this very article is integrated straight into this post from the service. I searched it within the text editor and picked one I liked. Boom, my article now has a header.
It wasn’t always this way. I couldn’t always type away and select an extremely high-quality photo straight from my text editor to be used completely royalty-free. It took a lot of work in the right places, over a lot of time.
But before putting in all that work to turn this into what it is today, it had to start somewhere. And starting is where most founders screw up. Starting has the most amount of friction. And taking that first step to publish a piece of work might take a year, several developers, and a lot of anxiety.
Unsplash, however, published its first version in 3 hours with $38. There was no umming and ahhing over the design. There was no unnecessary complexity. The first version was so basic that a teenager posting edgy content on the internet used the same technology — it was on Tumblr.
The Original Unsplash on Tumblr | GIF adapted from Source
This is the story of how Unsplash started and how you can use the same principles to launch practically any idea that comes to mind.
|
https://sahkilic.medium.com/how-unsplash-went-from-a-tumblr-page-to-fully-fledged-platform-a65e13169e27
|
['Sah Kilic']
|
2020-11-01 08:58:10.791000+00:00
|
['Entrepreneurship', 'Business', 'Startup', 'Technology', 'Advice']
|
Letting go of Guilt & Shame in Your Finances
|
Facing your debt and the rest of your finances can be an emotional roller coaster.
The way you earn, save, and spend money is a result of your history and experiences with it. And for most of us, that history is tainted by guilt and shame for the mistakes we’ve made or ones that were made for us.
My first job out of college paid $10 an hour. It was a job in my field, using my master’s degree. I went home every day and looked at the $50K of student loans I owed and felt hopeless. Soon it started to give me anxiety, and I stopped looking.
I felt so stupid for taking out so much debt. Eventually, I gave up trying to pay them off and lowered my payments to $30 a month.
For two years I made $30 monthly payments. I got a better job, moved out of my mom’s house, and even followed frugal living tips I read online but still believed I couldn’t afford to pay more on my loans. The whole time I carried the guilt and shame of thinking “I shouldn’t be buying [insert anything here], I should be paying off my student loans.”
But I, like most millennials, ignored it, and let it fester to the point where having student loans was normal. Everyone else had them, so I could too. I believed the lie that “I’ve been like everyone else my whole life and I’ve gotten by just fine, so it’s good enough for my future too.”
The guilt and shame came up again once I started paying off my debt. I felt guilty about every purchase, even if it was in the budget. Everytime I messed up I felt shameful, like I wasn’t capable of doing it.
I learned it’s easy to try to stay normal. It’s hard to become someone you don’t know how to be.
Paying off debt takes courage like you wouldn’t believe. You’ll be different, you’ll be doing things that are different, and not everyone in your life will be OK with it.
So it’s essential that you’re mentally strong going into it. And that means letting go of the guilt and shame that are inherently wrapped up in your money mindset.
Letting Go of Guilt
Guilt is the feeling of having done wrong or made a mistake. A healthy relationship with guilt is actually good — it allows us to have empathy for others. An unhealthy level of guilt can cause an unrelenting amount of pain.
Anyone who’s ever had money has made a financial mistake. Maybe it’s small like a habit of impulse spending, or putting all your appliance purchases on payments. Maybe it’s something bigger like being trapped in a cycle of payday loans or buying more house than you can afford.
We can often feel like our debt rules how we identify ourselves in regards to money. But you are not your debt, you don’t have to be the person who took on that debt. Stop rationalizing your actions, take responsibility, and forgive yourself.
I wish it were as easy as telling you to stop feeling the negative consequences of guilt and use it to grow, but it’s not. So here are some ways you can come to terms with it:
Write down one of your financial mistakes and what was going on in your life when you made it. Include how you felt about yourself and others involved. Analyze what your needs were at the time, if they were being met, and if not, why? Identify the catalyst for your behavior. Were you going to college? Going through a divorce? Dealing with low self-esteem? Evaluate how you’re judging yourself. Are you comparing yourself or seeking approval from successful family members or wealthy friends? What standards do you want to use to judge yourself? Is there information you have now that you didn’t have then? What do you wish you’d known then? What did you learn from the experience, including the aftermath, and how would you handle it differently today?
I did this when coming to terms with my student loans. I felt great when I signed for them! I needed a graduate degree to do what I loved, and in my arrogance, I did no research and decided to get my degree no matter the cost.
I didn’t fully understand compound interest, and I can’t help but hate the guidance counselor who let 19-year-old me sign for so much money without explaining it. I also didn’t know there wouldn’t be many jobs in my field when I graduated. But I forgave myself for not doing enough research or having information that wasn’t available to me. And now, I don’t regret taking out those loans in the slightest.
They got me to where I needed to be and helped bring me to where I am today. I wouldn’t have half of the great things in my life today without those student loans. I’m proud of myself today, but it took time, hard work, and a lot of introspection to get there. And now, not only have I learned from my financial mistakes; I’m also able to empathize with others who’ve made the same ones.
Every mistake we make is an opportunity to one day help someone else avoid or work through the same mistake.
Even if it feels silly and awkward, share your experience and what you’re learning. It’s an opportunity to set you on a path to growth that you wouldn’t have started otherwise. And don’t let feelings of guilt persuade you into feeling sorry for yourself. You are exactly where you were meant to be right now and as long as you stay committed, you have the opportunity to grow exponentially through this debt-free journey.
Letting Go of Shame
Shame is different from guilt. Shame is a painful feeling of inadequacy. Or as famed researcher Dr. Brene Brown puts it:
Guilt is “I made a mistake.”
Shame is “I am a mistake.”
While guilt can be healthy if it teaches you a lesson and helps you empathize with others, there is no healthy level of shame. Shame leads to feeling trapped, isolated, and powerless.
In her research, Dr. Brown has found that there are four elements to building resilience to shame:
Recognize shame and its physical (heart racing, chest tightness, etc.) triggers. We often feel shame physically before we realize it mentally. Recognize the external factors that led to your feeling of shame. See the link between what you’re feeling and society’s often-conflicting and shaming expectations. Connect with others to receive and offer empathy. Do the hard task of reaching out for support. Discuss and deconstruct the feelings of shame. Separate shame from other emotions.
Identify the people in your life who make you feel like you’re not skilled enough to accomplish this or you don’t deserve to succeed. Recognize how they make you feel and talk about it with others. Don’t keep shame in the dark.
We’re conditioned to think we have to do everything and do it perfectly so we don’t look weak. But there’s no way to be successful on that mission. You will mess up, life will ruin your plan, but the beautiful thing about life is that you can revise the plan and move on.
If you’re feeling shame about your financial situation, or any part of your life, don’t sweep it under the rug or try to get by on your might. Build resilience to shame so you can get through the tough times even when you’re not feeling 100%.
Jen Smith is the is the writer behind ModernFrugality.com, cohost of the Frugal Friends Podcast, and author of three books including Pay Off Your Debt For Good, from which this excerpt is from.
|
https://medium.com/@modernfrugality/letting-go-of-guilt-shame-in-your-finances-94122acfd9f8
|
['Jen Smith']
|
2019-11-21 14:54:31.501000+00:00
|
['Guilt', 'Frugal Living', 'Shame', 'Debt', 'Student Loans']
|
A step-by-step guide for debugging memory leaks in Spark Applications
|
Just a bit of context
We at Disney Streaming Services use Apache Spark across the business
and Spark Structured Streaming to develop our pipelines. These applications run on the Databricks Runtime(DBR) environment which is quite user-friendly.
One of our Structured Streaming Jobs uses flatMapGroupsWithState where it accumulates state and performs grouping operations as per our business logic. This job kept on crashing approximately every 3 days. Sometimes even less, and then after that, the whole application got restarted, because of the retry functionality provided by DBR environment. If this had been a normal batch job this would have been acceptable but in our case, we had a structured streaming job and a low-latency SLA to meet. This is the tale of our fight with OutOfMemory Exception(OOM) and how we tackled the whole thing.
Below is the 10-step approach we as a department took to solving the problem:
Step 1: Check Driver logs. What’s causing the problem?
If a problem occurs resulting in the failure of the job, then the driver logs (which can be directly found on the Spark UI) will describe why the last retry of the task failed.
If a task fails more than four (4) times (if spark.task.maxFailures = 4 ), then the reason for the last failure will be reported in the driver log, detailing why the whole job failed.
In our case, it showed that the executor died and got disassociated. Hence the next step was to find out why.
Step 2: Check Executor Logs. Why are they failing?
In our executor logs, generally accessible via ssh, we saw that it was failing with OOM.
We encountered two types of OOM errors:
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC Overhead limit exceeded java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space.
Note: JavaHeapSpace OOM can occur if the system doesn’t have enough memory for the data it needs to process. In some cases, choosing a bigger instance like i3.4x large(16 vCPU, 122Gib ) can solve the problem.
Another possible solution could be to tune the parameters to ensure consumption of what can be processed. What this essentially means is that enough memory must be available to process the amount of data to be processed in one batch.
Step 3: Check Garbage Collector Activity
We saw from our logs that the Garbage Collector (GC) was taking too much time and sometimes it failed with the error GC Overhead limit exceeded when it was trying to perform the full garbage collection.
According to Spark documentation, G1GC can solve problems in some cases where garbage collection is a bottleneck. We enabled G1GC using the following configuration:
spark.executor.extraJavaOptions: -XX:+UseG1GC
Thankfully, this tweak improved a number of things:
1. Periodic GC speed improved.
2. Full GC was still too slow for our liking, but the cycle of full GC became less frequent.
3. GC Overhead limit exceeded exceptions disappeared.
However, we still had the Java heap space OOM errors to solve. Our next step was to look at our cluster health to see if we could get any clues.
Step 4: Check your Cluster health
Databricks provide Ganglia for monitoring this purpose. Ganglia is a scalable distributed monitoring system for high-performance computing systems such as clusters and grids.
Our Ganglia graphs looked something like this:
Cluster Memory Screenshot from Ganglia provided by Databricks
Worker_Memory Screenshot from Ganglia provided by Databricks
The graphs tell us that the cluster memory was stable for a while, started growing, kept on growing, and then fell off the edge. What does that mean?
1. This was a stateful job so maybe we were not clearing out the state over time.
2. A memory leak could have occurred.
Step 5: Check your Streaming Metrics
Looking at our streaming metrics took us down the path of eliminating the culprits creating the cluster memory issue. Streaming metrics, emitted by Spark, provide information for every batch processed.
It looks something like this:
Note: These are not our real metrics. It's just an example.
{
"id" : "abe526d3-1127-4805-83e6-9c477240e36b",
"runId" : "d4fec928-4703-4d74-bb9d-233fb9d45208",
"name" : "display_query_114",
"timestamp" : "2020-04-23T09:28:18.886Z",
"batchId" : 36,
"numInputRows" : 561682,
"inputRowsPerSecond" : 25167.219284882158,
"processedRowsPerSecond" : 19806.12856588737,
"durationMs" : {
"addBatch" : 26638,
"getBatch" : 173,
"getOffset" : 196,
"queryPlanning" : 400,
"triggerExecution" : 28359,
"walCommit" : 247
},
"eventTime" : {
"avg" : "2020-04-23T08:33:03.664Z",
"max" : "2020-04-23T08:34:58.911Z",
"min" : "2020-04-23T08:00:34.814Z",
"watermark" : "2020-04-23T08:33:42.664Z"
},
"stateOperators" : [ {
"numRowsTotal" : 1079,
"numRowsUpdated" : 894,
"memoryUsedBytes" : 485575,
"customMetrics" : {
"loadedMapCacheHitCount" : 14400,
"loadedMapCacheMissCount" : 0,
"stateOnCurrentVersionSizeBytes" : 284151
}
}
Plotting stateOperators.numRowsTotal against event time, we noticed stability over time. Hence it eliminates the possibility that OOM is occurring because of the state being retained.
The conclusion: a memory leak occurred, and we needed to find it. To do so, we enabled the heap dump to see what is occupying so much memory.
Step 6: Enable HeapDumpOnOutOfMemory
To get a heap dump on OOM, the following option can be enabled in the Spark Cluster configuration on the executor side:
spark.executor.extraJavaOptions: -XX:+HeapDumpOnOutOfMemoryError -XX:HeapDumpPath=/dbfs/heapDumps
Additionally, a path can be provided for heap dumps to be saved. We use this configuration because we can access it from the Databricks Platform. You can also access these files by ssh-ing into the workers and downloading them using tools like rsync.
Step 7: Take Periodic Heap dumps
Taking periodic heap dumps allow for analysis of multiple heap dumps to be compared with the OOM heap dumps. We took heap dumps every 12 hrs from the same executor. Once our executor goes into OOM, we would have at least two dumps available. In our case, executors were taking at least 24 hours to go into OOM.
Steps to take periodic heap dump:
1. ssh into worker
2. Get Pid using top of the java process
3. Get Heapdump jmap -dump:format=b,file=pbs_worker.hprof <pid>
4. Provide correct permissions to Heapdump file.
sudo chmod 444 pbs_worker.hprof
5. Download file on your local
./rsync -chavzP --stats ubuntu@<worker_ip_address>:/home/ubuntu/pbs_worker.hprof .
Step 8: Analyze Heap Dumps
Heap dump analysis can be performed with tools like YourKit or Eclipse MAT.
In our case, heap dumps were large — in the range of 40gb or more. The size of the heap dumps made it difficult to analyze. There is a workaround that can be used to index the large files and then analyze them.
Step 9: Find where it is leaking memory by looking at Object Explorer
YourKit provides inspection of hprof files. If the problem is obvious, it will be shown in the inspection section. In our case, the problem was not obvious.
Looking at our heap histogram, we saw many HashMapNode instances, but based on our business logic, didn’t deem the information too concerning.
HeapHistogram Screenshot from Spark UI
When we looked at the class and packages section in YourKit, we found the same results; as we had expected.
HeapDump Analysis Screenshot from YourKit
What took us by surprise was HashMap$Node[16384] growing over periodic heap dump files. Looking inside HashMap$Node[16384] revealed that these HashMaps were not related to business logic but the AWS SDK.
Screenshot from YourKit
A quick Google search and code analysis gave us our answer: we were not closing the connection correctly. The same issue has also been addressed on the aws-sdk Github issues.
Step 10: Fix the memory leak
By analyzing the heap dump, we were able to determine the location of the problem. While making a connection to Kinesis, we created a new Kinesis client for every partition when the connection was opened (general idea copied from databricks documentation):
class KinesisSink extends ForeachWriter[SinkInput] { private var kinesisClient: KinesisClient = _ override def open(partitionId: Long, version: Long): Boolean = {
val httpClient = ApacheHttpClient
.builder()
.build()
kinesisClient = KinesisClient
.builder()
.region(Region.of(region))
.httpClient(httpClient)
.build()
true
}
override def process(value: KinesisSinkInput): Unit = {
// process stuff
}
override def close(errorOrNull: Throwable): Unit = {
kinesisClient.close()
}
}
But in the case of closing the connection, we were closing only the KinesisClient:
override def close(errorOrNull: Throwable): Unit = {
kinesisClient.close()
}
The Apache Http client was not being closed. This resulted in an increasing number of Http clients being created and TCP connections being opened on the system, causing the issue discussed here. The aws-sdk documentation states that:
* This provider creates a thread in the background to periodically update credentials. If this provider is no longer needed,
We were able to prove it out using the following script:
import $ivy.`software.amazon.awssdk:apache-client:2.13.37` // causes OOM
(1 to 1e6.toInt).foreach { _ =>
software.amazon.awssdk.http.apache.ApacheHttpClient.builder.build() } // doesn't cause OOM
(1 to 1e6.toInt).foreach { _ => software.amazon.awssdk.http.apache.ApacheHttpClient.builder.build().close()
}
What we needed to do was to close Apache HTTP client that we had created.
override def close(errorOrNull: Throwable): Unit = {
client.close()
httpClient.close()
}
Conclusion
What we’ve seen in this post is an example of how to diagnose a memory leak happening in a Spark application. If I faced this issue again, I would attach a JVM profiler to the executor and try to debug it from there.
From this investigation, we got a better understanding of how Spark structured streaming is working internally, and how we can tune it to our advantage. Some lessons learned that are worth remembering:
1. Memory leaks can happen, but there is a number of things you can do to investigate them.
2. We need better tooling to read large hprof files.
3. If you open a connection, when you are done, always close it. 🙌
|
https://medium.com/disney-streaming/a-step-by-step-guide-for-debugging-memory-leaks-in-spark-applications-e0dd05118958
|
['Shivansh Srivastava']
|
2020-11-10 14:44:40.581000+00:00
|
['Apache Spark', 'Memory Leak', 'Technology', 'Debugging', 'Kinesis']
|
Handmade Silver Jewelry for Women in Greenville
|
Handmade Silver Jewelry for Women in Greenville
Jewelry helps to increase the royal personality of women by adding to their ensemble. Wearing jewelrycan give confidence to women. They look beautiful and gorgeous after wearing jewelry like a necklace which shows simplicity and at the same time beautifies your personality. By wearing the ring you can shake your hand movement confidently and your hand looks great. There are a variety of rings available in Greenville’s jewelry market. There are various types of jewelry available nowadays which are designed in a beautiful manner by the jewelers. Toe ring, pendants, chain, anklets, bracelets, earrings, gemstone etc. are available in a huge variety.
In Greenville, well-experienced jewelers are working on the best handmade silver jewelry.Their hand-crafted designs come to life through intricate detail.
Handcrafted jewelry means made by hand not machinery. Handmade jewelryis unique and is often found morebeautiful and liked by women. Making handmade jewelry is done through team work with talented staff members and designers. There is alarge online collection of handmade jewelry. These designers provide thousands of collection of rings, necklace etc. in Greenville NC. The shape & design of thisjewelryis awesome and precious. Moreover, the many designs provide options for the many different personalities you may be shopping for.
Nowadays nature themed designs are trending among teenage girls who like to wear pendants, earrings& rings of various animal & bird designs which gives them a funky look. You can easily purchase them online and these companies offer you the facility of quick home delivery at your door step. It’s an easy way to choose jewelry without wasting time, so that you can choose the best quality with beautiful unique designs. Various women prefer heavy wedding jewelry, and with the online availability, this is possible to give each woman an elegant & royal.
Womenand men wear small & thin jewelry. In college functions, girls like to wear funky, stylish & trendy jewelry. Some female like to wear heart shape jewelry, eco-friendly jewelry, animal themed jewelry. Often times, female jewelry is thin and elegant, where men’sjewelry is bold and heavy. There are a number of options including handmade sterling silver rings etc. Over these online websites, not only silver jewelry but also bronze, gold, iron, metal, copper, eco-friendly paper art, plastic jewellery are also available. You can give the gift ofjewelry on birthdays, weddings and anniversaries to your loved ones.
|
https://medium.com/@jennik/handmade-silver-jewelry-for-women-in-greenville-50029be50543
|
['Jenni K Jewelry']
|
2016-10-14 10:24:20.475000+00:00
|
['Jewelry', 'Jewelry Design']
|
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