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1,600 | VIDEO: How EDACY is building fullstack innovators in Africa | EDACY is an apprenticeship training system for matching job skills in Africa.We believe in a world-class learning community where experts from different backgrounds come together and share knowledge to grow the new generation of innovators. www.edacy.com
Follow | https://medium.com/edacyblog/how-edacy-is-building-fullstack-innovators-in-africa-4c54ce9a60ee | [] | 2017-04-18 10:08:16.419000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Innovation', 'Recruiting', 'Africa', 'Engineering'] |
1,601 | Get ready for the new CREA 2.0 | Crea is the platform for the creation of hypermedia dapps based on the #blockchain that rewards creatives and curators of digital content. CREA, IPFS, DPOS
Follow | https://medium.com/creaproject/get-ready-for-the-new-crea-2-0-35bad9c2fa49 | [] | 2018-12-28 15:43:57.983000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Algorithms', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto'] |
1,602 | Applications of Zero-Shot Learning | As a member of a research group involved in computer vision, I wanted to write this short article to briefly present what we call “Zero-shot learning” (ZSL), an interesting variant of transfer learning, and the current research related to it.
Today, many machine learning methods focus on classifying instances whose classes have already been seen in training. Concretely, many applications require classifying instances whose classes have not been seen before. Zero-shot learning is a promising learning method, in which the classes covered by training instances and the classes we aim to classify are disjoint. In other words, Zero-shot learning is about leveraging supervised learning with no additional training data.
Zero-shot learning refers to a specific use case of machine learning (and therefore deep learning) where you want the model to classify data based on very few or even no labeled example, which means classifying on the fly.
Let’s think of how Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) work — they break down the general tasks of e.g. image recognition into a sequence of smaller tasks carried out by successive layers where each layer works on increasingly complex features.
When we train a network to recognize a given picture, for instance, a human, we have already also trained it to recognize arms, legs, face, etc. Thanks to this, we can re-use those feature detectors and rearrange them to perform some other task without additional training.
In other words, zero-shot learning is about leveraging deep learning networks already trained by supervised learning in other ways, without additional supervised learning.
Zero-shot learning could yield extremely interesting applications, especially where we lack proper datasets. As you may know, the lack of data is a huge issue in almost all computer vision projects. If I had to sum up ZSL in a few words, I’d say that it is:
Pattern recognition without training examples
Based on semantic transfer
Natural Scarcity of Data
Zero-shot learning is an ability that humans already have. Indeed, we can learn a lot of things with just “minimal dataset”. For instance, you tend to differentiate different varieties of the same fruit (fine-grained classification) from others or similar-looking fruits (regular classification) with a few numbers of pictures of each type of fruit. The situation is different for machines... They need a lot of images to learn to adapt to the variance that occurs naturally.
This natural ability comes from our existing language knowledge base, which provides a high-level description of a new or unseen class and makes a connection between it and seen classes and visual concepts.
Why do we need Zero-Shot Learning?
As you may know, there is a large and growing number of categories in many domains. As a consequence, it is difficult to collect a lot of annotated data per category.
In some projects, the number of classes can be in thousands, and obtaining sufficient training data for each class is complex. Zero-shot learning aims at predicting a large number of unseen classes using only labeled data from a small set of classes and external knowledge about class relations. Moreover, the number of categories keeps increasing as well as the difficulty to collect new data for each new category. It is especially true in Deep Learning where you need a lot of data…
Different varieties of the same object can quickly become a nightmare and unsupervised learning can’t be applied to help in this situation.
Furthermore, in a normal object recognition process, we have to determine a certain number of object classes to enhance our accuracy as well as collect as many sample images as possible for selected object classes. Moreover, these sample images should contain elements taken from different angles in various environments in order to enrich a dataset.
In some cases, labeling can only be achieved by an expert. Fine-grained object recognition tasks like recognition of specific species can be considered as examples of labeling under the supervision of an expert.
There is an increasing interest in machine ZSL for scaling up visual recognition.
How does it work
Without getting too much into details, Zero-shot learning relies on the existence of a labeled training set of seen classes and unseen class. Both seen and unseen classes are related in a high dimensional vector space, called semantic space, where the knowledge from seen classes can be transferred to unseen classes.
Zero-shot learning approaches are designed to learn intermediate semantic layer, their attributes, and apply them at inference time to predict a new class of data.
Usually, zero-shot learning algorithms first map instances to intermediate attributes, which can be seen classes (those with labeled data), human-specified or data-dependent attributes. Then the predicted attributes are mapped to a large number of unseen classes through the knowledge bases. In this way, the prediction of unseen classes become possible and no training data is required for those classes.
Zero-shot learning is a two-stage process: training and inference. In the training stage, knowledge about the attributes is captured, and in the inference stage, this knowledge is used to categorise instances among a new set of classes. It seems like many efforts have been made to improve the training stage whereas the inference stage has received little attention. For example, many approaches are incapable of fully exploiting the discriminative capacity of attributes, and cannot harness the uncertainty of the attribute prediction obtained in the first stage.
Research
From a research perspective, I have seen teams working on more accurate ZSL model that uses neural net architectures called generative adversarial networks (GANs) to read and analyze text from the web, and then visually identify the objects they describe. This new approach enables systems to classify objects based on category, and then use that information to identify other similar objects.
Another important element benefiting from the research is bias. Indeed, the collection and labeling of training data can be very time-consuming, and because it remains difficult to gather enough statistically diverse training images, unlabeled target classes (i.e. images or objects that have not been seen before), are often categorized as labeled source classes, which results in a poor accuracy in generalized settings.
When there are few training images available, existing object recognition models struggle to make correct predictions, and ZSL was developed principally as a means to fight this problem.
Thanks to our research, we managed to build a prototype that can recognize species by analyzing related web articles. Looking at only those text descriptions (without seeing an image of the species) the system extracts key features, such as the shape of the animal’s head. The system can then somehow imagine what the species looks like, generating a synthetic visual model.
It is important to say that the result of image and text understanding doesn’t eliminate the need for training, but it’s an example of how ZSL can reduce training and help systems be accurate when confronted with unexpected data.
As ZSL continues to develop, I expect to see more applications such as better recommendations and more advanced solutions that automatically flag bad content within categories on social media. I also envision a strong development of ZSL in the robotics field.
The Zero-Shot learning method is similar to human vision in many ways, therefore it can be used in robot vision. Instead of performing recognition on a limited set of objects, using Zero-Shot learning it is possible to recognize every object.
I have no dounts that ZSL could help transition AI away from today’s limited applications and toward the kind of versatility that’s so natural for humans.
For more information, I recommend this video:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBnCcr-3bXc&t=626s | https://towardsdatascience.com/applications-of-zero-shot-learning-f65bb232963f | ['Alexandre Gonfalonieri'] | 2019-09-03 14:38:37.252000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Business', 'Technology', 'AI'] |
1,603 | AI creating Human-Looking Images and Tracking Artificial Intelligence Programs in 2020 | AI creating Human-Looking Images and Tracking Artificial Intelligence Programs in 2020
Machine Learning Transforming Veterans Benefits
The Dutch artist, Bas Uterwijk is using artificial intelligence to create human portraits from paintings by combining with deep learning to change statutes to human faces.
The same applies to paintings where the AI software includes photo attributes such as light and variations to make the picture clear. The Artbreeder AI program recreates new images from scratch by using data points, which copy the photos.
The global competitiveness of the United States in artificial intelligence is declining because of poor management at the Department of Defense. Tracking artificial intelligence programs and encouraging data sharing are needed to make the US a global leader in AI.
The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is creating a standardized AI definition and developing governance policies around artificial intelligence.
Veterans face challenges claiming their benefits and a new machine learning application, Content Classification Predictive Service (CCPS), is spearheading efficient services and accuracy in handling veteran claims. Veterans wait for long as staff members check claims manually but CCPS can review information within a short time.
These and more insights on our Weekly AI Update
AI creating Human-Looking Images
Artificial intelligence is helping to create human-like portraits from statues and paintings of famous faces.
Bas Uterwijk a Dutch native artist used AI to create the photo-style portraits. He focused on well-known figures including Vincent Van Gogh and Napoleon Bonaparte. The #deeplearning technology enabled him to take a photo of a statue or a painting and turn it into a more human-like face. The software uses data points to pick up on facial features and photographic qualities.
The AI is called Artbreeder and can also create human-looking images from scratch. So far, they’ve worked on 50 to 60 of the AI-generated pictures¹. The artist is working on a model that could show Anne Frank at an age she never reached.
Tracking Artificial Intelligence Programs
Poor management of artificial intelligence projects in the Department of Defense could erode the United States’ competitive advantage in the emerging technology, the Defense Department’s watchdog warned in a July 1 report.
The DoD inspector general suggested the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, established to facilitate the adoption of artificial intelligence tools across the department, take several steps to improve project management, including determining a standard definition of artificial intelligence, improving data sharing and developing a process to accurately track artificial intelligence programs. The JAIC missed a March 2020 deadline to release a governance framework. It still plans to do so, according to the report, but that date is redacted in the report.
The inspector general started the audit to determine the gaps and weaknesses in the department’s enterprise-wide AI governance², the responsibility of the JAIC. After starting its audit, the DoD IG determined the organization had not yet developed a department-wide AI governance framework.
Machine Learning Transforming Veterans Benefits
Veterans deserve fast access to their disability benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs is using a new #machinelearning tool³ to deliver these benefits to Veterans more quickly.
The tool’s name is not easy to remember — Content Classification Predictive Service (CCPS) Application Programming Interface (API) — but the results are certainly hard to ignore. VA’s Office of Information and Technology (OIT), working collaboratively in partnership with Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), developed and implemented CCPS to reduce the average time to establish Veteran disability compensation claims by three and a half days.
Credit: Clarianchalets
CCPS is also helping VA improve service to Veterans by increasing the speed and accuracy of disability claims reviews. The tool automatically performs repetitive tasks that formerly required staff review and input.
During its first week of use, CCPS helped VA establish 3,994 out of 8,368 claims (48 percent) automatically without the need for manual intervention. Previously, VBA only processed about two percent of disability compensation claims automatically.
Visual Causal Discovery Network
Researchers at MIT, University of Washington, and the University of Toronto describe an AI system that learns the physical interactions⁴ affecting materials like fabric by watching videos. They claim the system can extrapolate to interactions it has not seen before, like those involving multiple shirts and pants, enabling it to make long-term predictions.
Causal understanding is the basis of counterfactual reasoning, or the imagining of possible alternatives to events that have already happened. For example, in an image containing a pair of balls connected to each other by a spring, counterfactual reasoning would entail predicting the ways the spring affects the balls’ interactions.
The researchers’ system — a Visual Causal Discovery Network (V-CDN) — guesses at interactions with three modules: one for visual perception, one for structure inference, and one for dynamics prediction. The perception model is trained to extract certain keypoints (areas of interest) from videos, from which the interference module identifies the variables that govern interactions between pairs of keypoints.
Encouraging Growth in AI Research
The National Research Cloud, which has bipartisan support in Congress, gained approval of several universities, including Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and Ohio State, and participation of Big Tech companies Amazon, Google and IBM.
The project would give academics access to a tech companies’ #clouddata centers and public data sets, encouraging growth in AI research⁵. Although the Trump administration has cut funding to other kinds of research, it has proposed doubling its spending on AI by 2022.
The research cloud, though a conceptual blueprint at this stage, is a sign of the largely effective campaign by universities and tech companies to persuade the American government to increase government backing for research into #artificialintelligence largely due to its recognition that AI technology is essential to national security and economic competitiveness.
Artificial Intelligence assisted Robot Delivery
Refraction AI’s last-mile delivery robot⁶, the REV-1, has seen an increase in lunch delivery requests since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Unsurprisingly, this contactless delivery option is now seeing a demand surge amid the coronavirus pandemic: Refraction AI has received three to four times more orders with the REV-1 since the start of the pandemic.
The company, which first launched in July 2019, built the robot specifically for last-mile deliveries between stores and customers in urban communities like Ann Arbor, Mich., where the pilot program is now taking place.
Customers in the Ann Arbor community who live within the 2.5-mile delivery radius can sign up for REV-1’s pilot lunch delivery program that’s partnered with four three Asian and one Mexican restaurants, according to Refraction AI . There are also currently more potential partners still on a waitlist.
AI-enabled Robotics for Waste Recycling
When China restricted the importation of recyclable waste products in 2018, many western companies turned to robotic technologies to strengthen their processing capabilities. To recycle in a cost-effective, comprehensive and safe way, goods must be broken down into their constituent commodities to be sold on, in a process that has been likened to “unscrambling an egg”.
Roboticists think that computer vision, neural networks and modular robotics can enable a more intelligent, flexible approach to recycling. AI-enabled #robotics⁷ can identify items based on visual cues such as logos, colour, shape and texture, sorting them and taking them apart.
It can spot a Nestlé logo depicting a cow and surmise that it is a dairy product. Such systems excel at identifying small items, such as the coffee pods used in Nespresso machines, which, while technically recyclable, are not always recycled.
The Montreal AI Ethics Institute
The Montreal AI Ethics Institute, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to defining humanity’s place in an algorithm-driven world, today published its inaugural State of AI Ethics report⁸. The 128-page multidisciplinary paper, which covers a set of areas spanning agency and responsibility, security and risk, and jobs and labor, aims to bring attention to key developments in the field of AI this past quarter.
Credit: Zephyrnet
The State of AI Ethics first addresses the problem of bias in ranking and recommendation algorithms, like those used by Amazon to match customers with products they’re likely to purchase. The authors note that while there are efforts to apply the notion of diversity to these systems, they usually consider the problem from an algorithmic perspective and strip it of cultural and contextual social meanings.
The authors advocate a solution in the form of a framework that does away with rigid, ascribed categories and instead looks at subjective ones derived from a pool of “diverse” individuals: determinantal point process (DPP). Put simply, it’s a probabilistic model of repulsion that clusters together data a person feels represents them in embedding spaces — the spaces containing representations of words, images, and other inputs from which AI models learn to make predictions.
An Ethical Eye on AI
Researchers from the University of Warwick, Imperial College London, EPFL (Lausanne) and Sciteb Ltd have found a mathematical means of helping regulators and business manage and police Artificial Intelligence systems’ biases towards making unethical, and potentially very costly and damaging commercial choices — an ethical eye on AI.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly deployed in commercial situations such as using AI to set prices of insurance products⁹ to be sold to a particular customer. There are legitimate reasons for setting different prices for different people, but it may also be profitable to ‘game’ their psychology or willingness to shop around.
The AI has a vast number of potential strategies to choose from, but some are unethical and will incur not just moral cost but a significant potential economic penalty as stakeholders will apply some penalty if they find that such a strategy has been used — regulators may levy significant fines of billions of Dollars, Pounds or Euros and customers may boycott you — or both.
So in an environment in which decisions are increasingly made without human intervention, there is therefore a very strong incentive to know under what circumstances AI systems might adopt an unethical strategy and reduce that risk or eliminate entirely if possible.
Spearheading Data Science Initiatives
Princeton University researchers will push the limits of data science by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning across the research spectrum in an interdisciplinary pilot project made possible through a major gift from Schmidt Futures.
The Schmidt DataX Fund will help advance the breadth and depth of data science impact on campus, accelerating discovery in three large, interdisciplinary research efforts and creating a suite of opportunities to educate, train, convene and support a broad data science community¹⁰ at the University.
The Schmidt DataX Fund will be used to enhance the extent to which data science permeates discovery across campus and infuses machine learning and artificial intelligence into a range of disciplines. Many researchers and educators are eager to bring data science to their fields but lack the expertise, experience and tools.
The funds will support a range of campus-wide data science initiatives led by the Center for Statistics and Machine Learning, including: development of graduate-level courses in data science and machine learning; creation of mini-courses and workshops to train researchers in the latest software tools, cloud platforms and public data sets.
Neutralizing COVID-19 with Robotics
MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is developing complex spaces easier to sanitize. Working closely with the Ava Robotics and the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), CSAIL team created a UVC structure that disinfects surfaces and neutralizes coronavirus particles lingering in the air. Fitted atop an Ava Robotics base, the robot could be trained to navigate spaces #autonomously in the future.
The ultraviolet light works best on directly visible surfaces, but even reflected light in nooks and crannies is effective. During tests at GBFB’s warehouse, the prototype robot was teleoperated to get the lay of the land, but it’s equipped to navigate the area without supervision someday. The robot slowly moves through the 4,000 square foot warehouse, neutralizing 90 percent of coronaviruses¹¹ on surfaces within half an hour.
Deloitte AI Institute for Research and Applied Innovation
Deloitte has opened the Deloitte AI Institute for research and applied innovation. The institute will publish cutting edge research, covering focus areas such as global advancements, the future of work, AI ethics, and case studies. The premier publications will include the bi-annual State of AI in the Enterprise study, as well as the Trustworthy AI framework for ethics¹².
The institute’s network will also bring together top industry thought leaders and academics, startups, R&D groups, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators. To this group, Deloitte will add its applied AI knowledge and understanding of industry pain points in order to help clients transform quickly with AI.
The network’s thought leaders will also include prominent ethicists, who will work with Deloitte and top stakeholders from all parts of society to co-design effective policies for AI ethics.
Works Cited
¹AI-Generated Pictures, ²AI Governance, ³Machine-Learning Tool, ⁴Physical Interactions, ⁵Encouraging Growth in AI Research, ⁶Delivery Robot, ⁷AI-enabled Robotics, ⁸State of AI Ethics Report, ⁹Insurance Products, ¹⁰Data Science Community, ¹¹Coronaviruses, ¹²Trustworthy AI Framework for Ethics
More from David Yakobovitch:
Listen to the HumAIn Podcast | Subscribe to my newsletter | https://medium.com/towards-artificial-intelligence/ai-creating-human-looking-images-and-tracking-artificial-intelligence-programs-in-2020-1fb3174e49b | ['David Yakobovitch'] | 2020-09-07 18:01:01.467000+00:00 | ['AI', 'Technology', 'Future', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Computer Vision'] |
1,604 | QuickBooks Users Can Connect Their Invoices Seamlessly With XinFin Blockchain Network | QuickBooks Users Can Connect Their Invoices Seamlessly With XinFin Blockchain Network
QuickBooks users get more financing options to unpaid invoices with InFactor.
XinFin, built on an interoperable XDC protocol, today announced that QuickBooks users will be able to connect their invoices seamlessly with InFactor, a blockchain-based invoice factoring application developed by TradeFinex Dev team. InFactor is highly interoperable with legacy systems and other blockchain platforms which makes it easier for QuickBooks users to get more financing options to their unpaid invoices without shifting invoices between multiple systems.
QuickBooks is an accounting software package developed and marketed by Intuit. QuickBooks products are geared mainly towards small and medium-sized businesses and offer on-premises accounting applications as well as cloud-based versions that accept business payments, manage and pay bills and perform reports generation.
“The seamless connectivity and interoperability of InFactor application with QuickBooks will allow small businesses to improve their liquidity by saving them the trouble of uploading every single invoice for factoring on InFactor. InFactor will capture the existing data sets from QuickBooks and map them automatically onto its app enabling small businesses to connect with global financiers quickly; giving them access to a larger market for factoring”, said Can Inac, Ecosystem Partner, XinFin.
Here’s a step by step guide to QuickBooks integration: https://github.com/XinFinOrg/Developer-Resource/blob/master/docs/dapp/infactor.io/quickbook-integration.md
*Please note that it’s a TestNet PoC URL and will go into production once XinFin MainNet gets launched.
For troubleshooting, please join XinFin Public Slack Channel and XinFin Telegram Developer Community.
XinFin Hybrid Blockchain Network employs Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) Consensus which brings singularity of validator nodes (full nodes) into the picture, making the whole network more democratic, more trustworthy, more stable, and more self-sustainable. Masternodes are benefitted in the form of reputation building, enhanced reliability, increased incentive gains, and capability to deploy their own dApp/use case on the network.
Interested Institutions looking to setup KYC enforced XinFin (TestNet) Masternodes, please click here.
TradeFinex, a dApp based on top of the XinFin Hybrid Blockchain Network, is an open standard protocol for global trade and finance aiming to mitigate counterparty risks by enabling financial instruments to be more interoperable and liquid. An Open API platform ready to connect, TradeFinex has initiated a consortium with open invitations to address peer-to-peer trade finance and asset tokenization of real-world assets. TradeFinex invites Global Public Investors (GPIs), regulators, fintech companies, and financial & government institutions for the same.
To be a part of this change as a Consortium founding member, please click here.
About XinFin:
XinFin is an open source enterprise-ready Hybrid Blockchain for Global Trade and Finance. It combines the power of Public and Private Blockchains with interoperable smart contracts. XinFin is fully EVM compatible. For more information on XinFin, please visit www.xinfin.org or learn more about XinFin in this video.
Follow XinFin on:
Twitter: ( @ ) XinFin_Official
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xinfin/
Telegram: https://t.me/xinfintalk | https://medium.com/xinfin/quickbooks-users-can-connect-their-invoices-seamlessly-with-xinfin-blockchain-network-35cac125b52f | ['Xinfin Xdc Hybrid Blockchain Network'] | 2019-04-08 08:50:36.705000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Blockchain', 'Finance', 'Technology'] |
1,605 | What’s the best IDE for developing in Kotlin? | If you’re getting starting with Kotlin — which fully interoperates with Java and is the preferred language for Android developers — then you might be curious what options you have for IDEs.
You wouldn’t be alone — after all, it’s a question we should all ask ourselves any time we’re taking on a new programming language. With 72.6% of Stack Overflow’s 2019 Survey respondents saying they “Loved” Kotlin, it’s clear that the language is well-regarded and growing in terms of users.
To assist you in your decision, I’ve gathered various IDEs along with some facts about what they offer as well as various internet opinions as to their pros and cons. As with everything, take them with a grain of salt as you make your own choice. | https://medium.com/cloud-native-the-gathering/whats-the-best-ide-for-developing-in-kotlin-5d5726c8388b | ['Tremaine Eto'] | 2020-06-15 08:25:22.841000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Software Engineering', 'Technology', 'Software Development', 'Kotlin'] |
1,606 | An example of SQLite Database Part 1 | How to make Note App in Android Studio
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
Here is the demo video for this article. So that you can check the final result of this tutorial if you follow from start to end.
Now I am going to design an Activity that can store notes. The design will look like this.
Here is the layout source code. I think you can easily understand the following code because it is a very simple layout design.
Let’s explain for beginners. I have taken RelativeLayout as the parent layout for this activity. Inside the relative layout, I have taken LinearLayout, align this layout in the center of the screen by applying the android:layout_centerInParent=”true”.
And Inside the LinearLayout, I have taken three EditText for taking the title, description, and date respectively, and two Buttons for saving and display the saved notes in another Activity.
Now create a package named Model where your java files should exist in android studio and right-click on the package and create a java class named note_model.
So in this note_model class, we need to declare four private variables id, title, description, and date, and then make two constructors for this java class. The first one should be the default constructor without any parameters and the second one should be the parameterized constructor which will set values of all private fields.
Then create setter and getter for all private fields. The shortcut key(alt+insert) is available for creating setter and getter functions in Android studio.
So here is the note_model class.
Let’s come to the database coding for saving the notes.
Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash
So first we need to create a package named database then right-click on it and make TableSchema class which will store our database tables name and fields as a constant. So it is easy to call variables names than writing magic string again and again. Some programmers miss spelling the table column's name then it becomes a headache. Right?
Right
So here is the class TableSchema class source code.
Basically, I have created a static note class inside the TableSchema class which contains constant variables and in these constant variables, I have stored table name and column names for the tbl_note table. So we can call these static constant variables where we need them. Because of static keyword, we can call them without creating the object of the classes.
So that’s the reusability.
Photo by Bluewater Globe on Unsplash
Let's Create SQLite Database Helper for our Note App
Here is the source code for the SQLite Database Helper class.
Let me explain MySqliteHelper class
This class extend with SQLiteOpenHelper class
The SQLiteOpenHelper class is coming with Android SDK. If you want to learn in detail about the SQLiteOpenHelper class then you should click here.
So After extending our MySqliteHelper class with SQliteOpenHelper class then it important to implement onCreate and onUpgrade methods which are coming from SQLiteOpenHelper class. And Also we need to create a constructor of our helper class to call the constructor of the supper class which will take care of handling database operations.
Now we need to create two private, static, and final fields in which we will specify the database name and version number for the database like this
private static final String DATABASE_NAME="note.db";
private static final int VERSION=1;
After it, we need to pass the Database name from the super constructor as a second argument and the version number as a fourth argument like in the below code.
super(context, DATABASE_NAME, null, VERSION);
OnCreate method
This method will be called after the constructor of MySQLiteHelper and in this method, we need to create tables in the database. So we need to write the query for creating the tbl_note in the database. We need to write a query in String variable then execute this query using SQLiteDatabase object which is coming from the onCreate method’s parameter like this.
@Override
public void onCreate(SQLiteDatabase sqLiteDatabase) {
String table1="create table "+TableSchema.note.TABLE_NAME+"("+TableSchema.note.ID+" INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, "+TableSchema.note.TITLE+" TEXT, "+TableSchema.note.DESCRIPTION+" TEXT, "+TableSchema.note.DATE+" TEXT );";
sqLiteDatabase.execSQL(table1);
}
The saveNote Method
public boolean saveNote(note_model model){
SQLiteDatabase database=this.getWritableDatabase();
ContentValues cv=new ContentValues();
cv.put(TableSchema.note.TITLE,model.getTitle());
cv.put(TableSchema.note.DESCRIPTION,model.getDescription());
cv.put(TableSchema.note.DATE,model.getDate());
long id= database.insert(TableSchema.note.TABLE_NAME,null,cv);
if (id==-1){
return false;
}
return true;
}
In this method, note_model class object passed as a parameter. So in this method, I have called the getWritableDatabase() method for opening the database in writable mode and this method returns SQLiteDatabase object. before inserting the data in the table, we need to populate the ContentValues object.
So we need to create the ContentValues class object then we need to call the put method to bind values with column names then pass the ContentValues class object from the insert method as the last argument. The first argument should be a table name and the second argument will nullHacks. Normally, we pass a null value as the second argument. And in the end, it is important to close the database object using the database.close() method. insert() method will return -1 if data will not be inserted otherwise it will return the last inserted primary key column value.
MainActivity.java
First of all, you have to enable Viewbinding for the project. Using ViewBinding, We can call all the UI objects without using the findViewById() method in an activity. if you want to learn more about ViewBinding you can check this link.
So now after, the setContentView() method I have created the MySqlitehelper class so named as the helper. So that we can call the save note method to save the notes.
Now we have to create a click listener save button object. In this click listener, I’m getting the from EditText and saving the values to the model object which I have created earlier in this article. After it, I have to make validation to check user have entered all values in the fields.
After validating the fields, now we can save notes to the database. For storing the data in the database, we have to call the save note method using our SQLite helper class object and pass the model object to saveNote method. This method will return true if data is stored in the database successfully otherwise it will return false.
That's all for this part.
Thanks for reading this article till the end. We will discuss this application in the next article. The second part will come soon. I will give you the link here.
Here are more articles. | https://medium.com/@codingwithsaud/how-to-make-note-app-in-android-studio-part-1-443ccf16921e | [] | 2021-01-01 17:39:24.207000+00:00 | ['Android', 'AndroidDev', 'Sofware Development', 'Technology', 'Sqlitedatabase'] |
1,607 | Create effective data visualizations of proportions | Create effective data visualizations of proportions
Best ways to see individual contributions to a whole and changes over time, at various dataset sizes — (includes simple, visual demonstrations, code & data)
Various visualisations of proportions
Plotting proportions of a whole might be one of the most common tasks in data visualisation. Examples include regional differences in happiness, economic indicators or crime, demographic differences in voting patterns, income or spending, or contributions of parts of a business to its bottom line. Often, the data also describes changes over time, which may be months, quarters, years or decades.
Even though they all relate to proportions of a whole, there often isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach that would work for everything.
In this article, I describe what I think are effective techniques for communicating proportions of a whole, and also changes to them over time. I will also explore changes in charts’ effectiveness as the number of data points or series change.
As always, this article will also include examples so that you can follow along and create your own, interesting, data visualisations.
For the code, I am going to use the famous Gapminder dataset, and some data of basketball shot shares for the Toronto Raptors during last season. These are simply examples of datasets showing proportions, so you need not know anything about economics or basketball to follow along!
Before we get started
Data
I include the code and data in my GitLab repo here (viz_proportions directory). So please feel free to play with it / improve upon it.
Packages
I assume you’re familiar with python. Even if you’re relatively new, this tutorial shouldn’t be too tricky, though.
You’ll need pandas and plotly . Install each (in your virtual environment) with a simple pip install [PACKAGE_NAME] .
Visualising simple proportions
Load & Inspect Data
Handily, the plotly package provides a few toy data sets for us to play with, the Gapminder dataset being one of them. We can load it with:
import plotly.express as px
gap_df = px.data.gapminder()
Inspect the data with gap_df.info() , and gap_df.head() , and we will see that it shows data for multiple countries in each year.
It includes population, and the GDP per capita — so let’s multiply the two to get the GDP data.
gap_df = gap_df.assign(gdp=gap_df['pop'] * gap_df['gdpPercap'])
Visualising single year data only
For the very first visualisations, let’s compare a few different types of charts. The initial data includes data from 1952, across 142 countries. Let’s simplify the data to collect data by continents, and for the latest year only, into cont_df .
year_df = gap_df[gap_df.year == max(gap_df.year)]
cont_df = year_df.groupby('continent').agg({'gdp': 'sum'})
cont_df.reset_index(inplace=True)
Here, the dataframe is grouped by continent, and reset the index because it is easier to deal with a ‘flat’ dataframe in Plotly Express.
The data can be now plotted, using Plotly Express. The code to plot these basic graphs are very basic. I note that for the bubble chart, I add an arbitrary variable called dataType , simply so that it can be used to align the bubbles in the Y direction.
# Pie chart
fig = px.pie(cont_df, values='gdp', names='continent')
fig.show()
# Bar chart
fig = px.bar(cont_df, color='continent', x='continent', y='gdp')
fig.show()
# Horizontal bar chart - stacked
fig = px.bar(cont_df, color='continent', x='gdp', orientation='h')
fig.show()
# Bubble chart
fig = px.scatter(cont_df.assign(dataType='GDP'), color='continent', x='continent', y='dataType', size='gdp', size_max=50)
fig.show()
I have collected the results here:
A comparison of chart types for simple, proportional data
All charts, save for column graphs, do not do well in indicating comparative sizes.
When data points are close in size, as the GDP data for Asia, Americas, Europe are, stacked bar charts and pie charts do not allow easy comparisons between the data points, as they begin from different references.
Pie charts are also problematic in that differences in angles are notoriously difficult to perceive accurately — so we will just ignore them going forward.
Bubble charts do slightly better, but because the size of the bubble relates to the size of the dataset, the differences in radii become smaller than with the column graphs (by a square root).
What happens when we add a dimension of time?
Visualising data over time
For this portion, we will need a dataframe with multiple years’ worth of data. We could use the entire dataset, but let’s still keep it simple, with just a small number of years’ data.
The dataset contains multiple years, but not from each year. We can use gap_df.year.unique() to see which years’ data are available, and choose years after 1985, which is five different years.
Our summary dataframe can be built as follows:
mul_yrs_df = gap_df[gap_df.year > 1985]
mul_yr_cont_df = mul_yrs_df.groupby(['continent', 'year']).agg({'gdp': 'sum'})
mul_yr_cont_df.reset_index(inplace=True)
The groupby method will create a multi-index dataframe, which can be best thought of as a nested index of (continent, year) (if you would like to learn more about hierarchical/multi-index, this is a great resource). Then the index is flattened again, before we plot them.
# Bar chart
mul_yr_cont_df = mul_yr_cont_df.assign(yrstr=mul_yr_cont_df.year.astype(str))
fig = px.bar(mul_yr_cont_df, color='continent', y='gdp', x='yrstr', barmode='group')
fig.show()
# Horizontal bar chart - stacked
fig = px.bar(mul_yr_cont_df, color='continent', x='gdp', orientation='h', y='yrstr')
fig.show()
# Bubble chart
fig = px.scatter(mul_yr_cont_df, y='continent', x='yrstr', color='continent', size='gdp', size_max=50)
fig.show()
Grouped columns
Stacked bars
Bubble chart
With these, the previous properties still hold true with regards to the ease with which relative proportions can be seen in bar graphs. But, new observations can be made with the addition of another dimension to the data.
The stacked bar comes into its own in being able to demonstrate changes in size to the overall sample size, although sizes each series are still very difficult to compare.
As far as grouped bar charts go, grouping along the x-axis becomes important, as comparisons between different groups become more difficult while within the same group remains easy. Try plotting and comparing these two:
fig = px.bar(mul_yr_cont_df, color='continent', y='gdp', x='yrstr', barmode='group')
fig.show()
fig = px.bar(mul_yr_cont_df, color='yrstr', y='gdp', x='continent', barmode='group')
fig.show()
Prioritising comparisons across continents
Prioritising comparisons across years
In the top figure, comparisons across years are prioritised at a detriment to comparisons across continents, and vice versa on the bottom figure.
For comparisons across both axes, the bubble chart lays out the data in a grid, which makes it easier to compare changes across both dimensions.
If the size variations in bubble charts are not perceptible enough, gridded (subplots) of bar charts might work better:
fig = px.bar(mul_yr_cont_df, color='continent', facet_col='continent', x='gdp', orientation='h', facet_row='yrstr')
fig.update_yaxes(showticklabels=False)
fig.show()
Gridded subplots
That’s great. But often, there are more than 5 data points in each axis. So, what happens if the number of series is increased?
Visualising larger data sets
Let’s repeat the plots, for all data across the 12 years of the dataset (code not shown here for brevity — see the git repo).
Here, we can already start to see some space limitations with grouped bar graphs. Comparisons across different groups are becoming more difficult also, as individual bars get lost in a forest of towering colour bars, and the relative changes in the adjacent bars play tricks with our minds.
Although this dataset visually scales relatively well with size, helped by the increases in GDP with time, it is easy to see the limitations.
As a last point, let’s take a look at a larger dataset that is less ordered.
Bonus plots: Basketball shot shares (2019 Toronto Raptors)
Over the course of an NBA season, of 82, 48 minute-long regulation minutes, a team takes about 7000 shots. In the case of the Toronto Raptors, they had 14 players take at least 1% of those shots. The resulting 15 ‘players’ (14 + 1 ‘Others’) are shown below, split up to each 2-minute segments.
This dataset is also slightly different from the above, as I will be showing distributions of percentages.
What do they look like in each of the above plot types?
Grouped bar chart
Stacked bar chart
Gridded bar subplots
Bubble chart
As the data points become more numerous across both dimensions, and as the ratios of maximum to minimum sizes increase, the bubble chart in a grid comes into its own.
In the bubble chart, what would have been a 1 to 25 change in height in a bar graph becomes a 1 to 5 change in radius. The fact that a change in size is translated to a change in radius in effect compresses the visual disparity and helps display larger ranges. It (along with the bar subplot approach) also has an added advantage of being able to demonstrate the fourth variable as the colour, as the spatial location specifies its two dimensions.
As you might be able to tell, I prefer this type of subplot approach as the dataset sizes become larger — especially as the dataset gets larger. But as you saw earlier, in other situations, other types of visualisations work eminently better.
So — what to choose?
You might have seen this coming, but in my view, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. And I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of this area in visualising proportions — of scaling, different approaches to using colours, symbol types, utilising overall distribution shapes and highlighting proportions, etc.
But I hope that these examples were at least useful to you in seeing different types of visualisations, and how their efficacy might change over sample sizes. I find that there’s nothing quite like practicing to really learn data visualisation and get better at it. So pick a dataset and go for it — the more familiar you are with the subject area, the better. | https://towardsdatascience.com/create-effective-data-visualizations-of-proportions-94b69ad34410 | ['Jp Hwang'] | 2020-02-19 06:00:03.796000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Python', 'Data Science', 'Data Visualization', 'Technology'] |
1,608 | Lots Ecosystem for Digital Assets | As history is seeing a constant surge in investors’ participation in cryptocurrency investment there’s an exponential growth in users’ demand for asset circulation. Millions of companies and individuals have come to realize the growing value and future of blockchain technology: 10% of the global GDP will be recorded on blockchain as crypto currencies become an imperative investment method.
Critics of blockchain technology claiming all or most of blockchain industrial usage is unnecessary and completely replaceable by less sophisticated methods. However, up to date blockchain technology has had a profound impact into energy and power, industrial, automotive, pharmaceuticals, aerospace & defense, food and beverages, textile and clothing, and other sectors. Blockchain simplifies business processes and ensure transparency and immutability, while eliminating intermediaries in logistics and supply chains. Up to date there’s nothing as secure as blockchain technologies, whether they are being used for financial purposes or not. A recent report by technology research company ReportLinker shows that blockchain technology in the United States’ manufacturing sector is expected to be worth $30 million by 2020 and grow at a compound annual growth rate of 80 percent to $566 million by 2025.
In the fintech world cryptocurrency has revolutionize the financial world and no critic — whether they like it or not — can say anything against that. At most they can refer to the early 2018 crypto recession. Some even complain the crypto world is not recovering from this fall in cryptocurrency prices. However, this is not the first time something this happens — nor the last! Just take a look at what happened to bitcoin prices in late 2013 with almost a 1,000% price increase followed by a recession where price dropped almost 5 times that value. The last few months cryptocurrencies have become more stable. Whether there are smalls small drops due to fake news people still continue to profit in the short term, as it happened with ripple due to its popularity with financial institution displacing ethereum a few times the last few days.
When it comes to credit, the benefits of cryptocurrency and blockchain are much greater. Both the lender and borrower can benefit in both scenarios: whether coins rise or fall. Crypto lending can open countless opportunities for raising liquidity and investment. Given the current scenario, Lots stands out as a new ecosystem for digital assets growth. As a blockchain marketplace for digital assets, it aims to offer individuals intermediary services, lending services and wealth management services to satisfy their respective needs.
For lending services, Lots is looking to provide a 3-way lending service:
User System
Our user system provides the creditworthiness of borrowers from transactions together with wallet addresses and artificial intelligence technology.
Evaluation System
By evaluating qualified crypto assets Lot’s facilitates loans through our newest and innovative quantitative and fraud detection models.
Exchange System
By using secured multi-chain loans with smart contracts and cross-chain technology, as well as independent escrow services, it allows digital assets to circulate fast, safe and easy.
An ecosystem such as this provides several advantages making your assets more valuable. Users can earn interest by lending their assets on their own terms and conditions. Users can raise liquidity against holdings without having to sell their investments. Users can borrow crypto to profit from show term as the market is volatile. Lastly, users can cover inventory shortage.
Lots ideates an ecosystem that motivates crypto asset growth. Our mission is to make assets more utilized, credit more transparent and investment more flexible. | https://medium.com/lots-epcot/a-new-ecosystem-for-digital-assets-growth-d4328b809bb7 | [] | 2018-11-01 03:29:14.514000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Technology', 'Finance'] |
1,609 | It’s Time for Apple to Make a Search Engine | Image Credit: Markus Winkler via Unsplash
Have you ever thought about something that a company should make but they never do? I’m sure back in the 90s, someone thought to themselves “Why does Porsche only make sports cars? I bet they could engineer an awesome sedan”. This fictional person would have been validated when the Porsche Cheyenne came to market. I find myself bearing this level of validation with the rumors that Apple is close to finally ditching Google and Microsoft and just saying screw it, let’s make our search engine. On the surface, this might seem like a silly idea. After all, Google and Bing do a great job of working with the iPhone and other Apple products. But upon further thought, Apple making their solution makes a ton of sense.
An Ever-Expanding Portfolio
Image Credit: Michal Kubalczyk via Unsplash
It is no secret that Apple has ambitions of becoming more of a software-driven company. This much is clear with the successful launch of services like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+ over the years. What is also clear is that the hardware side of Apple, it’s legacy wing if you will, has become completely independent of outside partners. With the news coming this week that new Macs are ditching Intel processors in favor of the company’s in-house laptop processors it calls the M1 chip, this move to self-reliance is a clear priority to Apple.
There has always been a sense of exclusivity with Apple, hence the origin of the term “walled garden” to describe how Apple attracts customers and keeps them using the companies products. For years, this has been applied to hardware products only. Where it was hard to leave Apple once you had invested in the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. The Apple Watch, for instance, is utterly useless without an iPhone or iPad to connect it to. Apple’s argument has always been that this closed-off nature is for the benefit of the end-user, that this tight integration between its products creates a more user-friendly experience. This same strategy is now being employed with the companies services as well.
Outside of Apple Music, Apple services are designed to run on Apple hardware. While Apple TV+ is available on some smart TV solutions, it is designed to be utilized on Apple hardware like the Apple TV box. Apple Arcade will only run on Apple hardware, and the same goes for Fitness+ and News+. These services are now a part of the overall Apple experience. The modern Apple computing solution involves not only committing to a hardware ecosystem but also a software one that is designed to fit in all aspects of your life. The idea that the company is putting forward is to eliminate other services from third party companies and instead have Apple handle that for you, it only makes sense then that a search engine for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac is the next evolution of that idea.
What Would an Apple Search Engine Look Like
Image Credit: Diego PH via Unsplash
It is no mystery that Google Search is by far the dominant internet search platform. In the United States, Google holds a commanding 88.4% of the internet search market while Microsoft Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo hold the bulk of the remaining web query market. There are a few reasons why this number is so lopsided. The first and foremost is that having a competent web searching platform relies heavily on artificial intelligence to be able to know what users will want to click on and how to correctly place advertisements in search to make the service more revenue and make partners continue to want to advertise on the platform. Secondly, Google search is the default search engine on all Android phones and Chromebooks which immediately positions it well. There is also the idea that Google was the first to market and focus on search creating something of a Kleenex effect when it comes to web searches, to the point that no one calls it web searches anymore.
In this market of sheer dominance from Google, how does Apple differentiate itself? Microsoft has bundled Bing in Windows devices and even gives users rewards points for using its service and cannot get to 10% market share. DuckDuckGo has gone all-in on being a search engine focused on privacy with no ads or trackers like Google and Bing, yet they too are largely irrelevant. What then, would be the appeal of an Apple-based search engine?
While DuckDuckGo hasn’t struck mass appeal with its privacy-focused approach, this is an approach that Apple could take with its efforts. Apple has created an entire marketing effort centered around the iPhone being a secure phone. The phone that doesn’t get malware as Android phones do. What Apple has that DuckDuckGo does not have is a massive marketing budget. Apple is very efficient at selling privacy as a feature, and would likely have billboards made to highlight this fact in a search engine.
An Apple search engine would be expected to keep all data on-device and have full integration into Apple services and throughout the operating system. Apple will also need to show itself as the anti-Google and avoid the temptation to serve targeted ads, especially on mobile. Apple could then easily craft a message to iPhone users that the Apple search will be a privacy-focused experience that does not track every activity and offers an ad-free experience.
While Apple making this sort of a direct challenge to a dominant Google app seems rather ridiculous, this would not be the first time that the company decided to replace a Google solution in favor of an in-house solution. Back in 2012, Apple released Apple Maps to replace Google Maps as the default navigation and maps application on the iPhone. This transition was not an easy one as early versions of Apple Maps occasionally offered incorrect information that prompted CEO Tim Cook to issue an apology. Since then, however, Apple has slowly been making the app better to the point that many iPhone users have abandoned Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps especially as the Google solution has become more bloated with unnecessary features over time. The blueprint for Apple to make a search engine competitor to Google is there, and Apple has shown that it can build a competent alternative to Google apps.
The Walled Garden Grows Larger
Image Credit: Omid Armin via Unsplash
In many tech circles, fans often joke about Apple’s “walled garden”. Where once someone starts using Apple products, they stay locked in because Apple has a way of creating a reliance on its services. In the past, this has meant creating lock-in through services like iMessage, FaceTime, and AirDrop. Now it seems that the company is starring to double down on this strategy and create more of a sense of exclusivity. One of the few remaining obstacles to cross seems to be the search engine, in terms of something that is interacted with daily by the user.
When you go down the list of first-party software solutions that Apple has made the standard on iPhone, the progression towards this seems natural:
Apple Music : the default music streaming service that gets new features on iOS first
: the default music streaming service that gets new features on iOS first iCloud : Apple’s in-house cloud storage system only available on Apple hardware
: Apple’s in-house cloud storage system only available on Apple hardware iMessage : Apple’s proprietary instant messaging service that only works with Apple hardware
: Apple’s proprietary instant messaging service that only works with Apple hardware Apple News+ : the new way to get curated news on Apple devices
: the new way to get curated news on Apple devices Apple TV+ : Apple’s way of competing with Netflix, Hulu, and Google TV
: Apple’s way of competing with Netflix, Hulu, and Google TV Apple Calendar: the default way of scheduling events on the iPhone
Apple’s messaging with all of these software solutions is that the company will create the best experience for Apple users through its apps as opposed to having to rely upon third-party solutions. Yet with the most simple of internet-related smartphone tasks, the web search, the company still does not have a solution and relies heavily on Google and Bing services to cater to its users. This is the missing piece of the Apple mobile computing puzzle that the company will look to solve sooner rather than later.
By having its search engine for iPhone users, Apple will create an argument of justification for the high price of the iPhone. Apple has never been a phone maker that makes low-end or “cheap” devices. iPhones always have and always will demand a price premium. Where a company like OnePlus is trying to diversify its portfolio with $200 Android phones, Apple remains adamant that its phones are worth paying extra for. Part of this is the Apple experience of tightly integrated software complemented by excellent hardware.
Moving forward, these software solutions are what will drive the differentiation of the iPhone versus a sea of Android competitors. The only way that Apple knows how to differentiate is through exclusivity. Having a dedicated search engine that is exclusive to Apple hardware creates this sense of exclusivity where the company can actively market a search engine without data tracking and ads that are ready out of the box on every new iPhone. By being able to mention all of these exclusive software features that cannot be accessed on anything but an iPhone demand is created beyond the simple aesthetics of the hardware. Apple has realized that the future of its smartphone business revolves around software more than hardware, and the company building its search engine will be a step in this direction. | https://medium.com/swlh/its-time-for-apple-to-make-a-search-engine-8fca5a680fd9 | ['Omar Zahran'] | 2020-11-16 17:43:11.408000+00:00 | ['Apple', 'Innovation', 'Technology', 'Search Engines', 'Business'] |
1,610 | Substack vs Medium | Substack vs. Medium In Depth Comparison
While the infographic above helps quickly differentiate between the two platforms, it does not discuss the various subtleties and nuances which writers may be interested in when committing significant time and resources to a single platform. The content below offers an in depth comparison of the two platforms.
Platform Purpose and Intended Function
Medium:
Medium was created by Ev Williams, previously co-founder of Blogger and Twitter. He initially developed Medium as a way to publish writings and documents longer than Twitter’s 140-character (now 280-character) maximum. Basically a long-form version of Twitter that would encourage more substantive discourse. In 2017, Medium introduced its Partner Program which was implemented to help persuade writers to put their content behind Medium’s metered paywall. All of this is part of a larger attempt to make Medium a central hub of content, regardless if it is written by little known writers or by staff at one of Medium's in house publications.
Substack:
A Substack publication is an email newsletter that you can charge money for. You write it, readers pay you. Substack’s focus is on helping Substack writers maximize their earning potential under this model.
To help writers, Substack offers the following tools (for free) to all accounts:
A content management system that has been purpose-built for publishing paid newsletters.
Connection to a Stripe account to manage payments and receive money in your bank account.
A website built with mobile in mind that looks great and loads fast on any device and in any browser.
Analytics that show your email open rates, website pageviews, and subscriber counts.
Access to a growing knowledge database of best practices for running a paid newsletter business.
Platform Business Model
Medium:
Medium makes money by charging readers $5 per month (or $50 per year) to access its content, which is hosted behind a metered paywall. In the past, Medium had attempted to monetize content by allowing publications to charge subscriptions (similar to the current Substack model) but it has since pivoted away from this model.
Medium’s paywall is unique in that it is metered and not a firm paywall. Readers can read 3 articles per month, even if they are not paying subscribers. This is an important part of the Medium marketing strategy, as it entices regular readers to become subscribers.
This method is successfully used by Medium, but not many other digital media companies, because Medium has amassed a tremendous audience and they continue to build this audience through their high domain authority.
For example, if I Google:
guerilla marketing tactics
The first result (which is actually a Google featured snippet), is an article I published on Medium, 10 Creative Guerilla Marketing Tactics to Boost Your Brand, Company, or Cause.
Had I posted this on my own blog or any other site with lower Domain Authority, this article would have likely been buried 5+ pages deep in the Google search results.
This obviously encourages me to use Medium, but it also serves as a gateway for people who have never heard of Medium, to look into the platform. This is essential to Medium building their subscriber base.
Substack:
Publishing on Substack is completely free, if you choose to not charge for your content. Once you start charging, they take a 10% fee on top of credit card fees, from all of your paid subscriptions.
On one hand this is a good model because it aligns incentives for both publishers and writers — Substack writers must succeed in order for Substack the company to succeed.
That said, Substack’s fees do add up and are something worth considering if you have a large and engaged fan base.
If you are able to set up your own email marketing funnel and promote your content effectively, you may be able to earn more on Medium.
Substack’s business model relies partially upon writers utilizing the WYSIWYG tools effectively, to reach new readers, and develop a fanbase.
It’s worth noting that Substack gives you direct access to customer subscription info (emails), meaning you could theoretically walk away from the platform at some point in the future. On Medium, you do not receive reader contact info, establishing a heavier dependence on the platform and some loss of autonomy.
Successful User Profile
Medium:
It is hard to define the “profile” of the typical successful Medium writer because Medium only releases very limited earnings information.
But based on my research into top writers, generally speaking, are those who can create semi-viral content. This is largely due to the Medium writer compensation system which rewards writers financially, only for the engagement of paying readers. So in order to make significant money on Medium you must be able to draw in readers who are a part of the Medium platform itself.
There are definitely exceptions to this, but the above characterization cover probably 85%+ of top earning Medium writers.
Top Medium writers (much like Substack), do generally need to develop a niche, but the niche needs to be a semi popular niche that exists on Medium. Some examples of these niches are:
Personal development
Technology
Programming
Marketing
Gender and Social Issues
Personal Finance
Self-Help
Productivity
Entrepreneurship
Notice that while these are considered “niches” within the Medium platform, these categories are still fairly broad and would not necessarily constitute a “niche” when writing on Substack.
Substack:
Successful Substack writers typically write about a very specific niche and are sometimes quasi-subject matter experts on a topic.
Take Bill Bishop. One of Substack’s most successful newsletters is Sinocism. The Sinocism China Newsletter is an email newsletter written by Bill Bishop that helps readers better understand China.
Sinocism offers content promising to “make you smarter about China.” The newsletter is considered a must read by diplomats, policymakers, investors, executives, journalists, and academics who want to better understand China and get regular commentary on Chinese and English language news.
Before writing Sinocism, Bill Bishop was a media executive with more than a decade’s experience living in and decoding China. He previously wrote the Axios China weekly newsletter and the China Insider column for the New York Times Dealbook.
While you do not need to be an industry veteran to publish a newsletter on a topic, obviously it goes a long way toward establishing credibility on a certain subject.
Substack publications can consist of an even smaller niche. JoeBlogs is a popular blog focusing on baseball.
This type of publication works well on Substack because it unites true baseball fans around a hyper specific topic.
In contrast, it would be hard to run a successful sports publication on Medium, covering many sports. A baseball specific publication on Medium might generate some traffic due to Medium's high Domain authority but unless their is a mass appeal to Medium's paying readers, it is unlikely to generate many views from the readers whose views actually count toward Partner Program earnings (paying readers).
Writer Monetization Methods
Note: both platforms rely upon Stripe for writer payments, meaning that from a global perspective, if you are not in a country supported by stripe, neither of these are currently an option. Both seem to have formed exclusive relationships with Stripe:
Medium:
Substack:
Medium:
Medium has a clear monetization method, that can be easily used by any writer — The Medium Partner Program.
The Medium Partner Program is Medium’s program that allows writers to earn money from articles they submit.
The Medium Partner Program is open to anyone, and it even allows the re-posting of content first posted on other platforms (such as a blog post on your self-hosted blog).
Medium pays writers based on Member Reading Time — which is a measure of the total time paying subscribers spend reading your articles.
As Medium described in their post on the earnings update:
As a user reads, we measure their scrolls and take care to differentiate between short pauses (like lingering over a particularly great passage) and longer breaks (like stepping away to grab a cup of coffee). Reading time incorporates signal from your readers without hurdles. You don’t need to ask your readers to remember to clap, or click, or do anything other than read.
This process can feel a bit opaque because Medium is (theoretically) dividing up some pot of money based on subscriptions and distributing it to writers based on several propriety factors.
But the Medium Partner Program has proven itself to be a reliable stream of income for thousands of writers (myself included).
While many successful Medium writers promote their stories on social media or through their mailing lists, many focus their attention on writing and rely upon Medium’s large built in audience and the platform’s content discovery tools to drive traffic.
This combination has made Medium a popular choice among writers who want exposure while still being compensated for their effort.
Medium is 100% free for writers.
Substack:
Substack is similar to Medium in that anyone can set up a subscription newsletter easily using Substack’s free tools.
However, it is different in several ways, when it comes to how writer’s are compensated.
Substack offers little in the way of content discovery or assistance driving traffic. Rather, they focus on providing a more complex suite of tools then Medium, but then the writer is responsible for driving traffic/subscribers to their newsletter.
Substack gives writers:
A free Substack domain/website
A landing page, which can collect emails of potential subscribers or process the payments of readers ready to subscribe
An email marketing system which allows writer to simultaneously post content to their blog and to send readers on their email lists preformatted emails containing their posts.
This third point is the main difference between Medium and Substack.
As a writer on Medium, you do not have direct access to your readers’ emails. You instead rely upon Medium's curation system and content distribution system to feature you work among willing readers.
Many writers on Medium get around this by using an email marketing system (such as Mailchimp) and they insert a CTA or sign up form at the end of their articles. This functions as a hedge against being disconnected from their readers if the author decides to leave Medium or if Medium (right or wrong) decides to suspend their account.
Substack essentially cuts out the middleman. You do not need a separate email marketing sytem with Substack since al your posts are already sent to your subscribers.
Email marketing systems typically increase in price as your email list grows, so this can become a large cost for many writers on Medium. Substack currently offers this same functionality essentially for free.
Substack also lets writer’s determine the price they charge subscribers for access to their newsletter. Many writers feel they are not adequately compensated for their writing, and Substack allows them to charge whatever they want to a core group of subscribers.
Substack does have monthly minimums that author scan charge ($5 per month or $30 per year) but these threshold are generally below or at what most writers would charge for their work anyway. If you really want to charge less, you can use the promotion code hack and set an indefinite discount. For example, a 50% discount off of a $5 per month/ $30 per year plan would only cost $2.50 per month or $15 per year. I currently am running this exact promotion on my Blogging Guide newsletter:
Content Discovery
Medium:
One of the few advantages that Medium has over Substack is its robust content discovery tools. In other words, readers come to Medium for reading material, they use the search function or read content recommended to them based on their interests.
Substack:
Substack does not have a content discovery tool (or at least not yet). They do have a leader board page which displays top posts and newsletters, both paid and free:
Platform Tools
Medium:
Both Medium and Substack make it easy to create stylish and professional looking posts:
They also both have fantastic article editors:
Medium:
Substack:
However, Medium does allow for better organization of articles with their publication tool, which includes features like feature pages which can be prominently displayed at the top navigation bar of your publication:
Substack:
In general Substack offers writers more tools than Medium.
As previosuly mentioned, the built in email marketing function is probably the most useful. This ability to automatically email your readers is not only cost effective, but the data analytics are quite useful.
You can see how an email performed in terms of how many recipients it reached, how many opened it, and how many of those readers subscribed:
You can also see a breakdown of all the links clicked in your newsletter — a feature of most email marketing systems which Medium noticeably lacks:
This an extremely valuable feature. For those familiar with my analysis of Medium data analytics, Substack’s data analytics may appear a bit more sparse than Medium’s. But Substack’s data analytics includes conversion rates, which from a content creator’s perspective, is of the utmost importance.
If you want to see the activity of an individual subscriber (free or paid), click on the “Subscribers” button in the upper right hand corner of the page:
If you scroll down the page, you will see a list of your email subscribers:
If you click on a specific email, you can see the detailed activity of each subscriber:
For example, in the screenshot above, you can see that the user:
— First signed up for Medium Blogging Guide on March 11th. — Next, they received an email with my post on March 13th (Gumroad & Medium). — A few days later, they received another email, on March 16th (Platforms to Write on Besides Medium) They opened first email twice on March 17th (Gumroad & Medium). They upgraded to become a paid subscriber on March 21st
Substack’s subscriber-specific analytics provide enormous insight into the patterns of your subscribers.
You can use this data to:
Determine what posts lead to a higher subscriber sign up rate
See whether a specific user opened your latest email
Establish the proper ratio of free to paid content in order to optimize paying subscribers
Conclusion
Medium and Substack are both amazing free tools, and there is no reason you have to use just one of them.
The platforms broadly serve the same purpose (to help writers connect with an audience and make money from their content), and their differentiating factors, largely are indicative of their different functions (Medium — easy blogging, Substack — easy subscription newsletter).
If you were to choose between the two platforms, I would suggest you pick based on the following questions:
How much time do you plan to invest? — if you are looking to make money by writing the occasional article (1–2 articles per month), Medium may be the better platform. Substack subscribers generally expect several high quality/useful posts per week. Note : even though Medium may be the better platform in this scenario, that does not mean it is ideal to post once or twice per month on Medium. In order for most new writers to be successful, they should also publish a few times per week. On the other end of the spectrum if you are a prolific writer cranking out 2–3 posts per day, Medium may be the best option since there is a larger audience, and each post increases tour general reach on Medium by expanding your fan base. Substack subscribers might actually get annoyed with multiple posts per day, as you are flooding their inbox with direct emails.
— if you are looking to make money by writing the occasional article (1–2 articles per month), Medium may be the better platform. Substack subscribers generally expect several high quality/useful posts per week. : even though Medium may be the better platform in this scenario, that does not mean it is ideal to post once or twice per month on Medium. In order for most new writers to be successful, they should also publish a few times per week. On the other end of the spectrum if you are a prolific writer cranking out 2–3 posts per day, Medium may be the best option since there is a larger audience, and each post increases tour general reach on Medium by expanding your fan base. Substack subscribers might actually get annoyed with multiple posts per day, as you are flooding their inbox with direct emails. Do you have an existing following or fan base? — if you have an existing fan base, Substack is a great way to provide value to this audience. Medium is generally better for those who are trying to build a following. That said, building a following on Medium is not easy, but your content is much more likely to be featured or reach new readers on Medium.
— if you have an existing fan base, Substack is a great way to provide value to this audience. Medium is generally better for those who are trying to build a following. That said, building a following on Medium is not easy, but your content is much more likely to be featured or reach new readers on Medium. Are you writing about a really niche topic? — if you plan to write about the migration patterns of a specific type of animal or cover breaking news from Azerbaijan, Substack is probably a better bet. There is little chance that either of those topics would earn any money of Medium. However, if you are writing about multiple topics or topics that are more broad (personal finance, health, relationships, etc.) Medium will likely be an easier platform to monetize your writing.
— if you plan to write about the migration patterns of a specific type of animal or cover breaking news from Azerbaijan, Substack is probably a better bet. There is little chance that either of those topics would earn any money of Medium. However, if you are writing about multiple topics or topics that are more broad (personal finance, health, relationships, etc.) Medium will likely be an easier platform to monetize your writing. Are you comfortable advertising your writing? — If you absolutely refuse to market your writing, than Medium is probably a better platform, as it does have a large built in audience. Substack cuts through the noise by leveraging the enormity of the internet and connecting you with potential fans, but you must identify and convert these fans to subscribers in order to make any money.
— If you absolutely refuse to market your writing, than Medium is probably a better platform, as it does have a large built in audience. Substack cuts through the noise by leveraging the enormity of the internet and connecting you with potential fans, but you must identify and convert these fans to subscribers in order to make any money. Are you hoping to benefit from organic search engine traffic? — While Substack does better than most platforms SEO-wise, it is hard to beat Medium if your goal is to drive visitors through organic search traffic. There are very few platforms on the internet that have higher Domain Authority than Medium. And almost none of those that do rank higher allow guest posts from any person.
I hope this has been a helpful overview of some of the similarities and differences between Substack and Medium. If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I’ll be sure to respond!
— Casey Botticello | https://medium.com/substack-writing/substack-vs-medium-dd3761bf3c34 | ['Casey Botticello'] | 2020-08-05 01:20:37.909000+00:00 | ['Journalism', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Technology', 'Social Media', 'Writing'] |
1,611 | Buying a Bitcoin emits 195x as much CO₂ as buying an iPhone | Buying a Bitcoin emits 195x as much CO₂ as buying an iPhone Yann Eves May 2·3 min read
Today a discussion on Discord about NFTs and environmental impact respectfully erupted into a situation XKCD portrays well:
Well, it turns out I was the wrong someone on the internet.
My hypothesis was that CO₂ emissions of cryptoassets are much lower than a large US tech company like Apple when adjusted by market capitalisation¹.
To work this out I decided to compare Bitcoin with Apple and Microsoft. While Ethereum is more relevant to NFTs, reports on ETH carbon emissions are scarce and tended to be proportional to Bitcoin anyway.
At the end of 2020, Bitcoin (BTC) had a market cap of $539 billion², Apple (AAPL) $2.3 trillion³, Microsoft (MSFT) $1.9 trillion⁴.
And the estimated total CO₂ emissions (CO₂e) for 2020 for Bitcoin 35.89 Mt CO₂e⁵, Apple 22.6 Mt CO₂e⁶, Microsoft approx. 12 Mt CO₂e⁷.
While the carbon emissions for Bitcoin came up higher than I’d expected to find, my confirmation bias had convinced my limited ability in mental arithmetic that low emissions and high market cap meant I was about to nail this stat. I wanted to show crypto has a fraction of the emissions relative to tech giants. But the opposite is true.
Rounding to one decimal place, Bitcoin emits 6.7 times as much CO₂ as Apple, and 10.6 times as much as Microsoft. That is staggering.
And thus circling back to the headline you clicked on. An Apple iPhone 12 Pro late-2020 would set you back $999⁸ and one Bitcoin would cost $29,001.72⁹. On the basis that either choice supports the underlying institution and their overall carbon emissions, the decision to buy one Bitcoin versus an iPhone 12 Pro emits 195 times as much CO₂.
Does that mean cryptoassets are doomed technology? No, this spells the need for established institutions to adopt and support crypto. The demand is there. Meanwhile, we need to be more cautious of the actors we currently enable in crypto networks and the corners they’re willing to cut in the pursuit of profit. | https://medium.com/@yanneves/buying-a-bitcoin-emits-195x-as-much-co%E2%82%82-as-buying-an-iphone-5c44ee719757 | ['Yann Eves'] | 2021-05-02 22:52:55.161000+00:00 | ['Carbon Emissions', 'Environment', 'Research', 'Technology', 'Crypto'] |
1,612 | Get Ready to Have Your Temperature Taken — a Lot | Get Ready to Have Your Temperature Taken — a Lot
From here on out, security may involve a thermometer
A security guard holds a no-contact infrared thermometer at the entrance to a jewelry store in the Diamond District in New York City on June 24, 2020. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Last week, I dropped by my recently reopened gym to restart my lapsed membership. As soon as I walked in the door, a woman pointed an infrared thermometer at my forehead.
I was instantly anxious — not because I felt sick or thought I had a fever but because it was about 100 degrees outside, and I worried about what would happen if my face was too hot.
This is a feeling we’d all better get used to: Temperature checks in public spaces may soon become as ubiquitous as bag checks at a stadium or metal detectors in the airport. As the Covid-19 pandemic wears on, hospitals, transportation hubs, malls, grocery stores, office buildings, and other institutions are expected to install fever detection systems and infrared imaging technology meant to monitor body temperatures, then identify — and ostensibly separate — people who may have an infection. Market reports predict a steep incline for thermometer sales: The industry is expected to hit $3.2 billion by 2027. But temperature checks, even if they happen constantly, won’t be enough to stop the contagion. Fever isn’t the only indicator of a Covid-19 infection, which makes the security measure inherently fallible.
Still, Los Angeles, Dulles, and Tampa international airports plus two Carnival cruise lines and the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority have all begun testing thermal cameras, which are like surveillance cameras that use heat sensors to capture neon-multicolored footage. Higher temperatures show up yellow, orange, and red while cool spots register green, blue, or purple. The U.S. Department of Defense is already using them at military facilities.
Temperature tracking tech can take many forms: At the Venetian and Palazzo casinos in Las Vegas, employees are wearing “smart rings” that track body temperature using a tiny sensor. The rings, produced by a Finnish wearable tech startup called Oura, also contain an infrared LED and a photodiode to monitor heart activity based on the way light pulses through the arteries. NBA athletes playing in a quarantine-style “bubble” in Florida have the option of wearing the rings, too.
As of now, 31 state governments require or recommend that employers conduct daily temperature screenings for all employees returning to work. Meanwhile, big companies like Amazon, General Motors Co., and Tyson Foods Inc. are installing tech to screen their employees’ body temperatures.
Around Houston, Texas, scanners designed by Athena Security are becoming a common sight. They’ve been recently installed at “airports, schools, companies, and even places of worship,” says Chris Ciabarra, Athena’s CTO.
The scanners are shoebox-sized with dual lenses that can be pointed toward a door or down a hallway. To have their temperature taken, passersby just have to glance at the camera.
“These systems are appealing because they are noninvasive, noncontact, and fast,” Ciabarra says. The scanner, which uses an A.I.-based program to constantly adjust itself for accuracy, emits a notification when it detects a temperature above 99.5 degrees. “The system identifies the face of the subject, ignoring hot spots such as lights above and other objects on a person such as a cellphone or coffee. The inner canthus, or corner, of the eye is scanned because it is close to the core temperature of the body.”
But for most small and mid-sized stores and businesses (like my gym), a thermal imaging system is less feasible. Instead, checking temperatures remains a human job that often involves a handheld, no-touch thermometer that collects the infrared energy radiating from the forehead. The method has its flaws.
Ryan Nalepinski, a digital marketer in Phoenix, Arizona, experienced a recent hiccup while trying to enter his local Costco. “I parked and walked like 50 yards from my car to the door of Costco, and the woman pointed a thermometer at me,” he says. “The reading was about 100 degrees, but it was also like 110 outside.” Nalepinski wasn’t worried — he was sure he didn’t have a fever — just inconvenienced. The checker at the door wasn’t all that concerned about it either. “She just told me to come back in five minutes. I had to just walk around and wait for my temperature to cool down.”
Most stores and businesses using no-touch thermometers to check entrants plan to turn people away if they’re hotter than 100.4 degrees, which is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say is the benchmark for a fever. That’s the official cutoff temperature to enter Walt Disney World, which reopened in early July with thermometer operators at each gate. And as the tourism industry hesitantly reopens, no-touch thermometers have become a primary tool in places that haven’t had to think about health security before.
They’re being used at Steamboat Bay Fishing Club, a tiny resort on Alaska’s remote Noyes Island. The resort can only be reached via floatplane and boat and accommodates just two dozen guests at full capacity. Its seclusion is a double-edged sword: Low visitor numbers mean less of a chance of exposure, but close quarters mean a single infected person could quickly overwhelm the island resort and its staff. No-touch thermometers are being used to check each guest’s temperature daily.
“It’s being touted as an important line of defense,” says Adam Shoen, the club’s resident manager. If a temperature does come back high, the plan is to get that person to the nearest city, where they can quarantine near medical personnel. Whether it will keep the virus from reaching the secluded island remains to be seen, but, Shoen adds, “I’m sure it does give peace of mind.”
Of course, having a normal body temperature doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have Covid-19, which means a thermometer reading can’t provide the same assurance as a blood or saliva test or a nasal swab. “About 43% of patients have a fever as a symptom,” explains Dixie Harris, a pulmonary medicine specialist and critical care physician at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City. That means more than half of those carrying the virus wouldn’t be stopped by a temperature check. And for those who do develop a fever, “it usually appears within two to 14 days after initial exposure,” Harris says, so it’s not a reliable early indicator.
In fact, a study of 5,700 people with Covid-19 at hospitals in and around New York City found that barely 30% had a fever when they were triaged, and researchers have determined it’s possible to spread the virus long before a fever develops, if it ever does.
Similarly, Harris says, wide-scale temperature screening is probably not enough to halt the spread of the coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful. “It may help identify some of the symptomatic people with Covid-19,” she says, which will of course help reduce transmission.
Efficacy (and momentary anxiety) aside, thermometers are one more weapon for the arsenal in a battle that will continue until there’s a reliable vaccine for Covid-19 and likely beyond. In security tech, temperature surveillance is the next frontier: A post-pandemic world may see grocery stores, airports, and, of course, gyms, tightly restricted to those under 100 — degrees, that is. | https://onezero.medium.com/get-ready-to-have-your-temperature-taken-a-lot-9b46dfe831ef | ['Kate Morgan'] | 2020-07-23 13:51:04.361000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Covid 19', 'Health', 'Pandemic', 'Coronavirus'] |
1,613 | Connecting the Blockchain dots from China to Germany | As much as I like to talk about Berlin being an important international blockchain hub, the basic logic of a hub might be contradictory to a decentralized movement. Let’s take a look at some important companies from the blockchain space:
The Ethereum formation ConsenSys is operating from 6 continents, has offices in 11 countries and employees in 19 countries
Germany corporate VC Innogy Innovation Hub is scouting in Berlin, Essen, Palo Alto, Tel Aviv, and London
The biggest crypto exchange Coinbase has offices in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Portland, Tokyo, and London
The international VC Outlier Ventures invested in blockchain companies in Finland, Germany, US and UK
The very core of the blockchain technology is establishing consensus in distributed networks. I believe it also impacts the mindset of the blockchain peers and empowers collaborations between different ecosystems and teams, beyond regional borders. Jasmine Zhang, CEO of LongHash Germany is the person to watch out for when we are speaking about connecting Asian and European blockchain ecosystems.
Jasmine, at rent24, LongHash Germany Office
— Jasmine, you have a career background in China, England, and Germany. Could you tell us a little more about your background?
I have studied Financial Mathematics and later master in Statistics in England. By that time, I had my final year project with Deutsche Bank in London and had the chance to work with the quantitative research team on the global derivatives trading market. Later, I worked in a German consulting company in Beijing for projects like Volkswagen and Audi. With the interest in German culture, I have decided to move to Germany and got drenched into the vibrant urban tech-scene of Berlin immediately. Bridging different ecosystems has been what I have been focusing on for the past 4 years here in Germany until I joined LongHash in May this year.
Trading Bitcoin in China: Graph by LongHash
— When you compare Europe and Asia, Berlin and Beijing — is there a major difference in how people work? If so — could you elaborate on this difference?
There are a lot of differences of course. This would be one major difference for me: Germans are relatively conservative and Chinese are rather risk-takers in the perspective of fast implementation and flexibility. Germans are rigorous in being careful to consider every piece of a project before they make final decisions, while Chinese might focus on the prominent part and make the move already.
Germans are relatively conservative and Chinese are rather risk-takers in the perspective of fast implementation and flexibility
— Let’s talk blockchain. Can you remember the first time you got excited about this technology and why? What brought you to lead the LongHash?
I got into crypto scene quite late since early this year. I started to go to blockchain meetups and was amazed by the excitement of the crowd. Then I looked into it and read e.g. how blockchain can solve different user cases in reality, how many millions are raised within a minute while all the hacks, scams and attacks happen. This felt super interesting. I got reached out in May, took the position in June, and have been convinced by the vision of LongHash since then.
— Could you elaborate on the concept of LongHash? What is your “unique selling proposition”?
We have seen explosive growth in the ICO market in 2017 followed by a subdued market in 2018, but we remain fundamentally optimistic of the blockchain industry as maturing infrastructure drives mass adoption. LongHash, a global blockchain incubator, is well positioned to tap into this nascent opportunity. We provide tailored incubation services with an in-house technical delivery capability and exchange listing. Our incubation strategy is focused on early stage and tech-driven teams in key identified verticals such as decentralized finance and IOT, and we are on track to incubate a series of strong projects. Our unique strengths set us apart from our competitors in 3 major fields.
Firstly, we have the complete infrastructure and strategic investor relations;
Secondly, we have built a global network from April this year in Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, HK, and Berlin;
Thirdly, our founding team includes veterans in the blockchain space and experienced professionals.
LongHash’s educational videos
— With LongHash you combine an incubator and data-driven media. Why exactly are you focusing on these two fields? Is the data journalism platform of LongHash envisioned to spread the word about the startups you incubate?
In an industry ridden with scams, we believe it is key to incubate high-quality projects and use data to provide reliable analysis and information to educate mainstream society. This is why we had the initial idea to build our own data-driven media. This platform explains important trends in the blockchain industry and provides an unbiased article written by independent journalists.
In an industry ridden with scams, we believe it is key to incubate high-quality projects and use data to provide reliable analysis and information to educate mainstream society
It will not become a media to promote our incubated startups. Rather, it will stay neutral and help accelerate the understanding of blockchain technology. It is an investment from our side and we are not aiming to make a profit from it.
LongHash has complete infrastructure and strategic investor relations
— Did LongHash already invest in any projects in Berlin?
We had our first investment in April in MXC (Machine Xchange Coin), whose goal is to create a decentralized, global IOT economy. For us, the decision to invest in MXC was straightforward. In order to improve efficiency as a society, we believe it is necessary to shift from a centralized economic model to a flatter, decentralized economic model where resource allocation is flexible, and demand and supply are matched in real time. We are very happy to see that the team has experienced unprecedented support across the Globe sparking a keen interest in their revolutionary Device Data Blockchain solutions and the founders at MXC have closed significant partnerships with a number of cities to use the MXProtocol as part of their “Smart City” movement. They just successfully launched their public sale on 30th Sept.
— Recently you have secured a funding for the Berlin decentralized exchange startup Herdius through an ETO in China. Previously Genesis Space was financed through the ETO. Could you explain the concept of the ETO? How is it different to other forms of crypto-crowdfunding and what was the outcome for Herdius and Genesis Space?
Of course. ETO is short for Earlybirds Token Offering, which is a brand new concept raised by the Co-Founder of LongHash, James Gong, who is also a prominent KOL (key opinion leader) in Asia. With ETO, we support premium early stage blockchain-related projects to raise a small amount of fund (2,000 ETH) through a decentralized exchange CYBEX. Through the process, the projects raise kick-off money while building an organic community and CYBEX will supervise the fund in a multi-signature account later on. We aim to achieve a bigger consensus from the community and lower the investors’ (individual) risk, which are the missing links currently in this industry.
We aim to achieve a bigger consensus from the community and lower the investors’ (individual) risk
The outcome was that we have successfully raised 2,000 ETH for Herdius on 18th August and Genesis Space 4th August in 54 seconds and 51 seconds on separately. Genesis Space has recruited their community manager and CMO from these supporters as well! | https://medium.com/blockchaincircle/connecting-the-blockchain-dots-from-china-to-germany-an-interview-with-jasmine-zhang-from-10ceb81bfffc | ['Pavel Romanenko'] | 2018-11-09 11:51:15.024000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Bitcoin', 'Ethereum', 'Stories', 'Technology'] |
1,614 | Breaking News! Genaro public chain mainnet officially launches on December 12, the new era of smart data is coming | Genaro Network mainnet officially launches, promoting blockchain smart data ecosystem development
On December 12, 2018, Singapore time, the world’s first dual-strata smart data ecosystem- the Genaro Network mainnet is launching! The Genaro Network mainnet integrates a decentralized storage network with a programmable public chain. The project code name is G.A.O. (Genaro Alpha One). Genaro has successfully archived its goal of building a serverless interactive system. Now it’s time to redefine and release the value of data. Welcome to the era of smart data!
How did Genaro Network become the first smart data ecosystem with a Dual-Strata Architecture, integrating a public blockchain with decentralized storage?
Chiefly, Genaro pioneered the combination of SPoR (Sentinel Proof of Retrievability) with PoS (Proof of Stake) to form a new consensus mechanism, ensuring stronger performance, better security, and a more sustainable blockchain infrastructure.
Genaro provides developers with a one-stop platform to deploy smart contracts and store the data of DApps simultaneously.
Genaro has achieved this revolutionary technological breakthrough via the creation of the serverless interactive system. The mission is to ensure the secure migration of the core Internet infrastructure to the blockchain network.
Genaro Public Chain
Genaro overcomes the trilemma of “decentralization, security and scalability” in public chain development, revolutionizing the current status quo in the blockchain space. This technological innovation is set to bring more opportunities for the development of the global economy and of the blockchain.
The Genaro Public Chain has seven unique competitive advantages, including:
· A Sustainable Consensus Algorithm
· A Peer-to-Peer Data Sharing Network
· Scalability (incl. high TPS) Compatible with Security
· Establishment of Smart Data Channels connect to the Real World
· Construction of Blockchain-powered Peer-to-Peer Storage Network
· A Sustainable Token Model
· An on-chain Governance Mechanism
Meanwhile, in terms of core technology, Genaro Network has solid technical foundations in many areas such as consensus mechanism, peer-to-peer technology, virtual machine, compiler, and smart contracts.
The Genaro mainnet launch aims to solve a number of problems, such as: whether multiple backups will result in the waste of resources, whether there should be a penalty mechanism for the shutdown nodes and whether multi-node distributed storage should monitor and control multiple nodes, etc. Our mission is to provide the most adequate solutions possible. Developers can build a variety of applications (DApps) on Genaro’s public chain and get support from the storage network provided by Genaro.
The launch of the Genaro Network’s mainnet is a significant milestone in the project’s development, and also proves Genaro’s continuous commitment to promoting the advancement of the underlying technology in the blockchain industry. Globally, as one of the few teams that are capable of developing a public chain offering such functionality and features. Genaro’s team has been continuously committed to the industry, and their technological breakthrough makes Genaro one of the leading global shapers of blockchain technology.
Genaro DApps overview
Genaro Eden:
• Secure, private and permanent decentralized cloud storage
Genaro Sharer:
• Share idle space and earn rewards
G- Email:
• Encrypted mailbox, the first “Verifiable Encrypted Data Interaction” (VEDI) system
Users can transmit encrypted emails peer-to-peer, attach large-capacity documents, pictures, videos, etc.
In this product release, Genaro introduces two important functions: encrypted file sharing and mailbox function.
Both of these features are based on the design of Genaro public chain’s serverless interactive system, enabling users to implement peer-to-peer encrypted files, images, video sharing, and transmission.
In this technological innovation, Genaro has created a Verifiable Encrypted Data Interaction (VEDI) system to promote the future of serverless interactive systems.
Genaro Global Community
As a global blockchain community, Genaro is also committed to sharing its concept and technology around the world. The project values are adopted by many loyal supporters worldwide and have attracted many followers on the social media channels, such as Telegram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The mainnet is launching as expected, which also shows that the team is consistently realizing its promises for our community enthusiasts, who are concerned about Genaro.
At the same time, Genaro continues to expand its presence in the field of blockchain applications, actively developing solutions that are recognized by many individual users as well as enterprise users.
Genaro Network, the future of Smart Data Ecosystem for DApps, invites you to witness the new era of smart data, empowered by the revolutionary serverless interactive system!
Recommended reading: Genaro public network mainnet officially launched | Community Guide
Download Technical Yellow Paper
Genaro’s latest versions, Genaro Eden and Genaro Eden Sharer, will allow you to store your files in a more secure way and share your unused storage to earn GNX.
Get your Genaro Eden/Sharer for Linux, Windows and MAC OS right now from the official website:
Git source repository is on GitHub>>
Important:
Warm reminder to our community members, please download Genaro Eden ONLY from our official website/GitHub and DO NOT trust any referral links and reposts from anyone, otherwise, we won’t be able to guarantee privacy and security of your data and protect you from scammers.
Genaro Eden — The first decentralized application on the Genaro Network, providing everyone with a trustworthy Internet and a sharing community:
Related Publications:
Genaro’s Core Product Concept
Genaro Eden: Five Core Features
How Does Genaro’s Technology Stand Out?
Genaro Eden Application Scenarios and User Experience
The Genaro Ecosystem
Matthew Roszak Comments on Release of Genaro Eden | https://medium.com/genaro-network/breaking-news-301fc5cdb8ee | ['Genaro Network', 'Gnx'] | 2018-12-12 10:13:57.755000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Storage', 'Innovation', 'Dapp', 'Technology'] |
1,615 | We need a reset on how we think about the future — even with Biden and Harris in the White House | We need a reset on how we think about the future — even with Biden and Harris in the White House
Despite their monumental victory, president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris have their work cut out to ensure the future is as vibrant, just and sustainable as possible
Photo by Tabrez Syed on Unsplash
As news agencies across the US declared former vice president Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, a tsunami of hope swept across the country. Yet as the incoming administration sets about trying to build a better future, it faces a monumental task.
The past four years have brought us closer than ever to the edge of a future that is in danger of crumbling beneath our feet; not just through the lying, the conspiracy theories and the blatant disregard for evidence, reason and basic human rights, but through a confluence of factors that are threatening to undermine our very ability to create the type of future we aspire to.
With coronavirus continuing to kill thousands of people each day and infect hundreds of thousands more, we’re being starkly reminded of how hard it is to simply “science” our way out of complex challenges. Yet the cracks at our metaphorical feet as we stand on the edge of tomorrow are as much a product of our social, political and technological behaviors as they are our science.
More than ever it seems, we’re indulging our baser instincts to ignore the evidence in front of us and marginalize and persecute those who don’t look and think like us on a grand scale. Whether this is manifest in extremism, nationalism, or a self-righteous dismissal of “wrong-thinkers” — meaning, simply, people who don’t share our worldview — it is becoming harder to work together toward building a better future.
And to top it all, we’re becoming so wrapped up in our capacity to innovate that we’re losing any semblance of ability to make smart choices between what we can do, and what we should — either as individuals, as communities and organizations, or as a society.
These are all symptomatic of deeper tensions between our collective ability to influence and change the future, and our capacity to do this effectively. And they are tensions that we will only be able to address through re-evaluating our relationship with the future, and our responsibility to it.
Re-evaluating our Relationship with the Future
My work cuts across multiple areas of expertise and practice to better understand the complex relationship between past and future. And as it does, I’m constantly reminded of how hard it is to ensure that social, technological and political advances don’t end up causing more harm than good.
Climate change, as its driven along by our technological recklessness, is a stark reminder of this. But so are the injustices that millions of people face every day that result from ill-considered political decisions, or poorly thought-through good intentions, or even technologies that threaten what is of value to them in the name of progress.
Unfortunately, while we can recode DNA, design new materials atom by atom, and create machines that may one day surpass human intelligence, we are still remarkably adept as a species at preventing all too many people from reaching the futures they aspire to.
Because of this, if we are to learn to use our immense capabilities more responsibly — and avoid potentially catastrophic failures arising from our short-sightedness — we need to better-understand our relationship with the future, and our individual and collective roles in ensuring that what comes next is better than the past.
As with human relationships, this will not be easy. Yet if we better-understand how the intertwined threads that define who we are come together to make us supremely talented architects of the future, we can learn how to become better architects of that future.
Escaping the Shackles of Conventional Thinking
These threads reflect our imagination, our understanding, and our inventiveness. But they also encapsulate our very humanity — our beliefs, our desires, our joys and our fears, our eccentricities and irrationalities, and our ability to see and feel the world through the eyes of others.
The very complexity of how these threads surround, intersect with and influence one another creates vulnerabilities that are near-impossible to see through the lens of conventional thinking.
To navigate this landscape, we need to be bold enough to depart from conventional ways of understanding the world. This will include learning how to be informed by disciplines without being bound by them, and becoming skilled at blending and leverage expertise in novel ways. It will also mean embracing creativity, playfulness and serendipity, as we open ourselves to new ideas and opportunities.
At the same time, we need to infuse our thinking and actions with a level of humility and care for others that, too often, seems to elude us.
Only by doing this will we be able to avoid the pitfalls of the past and see ways forward to building a vibrant and just future that is resilient, agile, and full of promise.
A Pathway Forward
As the Biden/Harris team prepares to enter the White House, this is perhaps one of the largest challenges they will face.
Of course, cleaning up the chaos of the past four years, finding a pathway to a post-coronavirus future, and placing the US on an economically and environmentally sustainable footing, are all critically important short-term goals. Yet even these will not be possible without pressing the reset button on how we think about the future, and our relationship with it.
With new leadership, new ideas, and a new respect for the people and society they serve, I sincerely hope that the Biden/Harris administration will rise to the challenge of pressing this reset button and rethinking our relationship with the future.
If they do, there’s every chance that we’ll have new opportunities to work together toward a future that is more just, more vibrant, and more sustainable — for everyone, not just a privileged few. | https://medium.com/edge-of-innovation/we-need-a-reset-on-how-we-think-about-the-future-even-with-biden-and-harris-in-the-white-house-8804510d6b45 | ['Andrew Maynard'] | 2020-11-08 00:11:00.943000+00:00 | ['Society', 'Technology', 'Future', 'Science', 'Election 2020'] |
1,616 | How Local Government Can Benefit From a ‘Digital-by-Default’ Agenda | As we inch closer and closer to our departure from the EU, government and Members of Parliament are intensifying their focus on this single most pressing issue which our country is facing.
While our departure from the EU and the associated opportunities and pressures are taking their proportion of government attention, the pressures faced by local councils must not go unaddressed.
Since Labour’s spending spree — and the subsequent recession in 2008 — the Treasury is rightly committed to reducing the public deficit as a matter of moral duty towards future generations who would otherwise pay the price.
Although growth in government revenue is continuing to build momentum, local councils are likely to face continued budgetary constraints in the medium term and the need for efficient council services is likely to continue. In addition, increasing demand on council services is compounding these effects and councils need to develop innovative ways for digital transformation to improve services and reduce overheads.
Efficiency savings through use of technology
As it often the case with innovation, the private sector is quite a considerable way ahead of local government in terms of its effective exploitation of technology.
Councils are continuing to invest in smart technology through procurement, such as using smart bins to improve waste collection; digital boards to provide access to local information; and electric vehicles…
However, there are already examples of councils across the United Kingdom which are re-imagining service provision to remove redundancy and allocate resources where they have the greatest impact. These include providing scalable online services which can be licenced by other councils and integrated with existing platforms; using large data sets to extract behavioural insights in order to identify more targeted policies; and investing in IT infrastructure to facilitate flexible working patterns.
In addition to organisational and process reforms, councils are continuing to invest in smart technology through procurement, such as using smart bins to improve waste collection; digital boards to provide access to local information; and electric vehicles to reduce running costs and improve air quality.
A move towards technological solutions will usually require some level of investment. Councils have considerable capital budgets which should be far more targeted at digital solutions rather than traditional methods.
When the delivery and administration of local government services is provided in a way that optimises the leverage which technology can provide, councils can alleviate ongoing budgetary pressures and free up employees’ time to focus on more people focused activities.
Service quality enhancements through use of technology
Not only can technological solutions drive efficiency savings, many of these solutions can also deliver service quality enhancements, such as improving the accessibility, capability and longevity of local services. For example, by proving a richer set of features through a secure online dashboard, many councils are giving residents greater control and flexibility over the services they access, as well as reducing demand on customer services and administrative teams inside the council.
In a climate in which the government budget for local government is kept under control and local councils have considerable budgetary pressure, the need — and opportunity — to exploit technology effectively is as great as it has ever been, and council leaders must adopt a ‘digital-by-default’ approach.
However, there is also the need for central government to provide reforms to support and incentivise this approach. Government Digital Service (GDS) provides an excellent and growing resource for the civil service by promoting consistent and quality digital design.
Moving forward, GDS needs to be working with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to extend its arms out to local councils. The ‘Local Digital’ movement provided by MHCLG is a good start at creating the right conditions for councils to deliver excellent digital services, but more work is needed to generate consistent standards, establish best-practice, and provide procurement guidance to accelerate the transition to digital.
Rewarding innovation in local government
In addition, the funding process for local government too often incentivises failure and inhibits excellence. Councils which lack technological foresight are given extra funding to compensate, while those who are able to deliver more for less fail to be recognised.
The funding process for local government too often incentivises failure and inhibits excellence
Leaders in local government need the kinds of incentives that motivate the private sector to drive technological progress. Those Councillors who excel in this regard must be able to see the ways in which their leadership has made an impact, rather than just provide the opportunity for government to further reduce investment in them.
Why don’t we send a powerful message to those in local government by embracing a new approach to funding based on incentivising growth and digital transformation — one which rewards those who are able to deliver efficiency gains through smart use of technology?
We have some fantastic Councillors all across the country with the skill and vision to make intelligent investments in our future.
Let’s make the most of them!
This article was originally published at ConservativeHome. | https://medium.com/ideas-that-matter/how-local-government-can-benefit-from-a-digital-by-default-agenda-12fa13ed8b68 | ['Tom Bell'] | 2019-10-23 10:38:23.413000+00:00 | ['Southampton', 'Uk Government', 'Local Government', 'Digital Policy', 'Technology'] |
1,617 | Introducing Glycemic Lookup | Introducing Glycemic Lookup
A banana, strawberry and pineapple smoothy would improve anyone's day. Or would it?
Disclaimer: I built this tool because I was frustrated by looking at tiny, difficult to read PDF’s of GI tables on my phone. I am not a medical profession — and I relied on Wikipedia for a lot of the info in this post.
If you’re unsure or concerned about anything I’ve raised in this post, please see a physician.
Raise your hand if you’ve had lunch and had your productivity completed removed, with a sluggish, unproductive afternoon ahead of you.
Or maybe you didn’t quite get time to eat your lunch, and you started to feel faint.
You might know these situations are related to the amount of sugar in your blood. Maybe you recognise this as your blood glucose level. From Wikipedia, glucose is a sugar present in the blood of humans and animals. On average, 4grams of glucose is present in the blood of a 70kg (150lb) human.
However, this won’t always be the case. Whether you have diabetes, are fasting, or are experiencing other health factors, you may find your blood sugar level varies over time. Blood sugar levels in part a result of the food you eat. Blood sugar level changes are measured with a score known as the Glycemic Index.
Glycemic index (also known as a GI number) is a scoring system that highlights the impacts of on your blood sugar level from the carbohydrates in certain foods. By understanding these numbers, you can follow the effects that food will have on your blood sugar levels.
The GI describes how an individuals blood sugar level will change two after hours after eating a particular food. GI has a range of 0–100. A GI of 0 indicates zero carbohydrates present in that food, while 100 means the food is pure glucose. These scores can also be used in a related measure to calculate the Glycemic Load of different food groups, which tracks the precise amount of carbohydrates consumed in a particular meal. | https://medium.com/@jasontcrabtree/glycemic-lookup-c56a998007f6 | ['Jason Crabtree'] | 2018-12-02 08:45:03.989000+00:00 | ['Health', 'Diabetes', 'Food', 'Blood Sugar', 'Technology'] |
1,618 | Closing Curtain: The Long Death of the Movie Theater | Image Credit: Felix Mooneeram via Unsplash
If there is something that I have loved doing all my life, it is going to a movie theater to take in a new movie. There is something very peaceful about sitting in a theater and experiencing a movie without any interruptions. Especially in this hyper-connected world, there is a poetic feeling of disconnecting for a couple of hours while eating some overpriced junk food from the concession stand.
The movie theater experience is a slice of Americana that has somehow lived through the advent of the digital age. But it seems that this remnant of American society may soon be something of the past. And while many have blamed the Coronavirus pandemic for this development, the truth may be a bit more complicated than that.
A Collapse in the Making
Image Credit: Andrew Neel via Unsplash
The easy explanation for the current struggles of the movie industry is to blame widespread shutdowns of theaters due to lockdown and stay at home orders throughout the country. But upon further inspection, this is an industry that was already heading down a path of obsolescence that has been accelerated by the pandemic.
The common joke about the movie theater experience has always been the cost of concessions. But this joke was rooted in reality. The cost these days of taking a family of four to the movies has gotten comically high. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that this family will spend $100 after ticket costs, popcorn, drinks, and whatever other snacks they pick out at the concession stand. And these prices have continued to rise, to the point that it began to feel like the airport where pricing makes no sense.
This contributed to the growing sense that movie theaters and the people running them were wildly out of touch with reality. But the one thing that movie theaters could hang their hat on was the watching experience. That despite the price of entry, the large screens with crisp picture and the immersive audio experience was the absolute best way to enjoy a movie. But even that experience has been threatened these days as the popularity of the in-home surround system has continued to grow.
Just Watch it at Home
Image Credit: Chauhan Moniz via Unsplash
In the past decade, the TV’s in our homes have gotten bigger and better. Soundbars and surround setups have become more popular and re-create the audio experience that a movie theater would be able to provide. For a while, this was okay for the movie theaters because these setups were not as accessible to the masses. High-end big screen TV’s and sound setups would cost thousands of dollars that were just out of the realm of the average moviegoer.
But as time has gone on, the good TV experience has become commoditized and a perfectly fine TV experience can be had for much less than it used to cost. Companies like TCL and HiSense have released capable 4K TVs at affordable price points under $600. Even soundbars have gotten better at lower price points, making the home theater concept much more available and accessible for people that previously thought it impossible to attain.
This maturity of a technology category created a legitimate question for many people. Why go out to the movie theater once or twice a month when the experience can be easily recreated at home for less cost in the long term? The answer for most people was to leave the movie theater behind and to stay at home and enjoy shows and movies on their in-home setup. This realization has magnified during the Covid-19 pandemic as there has been a surge in Smart TV use and viewership during the quarantine period. And it is this where the true threat to movie theaters and perhaps the industry’s salvation may also lie: streaming services.
The Gift and Curse of Streaming
Image Credit: Thibault Penin via Unsplash
When thinking about the impact that streaming apps have had on the movie business, the name that is the most important to consider is Netflix. When streaming apps come to mind, it is this specific app that comes to mind first. It is interesting to look at the progression of a company that started as a service to receive DVDs by mail that was competing with Blockbuster Video, to a company that has made a renewed commitment to being a content creator. In fact, the company is releasing original content at a very high rate with 52 original titles coming to the site in November 2020 alone.
Netflix venturing into the waters of making its own content and functioning as the main course as opposed to the side dish is important to the future of the movie theater. This is because, in the early days of Netflix, the two entities were competing for different types of viewers. Companies like AMC and Emagine were attracting people looking to see a new movie, whereas Netflix was catering to people looking to watch something they may have missed at the box office at home. But as Netflix starts to take making its own movies more seriously, it now is directly competing with the movies that are coming to theaters.
Since these movies are going straight to Netflix without a theatrical release, the appeal of Netflix grows where it has become something of a hybrid. The service that can threaten both AMC and HBO equally. The success of Netflix has spawned so many streaming movie channels as a result and now the eyeballs of the masses have more options than ever. This is a threat to the movie theaters, and the fact that they have become stagnant due to the pandemic is indicative of the trouble that Netflix and the services like it are causing. But maybe there is a way that streaming could even be the solution for the movie industry.
New Way, Same Ending
Image Credit: Jake Hills via Unsplash
The way that movie makers have approached the pandemic has been interesting, to say the least. There have been a variety of approaches to the problem that have been taken. With the release of the live-action Mulan remake, Disney offered the movie on its Disney+ streaming app for a $30 price before making it widely available on December 4th. The new James Bond movie, No Time To Die, has repeatedly been pushed back due to wanting the release to be a worldwide cinematic event. Lastly, the Wonder Woman sequel was originally pushed back multiple times before Warner Bros decided on a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max streaming release date this Christmas. The main takeaway from these decisions is that Hollywood is still trying to figure out what to do about the very real possibility that movie theaters may go away soon.
In the short term, what has resulted in the resurgence of the drive-in movie theater as a solution for the movie-going experience while theaters are closed. But this is a bandaid remedy. What needs to happen is making coming to the theater (when it is allowed again) appealing. Imax theaters were a step in the right direction, while 3D movies were mostly a gimmick. What if movie theaters rebranded as event destinations? Not just for movies but also sporting events, live stream concerts (as the future of that industry is also up in the air), and lastly exclusive extended versions that will be designated for movie theaters.
All of these changes could be utilized to redefine what a movie theater can be, a media destination with immersive experiences that add value to the viewer. By diversifying the image of the venue, there can be adaptability to the movie theater while still maintaining the aura of going out to the movies. But in the meantime, movie theaters are closed and these revitalization plans cannot be put into motion immediately.
It is the movie theater industry’s lack of action years ago as people started to frequent their establishments less and less that have determined their ultimate fate. And it is their complacency in the status quo that has caused a blow that cannot be recovered from. This is the true tragedy of the story. Movie theaters and the movie-going experience have been a staple of American cultural identity for decades and are now being undone by their own complacency and arrogance. It is a plot reminiscent of a film in its own right, which is the irony of it all. I will always remember the excitement that came from seeing a new movie with friends and family on a weekend night while excitedly watching trailers of upcoming movies with a handful of popcorn. The death of the movie theater seems imminent, and perhaps it is just a sign of the times as opposed to the incompetence of an industry. But one thing is certain when the credits roll in on this chapter of pop culture history, it will be a sad day indeed. | https://omarzahran.medium.com/closing-curtain-the-long-death-of-the-movie-theater-852395df4a22 | ['Omar Zahran'] | 2020-11-22 18:55:40.950000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Movies', 'Society', 'Film', 'Movie Theater'] |
1,619 | [SEMI-GEEK] Are activation emails needed — and if so — how do we convince you they aren’t spam? | Here’s an odd but important problem, at least for us here at BlogBridge.
When you sign up for a BlogBridge account, we, like many other sites, send you a confirmation email to verify that your email is for real.
Truthfully from a security point of view, I am not even exactly sure what it proves. That at one moment in time the person creating the account also was able to receive emails at an arbitrary email address. So what? It’s so easy to get a temporary free email account, that I am not sure what it does.
So that’s question one: does an activation email really provide any benefit to anyone? Any comments?
Now a question that has come to our attention is that in many cases a person’s spam filter intercepts the activation email so the person never even sees it, and hence the account is never activated, and hence the account appears not to work.
So scenario: The sender and recipient both want the message be received, but there is a a big-brother spam filter (like Google Mail, which I think is the bestest) that insists on sidelining the email into the spam filter.
So that’s question two: Is there any way to assure a non-junk email actually makes it through? Any answers? | https://medium.com/pito-s-blog/semi-geek-are-activation-emails-needed-and-if-so-how-do-we-convince-you-they-arent-spam-10f140cd900d | ['Pito Salas'] | 2017-06-08 19:23:52.438000+00:00 | ['Blogbridge', 'Technology'] |
1,620 | A Fix For Unity 2020 Crashes With SteamVR Entering Play Mode | If you are also experiencing Unity 2020 crash/close when trying to make it work with SteamVR like me, the solutions could be here.
First Short Solution:
Upgrade your Unity version to Unity 2020.1.17 or the latest release, you are prompted to create actions file and everything works very well 🙂
Longer Path, Try to solve it with current version:
I was trying to make SteamVR work with Unity 2020.1.6. With no error, when I press play, the editor closes down with no error message. This wasn’t helpful to solve the case so cue Google search, “unity closes when I hiit play”, (yes with the typo).
This answer on StackOverflow lead me to LogFiles page on Unity Docs. As it was stated in the answer I went and looked at Editor logs from “C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Unity\Editor\Editor.log” path and there at the last line I saw the error;
[XR] [OpenVR] [Error] Action manifest file does not exist at path (J:\Work Station\Unity__Fall2020\SteamVR — 2020\Assets\StreamingAssets\SteamVR\actions.json)
In 2019 version of the editor when we enter play mode with no actions for SteamVR Input, we are prompted and create one and if we opt out in creating one we see an error in the console
In 2019 version of the Unity editor we are prompted to create actions if the file does not exist
If we are stubborn to not create one we see this error log in console
To solve this in 2020.1.6 we need to follow Window -> SteamVR Input -> Save and generate (Only the screenshot taken in 2020.1.17, for details have a look at first shorter solution)
Actions to create actions 😀
Then our project will be good to go 🙂
It works with no closing on us now
Hopefully, this will be helpful for your problem too. If there was a point not clear please let me know.
See you in the next explorations. | https://medium.com/@Scriptie/a-fix-for-unity-2020-crashes-with-steamvr-entering-play-mode-3b67dcf1f968 | ['Ece Sefercioğlu'] | 2020-12-14 17:31:21.194000+00:00 | ['VR', 'Programming', 'Technology', 'Game Development', 'Steamvr'] |
1,621 | Alex Chandler at SlidesLive: Valuing Production With Values | Alex Chandler is one of the production managers for SlidesLive, a company working to create an electronic library full of conferences and talks from around the world. Alex is from the greater Seattle area and has always had a passion for film and video production.
“My interest in video production started when I was in middle school,” Alex said. “Throughout highschool and college I would refine these skills, becoming the founder of the Tacoma Community College Film Club. And during my time in 4 year college, I studied business entrepreneurship, simultaneously winning a couple Film Festival awards; these awards encouraged me to start my own business and pursue videography full time.”
With a high quality education and a few film awards under his belt, Alex felt confident in his skills. However, the greatest learning experience was yet to come. And that was with the SlidesLive team.
“When I met Slideslive back in 2017, I had no idea how far they would take me and everything that I would learn,” Alex said. “From the beginning, I was enthusiastic to work for a company that honed their craft and took such care on every project. From day one I learned as much as I could have hoped to learn in the course of a year working for myself. This learning experience is what has kept me coming back over and over again.”
Alex can’t seem to get enough of SlidesLive. But who can, really?
The company offered Alex the opportunity to work as a Production Manager. He soon realized that working with a team was far more enlightening than working as an individual. Being around those who shared his passion allowed him to hone his skills and elevate them to the next level.
“As a Production Manager, I am in charge of preparing events, videographers, and seeing projects through to the final product,” Alex said. “This was immensely daunting at first, but with a great backend team, it quickly became second nature, and I began to work on larger and larger events.”
As Alex dug deeper and deeper into the SlidesLive world of production, he began to uncover his responsibilities and how to successfully complete them.
“The most important part of my job is making sure the team has both the equipment and the skills to capture the event,” Alex said. “When I am working on site, I can also teach and oversee production. There is a lot to being a production manager; from start to finish, I do my best to ensure client satisfaction and high production quality.”
However, successfully completing all Production Manager responsibilities with no errors is extremely difficult when technology is involved. Material can be deleted or equipment can malfunction. But with the SlidesLive team, there is always a way.
“On the surface, it may look like what we do is easy, but what you don’t see is the immense amount of work behind the scenes,” Alex said. “There are countless backups and last resort efforts put in place because if something can go wrong, eventually it will. We aren’t perfect, and I have made a fair number of mistakes myself, but these mistakes would have been far worse had it not been for the extra steps required by the SlidesLive process.”
Alex takes extra steps not only to ensure quality production but to create a healthy atmosphere for work as well. Being a leader is an essential part of being a Production Manager at SlidesLive, and Alex has done so in a friendly and open environment.
“My favorite part of working for SlidesLive team is that you cannot find a more enjoyable group of people to work with. The team is enthusiastic, funny, and a pleasure to be a part of!” Alex said.
Off the job, the crew enjoys themselves by exploring the cities they have traveled to. Alex expressed his appreciation for the travel opportunities that SlidesLive has afforded him with as well as the ability to have fun with his team after the real work is done.
“It’s not all hard work either,” Alex said. “For large conferences — I mean large conferences pre-covid-19 — we hang out and enjoy the unique sites around the area, too. I mean, after a week of 12+ hour days, it’s well deserved, and I couldn’t wish for a greater group to enjoy my time with.”
Nevertheless, team bonding is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what Alex loves about the SlidesLive world. Unlike larger companies that seem to be operated with loose morals, SlidesLive functions as a true public service, striving to create the Library of Alexandria of the 21st century.
“Throughout my life I have struggled working for companies with poor values,” Alex said. “Then I met SlidesLive. They truly care about their customers and their vision to create a directory for all of the talks in the world. I can confidently say that no matter where you are, or what size conference or talk you want captured, SlidesLive is the best option.” | https://medium.com/@slideslive/alex-chandler-at-slideslive-valuing-production-with-values-80ccbf3d29bb | [] | 2020-07-07 15:09:12.910000+00:00 | ['Manager', 'Technology', 'Media', 'Production', 'Values'] |
1,622 | How to keep your Battery healthy | Many people asked me how to really keep the battery’s life as long as possible. I’ll soon write my bachelor thesis in Computer Science at a Bavarian Technical University of Applied Sciences and had a basics course in Electrical Engineering. Due to the importance of such batteries in my study, I have learned more about it and have been informing my friends and family about the correct usage. I worked at a company in the field of digital health what brought me experience concerning the current topic.
LiPo batteries in a nutshell
A lithium polymer battery is rechargeable and of lithium-ion technology. The voltage of a LiPo cell varies from about 2.7 - 3.0 V (discharged) to about 4.2 V when fully charged. Usually, the embedded developers implement artificial voltage limits (low and high) to protect the battery a bit.
Temperatures and charging duration
LiPo cells don’t stand cold or hot temperatures in the long run. Further, they suffer damage when they get discharged them to 20 % or less too often. battery or charging it more than 80 %. It is better to charge your phone more often than discharging and charging it almost completely. You can charge a phone over 80 % without really damaging it, as long as you use the battery until you reach the limit of 80 % in the next minutes or rather hours.
Furthermore, the best idea would be to keep the battery level at 50 % which is impossible (more or less).
Got a new smartphone*! How to deal with it?
Yes, the rumor that the phone should not be used immediately after unpacking it is right. Often, the batteries are in a long-term preservation to prevent harming it while storing over months or years. To get the whole battery capacity, you can wake it up by charging it about 100 %. Note, you should use the 20 - 30 % in the following time. But after charging, you can install and initialize your device.
* a device running with a LiPo battery
Charging overnight
Generally, I try to avoid charging my iPhone overnight. In a normal night I definitely get more than 2 - 3 hours sleep which means the battery is still charging in the morning although it reached 100 %. As a battery, this must feel like hell. In the morning, while I have breakfast and a shower, the device is charged until a maximum of 80 % when needed.
Charging continuously
Some people don’t care about their laptop, they don’t disconnect the cable after reaching even 100 %. As I had to learn, batteries wear out very fast when you don’t unplug it from the power supply.
An artificial 80 % battery limit
Some manufacturers have a feature which stops the power supply when reaching 80 %. Apple, for instance, implemented a new feature using machine learning technology to learn when you wake up (to reach 100 % until then). It waits to finish charging past 80 % until you use it. I really can’t understand why anyone would implement such a feature while it would be way easier and more useful to implement an artificial limit of 80 %. This protection really helps the battery, because you could never overcharge it until you disable the feature (when you need the full capacity). The physical and software side implementation exists and works for a long time, the iPhone blocks the power supply when charging it with the laptop or other computers in some cases.
Monthly calibration
A battery should be calibrated every month. This can be done by discharging and charging it fully (yes, about 100 %). You can charge some minutes longer after reaching 100 % since the maximum battery is often less than 4.2 V. You should then have the full capacity again.
My experience
All my phones I had had their full capacity of 100 % for a very long time such as the current, which is about 9 months old. Of course, I have followed the tips above for years. I would recommend everyone who cares about battery capacity to follow my article. | https://medium.com/@danielhentzschel/how-to-keep-your-battery-healthy-80d8a1a4bdb7 | ['Daniel Hentzschel'] | 2019-09-25 17:23:57.507000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Embedded Systems', 'Battery', 'Computers', 'Smartphones'] |
1,623 | How can tech improve the life of Small Businesses ? | Relying on tech to enhance a business’s product and sales is not the exclusive privilege of huge corporations.
In fact, I tend to believe that Small & Medium businesses, due to their size and agility, gain faster and more impactful results following the implementation of some new technology and data solutions.
Below you’ll find a few use cases pleading the cause of tech for SMBs. This is in no way a comprehensive list, just a quick conversation starter. Feel free to add any feedback or idea in the responses :).
Use case #1: Social network marketing
Instagram, Google, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok… all of these websites & apps rely on hyper-targeted advertising to make money, providing access to a pool of potential clients to any kind of business. Even though this business model has a lot of issues (Cambridge Analytica comes to mind), it is very helpful when leveraged in good faith and in compliance with any privacy regulation in place.
So, to get more visibility in these social networks, you can either try your hand at organic marketing (by creating a page on the site and delivering great content) or rely on paid promotion to directly target your potential customers.
As always, the best approach is a mix of both, mixing an impactful social media presence (just look at Wendy's for organic marketing done right) as well as surgical strikes to “hook” your potential leads into getting to know about you.
Quick use-case action plan:
Identify your target persona: what’s the age, habits, likes and dislikes of your typical target customer? What are their values, what are their main issues in regards to the problem you are solving? Define an “editorial line” for your social media communications: what will be the tone, vocabulary, humor, associated to your future posts ? Create the social media page, create posts and gather feedback. Iterate on what works, in order to create a positive loop for your page Once you know what works, you can implement targeted ads that lead either to your social media page, or website, based on the persona you identified in step 1.
Use case #2: Leveraging data analytics
Data and its derivative (Big Data, Data Science) is the buzzword of the past decade. Everybody in the corporate world wanted to pivot to a data-driven activity, leverage data, gather insights, and so on. Even though the implementation of their vision proved to be a tad more complex than using an Excel spreadsheet, these businesses are not wrong in their ambitions.
Analysing the data your activity produces can help in assessing your performance (sales, revenue, the usual), gathering useful insights about your activity (“hey, we sell the most burgers on Wednesdays, pizzas on Fridays”) and identify any “invisible” issue that may not be detectable by reviewing atomic events (“our clients take an average of 40 days to pay us, which kinda ruin our cash flow”)
Putting in place a data collection and analysis process can help you ask yourself better questions, and then provide even better answers to them.
Quick use-case action plan:
Create a list of all the business questions you would like to answer (e.g “what’s my best selling product, by day of the week?”) In front of each item of said list, identify the data that may help you provide an answer. For example, for the previous question, the necessary data would be your product sales and revenue data, for at least a period of one week. Design a way to efficiently and reliably gather the data. Your endgame here is to end up with an Excel or CSV file that can be leveraged with data analysis tools. It really depends on your workflow, but most tools now provide a way to extract data from them. If all else fails, you can construct the data file by hand, but it can be both time-consuming and prone to data input risk. Clean your data. By that, I mean that your data should be as coherent as possible before being analyzed: if a specific data column requires numbers (e.g.: “Number of products sold”), then the data should be a numeric value. Scope out discrepancies regarding the type of data, the value, and any outlier that seems too weird to be true. Now is finally the time to analyze the data. To do so, you can either use a simple software (Excel does the trick for simple analytics), or a more involved one. The restitution of the results can, as well, be done in an Excel chart or using a dedicated data vizualisation tool (such as PowerBI or Tableau) Based on the analysis, gather insights and further questions that you could ask based on the data you have. You can also try and automate the data preparation and cleaning process.
Use case #3: Automation
In the past decades, automation completely changed the way factories operate. Repetitive tasks were all given to machines which were less prone to RSI and the soul-crushing nature of doing the same few movements everyday.
That pivot is slowly creeping on us, for software-related tasks. Automation is the best way to liberate time in our days that could be better spent than on low-value, high repetitions tasks.
The obvious example would be the data collection use case I presented earlier, but automation can also be leveraged in the mass sending of emails for example (marketing), or the preparation of invoices, vouchers and other documents that follow a strict template.
A lot of tools exist for automation, such as AutoUI, Wintask, or even online tools like Zapier or IFTT. In addition, automation can also be achieved using ad hoc programming with Python or VBA. You should try out all these tools in order to identify which one better suits your needs.
Quick use-case action plan:
Identify your low-value, high-repetition tasks: for example, do you spend 4 hours a week creating invoices ? For these tasks, identify how you could automate them. More often than not, it’ll involve a bit of programming or reliance on a third-party tool; Implement the automation process and test it out on a small sample of data; Roll-out the automation process for the tasks you have identified.
Use case #4: Feedback collection
All of these news means of interaction makes it easier than ever to collect feedback from leads and clients, to ensure that our business is heading in the right direction.
Tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms or Microsoft forms can help you create simple surveys and quickly send them to your clients (for example, by sharing the link on your social media pages).
A heavily recommended way of gathering feedback is to calculate your business’s Net Promoter Score, or NPS in short.
To quote Medallia (who provides feedback collection solutions):
The Net Promoter Score is an index ranging from -100 to 100 that measures the willingness of customers to recommend a company’s products or services to others. It is used as a proxy for gauging the customer’s overall satisfaction with a company’s product or service and the customer’s loyalty to the brand.
A simple “would you recommend our services” question is enough to get an estimate of your NPS.
Quick use-case action plan:
Using a survey tool, create a quick 2-min survey to get feedback from your clients. At the very least, include an NPS question. Share it and study the results.
Use case #5: new business models
The last use case is a broader one, and is more a general recommendation than a concrete process.
Technology brings change. Taxi drivers across the world saw their business change overnight (for better or for worse) when Uber arrived in their city.
Likewise, foodtech startups gave all restaurants the opportunity to deliver food directly to their customer, which lead to the appearance of “cloud kitchen” restaurants with no way to eat in. Only delivery or takeaway is proposed to the clients. Needless to say that these restaurants have way less overhead costs, and can change their menu and brand at an incredible speed.
Always remain on the lookout for ways technological innovation may alter your market. It’s always better to be ahead of the curve and anticipate a tsunami, than to be swallowed by it. | https://medium.com/@stairflyero/how-can-tech-improve-the-life-of-small-businesses-20d5d0bc8dd6 | ['Elias Arfi'] | 2020-12-25 05:07:52.416000+00:00 | ['Small Business', 'Digital Transformation', 'Technology', 'Business Strategy', 'Business'] |
1,624 | How to Learn CMake in Just 20 Minutes | Photo by Yancy Min on Unsplash
If you have ever worked or written a C or C++ project, you have probably heard of the build system called CMake. For programmers that are new to C or C++, the concept of a separate build system usage a separate language may seem odd. However, knowledge of how to properly to properly compile, build and package a project is absolutely essential knowledge for a C++ programmer. In this guide, the roles CMake plays as a build system will be explained, and the most essential aspects and features of CMake will be discussed. You will learn how to use CMake to build libraries and executables, in hopefully under 20 minutes.
Why is CMake even used?
Unlike many other programming languages, there is no centralized distribution of one, singular C++ compiler. The C++ language is modeled after an ISO standard specification, which several vendors of compilers like Microsoft or Clang, then implement. Each of those compilers, has different settings and options, and runs on a different operating system. Most C++ programs are intended be written to run cross platforms and on any modern compiler, doing that with a custom build script would prove difficult. It would require detailed knowledge of each compiler and operating system, and a ton of boilerplate code.
CMake generates build systems for C++ projects from an abstract script written in the CMake language. CMake provides an interface to specify build options and processes, without being concerned with compiler or operating system specific details. Do note, it only covers cross platform functionality for building the project, you are still responsible for the actual source code running on different platforms.
Project structure and the CMakeLists.txt file
There are multiple ways to layout a C++ project. Some projects split their header and source files, by having one include directory and a src directory, while some put both in the same directories. For this purpose, we will use combined header and source directories, so the project structure is a little more straightforward.
At the beginning of each project must be a CMakeLists.txt file. This is the file name CMake recognizes as a build script file. A project can have multiple CMakeLists.txt, but only one in each directory. For the one in the top level directory of the project, the following must be present at the top of the file
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.6)
project(foo)
These two lines denote the minimum version of cmake required to build the project, and the name of the project. The minimum version is not that important for this case, as long as it is at least 3.0. Let’s take a look at a sample project layout below:
- CMakeLists.txt
- some.h
- some.cpp
- main.cpp
Here, there is a CMake file, CMakeLists.txt , a header file, some.h , and a source file, some.cpp . There’s also another source file, main.cpp . In most C++ projects, there is a library that contains the project’s code to be consumed by other projects and programs, as well as an executable that allows some of the code in the project to be run as a CLI program. For this example, some.cpp will represent the core library code, and main.cpp will represent the executable that’s also built.
Building the library
In order to have CMake build a library, the source files that compose that library need to be specified in the CMakeLists.txt file. To do that, we have to construct a list of the files and call the add_library function.
In CMake, it’s important to understand variables and data types work very differently than perhaps any other language. All variables in CMake are strings. Lists in CMake are strings which contain the separator ; . Variables are created and destroyed using the set() and unset() functions. Below is an example of creating a list and printing it.
set(some_var "a" "b" "c")
message("${some_var}")
This will print
a;b;c
Above is another important feature of CMake, variable access. After a variable is created via the set() function, it’s value can only be accessed via the syntax ${var} . This is because, in CMake, everything is a string. Even unquoted values are strings. The statement message(hello) , treats hello as a five character string.
Now, to build our library, we must add the following to the build file, CMakeLists.txt:
set(FOO_SOURCES some.cpp)
add_library(foos STATIC "${FOO_SOURCES}")
In the call to add_library() , the source variable is accessed via the ${} syntax. However, we also pass in another argument, SHARED . This tells CMake whether we want a static library or shared library.
Adding the executable
Now that we have added a library to the build file, we can expand the file to include instructions on building an executable and linking our library to that executable. Let’s make up a simple C++ file, main.cpp , that calls a function from our library:
#include "some.h" int main(int argc, char const* argv[]) { someFunc(); // defined in some.cpp
return 0;
}
Then, we can add to the build file the following:
add_executable(foot main.cpp)
target_link_libraries(foot foos)
The add_executable function works very similarly to add_library it takes in a name variable and a list representing the source files. In this case, since we know our executable only has one additional source file, we don’t need a separate variable to represent the sources as a list, we can just pass it in directly. The target_link_libraries function takes a target as the first argument, and then a list of other targets that must be libraries, to like to the first argument.
In CMake, a “target” is an object that is built by the resulting build system that CMake produces. In this example, both the library and the executable are build targets. In more complicated projects, custom targets are sometimes used to represent the creation of files needed by the built project. But for now, lets just stick to the basic build targets.
Putting it all together
Now that the process of writing a CMakeLists.txt file has been discussed, we can jump into running CMake and then using the build system generated by CMake to compile our code. If you don’t have CMake currently installed on your system, you can typically install it by running brew install cmake if you have home brew. Otherwise, try this link.
CMake is typically run in an empty directory, that references the path the CMakeLists.txt root file is in. For example, if one is currently in the directory of the project, these commands are often used:
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
This will run CMake, and get it to produce build files in the current directory. It will print out a lot of information, pertaining to the compiler it detected and is using to generate these files for. | https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-learn-cmake-in-just-20-minutes-b8eb47367f2c | ['Joshua Weinstein'] | 2020-10-19 05:54:43.990000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Programming', 'Software Engineering', 'Technology', 'Software Development'] |
1,625 | How we initiate point of sale transactions globally | The challenge
Most POS setups include a cash register, controlled by store staff, a payment terminal, where the shopper enters their card, and a serial connection between the two. A library is embedded on the cash register facilitating communication between the cash register and the payment terminal. These libraries are typically created and maintained by the company that facilitates the terminals (such as Adyen).
Using libraries creates a number of challenges:
A tight integration between the cash register and the library means a significant amount of setup and development work is required, because the library will be part of the cash register software.
The cash register software — which is third party — is often updated as infrequently as once a year, meaning retailers are not able to immediately benefit from the latest library updates.
Cash registers differ significantly between vendors and platforms, creating a large maintenance burden on the development of the library for Adyen.
Data centers
Furthermore, many larger retailers prefer centrally-hosted solutions for their cash register software. This means the software needs to be configured to initiate a transaction on a payment terminal in the store, by routing requests from the data center into the store network. To do this, merchants need to use port forwarding to manage payments across multiple locations, a fixed IP for each terminal, or possibly a VPN setup for security. All these possibilities involve a complex network setup that drains operational resources.
Solving the library challenge with the Nexo protocol
Ideally, we needed a solution that would be independent of any specific platform, able to be used for serial connections, local network, and internet transports, and support a message format with advanced features such as asynchronous notifications.
To meet these criteria, we removed our need for libraries and created the Terminal API, adopting the Nexo protocol — a card payment standard that facilitates communication between the cash register and terminal.
Nexo’s basic interaction model is request/response JSON messaging. This means that making a payment with the Terminal API is a simple request-response, and all informational events, such as notifying where the terminal is in the payment process, are communicated via JSON webhooks that are optionally implemented.
Using this approach is advantageous because:
Supporting new programming languages is simpler, as the library required all potential events to be implemented as a callback and passed as part of the initial payment request.
Maintaining a JSON messaging format, rather than custom libraries, callbacks, and SDKs, makes it far easier for merchants to roll out and update the software.
Internally, this had the added benefit of us not needing to support multiple programming languages for the API.
Solving network setup complexity by routing through the cloud
Using the Terminal API over the store network was a great first step. However, it did not solve the challenge of initiating payments from a centralized place such as a data center.
To simplify the setup investment and remove the cost of all this complexity, we also adapted our Terminal API for the cloud. The in-store architecture relied on the merchant’s cash register and backend to communicate to the terminal, as below:
In the cloud version of the API, we added the ability for the merchant to initiate a terminal payment directly with Adyen’s backend.
Incorporating WebSockets
One advantage of serial connections is that they provide bidirectional communication, so both cash register and payment terminals can initiate communication and exchange data related to the status of the transaction. With our Terminal API over the network, transactions are https request-response. The cash register initiates a payment request by sending an https request to the terminal.
However, on the internet, having a communication channel where both parties can initiate communication is cumbersome, as the NATed terminals cannot be reached without opening the firewall and setting up port forwarding. We needed a solution to easily enable bidirectional communication.
We found this solution in WebSockets. This technology is used by a number of platforms for push notifications, such as in newsfeeds, and we leveraged it for communication between a terminal and the Adyen backend.
To enable bidirectional communication, we create a single https request from the payment terminal, and added headers to request an upgrade the connection to a WebSocket, as displayed below. After that, a bidirectional communication channel is established between our backend and the payment terminal.
A standard flow is as follows:
As the cash register initiates a transaction, it sends an https request to the Adyen backend. The Adyen backend looks up which WebSocket the terminal is using and routes the request to the terminal over it (more on this below under load balancing). The terminal delivers its response to the Adyen backend over the WebSocket and the backend subsequently delivers it as a https response to the cash register.
Load balancing and redundancy
Redundancy is a key consideration in our system architecture. During application updates, or when carrying out maintenance, transactions cannot be affected. Our payment acceptance layer is made up of multiple servers over multiple data centers around the world. This helps reduce latency and ensure redundancy. (Note: you can read more about our approach to redundancy and database setup here: Updating a 50 terabyte PostgreSQL database).
This infrastructure ensures redundancy and the possibility to balance loads if we need to carry out maintenance. However, it does raise a new challenge — when a terminal opens a connection with Server A, and a cash register with server B, what happens? We configured our setup so that if a terminal connects to Server A, a message is triggered from that server to other servers that says “I now have a connection with this terminal.” If a cash register then connects to Server B, Server B can look up which server owns the WebSocket connection, and route the message via that server.
If we need to carry out application updates or maintenance on one server, it sends a message to the terminal to reconnect with another server. Once all connections are closed we can begin.
Conclusion
Our Terminal API simplifies rollout and ensures merchants are able to stay abreast of the latest software updates. However, there are more innovative ways in which it may be used. For example, since in-store payments can be initiated remotely, merchants would be able to create an experience where a shopper initiates an order in-app, walks into a store, scans a QR code with their phone to initiate the payment on the terminal, and picks up their item. These kinds of possibilities make it very exciting for us to see how merchants use this technology.
For more information on our Terminal API, you can see our documentation: Terminal API Integration and a blog post on the commercial benefits: Introducing the Terminal API. | https://medium.com/adyen/how-we-initiate-point-of-sale-transactions-globally-7fad4786db16 | [] | 2020-07-08 05:16:38.864000+00:00 | ['Java', 'Retail Technology', 'Cloud', 'Payments', 'Point Of Sale Software'] |
1,626 | Ask AppIt Ventures: Mobile App Trends in 2017 | As a software development company, our team is always on the lookout for cool new technology and we can’t help but keep up with current mobile app trends (even if we didn’t want to keep up, there’s no escaping all the tech articles that our team members post in Slack!). We’re just a group of techie people who are passionate about technology, what it can do and where it’s going.
We have a few thoughts on what technology and mobile app trends we expect to see taking rise in 2017 — check out our latest article on mobile app trends in ColoradoBiz Magazine to get a sneak peek into what the future may hold. We’re talking about artificial intelligence (AI), automation, altered reality, and other cutting edge advancements that we can’t wait to build apps for! | https://medium.com/mobile-app-developers/ask-appit-ventures-mobile-app-trends-in-2017-e682ea49e2d6 | ['Appit Ventures'] | 2018-08-14 14:11:51.211000+00:00 | ['AI', 'Technology', 'AR', 'Artificial Intelligence'] |
1,627 | The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 2020) Season 1,Episode 7 | Film, also called Episode, motion picture or moving picture, is a visual art-form used to simulate experiences that communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound, and more rarely, other sensory stimulations.[1] The word “cinema”, short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film The Flight Attendant, and to the art form that is the result of it.
❏ STREAMING MEDIA ❏
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a provider. The verb to stream identifies the process of delivering or obtaining media in this manner.[clarification needed] Streaming refers to the delivery method of the medium, instead of the medium itself. Distinguishing delivery method from the media distributed applies particularly to telecommunications networks, as almost all of the delivery systems are either inherently streaming (e.g. radio, television, streaming apps) or inherently non-streaming (e.g. books, video cassettes, music CDs). There are challenges with streaming content on the Internet. For instance, users whose Internet connection lacks satisfactory bandwidth may experience stops, lags, or slow buffering of the content. And users lacking compatible hardware or software systems may be unable to stream certain content.
Live streaming is the delivery of Internet content in real-time much as live television broadcasts content over the airwaves with a television signal. Live internet streaming takes a form of source media (e.g. a video camera, an audio tracks interface, screen capture software), an encoder to digitize the content, a media publisher, and a content delivery network to distribute and deliver the content. Live streaming does not need to be recorded at the origination point, although it frequently is.
Streaming is an option to file downloading, a process where the end-user obtains the entire file for this content before watching or listening to it. Through streaming, an end-user can use their media player to get started on playing digital video or digital sound content before the complete file has been transmitted. The word “streaming media” can connect with media other than video and audio, such as live closed captioning, ticker tape, and real-time text, which are considered “streaming text”.
❏ COPYRIGHT CONTENT ❏
Copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work, usually for a limited time.[1][2][3][4][5] The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educational, or musical form. Copyright is intended to protect the original expression of an idea in the form of a creative work, but not the idea itself.[6][7][8] A copyright is subject to limitations based on public interest considerations, such as the fair use doctrine in the United States.
Some jurisdictions require “fixing” copyrighted works in a tangible form. It is often shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license the work, and who are commonly referred to as rights holders.[citation needed][9][10][11][12] These rights frequently include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and moral rights such as attribution.[13]
Copyrights can be granted by public law and are in that case considered “territorial rights”. This means that copyrights granted by the law of a certain state, do not extend beyond the territory of that specific jurisdiction. Copyrights of this type vary by country; many countries, and sometimes a large group of countries, have made agreements with other countries on procedures applicable when works “cross” national borders or national rights are inconsistent.[14]
Typically, the public law duration of a copyright expires 50 to 100 years after the creator dies, depending on the jurisdiction. Some countries require certain copyright formalities[5] to establishing copyright, others recognize copyright in any completed work, without a formal registration.
It is widely believed that copyrights are a must to foster cultural diversity and creativity. However, Parc argues that contrary to prevailing beliefs, imitation and copying do not restrict cultural creativity or diversity but in fact support them further. This argument has been supported by many examples such as Millet and Van Gogh, Picasso, Manet, and Monet, etc.[15]
❏ GOODS OF SERVICES ❏
Credit (from Latin credit, “(he/she/it) believes”) is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but promises either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date.[1] In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and extensible to a large group of unrelated people.
The resources provided may be financial (e.g. granting a loan), or they may consist of goods or services (e.g. consumer credit). Credit encompasses any form of deferred payment.[2] Credit is extended by a creditor, also known as a lender, to a debtor, also known as a borrower. | https://medium.com/the-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-s1e7-on/the-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-2020-series-1-episode-7-s01-e07-full-eps-711da95eae37 | [] | 2020-12-23 10:15:47.635000+00:00 | ['Drawing', 'Technology'] |
1,628 | Beyond the Hangar: Flying Cross Country in a Handmade Aircraft | Many kids grow up with a love of watching airplanes. Nick Sheryka, Boom’s Principal Flight Test Engineer, turned that love into a life-long adventure.
This series takes a deep dive into the stories and experiences of Boom’s accomplished workforce. Who is building history’s fastest civil aircraft?
Story by Nick Sheryka, Boom Principal Flight Test Engineer:
—
An early love for aviation
My grandfather was a World War II ace fighter pilot — one of the best in the Pacific Theatre — known for his aerial skill and honorable disposition. The imagery of flying above the world that his stories would conjure was enough to inspire a lifetime’s pursuit.
I earned my start in aviation with crayons and blank paper. My constant points of reference were the photos of my grandfather’s P-40 Warhawk and P-38 Lightning — both named “My Marie,” after my Grandmother. I dutifully tried to replicate the lines that these machines made against the sky. Crayon drawings gave way to plastic model aircraft I assembled with my father. In high school plastic models gave way to radio control models I built and learned to fly. Naive daydreams of building a radio control flying model big enough to sit in began to occupy my mind.
It wasn’t until I arrived at the University of Rhode Island in 2001, that I discovered kit airplanes, AKA amateur-built experimental aircraft. The idea piqued my interest and continued to occupy my mind through college. Despite my near-obsession with aircraft, neither my courses nor my first job involved aviation. After earning my B.S in Mechanical Engineering in 2005, I began a career as a nuclear test engineer for the Navy working on submarine reactors.
I continued my avid consumption of aerospace literature without much focus until one day, seemingly out of nowhere, a vision appeared: to fly across the United States in an airplane that I built with my own two hands.
Inspired by kit airplanes
Strapped for cash, but full of patience and with a high tolerance for pain, I began shopping for my own kit airplane and pursuing my pilot’s license. As it goes, kit airplanes are available in a number of different flavors and variety: pay more money for less assembly or bootstrap a much more labor-intensive project. I opted for the cheapest, most basic package, assuming that the best way to learn was from the ground up. That December, a Sonex kit airplane arrived at my door, not long before I earned a private pilot’s license.
My life became submarines by day, kit airplane by night.
Although the build could be physically arduous at times, it was a learning curve I was happy to climb. I learned to wire avionics, install engine systems, paint, and even sew my own upholstery, realizing quickly that building an airplane is about much more than riveting metal together. I learned to appreciate the details in every single inch of that plane, and how each and every component worked together with one another to accomplish a mission. As I gained this wide breadth of experiences, I asked myself:
“Why on earth am I working on submarines in my day job? I should be working on airplanes.”
A passion becomes a career
My amateur aircraft building experience earned me a job at Scaled Composites in 2010, a rapid prototyping aircraft company in Southern California. I operated first as a design, then flight test, and eventually project engineer, working on six different prototype airplanes during my tenure. For the next five years, hyper-focused on both my work and my own build, I dedicated all of my effort to learning the craft.
From my scorching, spider-filled garage in the Mojave Desert, all of the sub-components I had been working on began to take the shape of an airplane. I quickly learned that although the cheapest option presented the most learning opportunities, the eightieth aluminum bracket assembled much like to the fifth. The process proved daunting, painstaking, and sometimes even downright miserable in the Mojave heat. Flipping to the next page in the instruction manual, I’d discover a new tool or skill I lacked, and have to hunt down the necessary equipment, and buy or rent it for as cheap as possible and climb the next learning curve. For several years, little more than my dream of flying across the USA kept the project going.
In 2015, everything paid off
July 4th, 2015 — a date I fondly recall as my airplane’s birthday. The FAA arrived at the hangar to inspect the fully-assembled aircraft I poured years of my life into. The inspector circled the aircraft, assessed the interior, airframe, systems and engine, and approved her for Phase 1, a required 40-hour flight test period. I named her “My Marie III” and wondered if any woman on earth had more airplanes named after her than my grandmother.
The learning curve did not stop, and fortunately I quite enjoyed teaching myself to become an amateur test pilot. I completed Phase 1 testing after a few months and soon, a whole new world opened up for me. I was visiting new destinations on weekends, providing rides for friends, and cruising above the world in an aircraft I built with my own two hands. As the ultimate generalist with no formal training, I carved out a place for myself in the world of aviation. I built an airplane from a box, earned a position at an aircraft prototyping company, and now looked forward to accomplishing the dream that launched me on this trajectory in the first place. At the same time, I was learning more about a supersonic airplane startup based in Colorado.
From kit plane to supersonic
I joined Boom Supersonic as the 15th employee in 2016. With an aircraft capable of flying 500 nonstop miles, I planned the first two legs of a nearly 3,000 mile cross-country adventure, concurrently with the transition to my new job. I flew the roughly one-thousand miles from California to my new home in Colorado. With the plane now home in a hangar at Centennial Airport and me settled into my new position, I continued to plan the rest of my journey east. That’s when I met a girl named Peggy and realized that I didn’t want to do this alone.
One evening at home, I rolled out a map in front of Peggy. “I want to fly across the country,” I told her. “…And continue on over another 280 nautical miles of open ocean to an island in the Caribbean.” Trusting that I wouldn’t do such a thing without careful planning, she agreed to join me.
A dream realized
Peggy, My Marie III, and I set off in June of 2018 flying from Colorado to Alabama on the first day, and then on to Southern Florida the next. The most difficult challenge of my life was nearly complete. As the Atlantic sand passed underneath us on the third day of the trip, the feeling was indescribable — the decade-long vision was complete.
An idea became a passion, that passion fueled a lot of hard work, and that brought me to where I am in life today. | https://blog.boomsupersonic.com/beyond-the-hangar-flying-cross-country-in-a-handmade-aircraft-42fece9ba51d | [] | 2019-09-24 22:55:30.011000+00:00 | ['Company', 'Travel', 'Technology', 'Culture', 'Aviation'] |
1,629 | Salt & Pepper Awarded as Top Developer by Clutch! | Salt & Pepper Awarded as Top Developer by Clutch! Salt&Pepper Follow Aug 28 · 2 min read
Salt & Pepper is a full-service software development company with an in-depth experience on the market and a dedication to build digital products that matter. We provide a complete range of services required for building great products: consulting services, business analysis, UI/UX design, web and mobile development, quality assurance, and maintenance.
Clutch is a B2B ratings and reviews platform that helps build your market presence. Their mission is to connect service providers and buyers through data and verified research. Central to their process is client reviews. In their unique process, analysts have spoken directly with many of our clients and learned more about the services we provided, as well as technological capabilities, results, and business acumen. With an overall 4.8 rating, we’ve seen strong results from Clutch’s extensive research process. We are excited to be named as a top developer in 2020!
Our clients’ participation made this award possible, and we want to thank them for their time and honest feedback. Below are excerpts from our most recent reviews:
“When we are having some problems in production, they are here to help as soon as possible.” –General Manager, Tickets Roll
“We had very high expectations for this project.” –CTO, FastOrder
“I found them very impressive, in terms of responsiveness, even though we were in different time zones.” –Founder & CEO, Cambridge Exercise Technology
Our CEO responds to the receipt of the award and how Clutch has been a prominent part in the company’s growth.
“Thanks to our team’s previous experience, we had a pretty good idea of what type of organization we wanted to build. We’ve always had the next step in mind, trying to put together a company structure and a way of working that can respond to tomorrow’s challenges, not today’s. Looking back I think this was a key point that helped us grow as a company. Even though we are constantly evolving and expanding, we are delighted to get all this recognition at this stage.” says CEO of Salt & Pepper, Cristin Iosif. Thank you for all the support! | https://medium.com/salt-pepper/salt-pepper-awarded-as-top-developer-by-clutch-e5a77e9569a7 | ['Salt Pepper'] | 2020-08-28 08:24:52.077000+00:00 | ['Clutch Awards', 'Development Company', 'Clutch', 'Tech', 'Technology'] |
1,630 | Google delays return to office until at least September | Google-parent Alphabet on Monday confirmed that it is delaying the return of workers to its offices until at least September 2021 and is testing “flexible work weeks” for the longer term.
In an email on Sunday to Google workers, Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai said that the company is exploring a schedule combining “collaboration” days in the office with days of working from home.
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The New York Times quoted Pichai’s email as reading “We are testing a hypothesis that a flexible work model will lead to greater productivity, collaboration, and well-being.”
Pichai noted that no company the size of Alphabet has created a “fully hybrid work force model.”
Google confirmed the email on Monday, as the United States kicked off a mass vaccination drive hoping to turn the tide on the world’s biggest coronavirus outbreak, and with the nation’s death toll passing a staggering 300,000.
Google and other Silicon Valley firms shifted to remote work early in the pandemic, relying on the internet tools they create to get jobs done.
Google had originally expected staff to begin returning to offices early in 2021, but the date has proven to be a moving target due to the pandemic.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has said he expects the shift to remote work to be a lasting one at the leading social network, which plans to look for employees able to do their jobs from wherever they happen to live | https://medium.com/@sublimings/google-delays-return-to-office-until-at-least-september-ca9dc6d426e9 | [] | 2020-12-16 22:56:36.644000+00:00 | ['CEO', 'Technology', 'SEO', 'Google'] |
1,631 | 100 Words On….. The Cyber Skills Gap | Photo by Branko Stancevic on Unsplash
One may argue the Cybersecurity skills gap is partly due to how we fill these roles by overlooking diversity. Thinking we must have a technical background and already be established in Information Technology works against us. While those skills are undoubtedly beneficial, we are missing out on untold numbers of highly skilled and experienced individuals with an aptitude and drive to be outstanding Cybersecurity professionals. We wrongly evaluate them for what they lack rather than possess. Ignoring what they have and denying them an opportunity to realise their potential in our industry ensures the only growth is the skills gap. | https://medium.com/the-100-words-project/100-words-on-the-cyber-skills-gap-c88ed171b376 | ['Logan Daley'] | 2020-12-18 04:53:15.677000+00:00 | ['Skills Gap', '100 Words Project', 'Careers', 'Cybersecurity', 'Information Technology'] |
1,632 | The Highs and Lows of Life as a Digital Nomad | The Highs and Lows of Life as a Digital Nomad
Photo by Picography from Pexels
We used to be jealous of digital nomads until we spent three weeks working from the road.
During the past three weeks, my partner, Norbert, and I traveled 4,347 miles from South Florida to Canada and southward again. On the way, we broke bread with friends at their dinner tables and shared stories from the road. We met the newest baby in our ever-expanding clan and found out that another friend was pregnant with twins. We survived a possible tornado and drove through many miles of inclement weather. We hiked four miles underground in one of the largest caves on Earth and got soaked in the spray of the majestic Niagara Falls. We harvested wild medicinal plants and feasted on sweet summer berries. We crossed an international border four times and were only heavily questioned half of the time. Along the way, we visited some of my old stomping grounds: college, summer camp, and a barn that used to be my place of residence once upon a time.
And through it all, Norbert worked. Rather than take three weeks’ vacation, Norbert decided to work from the road. Our car became an office on wheels. I was Norbert’s secretary, typing messages to his colleagues while he dictated from the driver’s seat. He used gas station breaks to take conference calls and work out kinks in the software system. Whenever we reached our destination, out came his bare-bones workspace: a computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse. He set up his makeshift office in farmhouses, guest bedrooms, living rooms, friends’ offices — anywhere that had an internet connection and a power socket.
These days, we hear lots of stories about digital nomads making a living while having the adventure of a lifetime. It sounds so romantic, so exciting, so idyllic. But when I asked Norbert about his three-week stint as a digital nomad, the first word out of his mouth was “stressful.”
As a software developer and a writer, Norbert and I can do our jobs from anywhere on the planet. We have the privilege of flexibility. But although we can do our work from anywhere, it’s not always pleasant. It’s great that we have the option, and it certainly comes in handy from time to time, but I’d say it isn’t exactly ideal. There’s nothing necessarily romantic about waving your phone around in the rain, trying to capture service for a conference call that you’re already late for.
As a freelance writer, I don’t have the same stresses that come with a traditional job. Of course, I have emails to answer and phone calls to make, but most of my work happens with me sitting my butt in the chair. I don’t have a million people to respond to or manage. But the past few years being in a partnership with Norbert has shown me what a more conventional work situation looks like. Even though he can be more flexible than most clock punchers, he still has many of the trappings of a regular job: colleagues, bosses, meetings, budgetary requests/approvals, hiring/firing. Not only is he a software developer, but he’s a manager, meaning that besides doing his own work, he has to organize other people and make sure they’re doing their work, too. Phew. Who’s not jealous?
From where I’m standing (next to Norbert), I’d say a modern-day IT job operates on WhatsApp, Band Camp, Blue Jeans, Slack, Zoom, Skype, and so many other digital applications that it makes my head spin! Even though I’m not the one with a job that requires constant internet connectivity and productivity application overload, I’m overwhelmed. Whilst I’d rather exist in a WiFi-free universe, that simply isn’t possible for my partner-in-crime.
But in the midst of conference calls and work deadlines, we managed to have a good time. This trip certainly felt like a different beast than the solo road trips of yore! Not only did we have to navigate strange roads and bad weather, but we also had to maneuver our way through a packed work schedule, making sure that we had a solid phone connection at specific times and a flat space for Norbert to set up his rough-and-ready office. We’re glad it was an option so that he was able to join me on the road trip, but it certainly added an element of stress to the whole operation.
We’re back in Puerto Rico now and it was quite a joy waking up this morning in our little yellow house. We still have a lot of unpacking and moving in to do… But this morning, Norbert walked the fifteen minutes to his office, and I think he’s quite content about being back at his desk. | https://bettermarketing.pub/the-highs-and-lows-of-life-as-a-digital-nomad-8157976c55cd | ['Carmella Guiol'] | 2019-06-24 15:52:14.202000+00:00 | ['Freelancing', 'Technology', 'Travel', 'Digital Nomads', 'Social Media'] |
1,633 | Why industry is under cyber assault | A recent survey in the US showed that manufacturers are increasingly under threat from cyber attacks. Half of the companies that took part admitted they had suffered a data breach or cyber attack in the previous 12 months. It is part of a global trend as the growth of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) brings numerous benefits but also increases the vulnerability of industry to cyber attacks.
The chief motivations for hackers targeting the manufacturing industry are reportedly financial gain and industrial espionage. The “Duuzer attacks” of a few years ago is one of the best known examples of cyber criminals launching malware attacks to steal sensitive data and intellectual property.
Physical damage remains another significant threat, although it is not always clear whether these are deliberate acts of vandalism or . In 2014, for instance, a steel mill in Germany suffered heavy damage after hackers gained access to the mill’s control systems via a spear phishing campaign — targeted e-mails that appear to come from a trusted source and trick recipients into opening a malicious attachment or clicking on a malicious link. The hackers stole the login names and passwords they needed to gain access to the mill’s office network, and from there crossed over to its production system.
IT vs. OT
A US government report published last year suggests that understanding the differences between IT and OT is key to achieving cyber resilience. For IT environments the priority is confidentiality of data. While this is also important for operational environments, the priority for the OT technologies is availability of data to ensure that systems can continue to produce. The problem is that when engineers designed many of today’s industrial environments cyber security was not a concern. OT teams were used to working within closed systems that relied heavily on physical security mechanisms to ensure integrity.
With the emergence of IIoT and the integration of physical machines with networked sensors and software, the lines between the two are blurring. As more and more objects connect, communicate and interact with each other, there has been a surge in the number of endpoints, and the increased possibility of computer failures, human mistakes, malicious attacks and natural disasters to affect physical systems. A variety of threat actors, ranging from lone hackers to organized cyber criminals and nation states, are continually finding ways to exploit vulnerabilities to move from the digital sphere of IT to the physical sphere of OT.
The growing interconnectedness of technology has exposed manufacturing, as well as other industries such as power and utilities, that also rely on industrial control systems (ICS) that use OT and IT. Generally speaking, an ICS integrates hardware and software for the purpose of automating and operating industrial processes. The issue, in terms of cyber security, is that an ICS must allow access to a wide range of different operators and even third-party vendors. For example, operators need to be able to manually override automated systems in case production is in danger of stopping, or if there are threats to health and safety, for example, or the environment. A number of international studies and reports have highlighted an alarming increase in cyber attacks targeting the supply chain. One such survey, conducted in the Americas, Asia and Europe, suggests that two thirds of companies have experienced a cyber attack on their supply chain.
A risk-based approach
Companies must be able to identify which of their assets are critical to achieving their stated mission in order to ensure that appropriate resources are allocated to protecting them. This is known as a risk-based approach to cyber security. The aim is to balance the cost of security threat mitigation against the potential impact of a successful cyber attack. Any solutions implemented must be monitored over time to ensure their continued effectiveness and to ascertain whether possible attacks could potentially overcome the control solutions. IT and OT security experts can then work together to erect a defence-in-depth architecture.
IEC Technical Committee (TC) 65, Industrial-process measurement, control and automation, has developed the IEC 62443 series of standards on Industrial Communication Networks — Network and System Security. Designed to keep OT systems running, it can be applied to any industrial environment or critical infrastructure facility. Because standards provide even more value when they are combined with conformity assessment the industrial cyber security programme of the IECEE — the IEC System for Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components — tests and certifies cyber security in the industrial automation sector. The IECEE Conformity Assessment Scheme includes a programme that provides certification to standards within the IEC 62443 series. | https://medium.com/e-tech/why-industry-is-under-cyber-assault-8c2ceab0da4f | ['Mike Mullane'] | 2020-01-08 11:25:52.802000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Industry 4 0', 'Cybersecurity', 'Hacker', 'Industrial Control System'] |
1,634 | How Disinformation Is Threatening Your Brand | How Disinformation Is Threatening Your Brand
When rumors about your brand become reality
Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash
Fake news is old news. Since time immemorial, people have blurred the line between fact and fiction, exaggerating stories into new ones. From lunch-table gossip to water cooler chitchat, these kinds of tall tales and falsehoods have existed long before the internet.
Only now, the lies and misinformation have evolved to spread like a digital disease, but with greater speed and exposure. Today, online rumors are dangerous in their scope and effect, shifting politics on a global scale and, in some cases, threatening the lives of people in the real world.
To be clear, we’re talking about disinformation: misinformation but with intent to mislead. We’ve already seen how it affects elections and the healthcare industry, yet it’s still a relatively new phenomenon. We’re still learning how it transmits through digital spaces.
In a recent NPR piece on the topic, Emily Dreyfuss of the Harvard University Shorenstein Center’s ‘The Media Manipulation Casebook,’ reveals how a pandemic of disinformation propagates and takes root throughout the media ecosystem. Toward the end of the interview, she mentions how studies in social science have shown that the more frequently someone hears or is exposed to something, the more likely they are to believe it.
The immediacy and abundance of information we see every day has forced us to grapple with the power and reality of disinformation. Public discourse and even democracy are at the mercy of bad actors, hashtags, and the spread of uncontrollable narratives. The sheer quantity of false stories has led many to dangerously conflicting views of what’s real and what’s merely gossip.
For marketing and communications teams, disinformation can extend beyond the realms of politics, putting a hefty price on their efforts to manage brand identity. The cost of disinformation in 2019 alone came to an estimated total of $78b, according to the collaborative research of CHEQ, a cybersecurity company, and the University of Baltimore. With the guidance of economist and professor Roberto Cavazos, the project sought to put a number to the harm of fake news, marrying rigorous economic analysis and hard data.
The results are an uncomfortable look at what the future holds in terms of the economic impact of disinformation.
For organizations looking to protect their reputations, marketing and comms teams need to take stock of their earned media efforts. As the majority of people online aren’t held accountable to fact-checkers, your brand is always at risk. Most people don’t have the social capital or authority to influence opinion alone, but in groups, they can quickly disseminate a rumor regardless if it’s true.
While you have some control over your brand image with paid and owned media, a Nielsen study in Global Trust In Advertising showed 83% of respondents were more likely to trust the word of mouth recommendations from friends and family. The third greatest number of respondents, behind owned advertising on branded websites, said they trusted consumer opinions online — a not-insignificant 66%.
The organic conversations and shared experiences found on social media or review sites are fertile ground for a crisis. One bad review can inspire others, and companies must be quick to respond before the discussion spirals out of control. If you aren’t already monitoring this space with social listening software, now is the time to add one to your tech stack.
Organizations need to be proactive in their measurement of a crisis both by identifying where they’re the most vulnerable beforehand and recognizing new trends where disinformation can fester. Benchmarking topics that have demonstrated a threat to brand image in the past and closely tracking the ways new topics can draw you into a rotten narrative are just two ways to prepare your team in advance.
Just as well, there are powerful new tools on the market that can detect automation and the bot clusters that artificially drive user engagement, but for marketers on a budget, perhaps the best tool for combatting this developing threat is simply understanding your audience. Media monitoring and social listening platforms give you the data, but connecting the dots around the context of where your audience relates to current trends is where the real work comes in.
Understanding what your consumers want and expect from your business is an evergreen concept, but especially so in a time where transparency has such a high premium. Taking stock of how you’re managing your earned media is a start, but it’s just as important to clarify your brand’s message and purpose.
Are your company values clear?
Do they still align with your core market?
How do they relate to current trends in the industry?
These are a few of the questions you can ask yourself to reconfigure your brand’s position within the media landscape.
Authenticity and consistency are the keys. When disinformation seeks to deceive or misguide, remaining flexible but strong about your values is still a great defense. Don’t let the loud minority control the narrative around your brand. Fight back with a combination of strategy, technology, and time-tested marketing techniques. | https://medium.com/digital-diplomacy/how-disinformation-is-threatening-your-brand-d47da2164de1 | ['Brian Hubbard'] | 2020-12-22 14:25:40.923000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Social Media', 'Marketing', 'Disinformation', 'Misinformation'] |
1,635 | SofiWay e-krona Project Shortlisted; Sofitto Invited Back for Dialogue with Swedish Government | Sofitto’s e-krona proposal, developed in partnership with ChromaWay, a company building blockchain technology for governments and the financial sector, has been shortlisted by Sweden’s central bank Riksbank. The proposal was shortlisted alongside those by heavy-hitters like Visa, IBM, Ericsson and the IOTA Foundation. These solutions were evaluated by Riksbank as the most interesting, and companies have been invited back for dialogues as part of the second stage of the e-krona project.
As cash is being used less and less across the globe, the Swedish government is paving the way for the future of currency. Right now, the central bank is looking into its technical and legal options for issuing a digital complement to cash that is guaranteed by the state, the e-krona. Riksbank is interested in making the e-krona available to the general public as part of a safe and efficient, next-generation payment system.
Sofitto and ChromaWay presented Riksbank with SofiWay, a blockchain-based network for instant clearing and settlement of payments. SofiWay has a built-in flexible and extensible architecture, capable of supporting a complex ecosystem of applications and integrations.
SofiWay is a register-based money (ledger) base system, making it highly flexible yet resilient. As part of SofiWay, Sofitto will provide the last mile solution to bring blockchain metadata through the existing financial infrastructure to end-points (POS, ATM), middleware for blockchain data conversion, and smart cards and mobile phone wallets for users. The system will run on ChromaWay’s Postchain, a private high-throughput blockchain.
As SofiWay is based on blockchain technology, it is distributed, making it highly resistant to cyberattacks. It is much more cost-effective and tamper-proof, instilling a higher level of trust among users. The blockchain makes interoperation easy, leaving room for third parties to develop innovative products on top of the system.
Riksbank received a total of 33 proposals. Each was evaluated in line with a wide range of criteria including scope, reference, experience and architecture.
Riksbank is in the second of three stages of the e-krona project. As part of the second phase, Riksbank will polish the e-krona concept further. In 2018, Riksbank is slated to begin drawing up regulations and agreements for the e-krona system. Riksbank could begin developing the e-krona system as early as next year.
Learn more about Sofitto:
Web | Facebook | Linkedin | Twitter | https://medium.com/sofitto/sofiway-e-krona-project-shortlisted-sofitto-invited-back-for-dialogue-with-swedish-government-370bf4fba79 | ['Maša Judar'] | 2018-07-04 09:14:43.678000+00:00 | ['Fintech', 'Technology', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Money', 'Blockchain'] |
1,636 | BitWings: A Promising Cryptocurrency | The BITWINGS (BWN) is the token of WINGS MOBILE and is implemented in an intelligent ERC-20 contract on the Ethereum blockchain.
BWN is a cryptocurrency that, unlike many other coins, has a value based on its “true currency” nature.
Its’ strength is based on the economy of the successfully operating company focusing on innovation and not in the evolution of Bitcoin, like other crypto-currencies.
It is a medium of exchange that can be used in the Wings Mobile ecosystem to purchase products and services both in the online channel and in physical stores. Using it will grant a 10% discount off the price in the entire range of the WINGS MOBILE products and services.
It is a value deposit, backed by the guarantee of having its issuance value of $ 0.20, which is a protection against market fluctuations, once the coin is available on exchanges and other types of buying and selling platforms.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Want to know us more? https://www.bitwings.org/
Telegram: https://t.me/bitwings_eng
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitwings.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitwings-llc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bitwingsteam/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitwings_es/?hl=bn | https://medium.com/@bitwings/bitwings-a-promising-cryptocurrency-29bab23783a3 | [] | 2020-12-24 01:25:01.408000+00:00 | ['Erc20', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Technology', 'Token', 'Crypto'] |
1,637 | Are You Able To Send Cryptocurrencies Via WhatsApp? | Meta now makes it possible
WhatsApp has implemented cryptocurrency transaction technology directly into the app via Novi Wallet, one of the biggest messaging apps. At least, that’s how Reuters reported it today. The article in question states:
Meta Platforms Inc’s cryptocurrency wallet Novi will allow users to send and receive money through the social media giant’s messaging app WhatsApp.
According to screenshots posted by Novi CEO Stephane Kasriel, the application supports transactions within the app via a new interface for sending money. Users can select the amount of money they send and confirm the transaction directly with the recipient. On Twitter, the Novi CEO wrote:
There is a new opportunity to test the Novi digital wallet. Starting today, a limited number of people in the U.S. can send and receive money with Novi through the following channels WhatsApp This makes sending money to family and friends as easy as sending a message.
Cryptocurrencies on WhatsApp — It doesn’t get much more mainstream than this.
So the program is already available to some users in the United States and is currently being tested. According to the wallet's CEO, Novi does not change WhatsApp’s current privacy policy.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has long been working on implementing cryptocurrencies within its apps, especially since the company abandoned plans to create its own digital currency due to regulatory concerns.
Now it seems the time has come. WhatsApp users will soon send cryptocurrencies to contacts via the app. Which cryptocurrencies Meta will implement is still unknown to us so far. However, more news will surely follow very soon.
I share more intimate thoughts in a monthly newsletter that you can check out here. Please let me know in a comment, and let’s build your crypto universe via Patreon. Join me on various social media platforms:
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Register and get $25 with Crypto.com use Referral code LUKAS | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/are-you-able-to-send-cryptocurrencies-via-whatsapp-d58f956f15d0 | ['Lukas Wiesflecker'] | 2021-12-10 12:06:34.827000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Facebook', 'WhatsApp', 'Finance'] |
1,638 | How To Get A Phone Notification Whenever A Script or Command Is Done Running In Your PC | W e can do everything using scripts, these are fantastic problem solvers. But as in life, nothing is perfect. Whenever you run a script, you have to wait for the given task to finish. If the command is short and simple, you won’t have to wait much for the results. On the other hand, if these scripts take long, that is a problem. Most time, if you are busy doing something also, you will miss out whenever a task finishes, making you waste valuable time waiting for something that had been done for a long time already.
Intro
I want to show you how to get notifications on your phone or computer screen, letting you know that your command just finished. This is a convenient way to save time, in case you need to run more scripts. No one wants to compile a program and wait for it to be done by just looking at the terminal.
Requirements
Telegram Account
Python 3
Git
Ntfy
Installing Requirements
Python
Let’s start by installing python 3. Windows and Mac OS users can go to python.org and follow the instructions there. For Linux just run: | https://medium.com/dev-genius/how-to-get-a-phone-notification-whenever-scripts-or-commands-are-done-running-d145f5d75db8 | [] | 2020-11-26 23:54:21.821000+00:00 | ['Cybersecurity', 'Programming', 'Code', 'Technology', 'Marketing'] |
1,639 | TrustOne has been implemented at 12 airports in Spain | As we are approaching summer season, the travel and leisure industry prepares for millions of travelers aroud the world. Airlines, cruise lines, hotel chains, event organizers establish the infrastructure and processes to ensure their guests feel safe to choose their services in the current environment.
Spain is the second most visited country in Europe, with over 80 million passengers arriving each year. The beaches of Mallorca, the parties at Ibiza, the climate of the Canary Islands, or the beautiful cities like Barcelona made Spain a primary target for summer vacations.
TrustOne’s blockchain based mass testing management solution has been implemented at twelve airports in Spain to offer passengers the possibility to test themseves for Covid-19 when they arrive, or before they travel back to their home country. Eurofins Megalab, one of the largest testing provider in Spain established the sampling stations, and performs the testing on the airports along its cooperation with the Spanish airport operator Aena. Megalab operates over 100 laboratories in Spain, and collects samples in over 1000 sampling points.
Even now, in pre-season, thousands of travelers book their appointment each day at Spanish airports via TrustOne. The sampling stations provide a wide spectrum of tests: PCR, Quick PCR, Antigen, and Antibody.
The implementation digitizes the testing procedure from registration to booking and payment, to sampling, to test assessment, and test result communication. Call center personnel, receptionists, nurses, medical doctors at the airports are using TrustOne each day to provide an efficient and high level service to the passengers.
TrustOne’s blockchain based approach enables travel organizations and authorities to verify the validity and origin of the test results to mitigate the emerging number of Covid-19 certificate frauds. | https://medium.com/te-food/trustone-has-been-implemented-at-12-airports-in-spain-2e1e6882fd8 | [] | 2021-04-27 07:15:23.593000+00:00 | ['Progress', 'Covid 19', 'Spain', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Covid 19 Testing'] |
1,640 | We Don’t Need Computers | Today I had a thought about how “we don’t need computers.” It sounds absurd, but bear with me; I’m trying to introduce you to a new way of looking at computers and the information they process.
Server Rack (photo by Author)
When I was a boy and had a bike, I had to “maintain” it. The idea was to keep it working as long as possible, with tip-top performance.
When I was a young man and had a car, I had to “maintain” it. The idea was to keep it working as long as possible, with tip-top performance.
In my adult career, I worked on various kinds of electronics systems, and I had to “maintain” them. The idea was to keep them working as long as possible, with tip-top performance.
But now, in 2020, the concept of maintaining information systems isn’t really accurate. We have to “advance” them. I’ll explain what I mean by that.
Examples are numerous. I know of an update to an LMS (Learning Management System) that was designed to work with HTML5 because it was more secure than Flash. The company where I was working at the time couldn’t upgrade to the new LMS version using HTML5 because the Point-of-Sale (POS) system hadn’t been updated. It required the older version of the browser that used Flash. It was a domino effect: the POS application needed a browser that used Flash. The LMS application needed a browser that used HTML5. So the company needed to update the POS, then update the browser, then update the LMS.
For another example, go back a little further, and consider the changes brought about by the move from 32-bit to 64-bit operating systems. People were angry when they learned their old applications would no longer run. They had to buy new programs. Just a few minutes later, when they discovered that they had to buy a new printer because there was no 64-bit driver for their old one — even though it still worked — they really blew a gasket!
Two more examples: right now, DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is being rolled out, along with TLS 1.3. Within two years, many of today’s security tools will be ineffective because they won’t be able to (1) read the contents of a packet, or (2) identify the packet’s source (for inbound traffic) or destination (for outbound traffic).
So, what does this have to do with not needing a computer? What does it mean to say that today, we don’t “maintain” systems, we “advance” them?
Hardware is no longer being obsoleted by aged parts. To use a car analogy: the gears don’t get worn-down teeth. The cylinders don’t have eroding walls. The hoses don’t get stiff and crack. The break shoes don’t get too thin. To use a computer analogy: the bearings in the blower fan don’t seize. The power supply resistors don’t burn up. The contacts in the USB ports don’t wear out.
But still, we have to throw that computer or tablet or smartphone away (please recycle!) and replace it because it no longer has the processing power, storage, memory, or network speed that it needs in order to be able to process information.
We don’t need the hardware. What we need, and actually pay for, is a little more abstract. We need the ability to manipulate information. We need to be able to transmit, receive, process, and store information.
This information processing capability exists in the real world as carefully crafted combinations of steel, copper, plastic, silicon, electromagnetic waves, and more. Your computer — the physical endpoint of this vast, distributed real-world entity — is ever-changing. The whole system, from the endpoints to the infrastructure, is ever-changing. We update the apps and the operating systems. We update the BIOS, UEFI, and firmware. And we replace the hardware itself with some new device that can hold bigger apps, store more information, process it quicker, and transmit it faster.
Think about it this way: where is your “computer”? I have a laptop. Is that my computer? I have a tablet. Is that my computer? Maybe it’s my smartphone — is that it? But wait — what about Alexa, or Ring, or Nest? What about the CPU in your thermostat, your light switch, your car? And where is your data actually located? Is the “cloud” server where your data is stored in Los Angeles? Berlin? Tokyo? Or is it maybe backed up to multiple geographical locations? If you use IP telephony like Teams or Zoom, let’s not forget about the physical location of the infrastructure that you use for every call. Where is your account stored, and where is your list of contacts?
You see, your “computer” is no longer a physical entity connected to a printer just 3 feet away. Your computer cannot function (the way you use it) without all of these endpoints and the interconnections that enable them to perform tasks cohesively. The “computer,” as a stand-alone device, hardly exists any more. And if you had one, you’d be pretty disappointed, because you couldn’t do much with it.
This is why I say we don’t “need” the device, which we no longer maintain. What we need is the ability to manipulate information, and we need to do it at ever-increasing rates of speed and quantity. We’ve gone from maintenance to advancement. We’re no longer concerned with keeping a physical device as long as possible. Now, we’re concerned with advancing our intangible ability to manipulate information.
The device is impermanent, and in almost all cases will still be in working order (within its design limits) when it’s obsolete.
If you’re an IT professional, it’s time to shift your paradigm, if you haven’t already. Your job isn’t to maintain the physical system anymore. Your job is to advance the organization’s ability to manipulate information at a rate that meets or exceeds business requirements.
Let me express that last paragraph in a different way. Your job isn’t to keep those old servers running as long as possible. Your job is to replace hardware and software at a pace that keeps up with the changes in information processing. Your job is to keep the organization able to manipulate information at all times. You won’t do that by maintaining equipment. You’ll do that by advancing the system at an appropriate rate of speed.
— Bob Young
18 December 2020
Connect with me on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/makingwirelesswork | https://medium.com/@paxterrarum/we-dont-need-computers-1f28d67f9c60 | ['Bob Young'] | 2020-12-19 02:33:39.836000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Information Technology', 'Computer Science', 'Application'] |
1,641 | How the Right Music Can Boost Your Coding Productivity | Did you know that music helped to win WW2?
I’m referring to the magical effects of a UK government program called “Music While You Work”. Launched in 1940 with the idea of broadcasting cheerful music in factories twice a day to boost the overall morale of its workers, improving their productivity to get the army the munitions they needed.
The program was a hit. With managers from all over the country citing how much more productive their factories had become. Even up to 15% more. And up to this day, it is believed for that little effort of playing music to have its beneficial effects for the country on winning the war. | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/how-the-right-music-can-boost-your-coding-productivity-2a651b1e8690 | ['Piero Borrelli'] | 2020-11-10 07:46:48.428000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Productivity', 'Work', 'Web Development', 'Coding'] |
1,642 | You’ll Be Scared in the Dark | One of the most debated AI-application in recent years has been facial recognition (such capabilities were called image processing 15 years ago but are routinely termed AI today). Did you know that a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that these systems misidentified people of color more often than white people? Moreover, people of Asian and African American descent were up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white, middle-aged men. But the algorithms also misidentified the elderly, women, and children at a significantly higher rate, the study found. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that middle-aged white men generally benefited from the highest accuracy rates. According to The Verge, NIST looked at 189 algorithms from 99 organizations, which counted together, powering most of the facial recognition systems in use.
Is Dystopia the Logical Consequence?
We know different ways in which unfounded fears are stirred. The various ways in which news is distorted or facts are denounced as fake news. We understand how AI applications produce fake images and distribute them to compromise deep counterfeit pictures and videos (called “deepfakes”).
Since there are no killer robots yet and the probability is more significant that humans’ technological advances against other humans seem more likely, we need to know whether and how we should be afraid or develop a fear in the first place. Or, in other words: Where is it worth taking a closer look? How do we have to educate ourselves to find out precisely what is in danger? With the advances that have been made, the threat of AI seems to affect not so much our physical integrity but rather our social norms and the freedoms as citizens. In other words: We have to look closely into Dark AI applications and the potentially disastrous consequences they might have.
Therefore, it is evident that we have to ensure that many people have a voice and contribute when we discuss AI applications. Ultimately, we must inform ourselves about the critical aspects of AI and form an opinion on how it should be used. To do so, we should try to understand AI as a political and social ideology and not only as algorithms since we are users, beneficiaries, and in part, victims of this technological advancement. It is essential to know that in the wrong hands, AI is currently a more significant danger than science-fiction killer robots. Therefore, more has to be done to ensure inclusion, equality, and equity in developing such applications. This requires our attention and cooperation as citizens, as humans, and participants in the ecosystem we live in. We don’t have a choice in this matter: machine learning, deep learning, and all other aspects of AI are here, and they are here to stay.
So what will you do? | https://medium.com/digital-diplomacy/youll-be-scared-in-the-dark-11bfe0d76427 | ['The Unlikely Techie'] | 2020-10-23 21:49:38.016000+00:00 | ['Philosophy', 'Machine Learning', 'Future', 'AI', 'Technology'] |
1,643 | Beginner Coders, Here’s 5 Reasons Why You Should Stop Using IDEs | 1. Double Learning
This first point is not as strong, but it is quite important. See, when you jump into an IDE, you are going to have to learn how to use that particular IDE in the first place. I am not saying this is a huge disadvantage, but it is going to take more of your time and, sort of, make you lose focus a little bit. IDEs are typically not easy. In my opinion, learning not only how to code but how to use your IDE as well are just two things you do not need on your plate at the same time.
2. Takes the Heavy Lifting off Your Back
Yes, I am aware that this is one of the advantages of using an IDE. Something that most people do not get is that this advantage is selective. It is a good thing for an experienced developer, but not so much for a beginner. It is going to help a beginner in so many different ways, which is not necessarily a good thing. Let me explain. If you run into some errors, an IDE will show you exactly what the error is. It is going to give some alert that your code will not work, and it is also going to auto-correct lines. Again, this is good, but as a beginner, you want to be testing your programming and seeing the crash output. The console/terminal is your friend.
Making errors when you are starting is the way you learn. Having help from an IDE So will mean that you are not really going to be learning exactly what you are doing wrong. Having help from an IDE will make you a lazy coder. You are going to realize that you are starting to forget the syntax of the specific language that you are attempting to learn. You want to run into those mistakes, and you want to learn the syntax by yourself. Getting help constantly from an IDE will do more harm than good. Once you get more advanced, using an IDE is fine.
3. Limits Freehand Coding
As a student, you would think that it can help your efficiency. You can code faster with them. That is absolutely true, and it is a valid reason to use one. What are you going to do when you need to write code by hand? Most students fail computer science tests in university because of their reduced ability to write code by hand. I am not saying you are going to be writing code by hand all your life, but for testing purposes, you need to. I would recommend, at least before the tests, practice by hand, or use a simple text editor. This way, you will remember what you are writing and remember it long term.
4. Some Computers Simply Can’t Handle Them
I know most computers run fine and are not going to be slowed down when using one. However, if you’re using a very memory-heavy or system heavy IDE, you might not have the luxury of being able to use that on every machine. Going from using an IDE to not using an IDE on a different machine can be a lot more difficult than it sounds. You are going to be missing all the tools you were used to, and you will have to run your program from the terminal instead of that play button you have on an IDE. It is good to know how to run code from the terminal as a beginner because you will have the certainty that there is a terminal or command line in every machine.
5. Reduces Your Chances of Being Hired
Using an IDE as a beginner might hurt your chances of getting a job. Truthfully, coding interviews can be very tough. They actually ask you to write code or to explain code during the interview. If you need to write code, they might be lenient on syntax, but you don’t want to be in a position where you cannot remember the syntax or certain errors because they are automatically fixed for you while using an IDE. | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/beginner-coders-heres-5-reasons-why-you-should-stop-using-ides-8bfbaf1d4220 | ['Samuel Martins'] | 2020-11-30 06:32:35.371000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Technology', 'Coding', 'Software Development', 'Web Development'] |
1,644 | Intelligent Payment Routing | Using a Multi-Armed Bandit Algorithm To Optimize Payments Performance
Multi-Armed Bandits a.k.a. Slot Machines
If you have an e-commerce website, you most likely spend countless hours in finding the right mix of products, the content, buttons, colors and other variables that could improve your conversion rate, average transaction value and eventually your revenue. Where most merchants stop is when it comes to payments.
The payments industry for many years has made us believe that there is very little that we can do to actually optimize the performance of the checkout process. Most U.S. based businesses only require the ability to accept cards, which can range from the standard Mastercard and Visa, to adding American Express, JCB, Diners/Discover or UnionPay. But throughout the world, local payment methods have been able to capture a large part of the transactions especially the ones that are happening online. In the Netherlands we have iDeal, in Germany Sofort (Klarna), France has Cart Bancaire, China embraced AliPay and Japan has Konbini. Globally there are now over 250 alternative payment methods, which makes it even harder for merchants to decide what payment options they should offer, let alone optimize for.
The global brand general purpose cards — Visa, UnionPay, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club/Discover, and American Express — generated 295.65 billion purchase transactions for goods and services in 2017, up 18.0%.
Experimenting
Having worked in the Financial Services industry for over 14 years, I have always used Data to help myself and others make better decisions. Either through Descriptive Analytics (what happend), Diagnostic Analytics (why something happend), Predictive Analytics (what is likely to happen) or Prescriptive Analytics (what action to take).
As a Data Scientist, I enjoy the final stages the most, because that is where I get to experiment. The first stages are necessary to figure out what happend or even why something happend, but being able to use math and algorithms to predict what is going to happen and developing technology to automate the actions that need to be taken, is what really excites me.
So when I worked on a project for a large omni-channel retailer back in 2015, they struggled with making a decision to decide what payment method mix to use. During six months I researched their business, new and established payment methods and the behavior of customers from the moment they landed on the website untill they paid or decided not to. I created experiments to test different scenario’s and optimized until I got the best payment mix . In hindsight the experiment was a great success, we increased the Checkout Conversion Rate (the conversion of shoppers clicking the payment button and actually inputting and succeeding in paying for the transaction), from 91% to 95%. The added benefit was an additional 1 Million Euro’s in revenue and a projected 4 Million Euro’s in revenue in the next twelve months. Instead of staying with the company, I got an offer from the PSP that processed the merchants transactions (they were the initiator of the project), to use my approach to help other larger merchants to get the same type of results.
Joining a hyper growth company that focused on results more than perfect execution, I was able to run well over one hundred different analysis and experiments over a span of almost two years, creating descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytical results. From calculating authorization rates, improving acquiring performance, figuring out what variables in payment fields lead to a higher likelihood of being authorized. But out of all of them, helping merchants to find the best payment mix stood out the most.
Thinking about this problem and many other problems, where running multiple experiments was the only way to get the answer, I stubbled upon the Multi-Armed Bandit Algorithm.
Multi-Armed Bandit Experiment
A Multi-Armed Bandit is a type of experiment where:
The goal is to find the best or most profitable action
The randomization distribution can be updated as the experiment progresses
The name “multi-armed bandit” describes a hypothetical experiment where you face several slot machines (“one-armed bandits”) with potentially different expected payouts. You want to find the slot machine with the best payout rate, but you also want to maximize your winnings. The fundamental tension is between “exploiting” arms that have performed well in the past and “exploring” new or seemingly inferior arms in case they might perform even better.
Used by Google to run Content Experiments, I started thinking about how similar Payment Service Providers and more specific Acquiring Connections are. Unlike what most people might assume, the PSP or Acquirer can have a big impact on the Performance of the transaction being processed. Dependent on variables like region, reputation and data quality, card transactions on average have a 80% chance of being approved. Reasons for their decline can range from insufficient funds, to transactions not permitted to cardholder or the widely covering do not honor. By having multiple PSPs or Acquiring connections a Multi-Armed Bandit Experiment can produce the best possible performance without manual interference.
How Bandits work
In essence a Multi-Armed Bandit Algorithm starts out with multiple variations, which based on an input produce an output. Dependent on the performance the fraction of traffic to each variation will automatically be adjusted. A variation that performance better than the other variations will be allocated a larger fraction of traffic, while the underperforming variations will see the traffic reduced. Each adjustment is based on a statistical formula which used the sample size and performance metrics together, to ensure that the changes are real performance differences and not just random chance. Dependent on the time and traffic, one or more of the variations will come out a winner, to which we award all the traffic or decide to run a new experiment. Unlike the traditional A/B experiment, the Multi-Armed Bandit experiment is about achieving and taking advantage of results while you are running the experiment versus waiting till you have the results to decide which variation is the best.
Applying it on Payments for Merchants
As with any algorithm applying it on a real life scenario gives us the opportunity to learn if the results can be improved. Proposing the idea to a large Merchant in the Travel industry with multiple PSP connections, we were able to test the idea.
The first experiment focused on the Authorization Rate, a metric that within the Payments industry provided feedback on the Performance of a PSP. Knowing that in regions where the differences are small, getting results that are statistically significant was going to be challenging, we decided to focus on countries where the Authorization Rates were between 60 and 70% and other PSPs (not connected) where saying that they where able to get Authorization Rates around the 80%. The two existing integrations were expanded to a three. The logic needed to switch between each PSP connection was developed as well as the ability to track the performance.
As we tested the solution, we made different adjustments to ensure that traffic would only be redistributed after the results where statistically significant. Over a period of one month, we routed over one-hundred-thousand transactions, producing an Authorization Rate of 74%, 66% and 59% for the three PSPs, with the local PSP producing the highest performance.
Other scenario’s to try a Multi-Armed Bandit Experiment
Besides routing transactions to multiple PSPs, there are of course many other ways of using the Multi-Armed Bandit Algorithm. Within Payments routing transactions to different Acquirers is the next best option, but also testing different Fraud Protection Tools. Outside of Payments the options are endless, from testing content on your website or in your emails. Whenever you want to compare more than two variations and waiting till the end before you make a decision is too costly, a Multi-Armed Bandit Experiment should definitely be considered.
Thanks for reading ;) , if you enjoyed it, hit the applause button below, it would mean a lot to me and it would help others to see the story. Let me know what you think by reaching out on Twitter or Linkedin. Or follow me to read my weekly posts on Data Science, Payments and Product Management. | https://towardsdatascience.com/intelligent-payment-routing-d6c4097720e | ['Dwayne Gefferie'] | 2018-05-08 12:59:01.378000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Technology', 'Payments', 'Startup', 'Algorithms'] |
1,645 | Safety guide for using Torrents | Internet security topic has become a hot topic over the years and almost everyday you can see it on the news. Threats online are increases as well as users, so it is about time to take care of privacy online and secure yourself from cyberattacks, malware, stolen data. Internet security should be especially important for those who download torrents. Torrents has become an easy platform for government, hackers, corporations, malicious interest groups to monitor torrent downloads and attack, catch, sue users.
Because of this it is important for people to know how to be secure while torrenting, how to keep anonymity and at the same time understand which files are secure and real, and which will just infect their computers and get them in trouble.
Before torrenting ensure that your connection is private and secure
The first step before torrenting the movie you like or the game you can’t wait to play, you need to ensure that your connection is anonymous and secure.
VPN will help in this case. A VPN makes users traffic encrypted and nobody could catch you for torrenting. VPN changes your IP so nobody could see your identity. You need to look for a VPN that supports P2P, keeps zero logs, has a kill-switch and is not free (free ones sell your data, so it will not make you anonymous). My choice and many sources like Cnet, VPNmentor, Techradar and others choice is Surfshark (You can get it here with a discount).
You also will need a high quality antivirus, to protect yourself from malware. There are many choices for Malware, best from my point of view and the one I use is BitDefender.
How to spot if the torrent file is reliable
Scammers use false torrent files to steal users identities, trick them to giving their money away or infect their computers with malware. Do not worry there are obvious signs that show if the torrent is a scam.
Lots of seeds but no comments. Scammers often falsify the number of seeds, but they cannot falsify user comments, so if you see torrent with lots of seeds but no user comments, it is better to go away.
Scammers often falsify the number of seeds, but they cannot falsify user comments, so if you see torrent with lots of seeds but no user comments, it is better to go away. Double check the movie release date. If the movie has been released before even the official movie release date, then it is a scam. Well it is a logical one, just many of us do not even check the date. You need to use third party sources to check the real movie release date like imdb.
If the movie has been released before even the official movie release date, then it is a scam. Well it is a logical one, just many of us do not even check the date. You need to use third party sources to check the real movie release date like imdb. Verified status. Some torrent sites have people checking torrents and verifying if they are secure. You won’t find a lot of files with verified written next to them, because there are a lot of torrents and way to less people to check, but if you find one — trust them, they are safe.
Some torrent sites have people checking torrents and verifying if they are secure. You won’t find a lot of files with verified written next to them, because there are a lot of torrents and way to less people to check, but if you find one — trust them, they are safe. Comments. Let’s get back to comments again, always read the comment section of a torrent, if you see negative comments on the file, be suspicious and better look for another one.
Let’s get back to comments again, always read the comment section of a torrent, if you see negative comments on the file, be suspicious and better look for another one. Files you can trust. You can trust such files that are in AVI or MKV format, they will be legit and secure, on the other side a great amount of files in WMA and WMV format are fake. Also be aware of RAR, TAR or ACE files, they might have fake files in them, so before downloading them see the listed file contents.
You can trust such files that are in AVI or MKV format, they will be legit and secure, on the other side a great amount of files in WMA and WMV format are fake. Also be aware of RAR, TAR or ACE files, they might have fake files in them, so before downloading them see the listed file contents. Beware of special requirements. If the torrent requires some special actions for example: “download special instructions”, “password”, “unrar instructions”, “import read me first”, then the torrent is 100% shady and might be a scam. Also if EXE file is included, then run from this file far away.
If the torrent requires some special actions for example: “download special instructions”, “password”, “unrar instructions”, “import read me first”, then the torrent is 100% shady and might be a scam. Also if EXE file is included, then run from this file far away. Media players. Use only media players that are familiar to you, if the torrent asks you to use unknown media player, the first thing to do is to google it, before starting to install it. If you do it might end up infecting your computer.
Use only media players that are familiar to you, if the torrent asks you to use unknown media player, the first thing to do is to google it, before starting to install it. If you do it might end up infecting your computer. Trackers. Look in Google for the trackers that the torrent file has. If they are known by Google it is okay, if the tracker is fake Google will show many unrelated hits (you can even find words such as “fake” if someone posted a warning about these trackers).
Also be careful what Torrent pages you use, you can find a list (which will be constantly updates) of the best torrent sites in my article here. | https://medium.com/@wathersonzach/safety-guide-for-using-torrents-dc119ef6c840 | ['Zach Watherson'] | 2019-05-09 08:23:15.176000+00:00 | ['Torrent', 'Security', 'Privacy', 'Technology', 'VPN'] |
1,646 | 💸 What does Unsplash cost in 2019? | 3 years ago, we wrote ‘What does Unsplash cost?’ to give a totally transparent look at the bills associated with hosting one of the largest photography sites in the world.
Since then, Unsplash has continued to grow tremendously, now powering more image use than the major image media incumbents, Shutterstock, Getty, and Adobe, combined.
With Unsplash’s public API, we power over 1000+ mainstream applications, including Medium, Trello, Squarespace, Tencent, Naver, Square, Adobe, and Dropbox.
All of that growth means two things: more traffic and bigger bills.
In the interest of transparency, Chris and I thought we were overdue for an update.
It’s 2019. What does it cost to host Unsplash?
Then
Back in 2016, Unsplash had just crossed 1 billion images viewed and 5.5M photos downloaded per month.
Our team was smaller and our product was a lot less developed, which led to less services and less in-house processing. We had one main application, a traditional Rails monolith, that consumed a handful of services to create the basic Unsplash experience.
Heavy features like search and realtime photo stats were in their infancy, which led to much simpler data processing requirements and the use of 3rd party services like Keen and a handful of CRON jobs.
The final monthly breakdown for April 2016 was:
Web Servers: $2,731.23
Monitoring: $630.00
Data Processing: $1,000.00
Image Hosting: $11,170.00
Other: $2,127.39
Total (USD): $17,658.62
Now
A lot has changed.
For one, Unsplash is a hell of a lot bigger. 10+ times bigger. We now get more traffic from our API partners than our own website and official apps, despite these growing significantly.
Partnering with some of the largest consumer facing apps in the world has pushed our engineering team to match their practices around redundancy, monitoring, and availability, which requires more supporting resources and services.
Our product team has continued to push the envelope for core features like search and contributor stats, requiring more and more data to be processed in greater and greater volumes.
All of these things have pushed our architecture to be more complex, while also increasing the baseline costs.
Web servers
Total monthly cost: $29,763
We continue to use Heroku as our main web platform. Despite its premium cost over AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, Heroku’s built-in deployment and configuration tools allow our team to move faster, more confidently, and more reliably.
As we’ve detailed previously, the alternatives would undoubtably be cheaper on paper. But in reality, the increased simplicity and freedom offered by Heroku for a small, product-focused team is a major cost savings advantage.
In addition to our main web servers and databases using Heroku, we use Fastly for distributed CDN caching, Elastic Cloud for our Elasticsearch clusters, and Stream for our feed and notification architecture.
Web Server costs breakdown for February 2019
Monitoring
Total monthly cost: $7,679
Our team is small for Unsplash’s size, with our total product team counting in at just 11 people.
With no one dedicated to dev-ops, ensuring Unsplash is running smoothly and never goes down, requires a lot of instrumentation and reporting.
Despite the volume of metrics we monitor and report on, New Relic, Sentry, and Datadog remain fairly inexpensive solutions. Our logging is certainly our largest monitoring expense, but the detailed information is crucial when debugging issues or rolling out new features.
Data Processing
Total monthly cost: $15,223
Data processing has been the area with the largest relative increase since 2016. Back then, analytics and data were an afterthought in our development process. We relied on tools like Google Analytics for user analytics and Keen for product metrics like photo views and downloads.
Since then, we’ve needed to expand our data collection, aggregation, and reporting significantly, both from a product and a company perspective. As Unsplash has grown, the volume has also increased considerably, with hundreds of millions of events tracked every day.
We’ve replaced Google Analytics and Keen with an open-source data pipeline, Snowplow Analytics. Snowplow takes care of the data collection and formatting, allowing Tim, our data engineer, to focus on data aggregation, modelling, and visualization.
We’ve also expanded the role of the data architecture in the product to handle all of our machine learning and search processing. As we go forward, we expect this to continue to be the biggest area of expansion.
Data processing costs breakdown for February 2019
Image Hosting
Total monthly cost: $42,408
Imgix is our single biggest expense, but we love it. Yes there are cheaper options, but trust us when we say that they aren’t as good for what we do.
We send petabytes of data through Imgix’s CDN and render more than 250 million variations of our source images every month. Their reliability, performance, and flexibility is unmatched, and negotiating our contract through them actually allows us to discount our CDN costs due to their bulk negotiations with CDN providers. | https://medium.com/unsplash/what-does-unsplash-cost-in-2019-f499620a14d0 | ['Luke Chesser'] | 2019-04-08 15:50:22.356000+00:00 | ['Photography', 'Articles', 'Technology', 'Software Development', 'Startup'] |
1,647 | Top Ten technology | Tech Decade is a Global leader in end-to-end IT Business Solutions and Services with latest Technologies and Insights to our customers. www.techdecade.com | https://medium.com/@it-consultant-0315/top-ten-technology-aa62bf6203a4 | [] | 2020-12-08 17:45:46.816000+00:00 | ['Information Technology', 'Technology News', 'Tech', 'Technology', 'Technical Analysis'] |
1,648 | Is it OK to Order Go-Food/Grab Food when it’s Raining Heavily? | On Morality of Ordering Food during a Heavy Rain
So why does ordering Go-Food during the rain violates Kant’s second categorical imperative?
What the hell is Kant’s second categorical imperative anyways?
Kant’s Categorical Imperative, is one moral theory by Emmanuel Kant. The main idea for the theory is morality should be separated from religions/deities. Morality, Kant argues, should stem from pure reason.
If morality stems from religion, or lack of thereof, morality from person to person would vary in accordance to their belief (or lack of thereof). Kant’s first categorical imperative is that morality, should be able to be universally applied. Meaning that before you set out to do something, let’s say, stealing, one should first assess what would it like if everybody do the same thing. Everybody stealing from everybody does not seem like a good idea for a society.
Hence, one should not make exceptions to the rule to him/herself.
The second categorical imperative that was referred to is that we should not use another human being merely as means to an end. The idea is one should respect another one’s autonomy and interest.
For instance, let’s say you want to borrow money from your uncle and you say it’s for your tuition fee. As it is in your uncle’s interest to have a well educated niece, he agreed, and give you money for your tuition.
Then you used the money you received from your uncle to buy cocaine.
This way you are abusing your uncle’s autonomy and interest to “have a well educated niece”, and use the money to advance your interest instead, to snort cocaine, and become a junkie.
So the key idea is here consent. a friend of mine liken this to asking consent before sex. If the other party consents, it’s all good. If the other party do not consent, we call that rape, or rather, violation of Kant’s second categorical imperative. Your uncle didn’t give you consent to snort cocaine, but you lied to him and use his money to solely advance your own interest.
How does this all relate to ordering Go-Food in the rain?
Assuming drivers are forced to accept orders, it is clear that we are violating upon his autonomy by forcing him to deliver food in the midst of the rain, when it is not in their interest to do so (their interest would be, to work while still protecting their health and well-being).
But we now know that drivers actually have a choice as to accept the order or not. How does this violates the second categorical imperative?
The core of Kant’s second imperative, is to protect the interest of others. By ordering Go-Food during heavy rain, customers are creating a demand for “food during heavy rains”. The drivers, needing money, will feel compelled to complete such orders, regardless of they wanting to do it or not. Unwittingly, customers demand for food during the rain created a situation where it is expected of the drivers to complete the orders during heavy rain, thus subjecting the drivers into a situation that is against their best interest.
Borrowing the word of the good man himself (Mr. WK), “one can counter-argue that it is in their best interest not to be given work in the pouring rain, i.e. they will get sick, regardless of their ‘want’.” | https://medium.com/@ivansanders/is-it-ok-to-order-go-food-grab-food-when-its-raining-heavily-faeb62ee4d09 | ['Ivan Sanders'] | 2019-04-05 03:52:01.330000+00:00 | ['Morality', 'Philosophy', 'Food', 'Technology'] |
1,649 | Spec Cents: Selling Phones in India | Image Credit: Elle via Unsplash
When I was in middle school, my school would have a multicultural day once a year. The event was a great way to experience where all of my classmates were coming from. Living in New York ensured that there was always a diverse representation from all over the world and the event would always open my eyes up to different food and traditions that were so different from what I lived in my own life. Having these days every year in school is a contributing factor to me being naturally curious about other cultures. In the current world we live in, the internet has made the world so much smaller than it used to be. Through social media and various other online tools, we can get a pulse on how life in other countries actually is.
This global exposure has also shown me how different areas market product as opposed to here in the United States. The differences can sometimes be very stark and is a commentary on how companies have to navigate cultural differences in order to be successful internationally. Beyond simply adhering to cultural norms such as those in the far east, there is something to be said for understanding how culture can dictate priorities of a population in one country compared to another. One such situation that has always fascinated me is the development of smartphones in the Indian market and how much it differs in the way of priorities from Western markets.
Image Credit: Jungwoo Hong via Unsplash
The Growth Market
Most people today feel that the smartphone has plateaued. That there is no longer any growth in the segment since everyone already has a smartphone, the sure sign of a mature product. While this may be the case in the US, this is absolutely not the case in India. The country is still seeing year over year growth in smartphone sales. This is why the country has become such a priority for so many smartphone manufacturers in recent years. In many ways the country is the last frontier for industry dominance much like the Gold Rush in the United States in the mid-1800’s. Recently, the country overtook the US as the second largest smartphone market behind China and it has been given a new level of priority in terms of marketing, manufacturing, and scope.
The dynamics in the country are unique as India is a developing country that is increasing its manufacturing capacity and is also a growth market. The mix of this has led many Chinese smartphone manufacturers to set manufacturing facilities in India to aid this growing demand for smartphones while enhancing the country’s economy due to favorable workplace policies that were instituted by the country. The benefit of this has led to lower smartphone prices as the result of reduced shipping and supply chain complexities, which has also led to the increasing demands of the Indian smartphone consumer.
Whenever a new phone is announced in the comment section there are bound to be a few commenters who live in India saying how the price is too high for a phone made by Google, Apple, or Samsung and that the Xiaomi Pocophone or new device from Redmi or Realme offer better specs for less. Here in the west, we don’t know of these brands and would likely never consider them because they lack proper name recognition. This is where the difference lies between India and the West: in the west we value reputation and brand, in India it is all about specs and nothing else.
When Samsung comes out with a Galaxy phone with the latest specs and charges roughly $1000 for it, we here in the US don’t think too much of it. This is because we respect Samsung as a brand and feel that they have built up enough brand equity to warrant a $100 or so year over year price hike. In the Indian market, loyalty is a lot harder to come by. A $100 price increase is a deal breaker because there are so many other options in the market. Here in the US we have Samsung, Apple, Google, OnePlus, and maybe LG as options that are presented to us. In India, those companies are present in addition to brands such as Huawei, Realme, Redmi, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. That’s without even mentioning all the smaller homegrown Indian brands that sell at the low end in the country. A plethora of options is the situation in India, and all these choices lends itself to a lack of brand identity and loyalty.
Image Credit: Jonas Svidras via Unsplash
Specs Vs Identity
Here in the United States we engage in fanboyism a lot. We buy into a brand, buy into an ecosystem. We appreciate design and reputation, the reason why people buy iPhones and Galaxy devices is not that they are always on the bleeding edge but rather have just enough improvement to warrant the upgrade. There are certain aesthetics that we appreciate here in the western markets that can be characterized as more of a feeling than hard fact. There is an aura of chic to using an iPhone, using a Galaxy phone gives the user a feeling of appreciation for new tech and style. Google’s Pixel lineup is predicated on giving the mobile photography crowd the best pocket camera on the market. These are all emotional responses that these phones give us as users.
This is far from the case in India. There is a standard spec to price ratio in the country that has triggered a sort of race to the bottom when it comes to price. In 2020 that spec sheet goes something like this for an Android phone: SnapDragon 865 processor, at least 8 GB of RAM, at least 128 GB of storage, at least a 90 hZ refresh rate screen, and at least 3 cameras on the back of the phone. All of these specs need to be had for under $500 or else the phone is overpriced and not worth it. The Indian consumer will look at the Pixel 4 and instantly dismiss it because it does not check all of these boxes, whereas the new Oppo phone does so that phone wins the purchase. If Xiaomi has one upped Oppo the next time that a phone is purchased then the allegiances will shift just that fast. Loyalty lasts for as long as the price remains competitive.
Here in the West, we have an appreciation for software, for an accessory ecosystem, for optimizations that create the identity emotion response from our gadgets. In India, the phone is a tool and a tool that is price matched across the plethora of options available to the consumer. A company like OnePlus has understood this and took the necessary steps to be able to succeed in this new and quite volatile market. The company recently launched their new OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro internationally. When it was unveiled it was shown that the company would be increasing its prices to more align with the competition at the high end from Apple and Samsung. Many customers in India were immediately preparing to write off the company immediately since they no longer were competitive on price. It then came out that the Indian price would be roughly $150 less, and there was a sense of relief. OnePlus recognized the pulse of that market and knew that they needed to stay competitive on price in order to remain relevant in that country.
This is the challenge for companies trying to enter the Indian market currently. Name recognition will not be enough to ensure a level of success, neither is extended software support. The name of the game will always be price and making sure that the price is low enough to remain competitive with the competition. Here in the US we will always read tech blogs that complain about software that is overbearing with too many overlays and inconsistent design. The fascinating thing about the Indian market is that while there is an appreciation of great software, it is far from a priority.
Perhaps this is the result of an abundance of competition, but the Indian smartphone market in many ways is like getting into a nightclub. The spec to price ratio in many ways is a cover charge to even be considered for entry into this last hallowed land of opportunity for smartphone relevance. The market is incredibly difficult to gain penetration into, but it is also the most crucial market in the industry currently. Companies have to have multifaceted marketing and pricing strategies in order to be successful both in the West and in India. This is where companies like HTC have failed, by trying to establish and flex brand identity in a market that has very little time for such trivial things. In many ways, the nature of the Indian consumer is foreign to an American like myself. But in another aspect, it is encouraging to see the consumer able to dictate what the manufacturer must do to succeed at such an altering level. Much like the multicultural days from my childhood, I find myself enthralled and fascinated by the way that this market operates. If only more places demanded more from their companies in various industries like the Indian consumer has done with their smartphones. | https://medium.com/swlh/spec-cents-selling-phones-in-india-f00e0d072915 | ['Omar Zahran'] | 2020-04-22 16:14:46.036000+00:00 | ['Gadgets', 'Pricing Strategy', 'Technology', 'Business', 'Smartphones'] |
1,650 | Senior engineers are the lifeblood of any software organization | And what you should use instead
Imagine that you’re a principal at a small K-8 school who’s looking to hire a new teacher. As you have less than 20 teachers, you have to ensure that each person you hire can teach any of the grades. Adding to the complications, you’ve recently lost one of your best teachers, someone with 15 years of experience, and a mentor to many of the more junior teachers. How can you replace her?
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After some thought, you craft what you think is a creative approach to interviewing. When the candidates show up, you will ask them to teach a lesson drawn from the K-8 curriculum. As you want to ensure that the candidate is well-rounded, you’ll hold off telling them about which lesson you want taught until the beginning of the interview. If they nail this, you infer that they’ll be able to easily teach anything, as they’ve clearly performed well under pressure, on a randomly selected topic.
You put notice out that you’re hiring, and some truly remarkable candidates apply. For the first test of this new approach, however, you plan to try it out on a referral, a teacher that one of your staff has worked with in the past and claims was the star of the school. You marvel at your luck that she even applied, and think that she’ll be the perfect test for your new interview process. You reach out to her to arrange an interview date, and tell her about this new technique you’re using, to allow her some chance to prepare.
Then the interview day arrives, and your candidate shows up at the school. You can sense that she’s a bit nervous, which is strange because she’s an experienced candidate with an impeccable resume. You decide not to dwell on that, and instead usher her into one of your classrooms to begin the interview. “I’d like you to teach me a lesson on Number Theory”. At that point her face sinks, because unbeknownst to you, she hasn’t taught 8th grade in more than 10 years. But always the professional, she goes to the board and starts the lesson. She talks about factors of numbers, and how to determine if a given number is divisible by 2, 5 and 10, but she’s struggling. When you ask about GCF and LCM, she needs clarification about the acronyms, which you interpret as a bad sign. You explain that you’re referring to “greatest common factor” and “least common multiple”, but at this point you can tell that her confidence is shot, and you pick a tinge of annoyance in her voice.
At the end of the hour she’s stumbled through the highlights of Number Theory, but hasn’t at all filled you with a sense of confidence that she could nail this lesson in front of a group of misbehaving 8th graders. She performs very well on several other behaviour-based interviews, but you can’t shake this feeling that maybe she’s not the best in-room teacher. After some deliberation, you decide to pass on her, and hire a much less experienced teacher who excelled on the “lesson test”. | https://medium.com/@begyptyonest/and-what-you-should-use-instead-baaf7f5cc3b3 | [] | 2020-12-16 10:05:54.960000+00:00 | ['Engineering', 'Live Streaming', 'Coding', 'Hiring', 'Technology'] |
1,651 | 3D printed plastic can mend itself using only LED lights | Image credit: Shutterstock
University of New South Wales (Sydney): Engineers have demonstrated a way to help 3d printed plastic heal itself at room temperature using only standard Led lights for around one hour which causes a chemical reaction and fusion of the two broken pieces.
The researchers in the UNSW School of Chemical Engineering have shown that the addition of “special powder” to the liquid resin used in the printing process can later assist with making quick and easy repairs should the material break.
The entire process makes the repaired plastic even stronger than it was before it was damaged, and it is hoped that further development and commercialisation of the technique will help to reduce chemical waste in the future.
That is because broken plastic parts would not need to be discarded, or even recycled, and could be mended simply even when remaining embedded in a component including many other materials.
Researchers says that the new technology could potentially be used in a range of applications where advanced 3D printed materials are currently used in high-tech specialized components. These include wearable electronics, sensors, and even some shoe manufacturing. | https://medium.com/@3dculture/3d-printed-plastic-can-mend-itself-using-only-led-lights-a6d6278e50f9 | [] | 2021-12-19 06:15:43.137000+00:00 | ['3d Printing Technology', '3d Printing Industry', '3d Printer', '3d Printing Market', '3D Printing'] |
1,652 | Wearable Technology Market Segments, Opportunity, Growth and Forecast by End-use Industry 2014–2022 | The growth of the global wearable technology market is driven by convenient usage of wearables and entry of various smartphone manufacturers. In addition, rise in health concerns among consumers fuels the adoption of wearable devices, which enable them to provide real-time information on their overall health. Multiple benefits offered by these devices such as GPS tracking, heart monitoring, and notification alert further supplement the wearable devices market growth. Moreover, rise in disposable income of consumers and increase in standard of living propel the growth of the global wearable technology market. However, increase in security concerns is projected to hamper the market growth, as the risk of data leakage is a major issue for users. Moreover, the limited battery life and high manufacturing cost restrain the market growth. Advancement in wearable devices technology is expected to provide numerous growth opportunities for the market.
Wearable Technology Market size in 2015 was valued at $19,633 million growing at CAGR of 16.2% to reach $57,653 million by 2022. Wearable technology market has witness increased adoption owing to factors such as ease of use, flexibility and convenience. Moreover, it provides real time data monitoring, operational efficiency and fitness tracking which further supports the market growth.
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Wearable Technology Market
In 2015, wrist wear segment accounted for the maximum revenue shares in the overall wearable technology industry, owing to the flexibility provided by wearables. Moreover, wearables can be used to monitor heart rate and blood pressure, thus reducing the hospital bills. In addition, rise in demand for wearable devices from North American and European countries is expected to have a positive impact on the market growth, as these regions have strong economic base. The smartwatch segment is expected to witness the fastest growth, registering a CAGR of 19.9%. Technological advancements in wearable electronics such as introduction of smart rings, innovative body wear, baby monitors, and others are anticipated to provide growth opportunities for the market.
The fitness & sports segment dominated the wearable technology market with over 39% share in 2015, and is projected to maintain this trend throughout the forecast period. However, Entertainment sector is anticipated to grow at a highest CAGR of 35.7% during the forecast period. The growth of the consumer application is expected to be driven by increase in awareness of wearables and innovative features & benefits provided by the wearable product manufacturers.
North America accounted for the major share of the global wearable technology industry in 2015, and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period, owing to rise in demand for convenient wearables. Asia-Pacific is estimated to grow at the highest rate due to increase in the adoption of technologically advanced products; growth in demand for smart wearables; and extensive economic growth in developing countries such as China and India.
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The key players profiled in the wearable technology industry include Apple Inc., Fitbit, Inc., Garmin Ltd., Adidas AG., Nike, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., LG Electronics Inc., and Motorola Solutions Inc. These players have adopted various strategies such as product launch, collaboration & partnership, and acquisition to expand their foothold in the wearable technology market. Apple introduced Apple Watch Nike+, which is an important tool for runners, pairing exclusive Nike Sport Bands with Apple Watch Series 2, which features GPS, a two times brighter display, water resistance up to 50 m, a powerful dual-core processor, and watchOS 3. The introduction of technologically advanced products is likely to gain acceptance among the tech savvy people, specifically in developed regions of North America and Europe. | https://medium.com/@nisha.dodeja_97586/wearable-technology-market-segments-opportunity-growth-and-forecast-by-end-use-industry-2014-2022-cbf9b62fff4c | ['Nisha Dodeja'] | 2019-07-31 06:27:55.070000+00:00 | ['Electronics', 'Wearable Technology', 'Consumer Electronics', 'Wearables', 'Technology'] |
1,653 | Data Science Helps Sustainability in These 6 Awesome Ways | 1: Climate Change Prediction
The easiest way for machine learning and statistics to help climate change is by aiding prediction. Climate prediction reporting, weather models, and various other models are built using historical data and as many parts of our environment have been measured over a period of time, data exists for us to run models on.
The reports from these experiments are vital for various governments, charities and non-profits to best allocate resources so it’s imperative that the results are accurate. Data Science and Machine Learning specifically aim to model the mean and variance (amongst other things), so over the past 10 years as computational power and data storage/recording techniques have improved, there’s been a flood of new information about the environment.
2: Renewable Energy Optimisation
Solar, Wind and Water energies are fantastic options for renewable energies. They’re not costly and also not very difficult to harness. Using a number of data science techniques, different algorithms can be implemented so that processing a huge amount of data is easy and can lead to insights that can really make an impact on achieving sustainability goals.
Different Solar, Hydro and Wind Power Plants have been set up throughout the world and using data science, these plants are monitored and operated.
Bearing this in mind, the cost of producing renewable electricity is becoming cheaper every year and its only time for the optimisation models to prefer renewable energy over traditional sources.
3: Carbon Emission Measurement
Managing the amount of carbon a company or entity produces is a big issue. Firstly, it’s near impossible to measure it exactly (where do you draw the line?) but also, what constitutes your responsibility. If you take the tube to work, should you offset the carbon produced there, or, should the tube operator?
A number of data science methods exist now which help in this endeavour. The systems can now implement carbon trackers which gathers data on the amount of carbon emission from different factories.
Now any data you collect in this space will be slightly noisy so various methods exist that try to model the correct distribution and then aim to minimise the amount being produced.
4: Water Conservation
Despite the earth being mostly water, the amount we can actively drink and use is significantly less so we need to focus on the conservation of water. However, it’s apparent that capitalist ideals often don’t fall in line with what society needs.
Take the example of Avocados in Mexico. This ‘green gold’ requires a significant amount of fresh water and as such, farmers provide this. However, the towns near these farms end up going through periods of drought: farmers prefer their crops to be watered rather than other humans.
OK maybe that’s a bit facetious but the point stands — sustainable water provisions need to be more widely available and that’s where Data Science can come in.
A study has shown that an average American Household consumes about 320 gallons of water per day.
Using Smart Irrigation System, enabled by data science techniques, can save up to 8800 gallons water per home per year.
5: Heat Energy Conservation
NEST thermostats don’t just look cool — they offer a service to consumers that makes their lives both easier and more sustainable.
These thermostats are expensive but the use of Smart Thermostats can reduce minimum 10% energy on heating and 15% energy on cooling.
If that’s not a fantastic use of Data Science; I’m not sure what is.
6: Extreme Weather Forecasting and Preventive Measures
Extreme weather forecasting is notoriously difficult. Often, these events are mathematically so unlikely but even then, they occur in new ways that catches everyone off guard.
Given that, the use of data from highly affected areas can be used to model the boundaries within which extreme weather occurs. Is it dependent on X or Y?
The awesome thing is that now, we spend so much time measuring various parts of the environmental ecosystem that our understanding of what drives these events improves every day. This technology, as you guessed, can save thousands of lives (easily).
As an example, the Montreal Institute of Learning Algorithms have been using GAN’s (General Adversarial Network) to model what it would look like if severe weather storms effected previously ‘safe’ areas. | https://medium.com/swlh/data-science-helps-sustainability-in-these-6-awesome-ways-2b5253e8aa42 | ['Mohammad Ahmad'] | 2020-11-29 19:52:54.913000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Environment', 'Technology', 'Tech', 'Sustainability'] |
1,654 | Autonomous Vehicles: A Game-Changing Tech for Blind and Disabled People? | When I started writing my book, when I had finished writing my first draft, submitted it and started trying to raise money for it to be published, people were curious about why would you write a book about driverless cars? People who know me know that I am someone who studies policy. I am not an engineer and I am fairly hopeless when it comes to even basic technology. So why would I devote countless hours of my life to research and write a book over the past year devoted to one of the most complex technologies in the world, the autonomous vehicle?
I explain my motivation for writing this book in the Introduction to The Future is Autonomous: The U.S. and China Race to Develop the Driverless Car.
In 2012, while I was studying for my PhD in the Politics and International Relations Program at the University of Southern California, I suffered near fatal injuries as the result of a fall from three stories. My spleen was severely damaged in the fall and had to be removed. Both my wrists were severely broken. Because I suffered massive head trauma, the optic nerve in my left eye was completely destroyed and there was partial damage to my right optic nerve, causing slight tunnel vision.
In my recovery process, I learned about new technological advances to help people with vision difficulties. One of these devices is the Kurzweil program which reads digital articles or books to me. This program allowed me to return to my graduate program two years after my accident to research and write my MA thesis. This allowed me to graduate with an MA in international relations. I have also been using this program to conduct research for this book.
I continue to find new ways to manage my life as someone with vision difficulties, such as scanning my surroundings closely whenever I am walking in public. This allows me to make sure that I do not fall or bump into someone. I have become reliant on public transportation. Because of this, I was unable to see my dad for six months when DC closed the metro I take to travel to DC due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was unable to see him, even though he only lives roughly seventeen miles away. I feel blessed my injuries were not much worse, however, and that I am still alive.
After recovering from my injuries, I became passionate about finding out more and advocating for autonomous vehicles. They could give me and millions of other blind, disabled, or elderly people greater transportation freedom. In my research, I discovered their other commercial and safety benefits. I sincerely hope you will join me in advocating for this vital technology after reading this book.
In my book, I discuss the efforts of the blind community to push for autonomous vehicles. I also point out that, despite all of the potential benefits that these vehicles could provide to elderly, blind, or disabled people, the support is not unanimous. There are still some questions and misgivings that people in the blind community have about them. After all, this is a new technology, and it can be very dangerous if unsafe vehicles are allowed to drive on public roads.
The potential long-term benefits of autonomous vehicles are vast. I will focus on several benefits which directly or indirectly effect millions of people. These benefits will also require changes in how Americans have done things in the past for the impact to be felt on a large scale. These long-term benefits include greater freedom of mobility for blind, disabled, or elderly people, reduced traffic congestion, and the possible reduction of vehicle carbon dioxide emissions.
In one demonstration of autonomous vehicles from an article in The MIT Technology Review, the parking lot of Perkins School for the Blind was converted into a testing ground for autonomous vehicles. Optimus Ride, a startup from Cambridge, Massachusetts, drove students and staff on a fixed track in an autonomous vehicle resembling a golf cart. When asked about the experience, principle of the school Dave Power said autonomous vehicles would be “transformative” for people who are blind. He said, “For the first time they will be able to go to school, work, and community activities independently, regardless of distance.” He then pointed out there is tremendous enthusiasm for autonomous vehicles in the blind community both at Perkins and nationally.
Organizations for the blind have been working to promote the autonomous vehicle industry from its inception. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the largest organization for blind people in the country. It has advocated for vehicles for the blind since the early 2000s when it organized a Blind Driver Challenge. In this challenge, the NFB encouraged universities and other organizations to create and adopt nonvisual interfaces for vehicles. They have since worked with companies, such as Waymo, to incorporate accessibility features for blind people.
Another organization, the American Council for the Blind (ACFB), is a national grassroots advocacy group. The ACFB tracks early autonomous vehicle adopter states’ laws concerning autonomous vehicles to ensure they do not prohibit blind people from using them.
While accessibility options may be more of a niche issue for most people, autonomous vehicle industry leaders have lent their support. After introducing his company Waymo, CEO John Krafcik discussed this issue at the 2019 IAA Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany. He said, “Beyond safety, the freedom that comes with a driver’s license isn’t even a possibility (for many people).” He continued by saying, “In many developed countries more than twenty percent of the population isn’t able to drive due to vision impairment or some other physical disability.” Both enthusiastic national and regional organizations and industry leaders have taken my limited vision and millions of other visually impaired, blind, and disabled people’s struggles to heart.
I had a conversation with a woman from an organization for the blind who asked to remain anonymous. The opinion is actually fairly mixed with her colleagues in the blind community. She said, “There are people who are in favor of autonomous vehicles and there are people like me who do not want to ride in these vehicles because they are worried about liability concerns.” This surprised me, and my only response to this question was what I believe is the truth. Liability is a concern and still needs to be worked out with state or federal regulation, or both, for autonomous vehicles.
This is not a concern limited to the blind community given the incredibly litigious society in the US. I will discuss liability and insurance questions in greater detail in my chapter on the policy problems in the US.
I started following the development of the autonomous vehicle industry and became passionate about their development because of my vision difficulties. This was one of the main reasons why I decided to write this book. It was very refreshing for me to see organizations devoted to helping blind people that are actively pushing for legislation at the state and national level to promote autonomous vehicle legislation. It was even more refreshing to learn companies in the autonomous vehicle industry were receptive to these organizations’ wishes to make the vehicles more accessible to blind people. This gave me hope that in the future, autonomous vehicles would provide people like me with greater freedom of mobility.
I have high hopes that, when the technology is fully mature and safe, autonomous vehicles will be a tool to greatly improve the lives of many people. Companies such as Waymo in Arizona and Chevy Cruise in the San Francisco Bay Area are already offering driverless taxi services. Numerous autonomous trucking companies are preparing to assist the truck driver shortage in the U.S. to help support the vital life blood of the American economy in the logistics supply chain. Similar companies will be doing the same to help the supply chain for countries all over the world.
I hope that I am right and that AVs offer a chance of greater transportation freedom to me and millions of other blind, disabled, or elderly people! Autonomous vehicles are here to stay. Enjoy the ride!
Want to learn more about how autonomous vehicles could benefit the blind community, people with disabilities, or the elderly in accordace with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Learn about this and many more transportation and commercial benefits that these new vehicles can provide in my book The Future is Autonomous: The U.S. and China Race to Develop the Driverless Car.
Kindle eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Future-Autonomous-China-Develop-Driverless-ebook/dp/B08PVRL38J Paperback
Paperback | https://medium.com/@phillip-wilcox/autonomous-vehicles-a-game-changing-tech-for-blind-and-disabled-people-3418610ed366 | ['Phillip Wilcox'] | 2020-12-11 14:03:19.747000+00:00 | ['Self Driving Cars', 'Blindness', 'Disability Assistance', 'Autonomous Vehicles', 'Technology'] |
1,655 | Figma 3.0 (!) | Desktop-based design can come with a hefty price. Teams spend their days managing a Frankenstein workflow: Which prototype has stakeholder comments? Is the style guide up to date? Are we all working from the right version of the design?
We think there’s a better way on the web. Today, I’m excited to introduce Figma 3.0, with three features that — taken together — will allow companies of all sizes to consolidate their tool stack. This will save you time because you won’t need to constantly switch across apps. And it will save you money because you can remove redundant tools from your workflow.
What’s new:
Prototyping — We’ve added device frames, fixed objects and advanced scrolling to bring your designs to life. Styles — With Styles and our new Team Library functionality, you can now build and maintain every part of your company wide design system in Figma. Organization tier — We’re previewing our new “Organization” tier, which helps large organizations scale their design management.
We hope this new functionality, coupled with our existing web-powered features like Developer Handoff, Commenting and Shared Components, will allow you to switch your team and workflow 100% (or nearly 100% 😉) to Figma.
Read on for the details.
Prototyping
With 3.0, prototyping in Figma has evolved. We listened carefully to our users over the past year and added things you need to get great feedback on your work: Device frames, fixed objects, scrolling and transitions.
Yes, this means your team can finally kiss your pricey InVision subscription — and its endless syncing — goodbye. Prototyping in Figma is free, and it’s tied to design so you never have to export screens again (web magic in action ✨).
The rundown:
Device frames. Add a range of containers — from iPhone to Android to Apple Watch — on your designs, and watch them shine. This will help others on your team gain context about the scale of the design.
2. Fixed objects. Our community has asked for fixed headers and footers in prototyping since the day we launched. Now you can finally attach objects like status bars or buttons to the top, bottom or even sides of a frame with constraints.
Pro tip: Use effects like background blur & blending modes with fixed objects to enhance the scrolling experience.
3. Scrollable areas. This is a whole new level of interaction for a screen design tool. You can enable scrolling through individual shapes within a parent frame, which can itself be scrollable. Want to introduce a carousel of images (ex: Netflix’s horizontal selection style)? Go for it! Need vertical lists? Add it. We went a little wild and even included ‘scroll in any direction.’
4. Transitions. Add dissolve, slide and push effects to link frames. These subtle transitions mimic the motion of native mobile apps so your prototypes look professional.
Read more on how to enable this new functionality in our help article here or watch our tutorial video here. As mentioned, since Figma’s on the web your prototypes are always up to date — no extra housekeeping required.
Key benefits to prototyping in Figma:
REAL TIME ⏰: Fiddle with a design fill color or font size in your design, and watch your prototype reflect changes in real time.
Fiddle with a design fill color or font size in your design, and watch your prototype reflect changes in real time. LINKED COMMENTS ✍🏽: In other tools, comments are detached from where you need them: The app where you design. In Figma, the two are linked, so you don’t have to switch between tabs when incorporating feedback.
In other tools, comments are detached from where you need them: The app where you design. In Figma, the two are linked, so you don’t have to switch between tabs when incorporating feedback. TED TALK MODE 👩🏽🏫: Stroll the conference room like a TED talk pro by opening your prototype in your mobile browser. Use your phone as a remote to click through your presentation.
Prototyping is a big surface area and we know some of you will still need other tools to do your work. To meet the need, we’re investing time and energy into our new API which lets you get information out of Figma. If you’re dying for a particular integration with your favorite prototyping app, go tell them! (And let them know we’re here to help.)
Figma Styles is now live for everyone!
We did a lot of research for Figma Styles, starting with months of talking to users before we wrote a single line of code. A big thanks to everyone who was part of the private beta (and apologies to those we couldn’t squeeze in!). Your feedback was invaluable and shaped our final product.
Pro-tip: Kick-start your Styles experience with this Material Design UI kit for Figma.
Figma Styles work a little differently than what you’re used to. You can apply color styles separately from text and effect styles. This keeps your styles from breaking whenever you need to update a link color or something else that’s minor. Confused? Our tutorial video shows this in action.
Tweak the original style and watch it update everywhere you used it, no sync time necessary (just hit accept on the notification that pops up in other files). Teammates who used your style will also have the option to accept or reject the change for their own design files.
Pro tip: In Figma, you can apply multiple styles to the same text box, simply by highlighting a portion of the text.
The popular UK food delivery service Deliveroo tested our Styles feature early. Because they have such a complex product — with separate apps for people ordering and riders picking up food, plus one for restaurants to manage orders — Figma’s modular approach transformed their design system.
“It’s a complete nightmare to maintain color, typography and styling across local design libraries, so keeping brand consistency across all these things has historically been hard to do,” Senior Design Manager Raphael Guilleminot said. “Figma allows us to update our brand at scale with very little overhead.”
Want more resources? Kick-start your Styles experience with this Material Design UI kit for Figma, built by OpenText designer Thomas Lowry. He also created a Facebook iOS 11 and an Android UI kit which you can download here. Read about Styles from our private beta announcement here or our help article here.
Pro tip: You can save a custom layout grid as a style.
Introducing: Organization Tier
Lastly, with Figma’s new Organization Tier we’re introducing features that make it easy to design at scale.
As Figma’s footprint expands in companies like Microsoft and Uber, we’re learning a lot about how large organizations function. Our Organization Tier is complete with the controls they need: Enterprise-grade security features, org wide design systems, unlimited teams and more.
Here’s the overview:
Org wide design systems: Companies can publish broader design systems across the entire organization, while still granting individual groups the ability to use their own Team Libraries. When new hires join their specific team in Figma, they’ll be able to access the appropriate materials from day one — no onboarding, software setup, permissions granting or other menial labor necessary. Security: With Figma’s org tier, companies can enforce login restrictions like SAML, Google SSO, or two-factor authentication. They can also add guests to Figma, so people outside their organization — like contractors — can access specific projects without full membership. Admin controls: Admins will be able to manage the above security features from a single centralized view. We’re also giving them improved visibility and control over org data, with audit logs and data export, to ensure a company never loses track of work.
We want to get this right, so we’re partnering with a few select companies to perfect our offering. If this preview intrigues you, contact us on our pricing page.
In short
Designers’ workflows should not have to be maintained with constant syncing, updating, integrating and saving. They should just work.
With Figma 3.0, we hope you can save time and money by replacing your Frankenstein tool stack with simplicity instead. As always, we’re eager to hear your thoughts and feedback. Write in via our in app chat support, check out our help articles on Prototyping and Styles, join the conversation on Spectrum or tweet us @figmadesign. We’re excited to see what you build in Figma!
Let us know what you think. | https://medium.com/figma-design/figma-3-0-217d6c248f85 | ['Dylan Field'] | 2018-06-21 16:18:23.382000+00:00 | ['UI', 'UX', 'Technology', 'Design'] |
1,656 | Epic App Update! Send crypto anywhere in the world in seconds | You have probably heard the news that Crypterium is now running the fastest crypto transactions in the world.
Crypto transfers in 1 second to people who don’t even have crypto wallets? It’s a reality now.
Send crypto to your mom, your friend, your ex-girlfriend from Iceland. You can even give crypto as a present to someone’s birthday.
Download Crypterium App in Apple Store or Google Play!
About Crypterium
CCrypterium is building a mobile app that will turn cryptocurrencies into money that you can spend with the same ease as cash. Shop around the world and pay with your coins and tokens at any NFC terminal, or via scanning the QR codes. Make purchases in online stores, pay your bills, or just send money across borders in seconds, reliably and for a fraction of a penny.
Join our Telegram news channel or other social media to stay updated!
Website ๏ Telegram ๏ Facebook ๏ Twitter ๏ BitcoinTalk ๏ Reddit ๏ YouTube ๏ LinkedIn | https://medium.com/crypterium/send-crypto-anywhere-in-the-world-in-seconds-1cf9f04febbb | [] | 2018-11-10 09:56:12.508000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Finance', 'Technology', 'Mobile App Development'] |
1,657 | Our wrap up of the hx Christmas hackathon | Last Saturday saw the wrap up of hx’s latest three-day hackathon. Anyone who has been keeping an eye on our social media will know that we were all well stocked with everything essential for long moments in front of a computer. Namely, sugar. However, all of that energy was put to good use as we were able to achieve some pretty incredible feats of programming in such a short time.
Because we’re proud of the work we accomplished we wanted to make sure we shared a hackathon wrap-up. So, we will be breaking down the highlights, revealing our proverbial programming Mount Everest and awarding the prize for best hackathon fashion statement. Frankly, the winner of the last award is going to take some beating before his crown can be taken…
The hx guide to socialising when you can’t actually socialise
Importantly, this edition of the hackathon saw the entire team get involved. Which meant that the first challenge we needed to overcome (before the inevitable programming ones) was logistical. How do you manage to get an entire office, online together, in a way that is still fun and interactive (while also letting people get on with work where necessary)?
Our solution? Spatial Chat. What we particularly enjoyed about the software was the locational aspect of the programme. We could make rooms, and host music or share videos there. If you needed to concentrate, you simply moved away from the person sharing, and the sound was dimmed. It definitely gave a better sense of bringing us together without forcing the dreaded need to keep muting conversations. It also led to some incredible YouTube deep dives, a medieval music session and a particularly intense discussion about the merits of tea.
The hx award for fashion bravery
Our hackathon wasn’t just a place for technological innovation. We also learned the meaning of innovative hacker fashion…
For most of us at home, athleisure has become the acceptable way of describing our working attire. The lowly tracksuit bottom has become elevated to a serious business look. Not so for our CTO Tom Clark. Reminding us once again of the joys of really choosing a pattern and committing to it, he showed up in a full suit and tie with a festive snowflake design. Never let it be said that snowflakes can’t be both fun and serious…
These are my serious snowflakes
A lesson in speech limits
Before we announce our winning hacks, we thought we’d share a cautionary tale for any other businesses about to embark on a mammoth three-day hackathon. Introduce time limits for presentations at the end.
As a result of being rather overambitious, we managed to get more work done than anticipated. Which meant it inevitably took quite a while for everyone to share updates. Over two and a half hours in the end! Clearly this is a sign of success (and also that we all like to ask lots of questions) but perhaps we’ll introduce the Countdown Clock timer in the next edition…
Drumroll please. And the winners are….
So, we finally get to the #humblebrag portion of our wrap-up. The announcement of the winning hacks. These were voted for by the team and were awarded under three categories. Sadly, we fear that listing all of the hacks would take too long. However, everything that the team worked on was designed to improve the Renew platform. Which means that hx customers are therefore likely to find out about all our hacks one way or another in the coming months!
Most exciting innovation: Headless API for Google Nest and Alexa
As a committed bunch of geeks, many of the hx team have either an Alexa or a Google Home knocking about. In recognition of this new wave of tech, the most exciting hx hack looked at how we could potentially integrate smart assistants or IoT device data into Renew. Theoretically, the hack could allow data collected from other programs to directly update a Renew pricing model, which would then send a push notification to a customer’s phone informing them of a change to a risk profile. We’re definitely still only scratching the surface of possibilities, but Utsav’s work wins the most exciting innovation awards precisely because of how many opportunities are now open to us. It would be pretty cool if an Underwriter could price a new risk entirely through their voice assistant too — right?!
Biggest technological challenge: Enabling hx pricing models to be built using only Python
Until this hackathon, hx models used a combination of Python and Javascript/JSON in their architecture. We wanted to push our theoretical boundaries by seeing if it was possible to build hx models entirely in Python. After some incredibly impressive work by Adomas and Daryl we now know what the theory looks like in practice. There are a number of benefits of pure Python architecture, including increased control and stability. At the moment this work is purely exploratory and is a test of our ability, rather than something we’re intending to roll out into Renew.
Most profound collaboration: Integrating customer feedback and bug reporting
Morgs, Elliot, Ciprian, Marek and Jon together won our prize for best collaboration for heading up the team that worked on our new customer reporting feature. Listening to our customers feedback is a key part of our continued product development, and this hack just made that easier: The team developed an “in-platform” reporting button which allows customers to directly share recommendations for improvements, or bugs, with the correct person (depending on the model they are working on). Even more impressively, the team had time to create a central feedback page, which shares an oversight of all open feature and bug requests. Customers can then decide to close, resolve or raise tickets with hx directly. We’re excited to roll this out to the platform!
A huge congratulations to all the hx team
It was a really intense few days for everyone at hx, but we’re incredibly proud of the work of the team and what we accomplished. Together, we’ve innovated solutions in days which will inform our customer roadmap for years to come. We also want to share a special shout out to Adomas, Jon and Daryl who not only managed to get their own projects completed, but were also able to help out a number of other hacks at the same time. Finally, we want to thank Kaja and Fiona for making sure everyone had delicious hampers and festive fun throughout the event. We’re looking forward to the next hack already! | https://medium.com/@hxwrites/our-wrap-up-of-the-hx-christmas-hackathon-c82dc5c6cbe0 | [] | 2020-12-22 15:43:46.430000+00:00 | ['Hackathon Organizing', 'Technology', 'Hackathons', 'Innovation Culture', 'Insurtech'] |
1,658 | Aceyus: Enhancing Customer Experience with Real-Time Reporting | Aceyus, a World’s Top 10 Contact Center Solutions Provider, has been recognized by CIOReview as one of the most promising contact center technology solution providers of 2020.
CIOReview is a leading technology magazine aiming to guide enterprises with the most up-to-date news on solutions and services. Each year, they publish a listing of 20 companies that “are at the forefront of providing Contact Center Tech solutions and transforming businesses.”
Aceyus, selected as one of these companies in the forefront, provides a modern platform to help customers gain visibility and actionable insight into their data. With robust dashboards, reporting and analytics tools, Aceyus brings you an easy way to centralize all of your contact center data, improve the customer journey with real-time dashboards with adaptive technology designed to enhance contact center efficiency.
While already incorporating these factors into our sleek product, Aceyus is also looking to the future and identifying trends critical to adapt to and fold into upcoming solution needs.
“Aceyus is now planning to incorporate the power of AI into its solutions. This allows the company to better analyze huge volumes of data and help clients identify and resolve issues associated with the customer journey.”
Read This Original Article Here …
Check This Out: | https://medium.com/@chrishtopher-henry-38679/aceyus-recognized-by-cioreview-54542d0eafba | [] | 2021-06-01 11:02:13.884000+00:00 | ['Cioreview', 'Technology', 'Contact Center', 'Solutions', 'Company'] |
1,659 | Machine Learning Model Deployment | Machine Learning Model Deployment
Source: Become a Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree
To fully grasp the power of Machine Learning, we ought to learn about the model deployment phase. This phase of the Machine Learning workflow is often left out of the popular Machine Learning courses, leaving many confused about what to do next once they've developed their champion model.
Just to clarify, Machine Learning is leveraged to solve problems by the use of data and improving automatically through experience. For a model to be able to solve problems in the real world it must be able to be accessed and for this to occur it must be effectively deployed into production.
In other words, we maximize the value of Machine Learning models by reliably extracting their predictions and sharing them with other systems.
The Meaning of Model Deployment
Deployment is one of the last stages of the Machine Learning workflow. In this stage, we seek to integrate our machine learning model into a production environment so that it can be used by other software systems to solve the problem it was tasked with solving from its inception.
The Deployment of a Machine Learning Model; Image by Author
When we deploy a Machine Learning model, we are not only talking about the model itself. Model deployment should really be called ML Pipeline deployment for the mere fact we deploy the entire pipeline.
A Machine Learning pipeline simply defines how we codify and automate the machine learning workflow. Typically, it would consist of multiple sequential steps that would allow us to go from retrieving the raw data to a prediction.
We deploy the pipeline because, in both the research and production environment, we are likely to obtain the data in a raw state. In the research environment, we must make the necessary transformations to the data for it to be fed into a Machine Learning model, and in a production environment, we want to replicate the model we developed in the research environment so our results do not vary once the model is in production.
This brings about extremely difficult challenges.
The Challenges of Machine Learning Deployments
Machine Learning projects can fail for a variety of reasons of which include deployment. There are few unique features involved in Machine Learning that make deployment at scale extremely difficult. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the challenges of model deployment:
The Language Barrier
It’s no doubt Python and R are by far the most popular languages used for Machine Learning. While Data Scientists are busy fighting over which language is better, they tend to forget the end goal is to integrate the model as part of a larger system so it could be used to solve problems. This is where the problem arises.
Typically, production systems are built with programming languages other than R or Python (i.e. C++, Java, etc). Porting a Python or R model into a production language is an extremely complicated task, hence the general solution is to recode the model using the production language. This creates 2 problems 1) recoding the model using the production language takes time which is a cost in business and 2) we risk being able to reproduce the research environment that was programmed in Python or R.
Traditional Software Challenges
Machine Learning code is only a small part of a larger software system, hence it can be thought of as a software engineering project which implies Machine Learning projects inherit all of the challenges of traditional software projects. Here’s a few examples of the challenges faced in software projects:
Reliability — The ability of the software to produce the intended result and to be robust to errors
— The ability of the software to produce the intended result and to be robust to errors Reusability — The ability of the software to be used across systems and projects
— The ability of the software to be used across systems and projects Maintainability — The ease with which the software can be maintained
— The ease with which the software can be maintained Flexibility — The ability to add or remove functionality.
Challenges Specific to Machine Learning — Reproducibility
In a Machine Learning context, reproducibility describes the ability of the software to produce the same result when provided with the same input data across systems. This is an extremely important part of Machine Learning hence why I’ll dive deeper into this in a future article.
The Coordination of Various Teams
Machine Learning model deployments involve various teams within an organization. Teams can include Data Scientists (who are responsible for developing the model), Machine Learning Engineers/Software Developers (who are responsible for putting the model into production), and business professionals (who have a good understanding of how the model is going to be used to used in the organization, the problems the model should be solving, and the customers.
The purpose of such diverse teams coming together is to ensure the model is working reliably and ensure the model delivers the intended results.
Wrap Up
Machine Learning model deployment is one of the last stages of the Machine Learning workflow. For whatever reason, it’s often left out of Machine Learning courses which typically tends to leave beginners confused once they’ve built a model that is acceptable for the business problem. Model deployment has its own unique features that make it an extremely challenging task. In future writings, I will hone in further on the reproducibility aspect of the Machine Learning Pipeline as this is a major factor when we want to deploy Machine Learning models.
Thank You for Reading!
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Related Articles | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/machine-learning-model-deployment-b1eaf7ca96cd | ['Kurtis Pykes'] | 2021-06-17 09:34:18.790000+00:00 | ['Innovation', 'Careers', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Education', 'Technology'] |
1,660 | Machine Learning (ML) vs. Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Crucial Differences | Machine Learning (ML) vs. Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Crucial Differences
Unfortunately, some tech organizations are deceiving customers by proclaiming to use machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) on their technologies while not being clear about their products’ limits
October 15, 2018, by Roberto Iriondo — Last updated: November 12, 2020
Recently, a report released regarding the misuse from companies claiming to use artificial intelligence [29] [30] on their products and services. According to the Verge [29], 40% of European startups claimed to use AI don’t use the technology. Last year, TechTalks, also stumbled upon such misuse by companies claiming to use machine learning and advanced artificial intelligence to gather and examine thousands of users’ data to enhance user experience in their products and services [2] [33].
Unfortunately, there’s still much confusion within the public and the media regarding what genuinely is artificial intelligence [44] and what exactly is machine learning [18]. Often the terms are being used as synonyms. In other cases, these are being used as discrete, parallel advancements, while others are taking advantage of the trend to create hype and excitement, as to increase sales and revenue [2] [31] [32] [45].
📚 Check out our editorial recommendations on the best machine learning books. 📚
Below we go through some main differences between AI and machine learning.
What is machine learning?
What is Machine Learning | Tom M. Mitchell, Machine Learning, McGraw Hill, 1997 [18]
Quoting Interim Dean at the School of Computer Science at CMU, Professor and Former Chair of the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University, Tom M. Mitchell:
A scientific field is best defined by the central question it studies. The field of Machine Learning seeks to answer the question: “How can we build computer systems that automatically improve with experience, and what
are the fundamental laws that govern all learning processes? [1]”
Machine learning (ML) is a branch of artificial intelligence, and as defined by Computer Scientist and machine learning pioneer [19] Tom M. Mitchell: “Machine learning is the study of computer algorithms that allow computer programs to automatically improve through experience.” [18] — ML is one of the ways we expect to achieve AI. Machine learning relies on working with small to large datasets by examining and comparing the data to find common patterns and explore nuances.
For instance, if you provide a machine learning model with many songs that you enjoy, along with their corresponding audio statistics (dance-ability, instrumentality, tempo, or genre). It oughts to be able to automate (depending on the supervised machine learning model used) and generate a recommender system [43] as to suggest you with music in the future that (with a high percentage of probability rate) you’ll enjoy, similarly as to what Netflix, Spotify, and other companies do [20] [21] [22].
In a simple example, if you load a machine learning program with a considerable large dataset of x-ray pictures along with their description (symptoms, items to consider, and others), it oughts to have the capacity to assist (or perhaps automatize) the data analysis of x-ray pictures later on. The machine learning model looks at each picture in the diverse dataset and finds common patterns found in pictures with labels with comparable indications. Furthermore, (assuming that we use an acceptable ML algorithm for images) when you load the model with new pictures, it compares its parameters with the examples it has gathered before to disclose how likely the pictures contain any of the indications it has analyzed previously.
Supervised Learning (Classification/Regression) | Unsupervised Learning (Clustering) | Credits: Western Digital [13]
The type of machine learning from our previous example, called “supervised learning,” where supervised learning algorithms try to model relationship and dependencies between the target prediction output and the input features, such that we can predict the output values for new data based on those relationships, which it has learned from previous datasets [15] fed.
Unsupervised learning, another type of machine learning, is the family of machine learning algorithms, which have main uses in pattern detection and descriptive modeling. These algorithms do not have output categories or labels on the data (the model trains with unlabeled data).
Reinforcement Learning | Credits: Types of ML Algorithms you Should Know by David Fumo [3]
Reinforcement learning, the third popular type of machine learning, aims at using observations gathered from the interaction with its environment to take actions that would maximize the reward or minimize the risk. In this case, the reinforcement learning algorithm (called the agent) continuously learns from its environment using iteration. A great example of reinforcement learning are computers reaching a super-human state and beating humans on computer games [3].
Machine learning can be dazzling, particularly its advanced sub-branches, i.e., deep learning and the various types of neural networks. In any case, it is “magic” (Computational Learning Theory) [16], regardless of whether the public, at times, has issues observing its internal workings. While some tend to compare deep learning and neural networks to the way the human brain works, there are essential differences between the two [2] [4] [46].
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
The AI Stack, Explained by Professor and Dean, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Andrew Moore | Youtube [14]
Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is vast in scope. According to Andrew Moore [6] [36] [47], Former-Dean of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, “Artificial intelligence is the science and engineering of making computers behave in ways that, until recently, we thought required human intelligence.”
That is a great way to define AI in a single sentence; however, it still shows how broad and vague the field is. Fifty years ago, a chess-playing program was considered a form of AI [34] since game theory and game strategies were capabilities that only a human brain could perform. Nowadays, a chess game is dull and antiquated since it is part of almost every computer’s operating system (OS) [35]; therefore, “until recently” is something that progresses with time [36].
Assistant Professor and Researcher at CMU, Zachary Lipton clarifies on Approximately Correct [7], the term AI “is aspirational, a moving target based on those capabilities that humans possess but which machines do not.” AI also includes a considerable measure of technology advances that we know. Machine learning is only one of them. Prior works of AI utilized different techniques. For instance, Deep Blue, the AI that defeated the world’s chess champion in 1997, used a method called tree search algorithms [8] to evaluate millions of moves at every turn [2] [37] [52] [53].
As we know it today, AI is symbolized with Human-AI interaction gadgets by Google Home, Siri, and Alexa, by the machine-learning-powered video prediction systems that power Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube. These technological advancements are progressively becoming essential in our daily lives. They are intelligent assistants who enhance our abilities as humans and professionals — making us more productive.
In contrast to machine learning, AI is a moving target [51], and its definition changes as its related technological advancements turn out to be further developed [7]. Possibly, within a few decades, today’s innovative AI advancements ought to be considered as dull as flip-phones are to us right now.
Why do tech companies tend to use AI and ML interchangeably?
“… what we want is a machine that can learn from experience.” ~ Alan Turing
The term “artificial intelligence” came to inception in 1956 by a group of researchers, including Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon [9]. Since then, AI’s industry has gone through many fluctuations. In the early decades, there was much hype surrounding the industry, and many scientists concurred that human-level AI was just around the corner. However, undelivered assertions caused a general disenchantment with the industry along with the public and led to the AI winter, a period where funding and interest in the field subsided considerably [2] [38] [39] [48].
Afterward, organizations attempted to separate themselves with the term AI, which had become synonymous with unsubstantiated hype and utilized different names to refer to their work. For instance, IBM described Deep Blue as a supercomputer and explicitly stated that it did not use artificial intelligence [10], while it did [23].
During this period, various other terms, such as big data, predictive analytics, and machine learning, started gaining traction and popularity [40]. In 2012, machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks made great strides and found use in a growing number of fields. Organizations suddenly started to use the terms of “machine learning” and “deep learning” for advertising their products [41].
Deep learning began to perform tasks that were impossible to do with classic rule-based programming. Fields such as speech and face recognition, image classification, and natural language processing, which were at early stages, suddenly took great leaps [2] [24] [49], and in March 2019–three of the most recognized deep learning pioneers won a Turing award thanks to their contributions and breakthroughs that have made deep neural networks a critical component to nowadays computing [42].
Hence, to the momentum, we see a gearshift back to AI. For those who used to the limits of old-fashioned software, the effects of deep learning almost seemed like “magic” [16]. Especially since a fraction of the fields that neural networks and deep learning are entering were considered off-limits for computers, and nowadays, machine learning and deep learning engineers are earning high-level salaries, even when they are working at non-profit organizations, which speaks to how hot the field is [50] [11].
Sadly, this is something that media companies often report without profound examination and frequently go along with AI articles with pictures of crystal balls and other supernatural portrayals. Such deception helps those companies generate hype around their offerings [27]. Yet, down the road, as they fail to meet the expectations, these organizations are forced to hire humans to make up for their so-called AI [12]. In the end, they might end up causing mistrust in the field and trigger another AI winter for the sake of short-term gains [2] [28].
I am always open to feedback, please share in the comments if you see something that may need revisited. Thank you for reading!
Acknowledgments:
The author would like to extensively thank Ben Dickson, Software Engineer, and Tech Blogger, for his kindness to allow me to rely on his expertise and storytelling, along with several members of the AI Community for the immense support and constructive criticism in preparation of this article.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of Carnegie Mellon University nor other companies (directly or indirectly) associated with the author(s). These writings do not intend to be final products, yet rather a reflection of current thinking, along with being a catalyst for discussion and improvement. | https://medium.com/towards-artificial-intelligence/differences-between-ai-and-machine-learning-and-why-it-matters-1255b182fc6 | ['Roberto Iriondo'] | 2020-12-09 23:40:22.383000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning', 'Data Science', 'Technology', 'Deep Learning'] |
1,661 | IoT Architecture 101 | 1. Defining IoT and Its Value
While the concept of smart devices had been around for some time, the term Internet of Things first gained prominence in 1999 thanks to Bill Joy’s presentation at the World Economic Forum in Davos that year. Today, IoT has become such a hot topic that not a day goes by without some kind of high-profile media coverage. But, what exactly is IoT? To answer this question, we will try to unpack its essential qualities.
Connecting Devices to the Cloud
Generally speaking, IoT means adding value to the way we live and do business by connecting not just computers and smartphones, but various devices to the internet.
So, what exactly are these devices that add value? What kind of value can we acquire? Each person will probably answer these questions differently. In our work, we have the opportunity to discuss IoT with people who hold various points of view. The one thing everybody agrees on is that IoT is a very broad term and that the exact meaning is hard to grasp.
For example, some might think of wearable devices for consumers such as the Apple Watch, while others might talk of remote-controlled large-scale construction equipment. The specifics and points of view are often very different. Perhaps because of these characteristics, there are still many people for who IoT is just another buzzword.
A smartwatch is one well-known example of an IoT device. Image Source: StockSnap via Pixabay.
IoT Is a Tool That Gives Rise to Innovation
So, what are the fundamental properties of IoT? We think of IoT as a method and a tool that facilitates innovation.
For example, when cloud computing arrived on the scene, a lot of people skeptical of the idea questioned its necessity. Why would it be different from existing data centers’ housing models, or from VPS? Is it essential to work with the cloud?
We remember hearing many discussions around questions like these. However, at present, the cloud has become an indispensable option for system infrastructure. Not only that, numerous innovative services and businesses have come into existence that successfully use cloud features.
In the same way, we often hear people question what the difference is between IoT and M2M (machine to machine) or mobile services. We feel they are confusing the true meaning of IoT.
IoT is a tool or a method. The essential quality of an IoT system lies in how much you can innovate by effectively using this tool.
The value that you can add through an IoT system and the way it will change people’s lives depend on the individual or business that uses it. Some might use it for health care, while others might use it for financial payments. The shape and form of IoT differ significantly for each user.
From a practical point of view, IoT is just one method for innovation, but it is a method with limitless potential. We believe it is an option that no enterprise should leave untouched.
Suitable Applications of IoT
Let’s try to break down a little more what value one can think of when using IoT, and then look at types of existing IoT systems and services.
IoT is a tool that provides endless possibilities. In the future, we believe many new systems and services that use IoT properties are going to be created. As for the IoT systems that we can think of now, we can divide them into the following categories.
Payments: Payment with remote devices.
Payment with remote devices. Remote monitoring: Remote support and monitoring of facilities and equipment.
Remote support and monitoring of facilities and equipment. Security: Home security and protection services.
Home security and protection services. Sensing: Collecting sensing data from items and places.
Collecting sensing data from items and places. Smart meters: Measuring devices and controls for electricity, gas, and so on.
Measuring devices and controls for electricity, gas, and so on. Telematics: Information provision services for cars and transport vehicles.
Information provision services for cars and transport vehicles. Tracing: Tracing objects while they are transported, moved, assembled, or processed.
Effectively Using IoT
Similar to the cloud, IoT might be relevant to anyone who is involved with IT systems. We believe the successful use of IoT will be an important factor in dealing with the world of tomorrow. It is a new type of service model, and it, if used effectively, has the potential to change current forms of system architecture.
2. Points to Consider When Building an IoT System
In this section, we will shed some more light on the aspects to consider when building an IoT system.
An Overview of IoT
From home security to factory automation, IoT can be used for various things that surround us. However, no matter how many scenarios you can think of, the factors that make-up IoT are almost always the same. The figure below gives an overview of IoT.
IoT can be divided into two major categories:
Machine-to-machine (M2M) connection Machine to human (M2H) connection
A typical example of M2M would be a remote monitoring system to manage or control a smart meter for electricity management or construction equipment from a distance. This is useful for making an intelligent analysis of the network, a development that is drawing attention along with the liberalization of electrical retail.
Under M2H we can classify wearable devices, such as devices attached to a person’s wrist or leg to monitor the number of calories burned or steps taken. These systems are mainly constructed based on a cloud platform. To efficiently manage a large number of devices or data, you need a highly scalable platform such as a cloud.
However, a cloud platform is only infrastructure. You need applications to make a system work and to manage it. For tasks such as analyzing or controlling, applications are built on a cloud platform. By combining multiple elements in this way, IoT is realized.
The Elements of IoT
Let’s look more closely at the elements that make up IoT. As we explained before, IoT consists of three layers: device, cloud, and application.
First, data is collected or transferred through a SIM card and/or a wireless connection from a device such as a sensor or a smartphone. The transferred information is then stored in a database or a file in the cloud. After that, the application retrieves the stored data and then carries out analyses, visualization, and simulations.
What is important here, is that the data can be exchanged across all the layers. This means that if data cannot be thoroughly integrated between the device, the cloud, and the application, the IoT system will not work.
Furthermore, data integration must be possible between elements that have not been connected before — that is, between devices and the cloud.
Data Integration Is the Key
A fundamental issue in IoT is the degree to which data integration is possible. Situations might exist where sensor devices can only communicate through a short-distance wireless connection or where data is transferred through a low-quality, unstable 3G/LTE connection. To deal with these circumstances, data integration needs to be scalable, efficient, and reliable.
IoT is a data-centric system.
In other words, data collection and data integration are inseparable functions of an IoT system. They are the keys which make IoT possible. Therefore, the most important step when building an IoT system is to think about how you are going to collect and integrate data.
3. IoT Architecture Examples: Device-to-Cloud and Using Gateway
By now, you have probably grasped the general idea behind IoT so we can imagine you want to see some examples of specific IoT architecture.
About IoT Architecture
In IoT, the system architecture is based on how data is collected and integrated. The design of the cloud will vary depending on the tasks performed after data has been received. But because there is no significant difference with conventional system architecture, we want to focus on data collection and data integration here.
The existing IoT system architecture that we have been involved with so far can be divided into four major categories.
Device-to-Cloud Using Gateway Using Mobile Using Server
Below, we will introduce the former two categories.
Device-to-Cloud
This type of architecture is perhaps the simplest, and easiest to imagine. It merely allows data to be sent from a sensor or device directly into the cloud.
The characteristics of this method can be summed up as follows.
Advantages:
Can be set up relatively quickly.
The architecture requires little modification as the number of devices increases.
Allows for flexible data handling in the cloud.
Disadvantages:
The maintenance costs climb as the number of devices increases.
When the data from each device differs, any subsequent action needs to take place in the cloud.
Re-sending data has to be handled on the device side.
Battery consumption is high, making it impractical.
Using an IoT Gateway
Because Device-to-Cloud architecture requires devices to have a certain amount of performance, the cases in which it can be used are limited.
To use primitive devices such as sensor chips, you will need to add an IoT gateway before data transfer. This allows data to be forwarded after it has been aggregated once. We will refer to this type of architecture herein as Using Gateway.
The characteristics of this method can be summed up as follows.
Advantages:
Short-range communication can be used to reduce the load on the device.
Requires minimal device setup when the number of devices increases.
Data transfer is easy to control (re-sending, filtering, etc.)
Devices can be managed in groups.
Disadvantages:
Higher costs.
Device management requires a separate structure.
When the gateway fails the entire group of devices becomes unusable.
Conclusion
We have introduced two types of architecture with IoT characteristics.
We believe the characteristics of IoT systems are as follows.
The number of data collection points (the number of devices) is very large.
Devices are not expected to have high performance.
Devices may break down (requiring you to consider a device’s replaceability).
This means that to create an IoT system, you need to build a scalable and cloud-intensive architecture. | https://medium.com/enterprise-strategist/iot-architecture-basics-guide-ff4bcf8e6859 | [] | 2018-01-24 04:59:40.933000+00:00 | ['Internet', 'Data Integration', 'Enterprise Technology', 'Internet of Things', 'IoT'] |
1,662 | Counting Sheep in the Dark: The 2008 Landrücken Tunnel Accident | The trains involved
Passing through the tunnel first was ICE 782 from Munich to Hamburg run by ICE 2 unit number 214 (named “Hamm (Westphalia)”, a German city) with the motor car 402 014 leading. The ICE 2 is the second generation of the Intercity Express, Germany’s high speed passenger train. Introduced in 1996 these trains, consisting of a motor car without seats, five passenger cars, an onboard bistro (called the Bordrestaurant) and a control car with seats, can carry 368 passengers in a two-class configuration at 205m/673ft long. Weighting 412 metric tons empty they are capable of reaching 280kph/174mph, plenty for most German high speed rail lines. They can be distinguished from their predecessor by having only one motor car and having a restaurant car with a flat roof while the predecessor’s bistro car’s roof was raised 450mm/17.5in higher than the rest of the train. They are also much shorter than their predecessor, consisting of 8 cars instead of 14.
ICE 2 number 214, led by motor car 402 014 leaving Cologne Main Station in summer 2019.
Travelling in the opposite direction was ICE 885 from Hamburg to Munich. On the day of the accident the connection was provided by ICE 1 number 111 (named Nuremberg), a 14-unit first generation ICE measuring 358m/1175ft in length. Entering service in March 1991 TZ (“Triebzug”, German for “railcar” or “multiple unit”) 111 was capable of carrying 703 passengers in two classes at up to 250kph/174mph, but on the fateful day only carried 148 people including the crew. Following the leading motor car were four first class passenger cars, followed by the restaurant car, seven second class cars and the rear motor car (401 011)
The reassembled TZ 111 led by the repaired 401 511 (which led the train during the accident) photographed in 2016. Note the “bump” in the roof line caused by the restaurant car (near the bridge), as mentioned above.
The accident
In the evening of the 26th of April 2008 ICE 782 from Munich to Hamburg is racing through the Landrücken Tunnel on it’s way north, travelling at 220kph/137mph. As the train approaches the northern portal the driver spots an unidentified obstacle on his track. He triggers an emergency stop at 8:59:52pm. The train strikes the obstacle, later identified as a single sheep, regardless and takes 1615m/1mi to come to a stop right outside the portal. The driver exits his motor car and examines the front of his train, finding blood and some mostly cosmetic damage, along with a disabled LZB-antenna.
LZB stands for “Lineare Zugbeeinflussung” (“Linear Train Control”), a system in use in Germany, Austria and some Spanish rail lines that tracks the train’s position with antennas in the track and on the train, monitoring the surrounding signals and controlling/limiting speed. The system can tell the train driver what speed to go at any moment, show signals that are yet to come into sight (calculating braking-distances). With this system block-zones don’t have to extend for higher speeds, allowing a higher frequency of trains going in the same direction on the same track without compromising safety.
The speedometer of an LZB-equipped train (right side, kph).
A speedometer on a train with LZB displays 3 speeds. The yellow indicator shows the current speed, the red marker the speed the train is permitted to travel at most. The red number below the dial shows how fast the train is meant to go at that moment. If the system calculates a stop the latter figure would sink to 0.
The LZB-Antenna (rusty box) sitting right behind the coupler on a different train.
With the LZB-system on ICE 782 knocked out from the impact with the sheep the driver is permitted to restart the train after 2 minutes and 3 seconds stopped, now at no more than 160kph/99mph. This is the maximum speed trains without LZB can travel at in Germany, keeping braking-distances short enough for safe operation. No-one aboard the train got injured, and the damage was presumably repaired within the next few hours or days.
At the same time as ICE 782 starts driving again it’s opposite train, ICE 885 from Hamburg to Munich provided by TZ 111 led by motor car 401 511 is approaching the tunnel from the north. Having just left Fulda station the 800 metric ton train is headed slightly uphill, topping out at 210kph/130kph as it leaves the Bornheck Tunnel about 1km/3280ft north of the Landrücken Tunnel. At 9:04:40pm, just 7m/23ft inside the Landrücken Tunnel the data-logger on TZ 111 registers the LZB-system going offline, most likely caused by hitting a small group of sheep. The train strikes another, larger group 15m/49ft further into the tunnel. Reduced grip for the motor car’s leading axle leads the data-logger to register a momentarily increased speed of 215kph/134mph for just 35m/115ft. The dirty/blocked tracks cause the leading axle to slip out of the track 60m/197ft inside the tunnel. This is later proven by scratches on the tracks and sleepers.
Scratches on the sleepers to the right of the track, showing where the axle derailed.
The driver triggers an emergency stop, the train dumps air pressure and starts decelerating at 9:04:45pm, five seconds after the train struck the first sheep. A recognition-reaction-effect time (the time from seeing something to the taken action taking effect) of five seconds is considered perfectly fine in the report. Immediately after the stop is initiated the shaking of the motor car ges violent enough to throw the driver out of his seat. The train keeps going relatively straight for 700m/2297ft, gradually loosing speed. At that point it reaches the first set of points (No 602), which is set up to allow diversion for trains in the opposite direction. The derailed axle strikes a wheel guide and is deflected sharply to the right, derailing the second axle at 174kph/108mph. The nose of the train strikes the wall of the tunnel, causing significant damage to the motor car before being deflected back towards the track. The forces of the impact also move the entire, connected and welded-in set of points to the left. Crossing over the variable part of the points the forward axles are forced back to the left, leading them almost back to being as close to the rails as they were before. The damage the impact and derailment caused to the track is severe, the report lists “barely attached rails” and destroyed sleepers in the next 200m/656ft, saying there was “objectively no track left”. The report fails to explain how the first two passenger cars stayed in line, with only the third to last passenger cars and rear motor car derailing and leaving the (former) track. After the set of points the nose of the train moves to the right again, scraping along the wall (destroying power lines, telecommunication-systems and the wall itself) before the train finally stops at at 9:05:11pm, 107m/150ft inside the tunnel.
The derailed motor car sitting in the dark tunnel after the derailment.
The nose of 401 511, showing severe damage from the derailment and two impacts with the wall.
Looking towards the back of the train, you can see that the cars are barely aligned. You can see the portal in the distance.
Aftermath
1 crew member and 21 passengers suffer severe injuries in the derailment, caused by the violent motions of the train and loose baggage moving around the interior, while 4 crew members in the restaurant car and 13 passengers suffer minor injuries.
Immediately after the train comes to a stop the driver manages to issue a route block command, meaning no train can and will use the oncoming track. This avoids the risk of another train hitting the derailed train cars, something that has happened before. The driver then receives a status report from the conductor and stewards, saying all passengers are capable of leaving the train on their own/with light assistance. The crew in the train car collects the passengers into groups, leaving most of the luggage behind, before leaving the train and making their way along the side of the tunnel towards the northern portal. The train has kicked up a high amount of dust, severely limiting sight and making the signage hard to read. Some passengers reportedly think something was on fire, aided by a smell of burned rubber (friction heat).
By the time they reach the northern portal responders are arriving at a designated rescue field outside the portal and can tend to the injured passengers.
The rescue field outside the northern portal the day after the accident.
The DB’s (German national railway) emergency response team arrives at the portal at 9:30pm, after being accidentally sent to the side-portal of an escape tunnel first. Most passengers and the crew of the train were treated by medical staff on site and then taken to Mittelkalbach (1.8km/1.1mi linear distance away) by bus, where they could be hosted, receive their luggage once it was recovered and continue their journeys. Only 3 people required hospitalization due to fractured bones.
The recovery-train stationed at Fulda main station was alerted at 9:33pm and arrived at the site 25 minutes later, it’s opposite partner from Würzburg reached the site (inside the tunnel) at 0:44am the following day. The delayed deployment of the latter was later blamed on the emergency manager on site (at the northern portal) underestimating the situation inside the tunnel. Investigators of course noticed the large amount of dead sheep scattered across the track near the portal, the report even notes an “extreme smell of decay” in the days following the accident making the investigation and recovery more difficult. Following measuring of selected sheep and counting of the remains it is decided that striking 3.7 metric tons of sheep most likely caused the accident, this theory is essentially proven when no pre-existing defect (something not caused by the derailment) can be found on the train, in the data-logger or on the track. As such, the report lists three possible causes for the derailment of the leading motor car.
Theory 1: Striking the sheep caused the motor car’s leading axles to lift up enough to derail (supported by the driver saying he felt the train car pitch up momentarily). Computer simulations later show that 9–13 sheep (equivalent of 0.9–1.3 metric tons, not even half of what’s found on the scene) can be enough of an obstacle to cause this. This is in contrast to testing done before the introduction of the ICE 1, which showed heavy damage but a nearly nonexistent chance of derailment. The main difference is found in the obstacle, during pre-introduction testing single, large animals were assumed as the obstacle (like deer), not a heard of relatively small animals. The chance of several dead animal’s remains mounting up under the train was also not taken into consideration.
An image from the simulations performed, taken from the report. I can not explain them.
Theory 2: Components damaged during the collision with the herd of sheep became lodged under the train, along with several compressed, dead sheep. The resistance from this foreign object being pushed along by the forward bogie damaged the track and derailed the train, with the lift felt by the driver coming from momentary resistance when the tracks were damaged and the created object overrun. This theory is supported by a single cracked sleeper found ahead of where the train actually derailed.
The cracked concrete sleeper found 6m/20ft behind the initial point of impact.
Theory 3: An unlucky combination of both. Since there is evidence for both theories and against neither, this is the answer the report settles on.
A few days after the accident the DB started to remove the train from the tunnel in sections, due to the damage caused by the derailment this had to be done through the southern portal. Most cars managed to roll on their own after being re-tracked, the rest (including the leading motor car) were towed out after being placed on temporary wheelsets.
The recovery of the train being prepared inside the tunnel.
One of the undamaged first class cars being pulled out of the southern portal.
The train cars were pulled to the nearby town of Mottgers, which does not have a station but does have sidings allowing for safe storage of the damaged train cars. The accident had caused 10.3 million Euros/12.5 million USD in damage (excluding the animals), and the tunnel only fully reopened in mid-June 2008 causing countless delays due to trains needing to take the old, longer and slower route or (with repairs advancing) only being able to use one track at a reduced speed.
The damaged leading motor car stored at Mottgers on the 29th of April, 3 days after the accident.
The owner of the sheep initially finds himself the target of a criminal investigation, based on charges of dangerous interference with rail traffic and several cases of negligent cause of bodily harm. In February 2009 Fulda’s public prosecutor’s office ceases to pursue charges against him. He is not legally required to watch his sheep at all times, and the fences of the field the animals escaped from were up to the requirements. The official explanation is that unelashed dogs caused the sheep to escape their meadow in panic and run into the nearby tunnel. This sparks a renewed discussion about the safety of German high speed railway lines, as there were no fences to avoid something like this from happening. The DB points to French high speed lines, which are fenced in 2m/6.5 feet high and still suffer collisions with wildlife. The explanation is that fences can be passed by wildlife, which then can’t escape as easily as it could without fences. Furthermore, the DB claims that fenced in tracks would severely slow down rescue and recovery operations. They claim that their procedure, having experts find the areas with the highest risk of wildlife crossing a proposed railway line and planning with tunnels or bridges for wildlife to be sufficient. While this explanation is enough to escape criminal charges the DB has to give in eventually, and in late 2011 protective fences are installed at the northern portal. The southern portal remains relatively open, with only guardrails keeping vehicles from reaching the track.
The northern portal in 2012, with the new protective fence (and a door for emergency access).
To compare, the southern portal in 2018. Protected from cars but otherwise unprotected.
The report closes with another few notes, criticizing poor visibility/recognizability of escape routes and emergency equipment in the trains (something several passengers complained about), advising improved training of response-teams (avoiding late deployment or deployment to incorrect locations) and recommending more regular training of local responders for train-accidents.
TZ 111 is initially split up after the accident, with the first class cars replacing their counterparts in TZ 173 which suffers an accident in Switzerland in April two days after this one. In 2013 the train is reassembled, the first class cars return as TZ 173’s original cars are repaired. Today it’s back in regular service with all it’s original cars, with no sign of the accident.
_______________________________________________________________
Join the discussion about this post on Reddit! | https://medium.com/@mx-schroeder/counting-sheep-in-the-dark-the-2008-landr%C3%BCcken-tunnel-accident-b9b16e3dbc61 | ['Max S'] | 2020-12-25 16:48:28.953000+00:00 | ['Accident', 'Tunnel', 'Germany', 'Sheep', 'Technology'] |
1,663 | How to Find Charging for Your Electric Vehicle | Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash
Electric cars are great. They’re fast thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor. They’re clean in part thanks to the lack of a tailpipe. They’re also quiet so no more loud gas guzzlers flying past your house at 4 in the morning. The tech inside them is also pretty neat. Have you SEEN the inside of a Tesla??
But the one thing that isn’t great about an electric car is the battery. Or put another way, the limited size of the battery coupled with slow recharging times as well as limited or hard to find charging stations makes owning an electric car that much more troublesome.
One solution to the battery problem is to have manufacturers include a more energy dense battery. But that’s a question currently being worked on in various R&D labs in industrial and academic institutions such as Joint Center for Energy Storage Research as part of the DOE. In other words, any breakthrough will take some time to go from academic research lab to prototype to an industrial product that gets placed into electric cars that people drive. Life is short.
Another solution is to just build more dang charging stations. However, charging stations are often placed in hard-to-reach locations, have overcrowding, long lines and take a very long time to charge when compared to refueling an ICE car at a gas station. Again, life is short.
How can we solve the issue of electric vehicle so that drivers can find charging stations quickly, not waste time waiting for their car to charge and also get the solution in their hands today, not 5-10 years from now.
One of the best and least-costly solutions to this problem is to leverage the power of software. Software is great because of its ability to scale well. It’s also much cheaper to build than more advanced battery chemistries in an R&D lab. The distribution is also quicker. One over-the-air update gets sent to millions of users across the globe. (Thank you Vint Cerf and everyone that helped build the internet, love y’all ❤️)
So how can software help?
Community building through contribution
If you’re an EV owner, one good way to help other drivers as well as yourself find charging is to share new charging stations that you discover.
Find a cool and adventurous place you’d like other electric drivers to know about, share that too!
Find a great Italian restaurant with nearby EV parking and charging and want to let others know if there’s electric vehicle parking and charging? Just share that with a tap!
You can trust that the information is honest, fresh and never boring.
Intelligent, energy-aware routing
You’re invited to a family get together at your brother’s house tomorrow evening. It’s over 600 miles away and you plan to drive there, stopping only for breaks, food…oh and of course to charge your car! Before you leave your driveway, you have to run through complex calculations in your head figuring out the best highway to take so as to maximize the number of charging stations that are available to you.
Because god-forbid, you get stranded with an empty battery! Good news is that you can utilize a dedicated trip planner, that considers your current range, car type and routes you to your destination without you having to do much thinking. It’ll even tell you how much time to spend at each charging station to make sure you arrive on time at your brother’s house. Problem solved.
Have fun while you charge
Charging your car takes time. Often anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours, depending on the speed of the charger. Like we said before, life is short. My goal, at least, is to enjoy the waking time I have on this Earth and that means exploring every square inch of it.
A great way to solve this is to allow you to see different charging stations as well as nearby places that you can visit! For example, I visit a ChargePoint Network station and I think it’ll take me at least 40 minutes to refuel. Instead of opening up another application to check for nearby coffee shops to get a little work done, I can find these places straight from the app!
Maybe I’m not interested in doing work but maybe grabbing lunch or doing a bit of shopping at a nearby shopping mall. Whatever it is, it’s important to be able to explore the opportunities that are around you instead of waiting inside your hot (but good-looking) electric car waiting for it to finish charging.
Hotel or restaurant charging capability
Know whether or not a hotel or restaurant has charging before you get there. No this isn’t another Christopher Nolan film and yes I’m excited to see Tenet. But really, this is an annoying problem. I’m on vacation and I want to see if this great Vietnamese place has charging. Or if the Hilton has any charging available for guests. Why is there no way to find this out?
Being able to see if a hotel and restaurant has available charging as well as the number of charging ports is great! This means, I won’t have to park my car a mile or so at a random charging station and then walk to the Vietnamese place. I can just check beforehand to save me any headache.
Are you reading closely?
Enough of my ranting, something like this already exists. It has all the features I listed above and then some more. If you’d like to download it, go here!
If you use the app and you like it, feel free to let other drivers know. Hopefully you won’t have to think about finding charging ever again. Anyways, thx!
P.S. If you want to chat, hit me up on Twitter! | https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-find-charging-for-your-electric-vehicle-6b97172bd72e | ['Mohammed Elmzaghi'] | 2020-09-04 06:42:53.847000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Electric Vehicles', 'Charging Stations', 'Tesla'] |
1,664 | From Anxiousness to Equanimity | (Found article from 2017)
If you are energetically sensitive like me, you are probably feeling the unbelievably wild energies on the planet right now. There is of course the standard disbelief about the interconnection, but the more people I talk to the more similar the symptoms and reflection become.
My expression has been stifled and suppressed. I’ve felt a combination of just needing to relax and a fear that has led me to hideaway. A lot of emotions are being brought up, to be cleared, activating something on a cellular level. A new power. A heightened power.
What is personal development without the ‘person’? What is self-help without the ‘self’?
This is how I’ve been feeling for the last few weeks. I notice the typical judgment and guilt come up for not ‘working’, but I’m also seeing this from a clear peaceful place. There has been no drive and usually, I would resist and try hard, to push through and really force something to happen but not this time.
With a day full of fun, I observe a day filled with people busy. Of course, that is from my bubble of present awareness.
What does the world look like when you aren’t plugged into the mass media stream. You become unaware of the whole world. Suddenly your present senses are the only thing that acclimates you to the environment. There is nothing informing you of events on the other side of the world. Some would call this ignorance, but this experiment is vital to clear away the mania of the media.
Lucid in a dream awake to a collective construct. Life is a dream.
The dream of passion is the purpose behind work. When I don’t feel connected with my purpose I really don’t know what my mission is supposed to be. The vision is no longer metaphysical, but physical. I see a reality that is working. In my five senses, this reality is pleasant and satisfied. People are content, happy. Some busy in work, some scowled, some distracted by technology. Who am I to say what the world ‘needs’ when it is apparent in this present moment that is there is nothing needed for an abundant moment that is the reflection of the infinite. I derive my mission from the problems of the world. When those are tuned out, no longer frequency channels I pick, they really do not exist. This razor's edge of ignorance and bliss is quite interesting because I know the negativity that is a potential to pick.
I’m not ignorant, and I am not choosing ignorance. There is a wisdom to choosing peace. Where is it that we want to go when simply being is a powerful way to exist?
The voice is distant. The world is an advertisement. Marketing and sales is a contribution of love. What is the biggest game we can play? The game of transformation. What is transformation? Global transformation. Human evolution.
Darkness to Light Fear to Love Scarcity to Abundance
I’m already inhabiting the transformed world. It appears no different than before. All the same choices are available. The one consciousness tweak is the upgrading from self-conscious states to self-awareness states. I have entered into full integration of self-awareness. Where I no longer identify with personal identity. Even desire seems less potent from this powerful state of being. I’m sure it will wave back to return. But as of now, I do not really desire anything but the present moment’s magical perfection…
The flow of no time, quantum timelessness, a stream of constant miracles. | https://medium.com/@jeremyalasman/from-anxiousness-to-equanimity-10a9222bcf3f | ['Jeremy Lasman'] | 2020-12-02 21:56:34.122000+00:00 | ['Imagination', 'Technology', 'Anxiety', 'Mindset Shift'] |
1,665 | How Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud Is Changing The Landscape For Manufacturers | With every new year, manufacturing companies continue to advance and evolve their strategies to reach goals. The investment in technology has been increasing in the last decade, especially with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and, of course, cloud technology. More and more businesses have taken the leap into moving their key data to the cloud for easier access, and the manufacturing industry is no exception. Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud can help manufacturers to leverage cloud technology to grow their businesses.
Consider the place of the manufacturing industry in the U.S. economy. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, manufacturers contributed $2.37 trillion to the U.S. economy in the second quarter of 2019, not far from the all-time high recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018, which was $2.365 trillion. It is also important to consider that, with these numbers, manufacturing accounted for 11.1% of GDP in the economy.
This means the National Association of Manufacturers calculates that “for every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, another $1.82 is added to the economy. In addition, for every one worker in manufacturing, there are another four employees hired elsewhere.” Sectors such as retail, transportation, and business services benefit from this.
However, for decades manufacturing companies had to operate with technology that required higher investments for acquisition and maintenance. Data was siloed, which made it more difficult to increase productivity, efficiency, and profits. The 2010s brought the Fourth Industrial Revolution in full force, motivating these companies to innovate and incorporate technologies such as AI and cloud computing.
SaaS has helped bring productivity to new levels, allowing businesses to integrate systems and get the most out of information available, and making it accessible to their teams regardless of when and where they’re located. Salesforce has brought leads and customer data to the cloud, and with data integration technology such as Commercient SYNC, employees have access to this data whether they’re in Salesforce or in the ERP. Without needing to be in front of their desktop computers, or having to call the person with access to the system. A 360° view of sales and customers instantly, even from a mobile device.
This is one of the benefits Commercient’s customer Gecko Alliance sees by using Salesforce and connecting it with their ERP, Infor Visual, through SYNC. Gecko Alliance provides manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and technicians customized and complete solutions for spas and hot tubs, and they have been working with Commercient since 2017. Recently, they switched to Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud, and the results seen are amazing.
Commercient interviewed Elodie Martinez, Salesforce Administrator at Gecko Alliance, during Dreamforce 2019. When asked about the Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud, she said: “It covers a gap. I have not seen any app that is built the way that Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud is built.”
Where have they seen more benefits? Below are three key areas Gecko Alliance has seen significant improvement through the Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud, and manufacturers can leverage as well:
1. Product Forecasting
One of the strengths mentioned by Elodie Martinez about Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud is how strong it is on the forecasting side. Before, they were doing forecasting in the ERP, “and then we heard about Manufacturing Cloud so we have been running on pilot since Q3. Within a few months, you will see a lot more people using it,” said Martinez.
Forecasting in Infor Visual provided valuable data, but the main issue was that manufacturers don’t only forecast revenue, but also products and quantities. The possibility to track inventories, orders, and to be able to financially plan for either more or less product quantities accurately contributes to mitigating long-term risks. This is how software such as Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud and integrations like Commercient SYNC help manufacturing companies for better forecasting.
“What it does for us is currently we had multiple people entering the same data into different databases, so you had errors, wrong data, investing time in something less valuable, added task such as taking a number from an Opportunity and putting it into another system; you are not doing anything that is valuable for a company,” she explained.
Managing everything from separate apps, not even synced to Salesforce, used to bring these and other issues. Now things have changed, and their goal is to eventually feed that forecast into the ERP system, as forward orders, future orders and other data.
2. Customer Analysis
In addition to forecasting, Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud has helped Gecko Alliance with customer analysis. If they take actual quantities of the orders and feed that back into the Manufacturing Cloud then they have their forecast versus actual. Then they have real, live data SYNCing from Infor Visual to the Salesforce Cloud.
“It also allows us to see if I signed a contract with that many quantities, I have opportunities with that many quantities,” Martinez said. She also explained that this detailed analysis helps Gecko Alliance to detect any gaps between current orders and former orders, so they can forecast more accurately. They can even contact the customer and ask about the changes in the orders, which helps them to analyse better the customer’s behavior and see if there are ways to resolve any issues.
“With Einstein and analytics you can study your customer a lot more,” Martinez said. Teaching some people about what it is to do an analysis on a customer can be tricky, but with Manufacturing Cloud and Einstein Gecko Alliance expect to provide a more intuitive, user-friendly reporting experience, in order to reduce the learning curve as much as possible. This will provide them the necessary insights to make decisions based on accurate, up-to-date information.
Another benefit mentioned with Einstein is seasonality. “Depending on where you are in the world, China and Australia don’t have the same seasons we have here in North America,” Martinez mentioned when she explained why the orders may vary according to the current season where the customer is located.
Being able to understand these cycles helps Gecko Alliance and manufacturing companies to understand their customers better, which paves the way to a more transparent communication. This improves processes, workflows and, especially, customer experience.
3. Optimize Sales Processes With an Integration
Organizational changes can take some time, but once the users adopt the technology and embrace the new process, workflows improve and more gets done, faster. The Gecko Alliance Sales team started using Salesforce as “something they needed to do”. They started to use it, got to know the software and all the powerful features Salesforce offered for them when managing leads and customers’ information.
When they connected the ERP Infor Visual with Salesforce through Commercient SYNC, they reached a new level. Bringing customer information from the ERP to Salesforce gave them easier access to information such as orders and invoicing.
“In the last sales meeting, they all came back and said ‘we can’t live without it anymore. This is our true source of data, this is where everything we do is happening.’ It pushed Salesforce into the front end for them. They know that without SYNC they couldn’t be doing what they’re doing right now,” said Martinez.
For decades, manufacturers have relied on ETL or legacy systems to store key data, but these are not user-friendly, requiring a bigger investment and complex maintenance.
That’s changing. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, “manufacturers in the United States perform 63% of all private-sector Research & Development (R&D) in the nation, driving more innovation than any other sector.”
From advanced robotics in R&D labs to computer vision in warehouses and other devices, technology is making an impact on every step of the manufacturing process. Innovation used to focus on production or distribution, but now, thanks to technology such as Salesforce and SYNC, these changes are rapidly coming to other areas such as Sales, Accountings, Customer Service, Human Resources, and more.
Now, technology is here to help manufacturing companies to focus on implementing roadmaps that bring not only more business and profits but also opens the way towards a companywide digital transformation.
Check out Commercient on AppExchange today. | https://medium.com/inside-the-salesforce-ecosystem/salesforce-manufacturing-cloud-changing-the-landscape-for-manufacturers-6b1669e49cad | ['Isaura Martinez'] | 2020-03-17 15:01:01.288000+00:00 | ['Apps', 'Manufacturing', 'SaaS', 'Technology', 'Salesforce'] |
1,666 | Invisibilize Data With JavaScript | Both images are the same. Or are they?
No, they aren’t. The image on the right is the original image while the image on the left has been encrypted with a secret message(Top and Bottom if you are using the Medium application)
Feel free to download the above image and use it in the demo link I have attached below. Try reading the secret text from the file.
CryptoStego Demo link.
Amazing isn’t it. It looks exactly the same to the human eye, but contains a secret message! This is possible due to something called Steganography.
What is Steganography?
It is the art and science of hiding messages or other secret information in a bunch of carrier information. This is not something new. It has been practiced since ancient times. Letters containing text with secret ink is an example of Steganography. We all remember the science experiment where we created invisible ink. That is a form of Steganography too.
In this article, we will speak about modern-day Steganography. | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/invisibilize-data-with-javascript-e991991a5fd | ['Mahdhi Rezvi'] | 2020-01-13 09:49:48.590000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'JavaScript', 'Programming', 'Encryption', 'Web Development'] |
1,667 | Why Progressives Must Adopt Bitcoin | Why Progressives Must Adopt Bitcoin
Once unleashed, the Domino Effect is unstoppable
Bitcoin adoption is happening fast. Only 12 years into its existence, the digital currency has already been adopted as legal tender by the first nation-state. Shortly after, politicians from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Panama signaled their support. Nigeria leads the world in Peer to Peer payments, using bitcoin’s 2nd layer, the Lightning Network, and this is true even after The Nigerian government tried to ban it. A group calling itself Project Mano is currently lobbying Ethiopia’s government to mind and hold bitcoin, with billionaire Jack Dorsey promoting their efforts.
In the US, bitcoin adopters tend to skew overwhelmingly white, male, and libertarian. It’s gaining traction around Republican politicians though. Texas Senator Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Banking made Texas the 2nd state after Wyoming to empower state-chartered banks to custody bitcoin. Wyoming’s Senator Cynthia Lumis, a Bitcoiner herself, is evangelizing other US Senators, practically on the Senate floor. Meanwhile, my favorite Senator, Elizabeth Warren, has missed the forest for the trees, and is rampaging against bitcoin on the misinformed and plainly wrong assertion that bitcoin will destroy the environment.
On the contrary, Bitcoin mining will drive a global rush to adopt renewable energy. Speaking of billionaire Jack Dorsey, his company Square is developing 100% renewable Bitcoin mining operations right now. So is Norweigan billionare Kjell Inge Rokke. The billionaire class is adopting Bitcoin as an investment strategy, too. Famed investor Paul Tudor Jones allocates 5% of his wealth to bitcoin, with potential plans to add to his position.
Here’s the thing: There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin. Unlike any fiat currency, or even gold, bitcoin’s supply is capped. Over the coming decades, the Bitcoin network will absorb the monetary energy of our entire global economy, transforming the geopolitical playing field beyond our imaginations. El Salvador was the first domino to fall, but the Domino Effect, once unleashed, is unstoppable.
Progressives have so many reasons to cheer the adoption of bitcoin. But if we don’t get our heads out of our proverbial asses, we will forfeit the opportunity to have a voice in the decentralized monetary system of the 21st century. Furthermore, if the communities Progressives purport to care about, namely women, people of color, LGBTQ communities, immigrants, and low income workers, are dissuaded from adopting bitcoin, they will see their purchasing power erode disproportionately over the coming decade, buying into a universally accepted, scarce resource at much higher prices. Bitcoin adoption is Game Theory in action, and Progressives are losing.
Bitcoin, like the telephone and Facebook, benefits from the Network Effect. Essentially, a phone is useless if there is no one to call, but it’s very useful when you can call everyone you know. Like the telephone, bitcoin becomes more valuable with increased adoption. Like all early adopters to any network, the earliest to adopt the network gain the largest increase in value from the network. Bitcoin is a monetary network, and money is the largest social network of all. The kind of power it may yield is boundless.
Facebook was just a contentious Harvard experiment when it first started in the Winkelveii Twins and/or Mark Zuckerberg’s dorm room.As use of its network spread across college campuses and beyond, Facebook quickly dominated the online social space, leaving Myspace, its predecessor, in the dust. Seventeen years into its existence, Facebook has the power to sway multiple democratic presidential elections.
The question I pose to my fellow Progressives is this: What happens if North Korea, Russia, China and Iran are next nation states to adopt Bitcoin? There is already speculation that their governments are secretly mining and holding it to bypass US sanctions. In China’s case, its government likely credibly views bitcoin as a more viable threat to China’s economic dominance than the US dollar. While the Chinese government is cracking down on mining operations, we do not know for certain that they’re not simultaneously mining their own bitcoin to monopolize power. We do know that despite several “bans” the Chinese government has never once, for even a second, successfully shut down the Bitcoin network.
Furthermore, what happens if, in the US, Bitcoin is viewed through a partisan lens, and only Republican led states adopt bitcoin friendly laws? El Salvador is already seeing an unprecedented surge in business and real estate interest, just one week after passing its bitcoin legislation. Meanwhile, Austin, Texas and Miami, Florida are competing to be the next Silicon Valley. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has gone so far as to allocate city resources to explore the feasibility of paying city employees in bitcoin.
Do “blue states” want to lose out on attracting the best emerging talent, and all the job creation that comes with it? Speaking of job creation, the International Brotherhood Electrical workers Union was instrumental in blocking the passage of an anti-mining bill that passed in the New York senate. Progressives have been fighting to retain its Union support. Legislating the elimination of high wage jobs in an emerginc industry is not going to win them any votes.
While these questions may seem like hypotheticals for the distant future, the future is here. At the very least, it’s quickly approaching. The world is adopting Bitcoin at nearly twice the speed it adopted the internet. Ironically, New York Times’ Paul Krugman is lodging the same complaints against bitcoin that he once lodged against the internet. And we all know how the internet turned out.
Progressives can adopt Bitcoin now, collectively owning a larger stake in the world’s decentralized, censorship resistant, monetary network, or forfeit that stake to dictatorships, and opportunistic domestic politicians, some of whom never abandoned Trump. The clock’s ticking. | https://medium.com/@theprogressivecaseforbitcoin/why-progressives-must-adopt-bitcoin-6030ca30f5bd | ['The Progressive Case For Bitcoin'] | 2021-06-17 19:52:38.195000+00:00 | ['US Politics', 'Bitcoin', 'Global Politics', 'Technology', 'Economics'] |
1,668 | Technology buyers prefer to ‘phone a friend’ | Game show contestants do it. Everyday consumers do it. And, thanks to our survey, we now know that enterprise technology buyers prefer to “phone a friend” before making the $10,000 or $1 million decision to invest in your products or services. Asking a friend in today’s connected world can take place through text message, email, social media, an actual phone call — or even face to face. The method is less important. The information communicated is paramount.
In fact, the data shows that organizations in search of technology follow a process similar to when individuals make purchases for themselves — they consult a colleague or friend. A Nielsen® Harris Poll®, conducted in 2016 on behalf of Business 2 Community, showed 82% of Americans seek recommendations before making any purchase. At 52%, more than half of technology buyers surveyed on behalf of LAVIDGE also reported referrals as being their preferred source of information during the initial discovery phase.
The larger the budget, the more likely the decision-maker is to reach out for a warm lifeline. The Harris Poll showed an uptick of 4 percentage points among personal consumers in households earning more than $100,000. Our survey revealed a 7 percentage-point increase above the overall average in reliance on colleagues and friends among companies with more than $10 million in annual revenue from 52% to 59%.
Clearly, whether a targeted technology customer is at the personal or enterprise level, referrals make a significant impact. While some referrals will take place organically, technology marketers can put this insight to work by finding ways to encourage referrals.
Bomgar™, Google® and IBM® successfully put such programs into action. Bombgar, a B2B remote-access technical support service, created a social community where happy customers could earn rewards by becoming active advocates or influencers to help Bomgar grow. Google offered G Suite™ users up to $1,500 for every business referred who adopted it for themselves. IBM promised increased results for those who recommended IBM software as a service (SaaS) or platforms as a service (PaaS) in addition to opening the door to a long-term relationship with the tech giant. Reaching out to those who needed a nudge to join the conversation helped each of these tech companies capture warm referrals they otherwise might have missed.
Business size matters
Not everyone turns to direct human sources for referrals. Search engines ranked second overall with 39% of survey responders overall noting it as their preferred marketing interaction during the initial discovery. The larger the business, the more search engines came into play. Small businesses ranked them at 34.5% and larger businesses with more than $10 million in annual revenue ranked search engines at 50.5%.
By the consideration phase, search engines ranked nearly equally among businesses based on size with an overall average 21.3%. Slightly more variations came into play with females expressing 16.8% preference and males 25.4%, and those under 35 years of age indicating 22.4 percent preference compared to those aged 35 to 54 at 27%.
At 34%, vendor websites ranked third overall. Deploying a combination of paid and organic search marketing efforts will drive technology shoppers to paid campaign landing pages and the website home page. Optimizing for user experience (UX) will help those visitors engage once they hit your site.
financial differentiation in potential benefit between optimizing for traffic or UX varies by brand, and can best be determined by testing each. In any case, having a strong interactive marketing strategy in place benefits these customer profiles as well as those whose journeys began with a warm referral. Ideally, when the conversation between friends progresses to online research, a well-planned sales funnel is ready to greet them, every step of the way. | https://medium.com/lavidge/technology-buyers-prefer-to-phone-a-friend-657d8b8b3592 | ['Points Of View'] | 2017-11-10 00:13:20.782000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Technology Strategy', 'B2b Marketing', 'Digital Marketing'] |
1,669 | IT outsourcing requires internal oversight | Outsourcing your company’s IT infrastructure is a proven way to support innovation but internal subject matter experts must remain engaged to ensure autonomy is not lost.
An important part of any innovation initiative is having a solid information technology (IT) infrastructure which can support new technologies that allow for organizational growth. Building this support internally is time consuming and expensive, leading many large enterprises to heavily rely on outside solutions such as SAP and Salesforce.
These firms provide the depth and breadth of services large enterprises need, but if internal teams are not actively and continuously vetting these solutions, it’s easy to lose autonomy over your infrastructure.
We know that big ships turn slowly. As with most aspects of business, evolution and diversification in your IT infrastructure can be the difference between success and failure. A company of substantial size that manages to remain agile has a huge competitive advantage. The faster your company can adapt your infrastructure to new needs, the faster new products and services can be developed. That’s why IT outsourcing, which offers agile and scalable support, is one of the most efficient ways to pursue innovation initiatives that lie outside of an enterprise’s core competencies.
Typically, the procurement department is tasked with reviewing large technical proposals, which is understandable from an operational controlling standpoint. But for an IT outsourcing strategy to be effective, it is paramount internal subject matter experts (SMEs) critically analyze the merits of proposed IT solutions and work with consulting teams to establish priorities.
These SMEs could be technical members of the Procurement team or a group of departmental delegates that form a board. Either way, the responsibility of these experts is to remain knowledgeable of relevant technologies and trends, and help inform these important operational decisions.
Additionally, these experts should be responsible for integration. This doesn’t just apply to IT, but to all types of service providers. By thinking of integration from the start, you can help develop a roadmap that allows outsourcing partners the potential to support future product and service offering development.
Whatever the setup, the point is to have internal stakeholders steer decisions and provide input to help your company maintain infrastructure control and direction. Otherwise, how can you expect a sound strategy and flawless execution?
A recent example of this is the Corona Warn App, a COVID-19 contact tracing app launched by the German government earlier this year. The app’s technology is relatively simple and was developed in collaboration between SAP and Deutsche Telekom. Cost of development was 20 million euro, with monthly maintenance costs of 2.5–3 million euro. Any developer can tell you that is an absolutely obscene price tag for an app based on Bluetooth technology — an oversimplification maybe, but not by much. One explanation for this discrepancy is that lack of technical expertise within the German government. There was no one to determine the why behind these costs or hold the service providers accountable.
While engaging third party IT providers is often necessary for innovation, it doesn’t mean you can then ignore it. If you don’t have internal ownership and knowledge of your company’s infrastructure it is nearly impossible to own your innovation strategy. Companies must have deep enough knowledge of specific technologies and trends to steer, control, and provide input to IT partners. This will result in a leaner, more agile environment that supports innovation rather than hinders it. | https://medium.com/@iconmobilegroup/it-outsourcing-requires-internal-oversight-391c90c6d5a2 | ['Iconmobile Group'] | 2020-12-15 22:00:40.377000+00:00 | ['It', 'Innovation', 'Information Technology', 'Outsourcing', 'Business'] |
1,670 | A Journey with a Graph Database | A Journey with a Graph Database
What is a graph database you may say
If I say table and you immediately assume that I’m talking about databases, there is a good chance that you work in IT. This is not surprising because, like most developers, you probably took your baby steps with a relational database.
Then one day, you find yourself looking at other kinds of databases, maybe because RDBMS is not a good fit anymore, maybe you’re just curious. Whatever that reason may be, I hope you turned to graph databases.
Before going straight into the concept of graph databases, a short introduction to graphs doesn’t hurt.
Graphs are an abstract representation of data with objects (called nodes or vertices) and the relationship between these objects (lines or edges). A graph is what naturally comes into mind when we think about drawing a model.
A graph database is basically just a way to store data as nodes and relationships.
Nodes represent your objects (often nouns), while relationships represent how they interact and relate to each other (often verbs).
The small graph below is a simple way to represent people and the departments they belong to.
Example of relationship between two nodes
Graph databases are not really new. In fact, they are commonly used by some big companies that deal with heavily interconnected data especially when there is a social component.
Because a picture is worth a thousand words, let me give you a quick example comparing a graph model with a relational database.
Data modeling with a traditional RDBMS
Modeling with a graph structure
Screenshots taken from https://neo4j.com/developer/relational-to-graph-modeling
As you may notice, a graph data model is more “friendly” because most people naturally tend to represent an example of a data structure by drawing nodes and arrows to connect them.
This goes without saying, but when you design your data structure at the beginning of your project, this will be a huge time saver because you won’t need to reformat your model to fit an RDBMS data structure.
It’s not you, it’s me say
I have worked with relational databases for a decade now. This option is the common way to store data and interact with it.
I have nothing against RDBMS, in fact, it’s still what I use most of the time when it’s the best choice for my project.
Yes, because sometimes, it’s not really the best option but we still use an RDBMS, because in the end it will always work, and you know what we say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
While working on a project, you don’t just make it work, you probably spend some time thinking about the best tools you can use to build a strong base for your project. This includes choosing tools that will scale with your project and won’t work against you when things go south.
When we started drawing our data structure, we quickly noticed how interconnected it was, in other words, that translated to a lot of table joins in SQL.
One of the key concepts of our app is a recommendation system powerful enough to be able to generate recommendations based on multiple factors.
So, in a nutshell, our app has highly interconnected data, needs a recommendation system, and on top of that, we needed it to scale easily, all with only a minor impact on performance.
I’m not saying that RDBMS can’t do the job, just that it’s probably not the best option for this task, especially when it comes to the recommendation system.
Why a graph database was the answer
Our app Dayvelop was designed as a solution for developers to keep track of news related to their favorite technologies and languages by subscribing to information feeds and participating in simple quizzes.
Basically, that means that a typical user can subscribe to multiple information sources and after a few months, we can have users with thousands or millions of articles opened, and it’s the same for the quizzes.
If you extend this to thousands of users, your performance won’t be that great with an RDBMS.
So basically, at this point, we have two choices, make it work with RDBMS whatever the cost or try to solve this with a graph database.
A graph database was built to deal with highly interconnected data as a core feature. Creating a recommendation system that can grow with the data volume generated by users is a piece of cake.
Here is an oversimplified version of our data model:
Partial Graph data model (Dayvelop)
In red, we have user nodes and in blue, articles read by these users.
A recommendation engine can be used here to create recommendations based on user reading lists.
What user 56651 can be interested in is “articles read by users that also read one or more articles from my reading list”.
If we use RDBMS, we would probably have a table for users, another for articles and a join table to keep track of each user reading list. Using a structure like this one to answer the question above can quickly give you a headache, especially if you have millions of users and even more articles.
Let’s explore how to do this with a graph database.
For our Dayvelop app, we used the Neo4j database. They use a query language called Cypher to query the database.
You can take a look at the official documentation to get more information https://neo4j.com/developer/cypher
Let’s go back to our recommendation engine and explore the query needed to find an article to recommend to a user based on their current reading list.
Of course, this version is pretty simple. In a real recommendation engine, you may consider optimizing the results to get the most pertinent article first. There are different ways of doing this, and although we won’t explore these options here, you can achieve this by returning the article that has the most reads first, or ordering by users who share the most reads with the current user, or any other way that may be interesting for your users.
How to go from relational databases to graph databases
Modeling your database with a graph database is pretty straightforward, but you may still need to take some time to think about how your data will be structured.
In Dayvelop’s dashboard, users have different counters in the Dashboard, like the number of new articles by source, the total number of reads, etc.
In this example above, to get the total reads for the user 44552, a simple query like this one will do:
This will work just fine, but as your database will grow, counting relationships (especially counters that you may display all the time) is not very efficient and you will experience some latency. A popular and simple way of doing this is maintaining your own counters in separate nodes.
Another thing to keep in mind using Cypher is avoiding cartesian products as much as possible. Simple and innocent queries can load millions or billions of nodes depending on the size of your database.
For example, you may be tempted to find two users with this query
This query will give you this result if you have only 2 users in your database:
This is the result for 3 users in your database:
As you can see, we already have 27 records with just 3 users in our database.
The good news is that Neo4j has a desktop browser to test your queries and you will get a warning if you include some heavy loads like this one:
You also have the profiler option to analyze your queries and optimize them.
For example, profiling the query above will reveal the cartesian product and how heavy it is.
More generally, using the profiler throughout your project is a good idea to understand your queries and identify their costs.
With these tools and the pretty good documentation of Neo4j, it’s quite easy to design your data model as a graph or even go from a relational database to a graph one.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a graph database can work hand in hand with your pre-existing solution for data storage.
For another project that we worked on recently, we already had a NoSQL database to store our data in, but one of the main features was a recommendation engine that we needed to build. So, we just exported and synchronized all the data that we needed for the recommendation engine in a Neo4j database.
The good, the bad, and the ugly
So why not just use a graph database all the time? I mean, after all, everything you can do with RDBMS or a NoSQL database, you can do it (even better) with a graph database.
The answer is “actually you can but…”
The truth is that the more you use a graph database, the more it will become the obvious choice for every project — at least that’s what happened to me.
Now I see everything as a graph…
But let’s get out of the matrix for a minute and explore some issues that we had with Neo4j.
Yes, because there were some issues with Neo4j that we faced at the beginning of our project.
Please keep in mind that these issues are restricted to Neo4j at least at the time of writing this article.
Chances are that if you migrate from another type of database, you’ll need to import data into Neo4j.
In some cases, you even need to import data for new projects like referential data or any other kind of data that your project might need.
Neo4j lets you import CSV files into your database using a combination of LOAD CSV, MERGE, and CREATE. This works just fine and can easily handle small CSV files.
For bigger files of more than 20 MO, this option is very slow, especially if you insert your data in a non-empty database.
Luckily, there is a way to load your data much faster but requires some transformations. In our case, we used the Neo4j admin tool designed for managing your Neo4j instance.
This command-line tool has an option to import structured files in an empty database.
This feature is pretty fast but requires an empty database, which is not always convenient.
So basically, we had to adapt our CSV files and create others to store the relationships.
For a simple model like the one below, we need at least two files
Partial data model (Dayvelop)
A CSV file with Skill nodes (one line for each node)
A CSV file to load relationships between nodes (one line for each relationship)
So finally, after some changes, we were able to upload our data in a reasonable timeframe.
Is Neo4j the only option here
Of course not, we decided to go with Neo4j as our primary database for Dayvelop, but there are many other graph databases out there.
We found that this one was particularly easy to start with and the documentation is pretty good.
But if you’re interested, you can also check out Dgraph. It’s an horizontally scalable and distributed GraphQL database with a graph backend. It’s open-source and written entirely in Go.
https://dgraph.io/dgraph
By the way, what exactly is Dayvelop
During this pandemic, I tried, like many developers out there, to improve my skills by reading and exploring new technologies and tools.
After some research, I still hadn’t found a suitable solution specially designed for developers to stay updated about their favorite skills and tools.
With a friend, I decided to create Dayvelop, a web application to follow your favorite sources of information. We also added some quizzes to test your knowledge from time to time.
If something like that might interest you, consider joining us at https://dayvelop.app/
Until then, have a good one! Cheers :) | https://medium.com/@hakimkramdi/a-journey-with-a-graph-database-fc643ba56460 | [] | 2021-04-09 17:23:42.790000+00:00 | ['Development', 'Graph', 'Databse', 'Technology', 'Neo4j'] |
1,671 | Choose your drug: Tobacco or Twitter? | Copyright [KIS KIS — keep it short on YouTube]
Stats don’t lie
During my research, I stumbled upon an animation depicting the current social situation: a technology-obsessed generation glued to our screens; as if looking up for even a second would be illegal. Although satirically exaggerated, it accurately represents how we prioritise smartphones over surroundings. Here are some of the latest facts on media usage in the UK:
· Average adult internet users spend a whopping 25.1 hours online per week
· Smartphone ownership in 2018 has increased by 61% since 2008
· People reported more negative than positive emotions when not online (pictured below) (Ofcom 2020, 2018)
Copyright [Ofcom]
Copyright [Giphy]
These findings support Turkle’s (2017) observation of how we spend more time with technology than interacting with others. She condemns society’s growing social media addiction and its related side effects, expressing significant concern towards our internet dependency. This alludes to McLuhan’s (1965) notion of technology as extensions of modern man. Phones are being extensively embedded into our lives becoming part of our mind and body; physically and metaphorically. Let’s be honest, losing our phone is equivalent to losing a limb.
Smartphone symptoms
“Anxiety is part of the new connectivity” (Turkle, 2017)
Throughout her empirical research, Turkle reflects on how users feel empty without their phones — one interviewee reported feeling “naked” (Turkle, 2017, p.152) and disconnected without social media. This may be due to FOMO, the fear of missing out “social interactions which are constantly happening online” (Marbabaie et al., 2020). Similar feelings were found in users who digitally detox — the conscious decision to disconnect from smartphone overuse. Lee et al. (2018) argued detoxing led to greater technostress and withdrawal-like symptoms due to the loss of interconnectedness with others.
“Social media apps…can be more addicting than heroin” (Gill, 2017)
In their book ‘The Dark Side of Social Media’ Sheldon et al., (2019) concluded Internet users demonstrating similar behaviours to people with drug or alcohol addictions. The non-stop receiving of likes and comments on social networking sites activates the same reward area of the brain as cocaine. The table I have illustrated below shows the eerily similar symptoms of drug addiction (Griffiths, 2005) and technology addiction:
Consequently, we forever seek to stay connected online regardless of health risks, in order to avoid loneliness and the fear of social exclusion.
Copyright [Vox on YouTube]
Not our fault?
Although there exists an obvious presence of unhealthy smartphone usage associated with loneliness and anxiety, we cannot blame ourselves. Ou & Zouxia (2019) argue phones are designed to be addictive. As evidenced in the video, companies purposely incorporate features such as infinite scrolling, push notifications and bright colours, extending our time online while decreasing our sense of control (Vox, 2018). How we utilise this bottomless vortex of communication in my opinion, boils down to self-control, but we choose addiction over abstinence. | https://medium.com/@anti-socialmedia/slaves-to-our-socials-fe5caa833b82 | ['Anti Socialmedia'] | 2021-01-14 08:58:39.137000+00:00 | ['Phone Addiction', 'Online', 'Technology', 'Social Media'] |
1,672 | IT Services & Software Solutions | codingbrains.com
Coding brains is a company that provides value to clients by combining experience with commitment to deliver quality service to customers. Our strength is directly derived by highly skilled and experienced professionals.
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Coding Brains offers a full spectrum of Technology Consulting services to give you practical advice on how to operate a more profitable business.
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Product Prototyping
At Coding Brains, we design and prototype products for inventors, entrepreneurs, and large companies.
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Enterprise Mobility
Coding Brains delivers a suite of Enterprise Mobility offerings connecting devices, apps, people and procedures to drive toward mobile-enabled business.
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Digital Transformation
At Coding Brains, we offer Digital Transformation consulting services that help shift towards new digital media and interactive era, as well as cope up with complex business issues.
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Enterprise System Integration
Coding Brains offers Enterprise System Integration services that aim to bring together critical information from several heterogeneous systems into a cohesive dashboard.
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Cloud Integration
Coding Brains believes in the transformational power of Cloud Computing for enterprises, be it a large or small, we have the capability to roll out cloud leveraged next- gen solutions.
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Enterprise Content Management
As a leading Tech Service Provider, Coding Brains delivers Enterprise Content Management services for your content-driven business procedures across the enterprise.
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IT Measurements and Dashboards
At Coding Brains, our IT Measurements and Dashboards solutions enable you to analyze performance metrics and key areas like changes, data accuracy, and duplicity.
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Coding Brains, leading IT Consultants
Please click on the following links below to get an idea of Coding Brain’s services –
Contact Us | https://medium.com/@prasoonpandey/it-services-software-solutions-6b31c3048199 | ['Prasoon Pandey'] | 2020-12-25 04:06:06.222000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Software Development', 'App Development', 'It', 'Web Deve'] |
1,673 | List of jobs in tech. I am back. I know it’s been a long… | Hey guys!
I am back. I know it’s been a long time, but this blog post required a lot of time to construct. I get a lot of questions regarding the types of roles there are in tech and what they require. Now this isn’t ALL the jobs in tech and that’s the beauty of this blog post that there’s this list and more jobs. I’ve made it easier for you depending on your interests regarding if its more a creative role, requires coding or a certain skill set. Use this as a guide but not as a bible so feel free to look at other roles that may be out of your current interests or skill set as you never know!
So without further or do, here’s a list of roles in tech! :
Backend engineering | https://medium.com/@charmainemabika/hey-guys-8882f7bde3a3 | ['Charmaine Mabika'] | 2020-12-16 16:58:54.660000+00:00 | ['Wocintech', 'Tech', 'Tech Jobs', 'STEM', 'Technology'] |
1,674 | What Is the Apple iCar? | Apple vs. Tesla
Tesla and Apple are both dominating companies in today's world, but how do they fare against each other? (Picture Credit: Financial Times)
Tesla and Apple, two huge companies. How do they fare against each other?
Apple, which has a market capitalization of $2.2 trillion, started in computers back in 1976, but now specializes in everything from watches to phones to headphones. On the other hand, Tesla specializes in electric cars and has a market cap of slightly over $600 billion.
One thing to note about the automotive industry is that it is extremely hard to get into and is infested with thousands of competitors, from Toyota to Mercedes. However, with the market cap that Apple has, it can buy up to four General Motors, four Hondas, and four BMW’s, just to name a few. In other words, Apple can decide to enter the automotive market by purchasing an existing player.
Even if Apple enters the market, it's going to be very hard for them to compete against makers like Tesla, who have more experience. It's going to take Apple a long time to truly understand the market and what consumers want to buy. For the most part, we expect Tesla to prevail against Apple in the market, and only time will tell if and when the tables turn on Tesla. | https://medium.com/techtalkers/what-is-the-apple-icar-7384b170b674 | ['Pranav Bansal'] | 2020-12-25 17:22:12.150000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Innovation', 'Tesla', 'Cars', 'Apple'] |
1,675 | 5 Guiding Principles of Social and Emotional Learning | According to CASEL, social-emotional learning can be defined as: “the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”
While students’ emotional well-being and social skills has always been on educators’ radar, recent years have witnessed a shift towards a stronger focus on SEL in the classroom. Researchers have come to understand the connections between academic performance and SEL, as well as the importance of attending to the many facets of student learning experiences in an effort to educate the whole child.
But implementing SEL initiatives in your school or classroom can be a challenge — whether you’re looking to improve your school climate, integrate SEL lesson plans into traditional academic work, or partner with community organizations to meet your goals, gaining momentum to influence real change will be difficult. To help get you started, Annie Snyder, Learning Scientist from our Applied Learning Sciences team, has written a guide entitled Building Social Emotional Learning into the School Day: Five Guiding Principles. Find the full guide here, or read on for a synopsis:
5 Guiding Principles of SEL: Create, Integrate, Communicate, Instruct, Empower
1. Create
The purpose of this principle is to consciously create a nurturing, caring, and safe environment for students. In the guide, you’ll find find specific strategies and a full, narrative example for carrying out this principle.
Sample strategy: Provide multiple ways for students to report, discuss, and work through conflicts.
2. Integrate
The key to this principle is to incorporate SEL skill-building into academic instruction whenever possible. It’s about keeping social and emotional learning top-of-mind, and constantly revisiting your incorporation tactics to find new, creative ways to integrate. You’ll find strategies and a narrative example in the guide.
Sample strategy: Design a full classroom unit based on a real-life theme (e.g. helping a local organization increase environmental sustainability.)
3. Communicate
This principle takes your larger community into account, and stresses that you communicate early and often with all SEL stakeholders. Every educator a student encounters during the day should be aware of SEL objectives and communicate with colleagues or partners about concerns and progress. The guide provides individual strategies for communicating with parents, school staff, and community partners.
Sample strategy: When communicating with school staff, researchers recommend that schools form a core team of school staff and administrators to lead in the communication and integration of SEL into school-wide strategies.
4. Instruct
The purpose of this principle is to consider social and emotional learning as you would any other subject area — as information and lessons worth explicit, planned instruction. With clear guidance, you will ensure that your students fully understand SEL content and expectations. Find step-by-step strategies and narrative examples in the guide.
Sample strategy: Explicitly teach protocols and procedures for handling challenging social situations. Recognize that time spent on topics such as conflict resolution counts as a “teachable moment” just as time spent on academic content.
5. Empower
This principle gets at the core of any social-emotional learning instructional plan: to empower students to take charge of their own social and emotional learning. It’s about ensuring that students are supported and ready to take on the next phase of their academic and emotional lives with confidence.
Sample strategy: Provide data and feedback that students can use to modify and extend their own application of SEL strategies learned in the classroom.
Find the full guide below, or by clicking here: | https://medium.com/inspired-ideas-prek-12/5-guiding-principles-of-social-emotional-learning-2f9fb554edad | ['Mcgraw Hill'] | 2019-02-15 15:00:10.913000+00:00 | ['Children', 'Education', 'Social Emotional Learning', 'Teaching', 'Education Technology'] |
1,676 | 7 Ways to Prove Your Programming Skills | Tips to Prove Your Talent
1. Contribute to open source projects
What is so special about open source contribution? Well, there is a lot. But what I found interesting is that you learn from the experts in the industry. Not all your contributions to an open source project will be accepted. This sounds bad, but it’s not.
Any contribution to the project will be reviewed by an expert before it’s merged into the actual project. Whenever you make a contribution, if there is any improvement to be made, you’ll get feedback with some guidance on exactly how to do it. It’s like someone mentoring you on how to improve your coding.
Apart from this, you also can learn a lot more of the skills required by a software engineer, such as meeting people with the same interests as you, learning people skills, etc.
If you have made any open source contribution, that’s a massive plus point to prove your talent and a sure way to impress the interviewer.
Here is a guide to how to contribute to open source projects.
2. Answer Questions on Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow is any programmer’s best pal. Whenever a programmer encounters a problem in coding, probably the first thing they do is find an answer on Stack Overflow. But wouldn’t it be great if you could answer questions on the technologies that you’re fluent in and earn some reputation?
Stack Overflow has a reputation associated with each account. Whenever you answer a question, based on the quality and accuracy of your answer, people can vote for you, which in turn will increase your reputation score. This score is a great way for employers to assess your talent since the score is generated by one of the best programming communities.
Here is a guide to how to answer questions on stack overflow.
3. Score on HackerRank, LeetCode, and GeeksforGeeks
HackerRank, LeetCode, and GeeksforGeeks are some great sites to improve your coding skills by solving different types of challenges. You can use your preferred programming language to solve problems. You also can select your own topic to practice with the desired level of difficulty. For example, you can select a problem related to arrays with the required difficulty level and start solving.
Based on the way you solved, you’ll be rewarded with a score. These scores will help to depict your talent in problem-solving, the use of algorithms, and data structures, etc.
4. Try out new projects
Coming up with creative ideas and developing your own projects is a nice way to try out what you have learnt so far. You might have learned various technologies and languages following various tutorials, but if you are unable to build a program, website, or a mobile app on your own, then your effort has gone in vain.
A web app about yourself, a to-do list app, or a weather tracking app are a few projects you can try out while you are free. These will not only improve your coding skills, but you also can use them in your day-to-day life.
5. Write articles
Writing articles is a great way to express your passion towards what you love. Writing requires knowledge of what you write. Whenever you write something, you tend to study and do a small amount of research on what you are about to write. This helps to improve your knowledge to a great extent.
It would be great if you can write articles on topics other than programming, as well. You don’t have to write specific things related to other fields, but you could write something generic, adding some technical aspects that will show that you have some basic knowledge in other fields, too. Additionally, it’s a way to exhibit your written communication skills, which is a requirement most programmers lack.
6. Collaborate with your friends in various other fields
As I mentioned in the beginning, the fourth industrial revolution has made almost all fields incorporate technology into their products and services. Even software companies are moving to niche markets rather than developing generic software. There are software companies specialising in finance, agriculture, transportation, food, and whatnot.
Collaborating with your friends in other fields, engaging in a few projects related to their field, and contributing to some technical aspect, would be great plus points for you. For instance, you could collaborate with a friend in the field of agriculture, where they might need an app to track the weather or something similar.
7. Show that you are passionate by what you share on social media
Do not be surprised if your employer has a look at your social media accounts. I agree that social media is to have fun and enjoy your leisure time. And I am not trying to tell you to stop having fun on social media.
But wouldn’t it be great if you could show your enthusiasm by what you share? Maybe you can try sharing memes related to programming and technical stuff. You can also share articles and videos on trending topics that people would love to read. | https://betterprogramming.pub/7-ways-to-prove-your-programming-skills-438f0f751184 | ['Shafi Rizvi'] | 2020-05-10 07:28:20.254000+00:00 | ['Productivity', 'Technology', 'Software Development', 'Startup', 'Programming'] |
1,677 | My learnings from building creators of products | In 2019, I was mentoring a bunch of young folks who were either early in their product management career or were trying to break into product management roles. Talking to them, helped me understand the dilemmas these people face and gave me a chance to share some of the things I had learned in my career and have a relook at all the mistakes I had made. However, the number of requests were increasing and I was unable to do justice to most with my time limitations. I realised there could be a better way to connect these young or experienced creators. Last year around the same time, I put the following poll on Twitter -
From twitter.com/pentropy
And without thinking much, I started a telegram group called ‘Creators of Products’ with an aim of creating a safe place for people who want to share and learn the art and science of creating products. I saw some communities already existing, but they faced the same problem that product companies face — Silos. There are communities of product managers, engineers, designers etc which are brilliant in sharpening the individual crafts but over years, I have realised that building products need a lot more than super-smart individuals solving for their function or their tasks independently.
Here are some things I learnt while steering the community in last 1 year -
There are a lot of helpful people around. Most times we don’t see them or we don’t find them and that’s because we are looking in the wrong places Lot of us feel — ‘I don’t know enough to help’. While ‘I don’t know’ is always true, but our experiences even though they might look small or embarrassing are good enough to help a whole lot of people out there We did a lot of things in the community, figuring out which should we think through in intricate detail (The first expert speak session and alpha users group) and which one should just be launched (hiring excel) has helped balance impact and speed It’s necessary to have well-defined principles even at a small scale. Our principles of transparency and respect have helped create a non-negative environment in the community Getting feedback is important, but predictions like ‘This won’t work’ can be ignored as they just plant doubts which aren’t useful Open communities have their challenges but from the perspective of improving the overall level of creators, they do a better job than closed elite communities. They reflect the same problems that are faced by multiple product companies where decision making happens in closed circles. Product creation in the coming decade will not be limited to geographical centres. Though there is merit in having these ecosystems in cities but open, location-agnostic communities are proving that there aren’t any barriers to reaching to people anymore. The Internet can be a very toxic or a productive place, it will be as we make it. At creators of products, we keep a strong eye on weeding out any discrimination or bullying. A lot of my time early days went in flagging and deleting any pirated content that’s shared (which is sadly a common practice). Another thing we keep course-correcting is lack of gender neutrality. Having done these in early days, we hardly see these concerns in the community conversations. It never feels enough. There are always a hundred more things we need to do or we want to do. Oddly satisfying feeling that. The experts in the field are very human. As we break the imaginary doors, we realise that they speak the same language and that validation helps change the mindsets of young creators. The younger generation will have a much faster career graph ever seen. The 30s are now the 20s, the 40s are the 30s. Create and rule the world.
Some things that helped me grow the community
Seek help. One doesn’t need to do everything themselves Don’t wait for launch till features are fully cooked. A basic google sheet worked as the hiring sheet, a basic form helped map mentors Don’t waste time on things that aren’t working or helping anyone Use social media, especially Twitter as much as possible. Interact Try to be inclusive, but don’t be worried if everyone is benefitting all time time. In a community, those who engage and give end up learning a lot more
We are just warming up at creators of products. I am so grateful to all the 40 people who have volunteered over the last year. What a fascinating group of people! To take the community to the next level, we have decided to give more responsibility to some of these team members by making them co-founders. We will post more details on the Twitter handle on the same.
If you haven’t joined the slack channel yet. Here is the link — creatorsofproducts.com/join | https://theproductdesignblog.com/my-learnings-from-building-creators-of-products-dbea96ff0f1c | ['Diwakar Kaushik'] | 2020-12-20 06:25:48.234000+00:00 | ['Product', 'Design', 'Technology', 'Product Management', 'Community'] |
1,678 | We Have to Define What Edge Computing Is | We Have to Define What Edge Computing Is
Edge Computing promises millions of dollars of revenue. However, we do not yet have a definition of what it is.
Photo by Edurne Chopeitia on Unsplash
The first time I heard about edge computing was back in 2015. Since then, I have been working for startups to enable distributed data-driven solutions for the edge. It looks like everybody (or almost everybody) is aware of what edge computing is. However, all this time I have been working in a technological paradigm without a clear definition statement.
At the moment of writing this post, there is no clear definition of what the edge is. These are some definitions you can find online. Some of them are the ones used in the Wikipedia entry for edge computing.
all computing outside the cloud happening at the edge of the network, and more specifically in applications where real-time processing of data is required
Karim Arabi
Your mobile phone and all your wearables are the edge according to this definition.
anything that’s not a traditional data center could be the ‘edge’ to somebody
ETSI
This may include elements such as server proxies.
the edge node is mostly one or two hops away from the mobile client to meet the response time constraints for real-time games’
Gamelets — Multiplayer mobile games with distributed micro-clouds
In this case, the edge is not the final user device. It is something between the cloud and the user.
computing that’s done at or near the source of the data, instead of relying on the cloud at one of a dozen data centers to do all the work
Paul Miller
This definition points out the idea of data proximity.
Well, I have to say that all these definitions are correct. Why? Because the edge is so abstract that it admits almost any definition. The edge is so vaguely defined, that becomes something blurry and difficult to demarcate in any architectural design. Also, we have the cloud and the fog. What does the edge have to do with the cloud? And the fog? | https://medium.com/swlh/we-have-to-define-what-is-edge-computing-1e96d5f46e69 | ['Juan M. Tirado'] | 2020-09-29 08:31:55.340000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Software Development', 'Data', 'Future', 'Programming'] |
1,679 | Infographic: Where’s My Ventilator? Smart Asset Tracking for Hospitals. | By: Craig Lamb
Publish Date: Thursday 11/5/2020
Improve Productivity, Patient Safety, and Inventory Loss Challenges.
“ Waste in healthcare-defined by The New England Healthcare Institute as ‘healthcare spending that can be eliminated without reducing the quality of care’ totals around $700 billion annually in the United States”
— 2009 Thomson Reuters report
Hospital executives are regularly evaluating methods to reduce costs, while improving the delivery of care. One of the most significant opportunities for accomplishing these goals is in the area of mobile asset management (think any hospital equipment that moves: IV pumps, telemetry units, wheelchairs, etc).
Ineffective asset management as a result of lost, unmaintained, or over and underutilized equipment has created an immediate challenge for efficiency in this regard, which has direct implications on cost savings. According to this report, hospitals are missing savings as much as 12 to 16% due to a lack of accurate information and the bandwidth of internal resources to efficiently manage and allocate important hospital equipment.
Furthermore, ineffective asset management and its underlying effects on productivity, costs, patient safety, and employee satisfaction play a significant role in achieving the balance of reducing costs while improving care.
It is estimated that hospitals are spending $93 billion each year on medical equipment lifecycle costs (MELC) and hospital equipment represents one of the largest spikes in healthcare spending.
Asset Tracking and Utilization Challenges
Implementing a technology solution is one important step to solving ineffective asset management. In order for hospitals and biomedical engineering, nursing, and facility management teams to make collaborative and informed decisions across the medical equipment lifecycle — purchasing, repairing, and allocating; accurate information on the location and utilization of equipment is key.
Here’s where smart asset tracking comes in. Two core technologies stand behind smart asset tracking in hospitals: RFID and IoT. RFID is used directly for tracking, while IoT enables efficient data storing, processing and analysis.
RFID + IoT = SMART tracking solutions
Radio frequency identification uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to identify the location of the hospital items carrying special tags with the help of the readers located in hospital corridors, rooms and nearby facilities.
In respect to smart asset tracking, the IoT part is responsible for storing, processing and analyzing the data gathered by RFID readers: the info about hospital items, how they are used and moved. To improve efficiency, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are turning to smart solutions to streamline and improve the accuracy of asset tracking. RFID tags and/or sensors are attached to or embedded into individual items and/or boxes and containers. Readers located throughout the facility track the whereabouts of the assets at all times, so hospital personnel equipped with mobile or web apps know where they need to go to get them.
The advantage of using IoT technology is that it not only can track the items but also gather and analyze data. Hospitals can issue weekly, monthly and on-demand reports that will accurately reflect how different departments use various items-information that can help hospital staff make decisions on improving efficiency.
These are some top benefits of implementing smart asset tracking in hospitals:
Prevents loss and theft-When an item leaves a designated area without authorization, an IoT system generates an alert to inform hospital security.
Cuts down on wasted spending-With a better read on inventory levels, hospitals don’t place unnecessary orders and can identify areas where products are being wasted or used inefficiently. They also have more information with which to forecast demand.
Improves staff morale and patient satisfaction-Nurses and other hospital personnel spend less time looking for supplies and can devote more time to patients, thereby improving patient experience.
System-wide approach — create the technical infrastructure to track assets that move from one facility to another
Allocate funds for capital planning more effectively — using reports generated through asset utilization data captured through IoT (I.e. do we really need 5 new infusion pumps?)
Is there really that much asset Theft and Misuse?
The high costs to replace lost or stolen medical assets are substantial. Some estimate that the value for lost or stolen assets can exceed $4,000 per bed per year, rising to $8,000 when adding in replacement costs. A similar study by VHA, Inc. estimated that theft alone costs hospitals across the U.S. upwards of $52 million per year.[1]
Believe it or not, patients and their hospital visitors are common perpetrators of equipment theft. A hospital in Bremerton, WA, reported that a patient treated in the ER stole $850 worth of equipment, including a digital thermometer, blood pressure cuffs, and a bed alarm pad. Another patient stole a heart monitor worth $1,000. Not surprisingly, staff also contribute to theft. Just recently in the greater Chicago area, a physician was charged with stealing more than $200,000 worth of equipment from Northshore hospitals.[9]
Another key metric for reducing costs is Asset Utilization.
Asset utilization is the percentage of the time a piece of hospital equipment is in use. If a hospital has a high utilization rate, the hospital is delivering care and generating revenue from that piece of equipment. However, if there is a low utilization rate, that means that the hospital has invested in excess capital that is sitting unused. In other words, the asset utilization rate is important because if a hospital’s medical equipment is being used frequently, the hospital is generating money from that equipment. However, a low utilization rate for medical equipment leads to a drop in revenue.
A recent study found that the average utilization for mobile assets in hospitals is only about 42%. In fact, on average, hospitals have about 25% more devices than can be used at any one time. It is not uncommon to find equipment that has been sitting idle for days, weeks, or even months. This combined with the fact that hospital staff often feel that they cannot find the equipment when they need it is a major challenge for efficiency in healthcare.
A 2019 report offers a glimpse into just how important smart equipment-tracking is. The article states that the global market for hospital asset management “is rising rapidly primarily due to the installation rate of asset tags in all the applications.” That market is projected to reach a potential $15 billion by 2026.
In the near term, IoT-enabled track and trace applications will assist medical supply chain management — especially, with the most critical supplies, including PPE and ventilators, said Nate Beyor, managing director and partner of healthcare at Boston Consulting Group.
One can see that now, more than ever, with healthcare costs rising exponentially, and demand for PPE sky-rocketing, smart asset tracking makes a lot of sense.
For guidance on putting a technical plan in place for smart asset tracking, contact us.
Sources:
[1] US Census Bureau
[2] Study: ‘Assessing the Financial Impacts of RFID Technology…’
[3],[7] GE Healthcare
[4], [5] Becker’s Hospital CFO Report
[6] Nursing Times
[8] Financial Planning24
[9] HITLeaders | https://medium.com/@envative/infographic-wheres-my-ventilator-smart-asset-tracking-for-hospitals-79cd4c465e7c | [] | 2020-11-09 20:39:58.420000+00:00 | ['Rfid Technology', 'Infographics', 'Internet of Things', 'Hospital', 'IoT'] |
1,680 | Former Google CEO Wants to Create a Government-Funded University to Train A.I. Coders | Former Google CEO Wants to Create a Government-Funded University to Train A.I. Coders
The Digital Service Academy would compete with Stanford and MIT
Photos: Ungureanu Vadim/EyeEm/Boston Globe/Photofusion/Getty Images
The U.S. government’s approach of letting Silicon Valley drive the country’s technological boom has left the government itself scrambling for tech talent.
Now, a federal commission led by ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work wants to create a university to train new government coders.
The school would be called the U.S. Digital Service Academy, and it would be an accredited, degree-awarding university that trains students in digital skills like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Students would get a traditional school year of coursework, with internships in the public and private sector during summers.
The Digital Service Academy would theoretically supply the United States with a fresh stream of young talent already ideologically invested in serving the federal government. However, it would compete with elite institutions like Stanford and MIT, where graduates often have their pick of private-sector work and can still go into the public sector if they choose.
“If the recruitment only happens where the roads are paved, you’ve missed a lot of opportunities and a lot of talent.”
The commission set to recommend the new institution, called the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), unanimously voted to make the recommendation in an upcoming report to Congress during a publicly broadcast meeting on July 20.
NSCAI commissioner and former FCC head Mignon Clyburn raised the issue that whatever organization Congress created would have to make an effort to be inclusive in its recruitment.
“Talent comes in many forms and from many places,” Clyburn said. “If the recruitment only happens where the roads are paved, you’ve missed a lot of opportunities and a lot of talent.”
Congress created the NSCAI in 2018 as a response to China’s drastic investment into artificial intelligence. It taps industry and government veterans to rethink how the government funds and sanctions artificial intelligence efforts.
“As I speak, China and Russia are striving to overtake us. Neither of these nations shares our values, or our freedoms.”
“We are engaged in an epic race for A.I. supremacy,” Rick Perry, secretary of the Department of Energy, said at an NSCAI conference in 2019. “As I speak, China and Russia are striving to overtake us. Neither of these nations shares our values or our freedoms.”
This meeting is the first that has been publicly broadcast, a mandated improvement in transparency after a district court determined that the NSCAI was not complying with federal laws that required its meetings to be disclosed to the public. The Electronic Privacy Information Center brought the lawsuit that found the NSCAI to be acting illegally.
The commission also voted to recommend 10 other initiatives, like an expansion of the Scholarship for Service program, and to create a National Reserve Digital Corps. In the Digital Corps, volunteers would work 38 days a year for the government and receive access to educational funds in return. These volunteers would do everything from A.I. education to data acquisition to project consulting to networking between the public and private sector.
Other recommendations focus on federal policy, like export controls for technology and software leaving the United States, as well as more in-depth screening of foreign investment into American tech companies. | https://onezero.medium.com/former-google-ceo-wants-to-create-a-government-funded-university-to-train-a-i-coders-9a2df09c5bce | ['Dave Gershgorn'] | 2020-07-21 05:31:01.158000+00:00 | ['Education', 'Technology', 'Programming', 'Government', 'AI'] |
1,681 | Why use the blockchain instead of a database? What gives tokens value? | I see these questions asked all the time by novice investors entering the space, either for specific projects, or as a general question. So I thought I’d attempt to write a detailed yet basic explanation on the utility of tokens, and what justifies the use of a blockchain.
Basically, blockchain embodies a lot of game theory and incentive models. In order for a blockchain network to be valuable or useful, it has to have participants in a network, it would be worthless if Bitcoin only had me and you using it, there’s not much value there in a barren network with not much utility.
In order to secure participants, there needs to be some sort of incentive to attract them, the most common method is via issuance or reward of the token used in the network, the more participants, the more decentralized it is.
So why not just a database, why do these projects need a blockchain?
There are a few key benefits to decentralizing things instead of keeping it in a centralized server/database:
Immutability
Security
Redundancy
Overhead/cost reduction
Accountability/transparency
Immutability
Having records and data decentralized, and deployed on a blockchain makes it virtually impossible for any one party to tamper with data or records. Versus how it is now, if you host your data on let’s say, your computer, you can easily edit that file, before you send it to someone else, how can I ensure I can trust you?
Security
Traditional servers or data are generally centralized, making it a likely target for malicious attacks. Just look at the Equifax’s security breaches and other cybersecurity concerns arising in recent times. Instead of having a single or limited # of servers hackers can attack, decentralization via the blockchain greatly increases the difficulty. The more participants/nodes in a network, the more copies of the data there is. Therefore, if you want to tamper with the data, you will need to attack every single node on the network and alter all of their data simultaneously. Not only does blockchain make data tamper proof, it is also hard to breach. Every “block” on a chain contains a certain amount of data, and when that block gets filled, much like a USB drive, it is encrypted and sealed forever. To get the full picture, hackers will need to hack not just the current block, but also every block before it. This is not only technically almost impossible, but it is costly, thereby reducing the incentive for malicious activities. Different blockchains have different security measures and algorithms, this is a generalization of the concepts.
Redundancy
You basically have the same set of data distributed across the world, you don’t need to worry if you lose your copy. This provides data resilience to corporations which gives peace of mind from any data corruption, server downtimes, etc
Overhead/cost reduction
Having a decentralized network of nodes to maintain this ledger allows companies to offset and offload hosting, security, and maintenance costs. It removes a lot of the costs of IT staffing, Dev Ops, and infrastructural overhead. For example: Apple’s servers are literally under attack constantly. They have teams, and teams of people monitoring their servers 24/7/365.
Accountability
With all of the above in place, you can be sure that everything that is logged or deployed on the blockchain, is accurate, and true.
All of this results in the ease of trust, and ease of the ability to do business in a transparent manner, without needing to trust the counter-party. You can simply leverage blockchain technology to let the data and facts speak for themselves.
Do currently systems and data infrastructures work? Sure, but they are not perfect. They only exist the way they do because there hasn’t been technology that could come along and offer a vast improvement until the introduction of Blockchain.
Ok but what gives token value? Why are they needed?
Well, it really depends on the project. 90% of the projects out there are pure bullshit, but for sake of argument, I’ll simply address it for the ones that have actual utility and use cases.
As mentioned above, tokens are often used as a method of incentivizing participating in a network, therefore, a successful network means there are a plethora of participants, contributing to the decentralization and securitization of a network. The more participants, the more consensus there is that the network has utility, like Bitcoin. It was worth nothing when Satoshi first introduced it to the world, and it was only him on the network. But as it gained adoption, there is increasing consensus now that Bitcoin the token, has utility as a currency, and therefore intrinsic value between participants in the network.
There are generally a few classes of tokens and each class derives value differently:
Currency tokens — Tokens like Bitcoin, Monero, Raiblocks, etc
— Tokens like Bitcoin, Monero, Raiblocks, etc Utility tokens — Tokens that allow you to essentially use or perform an activity on a network, such as ETH or ZRX. On the Ethereum network you would need to spend Ether (aka gas), to run a smart contract, etc
— Tokens that allow you to essentially use or perform an activity on a network, such as ETH or ZRX. On the Ethereum network you would need to spend Ether (aka gas), to run a smart contract, etc Asset tokens — Tokens that represent an actual asset or product
— Tokens that represent an actual asset or product Equity tokens — Tokens that basically act like a share, and gives you some kind of voting right or consensus participation
For a currency token like Bitcoin, it’s value is derived primarily on the use case of it being a currency/store of value.
For utility tokens, value could come from the adoption and usage of the network, for example, the amount of data that gets put on the blockchain, and the amount of information that it’s processing, as there are parties willing to pay transaction fees to nodes to process, validate, exchange, and secure that data. This could be decentralized exchanges, or businesses putting supply chain data on the blockchain, etc.
For an asset token, this could be tied to the valuation of the assets (ie: Cryptokitties could be considered an asset, yet the underlying network powering it is Ethereum, thereby giving ETH value because it is a method of trade, and it now has utility to trade this asset) that it’s tied to or represents. If a CryptoKitty is traded and its value is tied to a KittyCoin, then that would make KittyCoin an asset token.
Equity tokens, this could be valued closer to the investor sentiment and the progress of the project itself. Are they getting business and real world adoption? What kind of voting power will token holders have? What is the future potential and direction of the company?
So now that we know where value is derived from, what affects their price?
Every project and token may have different stimuli or economic models that affect price. Speculation aside, here’s a few technical factors that affect it regardless of investor sentiment:
Supply & demand — This is likely the largest factor in the valuation of a token, especially today, where the market is purely speculative
— This is likely the largest factor in the valuation of a token, especially today, where the market is purely speculative Adoption/utility — Is there any activity on the network? What’s the usage like?
— Is there any activity on the network? What’s the usage like? Burn rates — Do tokens get burned over time or upon usage? What’s the rate?
— Do tokens get burned over time or upon usage? What’s the rate? Circulation & lockups — How much is in circulation? Is there any lockups?
— How much is in circulation? Is there any lockups? Generation of secondary token — (like NEO/GAS), etc
— (like NEO/GAS), etc Staking — Do you earn additional tokens by locking up and “staking” your holdings to secure the network?
— Do you earn additional tokens by locking up and “staking” your holdings to secure the network? Mined/premined — How much of the coins are released and what’s the schedule? Or is it all mined already?
So as you can see there are a large number of factors that can affect the valuation and price of a token, and “why is a token even worth anything?” is quite a broad question and requires an in-depth answer.
I hope I’ve explained the concepts of why a blockchain is needed and the incentive structure around decentralization and its benefits, as well as why tokens are needed and what drives value. With the cryptocurrency market increasingly saturated, it’s important to understand the underlying technology and principles, so you can make discerning investments, and separate the signal from the noise.
If anything’s unclear or if I’ve made any mistakes, please make a suggestion to improve this article!
Good luck, and invest wisely! | https://medium.com/hackernoon/why-use-the-blockchain-instead-of-a-database-what-gives-tokens-value-263449681153 | ['Mathew Chan'] | 2018-01-25 05:54:57.712000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Ethereum', 'Bitcoin', 'Blockchain'] |
1,682 | Jersey Shore: Family Vacation < "Season 4 :: Episode 7" > FULL~EPISODE | ⭐ Watch Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 4 Episode 7 Full Episode, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 4 Episode 7 Full Watch Free, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Episode 7,Jersey Shore: Family Vacation MTV, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Eps. 7,Jersey Shore: Family Vacation ENG Sub, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 4, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Series 4,Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Episode 7, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 4 Episode 7, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Full Streaming, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Download HD, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation All Subtitle, Watch Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 4 Episode 7 Full Episodes
Film, also called movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a visual art-form used to simulate experiences that communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound, and more rarely, other sensory stimulations.[7] The word “cinema”, short for cinematography, is ofMTV used to refer to filmmaking and the film Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, and to the art form that is the result of it.
❏ STREAMING MEDIA ❏
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a provider. The verb to stream refers to the process of delivering or obtaining media in this manner.[clarification needed] Streaming refers to the delivery method of the medium, rather than the medium itself. Distinguishing delivery method from the media distributed applies specifically to telecommunications networks, as most of the delivery systems are either inherently streaming (e.g. radio, television, streaming apps) or inherently non-streaming (e.g. books, video cassettes, audio CDs). There are challenges with streaming conMTVt on the Internet. For example, users whose Internet connection lacks sufficient bandwidth may experience stops, lags, or slow buffering of the conMTVt. And users lacking compatible hardware or software systems may be unable to stream certain conMTVt.
Live streaming is the delivery of Internet conMTVt in real-time much as live television broadcasts conMTVt over the airwaves via a television signal. Live internet streaming requires a form of source media (e.g. a video camera, an audio interface, screen capture software), an encoder to digitize the conMTVt, a media publisher, and a conMTVt delivery network to distribute and deliver the conMTVt. Live streaming does not need to be recorded at the origination point, although it frequently is.
Streaming is an alternative to file downloading, a process in which the end-user obtains the entire file for the conMTVt before watching or lisMTVing to it. Through streaming, an end-user can use their media player to start playing digital video or digital audio conMTVt before the entire file has been transmitted. The term “streaming media” can apply to media other than video and audio, such as live closed captioning, ticker tape, and real-time text, which are all considered “streaming text”.
❏ COPYRIGHT CONMTVT ❏
Copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work, usually for a limited time.[7][7][7][7][7] The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educational, or musical form. Copyright is inMTVded to protect the original expression of an idea in the form of a creative work, but not the idea itself.[7][7][7] A copyright is subject to limitations based on public interest considerations, such as the fair use doctrine in the United States.
Some jurisdictions require “fixing” copyrighted works in a tangible form. It is ofMTV shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license the work, and who are commonly referred to as rights holders.[citation needed][7][4][4][4] These rights frequently include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and moral rights such as attribution.[4]
Copyrights can be granted by public law and are in that case considered “territorial rights”. This means that copyrights granted by the law of a certain state, do not exMTVd beyond the territory of that specific jurisdiction. Copyrights of this type vary by country; many countries, and sometimes a large group of countries, have made agreements with other countries on procedures applicable when works “cross” national borders or national rights are inconsisMTVt.[4]
Typically, the public law duration of a copyright expires 4 to 7 years after the creator dies, depending on the jurisdiction. Some countries require certain copyright formalities[7] to establishing copyright, others recognize copyright in any completed work, without a formal registration.
It is widely believed that copyrights are a must to foster cultural diversity and creativity. However, Parc argues that contrary to prevailing beliefs, imitation and copying do not restrict cultural creativity or diversity but in fact support them further. This argument has been supported by many examples such as Millet and Van Gogh, Picasso, Manet, and Monet, etc.[4]
❏ GOODS OF SERVICES ❏
Credit (from Latin credit, “(he/she/it) believes”) is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but promises either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date.[7] In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and exMTVsible to a large group of unrelated people.
The resources provided may be financial (e.g. granting a loan), or they may consist of goods or services (e.g. consumer credit). Credit encompasses any form of deferred payment.[7] Credit is exMTVded by a creditor, also known as a lender, to a debtor, also known as a borrower.
‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’ Challenges Asian Americans in Hollywood to Overcome ‘Impossible Duality’ MTVween China, U.S.
MTV’s live-action “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” was supposed to be a huge win for under-represented groups in Hollywood. The $7 million-budgeted film is among the most expensive ever directed by a woman, and it features an all-Asian cast — a first for productions of such scale.
Despite well-inMTVtioned ambitions, however, the film has exposed the difficulties of representation in a world of complex geopolitics. MTV primarily cast Asian rather than Asian American stars in lead roles to appeal to Chinese consumers, yet Chinese viewers rejected the movie as inauthentic and American. Then, politics ensnared the production as stars Liu Yifei, who plays Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, and Donnie Yen professed support for Hong Kong police during the brutal crackdown on protesters in 477. Later, MTV issued “special thanks” in the credits to government bodies in China’s Xinjiang region that are directly involved in perpetrating major human rights abuses against the minority Uighur population.
“Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” inadverMTVtly reveals why it’s so difficult to create multicultural conMTVt with global appeal in 2020. It highlights the vast disconnect MTVween Asian Americans in Hollywood and Chinese nationals in China, as well as the exMTVt to which Hollywood fails to acknowledge the difference MTVween their aesthetics, tastes and politics. It also underscores the limits of the American conversation on representation in a global world.
In conversations with seJersey Shore: Family Vacationl Asian-American creatives, Variety found that many feel caught MTVween fighting against underrepresentation in Hollywood and being accidentally complicit in China’s authoritarian politics, with no easy answers for how to deal with the moral questions “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” poses.
“When do we care about representation versus fundamental civil rights? This is not a simple question,” says Bing Chen, co-founder of Gold House, a collective that mobilizes the Asian American community to help diverse films, including “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” achieve opening weekend box office success via its #GoldOpen movement. “An impossible duality faces us. We absolutely acknowledge the terrible and unacceptable nature of what’s going on over there [in China] politically, but we also understand what’s at stake on the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation side.”
The film leaves the Asian American community at “the intersection of choosing MTVween surface-level representation — faces that look like ours — versus values and other cultural nuances that don’t reflect ours,” says Lulu Wang, director of “The Farewell.”
In a business in which past box office success determines what future projects are bankrolled, those with their eyes squarely on the prize of increasing opportunities for Asian Americans say they feel a responsibility to support “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” no matter what. That support is ofMTV very personal amid the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’s close-knit community of Asian Americans, where people don’t want to tear down the hard work of peers and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.
Others say they wouldn’t have given MTV their $4 if they’d known about the controversial end credits.
“‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’ is actually the first film where the Asian American community is really split,” says sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen, who examines racism in Hollywood. “For people who are more global and consume more global news, maybe they’re thinking, ‘We shouldn’t sell our soul in order to get affirmation from Hollywood.’ But we have this scarcity mentality.
“I felt like I couldn’t completely lambast ‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’ because I personally felt solidarity with the Asian American actors,” Yuen continues. “I wanted to see them do well. But at what cost?”
This scarcity mentality is particularly acute for Asian American actors, who find roles few and far MTVween. Lulu Wang notes that many “have built their career on a film like ‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’ and other crossovers, because they might not speak the native language — Japanese, Chinese, Korean or Hindi — to actually do a role overseas, but there’s no role being writMTV for them in America.”
Certainly, the actors in “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” who have seen major career breakthroughs tainted by the film’s political backlash, feel this acutely. “You have to understand the tough position that we are in here as the cast, and that MTV is in too,” says actor Chen Tang, who plays Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’s army buddy Yao.
There’s not much he can do except keep trying to nail the roles he lands in hopes of paving the way for others. “The more I can do great work, the more likely there’s going to be somebody like me [for kids to look at and say], ‘Maybe someday that could be me.’”
Part of the problem is that what’s happening in China feels very distant to Americans. “The Chinese-speaking market is impenetrable to people in the West; they don’t know what’s going on or what those people are saying,” says Daniel York Loh of British East Asians and South East Asians in Theatre and Screen (BEATS), a U.K. nonprofit seeking greater on-screen Asian representation.
York Loh offers a provocative comparison to illustrate the West’s milquetoast reaction to “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” principal Liu’s pro-police comments. “The equivalent would be, say, someone like Emma Roberts going, ‘Yeah, the cops in Portland should beat those protesters.’ That would be huge — there’d be no getting around that.”
Some of the disconnect is understandable: With information overload at home, it’s hard to muster the energy to care about faraway problems. But part of it is a broader failure to grasp the real lack of overlap MTVween issues that matter to the mainland’s majority Han Chinese versus minority Chinese Americans. They may look similar, but they have been shaped in diametrically different political and social contexts.
“China’s nationalist pride is very different from the Asian American pride, which is one of overcoming racism and inequality. It’s hard for Chinese to relate to that,” Yuen says.
Beijing-born Wang points out she ofMTV has more in common with first-generation Muslim Americans, Jamaican Americans or other immigrants than with Chinese nationals who’ve always lived in China and never left.
If the “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” debacle has taught us anything, in a world where we’re still too quick to equate “American” with “white,” it’s that “we definitely have to separate out the Asian American perspective from the Asian one,” says Wang. “We have to separate race, nationality and culture. We have to talk about these things separately. True representation is about capturing specificities.”
She ran up against the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’s inability to make these distinctions while creating “The Farewell.” Americans felt it was a Chinese film because of its subtitles, Chinese cast and location, while Chinese producers considered it an American film because it wasn’t fully Chinese. The endeavor to simply tell a personal family story became a “political fight to claim a space that doesn’t yet exist.”
In the search for authentic storytelling, “the key is to lean into the in-MTVweenness,” she said. “More and more, people won’t fit into these neat boxes, so in-MTVweenness is exactly what we need.”
However, it may prove harder for Chinese Americans to carve out a space for their “in-MTVweenness” than for other minority groups, given China’s growing economic clout.
Notes author and writer-producer Charles Yu, whose latest novel about Asian representation in Hollywood, “Interior Chinatown,” is a National Book Award finalist, “As Asian Americans continue on what I feel is a little bit of an island over here, the world is changing over in Asia; in some ways the center of gravity is shifting over there and away from here, economically and culturally.”
With the Chinese film market set to surpass the US as the world’s largest this year, the question thus arises: “Will the cumulative impact of Asian American audiences be such a small drop in the bucket compared to the China market that it’ll just be overwhelmed, in terms of what gets made or financed?”
As with “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” more parochial, American conversations on race will inevitably run up against other global issues as U.S. studios continue to target China. Some say Asian American creators should be prepared to meet Jersey Shore: Family Vacation by broadening their outlook.
“Most people in this Jersey Shore: Family Vacation think, ‘I’d love for there to be Hollywood-China co-productions if it meant a job for me. I believe in free speech, and censorship is terrible, but it’s not my battle. I just want to get my pilot sold,’” says actor-producer Brian Yang (“Hawaii Five-0,” “Linsanity”), who’s worked for more than a decade MTVween the two countries. “But the world’s getting smaller. Streamers make shows for the world now. For anyone that works in this business, it would behoove them to study and understand Jersey Shore: Family Vacations that are happening in and [among] other countries.”
Gold House’s Chen agrees. “We need to speak even more thoughtfully and try to understand how the world does not function as it does in our zip code,” he says. “We still have so much soft power coming from the U.S. What we say matters. This is not the problem and burden any of us as Asian Americans asked for, but this is on us, unfortunately. We just have to fight harder. And every step we take, we’re going to be right and we’re going to be wrong.”
☆ ALL ABOUT THE SERIES ☆
is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but promises either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date.[7] In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and exMTVsible to a large group of unrelated people.
The resources provided may be financial (e.g. granting a loan), or they may consist of goods or services (e.g. consumer credit). Credit encompasses any form of deferred payment.[7] Credit is exMTVded by a creditor, also known as a lender, to a debtor, also known as a borrower.
‘Hausen’ Challenges Asian Americans in Hollywood to Overcome ‘Impossible Duality’ MTVween China, U.S. | https://medium.com/jersey-shore-family-vacation-series-4-episode-7/watch-%E1%B4%B4%E1%B4%B0-s4-e7-jersey-shore-family-vacation-series-4-episode-7-full-episode-efae15655733 | ['Jade Harvey'] | 2020-12-25 20:49:17.673000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Lifestyle', 'Coronavirus', 'TV Series'] |
1,683 | How Retailers Can Reduce Queues and Increase Sales | The success of any business depends on how efficiently it can cater to its customers’ needs and provide them with goods and services. Keeping customers waiting in long queues only makes them impatient, and retailers are likely to lose business to other businesses that can better manage their customers. As one of the most frequent shopper frustrations, long waiting queues pose a real challenge to retailers. Since checkout counters are the last in-store touchpoints retailers have with shoppers, the way retailers approach this problem is crucial to whether they can retain the customers.
Lack of queue management results in a loss of sales and damage to a brand’s reputation
A report carried out by Box Technologies and Intel reveals that bad queue management may result in a loss of sales and damage to a brand’s reputation. If customers repeatedly have to wait in queues every time they visit the store, there is a very high chance that they might start avoiding the store or switching to competitors. Globally, negative shopping experiences due to long queueing time cost retailers an estimated $71 billion loss in sales per year.
- 86% of surveyees avoid stores if they feel a queue is too long
- 83% believe that fast-moving queues are a vital part of the shopping experience
- 74% would prefer to shop in a competitor’s store if they felt queueing time was lower
- 70% would be less likely to return to the store after experiencing long waits
Nobody likes waiting in queues, but some are more impatient than others. Researches show that young shoppers have a smaller tendency to wait in lines, compared to older consumers. Shoppers aged 55 above were considered as the most patient ones, willing to wait up to 7 minutes. Shoppers between 25–34 were the least patient, willing to wait up to only 6.39 minutes.
With such detrimental effects that queues have on sales, what can retailers do to improve queue management and reduce queueing time?
Implement an Effective Queue Management System
A queue management system will help retailers to count the number of customers at checkout counters and the average time they spend waiting. By analyzing the data obtained from the queue management technology, retailers will be able to come up with an optimal checkout queue length. Information about customer flows, peak hours of the business, and optimal queue length can be used for better staff allocations to meet customer needs more efficiently. A well organized queuing system prevents the stores from becoming overcrowded in checkout areas, improving the overall store atmosphere, thus enhancing the in-store experience for shoppers.
Reduce the Perceived Queueing Time
Even with the most potent queue management system in place, some amount of queueing time will inevitably occur. In this case, it is crucial to reduce the perceived queueing time. People’s perception of queueing time is reasonably accurate up to a minute and a half, but after that, people tend to overestimate how long they are in a queue. One solution to reduce the perceived waiting time is to keep the shoppers busy. While customers are waiting in line, this is the last opportunity to encourage last-minute impulse purchases by putting affordable, complementary products in queues. To do so, retailers should place products with an attractive appeal, practical uses, or complementary products.
Lower the Queueing Anxiety
A common frustration present among many people is not knowing how long they will have to stand in a queue before they can access the counter. One way to prevent this is to utilize the data gathered from the queueing management system and predict the queueing time. If customers know how long they will have to wait, this will reduce their stress levels and make them feel more at ease. Having staff interact with customers in line can also distract customers from fixating on the thought that they are currently queueing up. Staff can walk around, offer products to try out, or carry displays where shoppers can sign up for newsletters. By engaging with customers, retailers can also utilize the queue as an ideal opportunity to receive invaluable real-time feedback.
As the last touchpoint retailers have with customers in the store, the checkout process is a significant aspect to impress the customers. By integrating technology with creativity, retailers can turn the queuing frustration into an advantage by engaging customers, receiving their feedback, and collecting valuable data. If done correctly, this can differentiate retailers substantially from competitors and further improve the shoppability of the store. | https://medium.com/dayta/how-retailers-can-reduce-queues-and-increase-sales-4aa1c86e7bbf | ['Jisoo Lee'] | 2020-07-03 01:20:11.100000+00:00 | ['Queue Management', 'Retail', 'Dayta', 'Retail Technology', 'Increase Sales'] |
1,684 | Around the IFA19 and the late hangover | Around the IFA19 and the late hangover
8K will be the final station of screen resolutions. Up to 50 million pixels working better than your eyes. — Photo: TEAMS Design
For us, the unmissable highlights of the IFA were everything to do with screen technologies. First and foremost, the Big Players like Samsung, LG, or Panasonic. The bendable OLED screens feature is used for generating meaningful use of products at home, for example, saving space despite their larger size. Foldable smartphones are an upcoming product generation. Tablets, laptops, and smartwatches will certainly also become foldable.
Massive LG Installation at the IFA 2019 — Photo: TEAMS Design
Long announced and with a few bug fixes, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, first foldable smartphone screen, still looks a bit rudimentary… but somehow and someone had to start it once. — Photo: TEAMS Design
In the case of televisions, the bendable function is already questionable. You can pave your walls entirely with OLED foil, of course, but now the idea of integrating the TV into the living room is emerging strongly. Simple frames made of real wood or warm colors, reminiscent of decorative picture frames or even furniture look like a trend.
Another Future TV results in collaboration with Vitra. Real wooden materials and invisible screens perfectly integrated OLED technology into any contemporary home environment. — Photo: TEAMS Design
Samsung’s colorful frames make the tv look like a framed picture hanging on the wall or standing on a tripod. — Photo: TEAMS Design
Refrigerators can no longer be described as „white goods“. They will be colorful and individual, just as a wardrobe for your bedroom. — Photo: TEAMS Design
Integration into the living room also plays a vital role together with other large appliances. We saw personalized refrigerators extremely colorful or with street art graphics that increase the individualization of spaces.
Somehow this makes sense if you consider that the living space is getting smaller. The kitchen and the living room are blending, the appliances look like colorful wardrobes and certainly appeal to a younger target group.
In the case of small appliances, you have to take a close look and see which functional innovations they hide. Devices are now partly minimalist and partly sculptural objects. Here, new product solutions for the Home Automation and Healthy Living sectors are rapidly emerging. Everything is monitored, even the weather, and voice assistants everywhere give you the feeling of being “the master of disaster”.
Intelligent solutions in simple shapes more or less decorate the home. Such as your own weather station or burglar protection from Netatmo. — Photo: TEAMS Design
Sound devices at the IFA 2019 — Photo: TEAMS Design
Still to mention the fact that there were suddenly quite a few models within the In-Ear sector, some with some weird neck bars. Moreover, the noise-canceling feature applied to all headphones displayed at the fair. And the old MP3 player, displayed as a stand-alone product, with hi-fi sound quality. This time, of course, the MP3 could not come back… or we will see. | https://medium.com/insights-by-teams-design/around-the-ifa19-and-the-late-hangover-1d2813956b3b | ['Teams Design'] | 2019-09-20 14:48:49.236000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Home Appliances', 'Consumer Electronics', 'Ifa', 'Technology Trends'] |
1,685 | 5 Tips To Keep Your Business Running In Tier 4 | The government announced Tier 4 over the weekend affecting nearly 18 million people. Although your company may not be under the government’s definition of essential, we are aware that it is essential to you. You need your business. After researching, I have compiled the 5 best ways to use technology to your advantage. These will help you look after your company as we emerge into the next phase of this devastating pandemic.
1. Online Presence
Since the start of the pandemic, social media activity has increased by 61% worldwide, and there is a 70% increase in web browsing. This means it is only natural that businesses also move to an online forum.
87% of customers now begin their product search online. Although many businesses cannot be open physically due to the importance of protecting each other during the pandemic, they can still open online.
The statistics suggest that moving to an online platform would hugely increase sales. 35% of small personal businesses have moved to an online store, and many will remain this way, even after the pandemic.
Moving online has many benefits during Tier 4. Companies can not only continue trading but increase their trade. A business may reach more people online than they would in their physical store. There are technological tools available to assist businesses with setting up and growing their online presence.
Some tools of assistance worth exploring are Hootsuite, Buffer, or Tailwind. These are all useful tools to easily build social media sites for a company.
2. Big Data
Data is essential in progressing and utilising your business. Companies can process their data to notice trends in product sales and what customers want. Many businesses are struggling during the pandemic, so they need to know what is or isn’t selling. This will save the company money since the data will allow businesses to identify and reduce unwanted and unpopular stock. In the long term, this will increase sales as companies will be able to optimise their stock based on predictions from data collected. By using data insights, businesses can quickly identify what the customer wants, meaning there is less risk involved.
To practically do this, the business will need to invest time in analytics tools. These tools allow the company to view insights and analytics regarding their stores. KodyPay incorporates analytics tools along with multiple other perks to help all businesses (See www.kodypay.com for more).
An analytics tool will manage your content online and translate the data to you in a readable format. This will enable the business to make changes based on accurate data.
3. Facilitate Home Working
Many of us have been asked to work from home to protect each other during the coronavirus pandemic, so it is more important than ever to make sure that your business is facilitating this. Clear communication is much more difficult when employees are in different parts of the country. Therefore, businesses must adapt and invest in technological tools. Zoom and Google Hangouts have become essential services that encourage collaborative work and facilitate important conference calls.
Many feel lost without the office environment, and the business may suffer because of that. Coda, Airtable, Notion, and Tab are all effective tools supporting remote operations. They provide digital boards of tasks which organises the employees’ jobs and encourages them to track their work. By breaking tasks down, the high pressures that companies face are relieved.
4. Personal Advisor Services
Since COVID-19, 60% of customers in the retail sphere have expressed a desire for online appointments with a company. These appointments could be advice about whatever your company is offering: retail, cosmetics, finance, medication. The younger generations, in particular, claimed that personal advisor services would make them more likely to engage with the business. 82% of young people also said that personal advisor services boost their happiness, encourage them to spend, and they almost always recommend them to a friend. Therefore, you could dramatically increase support for your business by offering these services.
The major retailer, John Lewis, recently set up one-to-one hour video conferences with their customers. Here they offered customers advice on products, which showcased their commitment to the welfare of customers. Without entering a store, customers are less likely to commit to spending. Therefore, they would benefit from speaking to an individual, just as your business would benefit from the sales. Offering personal advisor services is a brilliant way to create loyal, dedicated customers. This option for a business is certainly worth investing time in.
5. Remote Ordering
In Tier 4, click & collect and take out services are still able to function. Therefore, many businesses are moving towards this to prevent them from closing altogether. Click & collect has been a popular response to the pandemic, and some stores record click & collect volumes up by more than 200%.
Particularly for small businesses struggling to survive, click & collect is a vital option worth considering. This is because it is much more cost effective than deliveries. It prevents companies from having to close, meaning they can still make money during the pandemic. Since the pandemic, 42% of customers are now much more likely to use click & collect. This reveals the importance of adding click & collect to your business.
An easy way to start using click & collect is by downloading KodyPay. KodyPay incorporates socially distanced checkout flows such as click and collect to encourage businesses to continue to trade. It is simple for both small and large businesses to set up, and it means that they can still make money safely whilst abiding by the Tier 4 guidelines.
In the three months leading up to September, 243,000 have become unemployed. This evidences the truly undeniable struggles and difficult decisions that businesses are facing due to the pandemic. As parts of the UK enter Tier 4, it is vital that companies are aware of the supportive resources available to them. These 5 suggestions aim to guide companies as they navigate through these unprecedented times. To help support small businesses further, KodyPay is introducing a 90-day free trial with 0 sign up fees. There are no set-up fees, no contracts, and no commitments necessary. This will enable you to see the benefits of KodyPay to your own business, risk-free. Contact KodyPay for more (https://kodypay.com/pricing) | https://medium.com/kodypay/5-tips-to-keep-your-business-running-in-tier-4-32018ecc4de1 | ['Elizabeth Kozlowska'] | 2020-12-23 16:54:33.076000+00:00 | ['Tier 4', 'Coronavirus', 'Lockdown', 'Technology', 'Business'] |
1,686 | Top 10 Grossing Games On Android | 4) RISE OF EMPIRE (334 MB)
It's the age of war. Build your own empire with strategy and conquer the world!
One World, One Server
Real Time Nation vs. Nation medieval strategy war game. Join now! Train your troops and go to war!
Rise of Empires is a Massive Multi-Player, Real-Time strategy war game. The player will take on the role of a leader in a small town devastated by the invasion of the Eastern Dynasty and the mysterious appearance of the legendary Death Harbingers who now has corrupted and have full control of the ancient powers of the dragons. Build your empire once again from the ruins, train your troops, tame dragons, recruit legendary heroes and join your allies in the non-ending war. To befriend or to plunder, the choice is yours!
Unique Features
-World Wide War
Real-time combat against players across the world, lead your country to greatness
-Strategic Gameplay
One set of units just simply cannot dominate, Footmen, Cavalries and Archers, You have to know your enemy and yourself to walk the battlefield of this world.
-Powerful Dragons
Powerful dragons each with different unique shouts are at your disposal, crush your enemies with their help!
-Hero System
Whether you like to engage your enemies at a distance, take them on at close quarters, or you enjoy developing your base at home, there are TONS of heroes that can help you with just that!
-Alliance Warfare
Whether it’s going against different servers, or fighting for the title of the president at home, your alliance will always be backing you up, as long as you find the right people of course.
-Realistic Graphics
The Map, The World, Your City, The Units, The Heroes, Everything just seems, REAL
-Build Your Empire
Absolute Freedom in City Building, upgrade your facilities, research your technologies, train your troops and recruit powerful heroes to strengthen your empire!
ITS RATING⭐
Click here to download this game | https://medium.com/10-best-out-of-listed/top-10-grossing-games-on-android-e8095e770a4b | ['Quality Demanded'] | 2020-12-23 12:15:25.329000+00:00 | ['Gadgets', 'Games', 'Review', 'Android', 'Technology'] |
1,687 | How Office, Home, and Retail industries are using 3D Printing Technology? | 3D printing also known as Additive Manufacturing is literally transforming the ways of traditional manufacturing techniques. 3D printing is not only a technology used by highly qualified personnel but can be used on a very basic daily level as well. 3D printing is highly adopted by the common man to make their home interior decor as per their unique creative style without investing a lot of time and energy onto the complex methods, expensive material, or market research. Offices and retail industries are experiencing high cost-cutting, lesser lead times, a better employee and customer experience thereby giving a break from the repetitive routine.
3D printing is done by putting a layer on layer & solidifying it. This makes it lightweight, durable, and long-lasting. it is environmentally friendly, results in almost no wastage, and gives accurate results.
How Office home and retail industries are using 3D Technology?
3D printing has become one of the go-to techniques to create showpieces as well as essential for your homes & Offices. No matter how many choices you put in front of the customers, they will end up not liking one or the other feature of that product. So, to solve this problem, 3D printing comes to the rescue. Now, one can manufacture furniture, decorative pieces, lamps, frames, water taps, appliances, & so much more in the exact same way as they want to be.
Home Essentials like a coffee table, study table, monitor desk, chairs, stools, bathroom cabinets, toothbrush holders, trays all can be produced in different types of shapes, sizes, and colours. One can design it in the most abstract way as one can imagine. There is no stop to the creativity here. This makes your home look the way you want it to look and saves you from choosing the limited options that you get in the market.
The ambiance of the home and offices play a big role as well. 3D printing helps in designing the wildest or most sophisticated and yet beautiful appliances required for your home or offices. For an instance, one can manufacture lamps & shades of any type whether it be ceiling lamps, standing lamps, desk lamps, or hanging lights. One can choose any shape, size, and colour to make it as stunning as they wanted to be.
Showpieces like wall decor, frames, vases, plant pots all can be created with help of 3D printing this is literally revolutionizing the conventional decor industry by giving life to futuristic ideas.
Retail and office industries are shifting from the traditional work procedures to innovative ideas thereby consuming less energy, being eco-friendly, keeping a check on wastage, and stimulating innovativeness. A great example of a 3D printed office is in Dubai where the office was printed in 17 days and was constructed in 48 hours. Amazing, right? The total cost of the project was only 140,000 dollars. This cut down both- building and labour costs by 50% as compared to conventional buildings of similar size. These savings contribute to enhanced productivity, higher economic returns, and increased sustainability & newness in work life.
In the Retail Industry, 3D printing helps you significantly to stand out from your competitors. All the retailers who leverage additive manufacturing are experiencing speed up in the production process, reduced cost, & almost no inventory waste. This allows you to create highly personalized product design as well which results in customer satisfaction & retention.
Another cool thing about 3D printing is that the retailers can save hugely on the spare parts & their repair. For an instance, if something breaks down during your business hours, you don’t need to run errands or make calls to get the thing fixed. You can do it right away on your own premises by manufacturing it using 3D printing. This ensures that there is no loss to your business and also ensures the longevity and durability of the product.
The retail industry is not shifting towards 3D printing only for their business growth but also to play their part in saving the environment. 3D printing technology is eco-friendly and produces almost no waste. There is no carbon footprint as well. Recyclable packaging, emission-free transportation vehicles, fabric free clothing, wooden free durable furniture, all these steps contribute towards saving the environment on a large scale.
One of the great examples of a retail company that is leverage in 3D printing is Walmart. Walmart is the largest retailer by generating 524 billion dollars annually. Since retail shops are getting very high competition from online platforms like Amazon & Alibaba, the retail shops need to level up their game to beat this challenge. Walmart has come up with Digital manufacturing as a solution for this. They noticed that many customers come to their store, browse the shelves, and leave. Then they purchase the same thing from Amazon. This is known as ‘Showrooming’. This was affecting Walmart’s revenue. Therefore, they thought of reversing the ‘Showroom effect’ by leveraging 3D printing. If production could happen quickly enough, it’s conceivable that consumers would view those products from their mobile devices and make the purchase in-store.
Hence 3D Printing is the way forward for homes, offices & for retail industries.
To start your business in the same domain, Register for the ‘3D Printing for Entrepreneurs’ course brought to you by Labdox.
Read more about the course here.
About Us:
Labdox, a global EdTech company aims to provide affordable and high-class quality education content for a student from diverse backgrounds. We provide industry and future relevant courses in the field of:
• Voice-based technology
• Design thinking
• Product Innovation Methodologies
• Agritech Technology
• Clean Technology
• Instrumentation and Control Engineering Technology
• Industry 4.0 related Technology
In addition to that, we provide practical based learning modules, interactive sessions with mentors, fun quizzes, and exciting career freebies. Our content is relevant to novel industries, entrepreneurs, students of all age groups, working professionals, and curious people. | https://medium.com/@labdox2020/how-office-home-and-retail-industries-are-using-3d-printing-technology-9547665dfd13 | [] | 2020-12-17 13:37:22.883000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Industry', 'Retail', '3D Printing', 'Innovation'] |
1,688 | Autonomous Drone Maker Skydio Adds Key Product and Engineering Executives to Growing Team | Autonomous Drone Maker Skydio Adds Key Product and Engineering Executives to Growing Team Skydio Follow Nov 5, 2020 · 4 min read
Roy Goldman as Head of Product Management, Ryan Reading as Head of Software Engineering and Mike Ross as Senior Director of Product Management
November 5, 2020 — Redwood City, Calif. — Skydio, the leading US drone company and world leader in autonomous flight, announced the addition of three key product and engineering leadership hires as it continues its rapid growth into the enterprise and public sector markets. Roy Goldman is appointed Head of Product Management, Ryan Reading appointed Head of Software Engineering and Mike Ross appointed Senior Director of Product Management. These critical hires come on the heels of the company’s recent $100M Series C raise to fund the next phase of product development for the enterprise, public sector and defense markets. Roy, Ryan and Mike bring industry leading R&D expertise in IoT, cloud computing, autonomy, security, and aviation. They will play critical roles in realizing the company’s vision for the first-of-its-kind integrated enterprise autonomy stack.
“Our breakthrough technology is a direct reflection of an incredibly talented team that spans hardware, software, and autonomy. I’m very excited to add Roy, Ryan, and Mike’s leadership and expertise to our team. In particular, their track record of delivering category-leading enterprise solutions with cloud connected hardware will be key for us in solving the challenges for drones to realize their potential in the enterprise,” said Adam Bry, CEO of Skydio. “Software is now the dominant factor for drones, and Skydio’s autonomy solutions are re-defining the industry by fundamentally changing the way people use drones. Expanding our team has enabled us to lift our skill sets in further areas such as IoT, automation and the cloud.”
Goldman comes to Skydio with over two decades of experience within product management of high-tech solutions for enterprise. He has held executive roles including SVP of Software & Product at Carbon, Inc., and Director of Software Development at Tesla. Goldman graduated from Stanford University with his PhD in Computer Science.
Roy Goldman — Head of Product Management
“I’m thrilled to join Skydio. With game-changing autonomy, Skydio’s drones are transforming manual, error-prone tasks into revolutionary, cost-effective solutions across a broad range of industries. I am eager to bring my experience with innovative software-driven, cloud-connected devices and apply it to Skydio’s exciting opportunities ahead. Existing solutions are based on a manual, hardware-centric design that makes them hard to use and easy to crash, limiting their applicability and increasing cost. Customers are clearly looking for easier to use solutions that deliver real automation. Skydio’s vision for an integrated enterprise autonomy stack will respond to this need and unlock the massive untapped potential of drones.” said Roy Goldman, Head of Product Management at Skydio
Ryan Reading — Head of Software Engineering — Applications
Reading has over eighteen years of experience working in high-tech engineering for enterprise IoT, cloud and network security solutions. Reading joins Skydio from Samsara where he has been VP of Engineering and more recently VP/GM of Fleet Safety. Previously, he led Cisco Meraki’s MX security team where he focused on advanced network security and spent several years in the Intelligence Community designing high security communication systems. Reading graduated from Missouri S&T University with his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He is looking forward to leading the software team at Skydio and in doing so bringing the Skydio platform to life.
Mike Ross — Sr. Director of Product Management
Ross comes to Skydio directly from Samsara, the fastest growing IoT company in the world, where he led the Telematics Product Group focused on cloud-connected fleet management hardware, tools, and applications. Prior to Samsara, Ross was a fighter pilot and experimental test pilot in the United States Navy, where he helped lead the carrier suitability flight test of the F/A-18 A-F, X-47B, and F-35C. He graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems Engineering, and holds a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. In addition to his Part 107 certificate, Ross holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, and both multi-engine and seaplane ratings. Ross’ professional background provides him the perfect blend of enterprise IoT and deep aviation expertise, allowing him to guide the development of Skydio’s integrated enterprise autonomy stack, focusing specifically on connected flight operations.
To learn more:
Skydio Blog: Smarter drones for work and play
Media kit
About Skydio
Skydio is the leading U.S. drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight. Skydio leverages breakthrough AI to create the world’s most intelligent flying machines for use by consumer, enterprise, and government customers. Founded in 2014, Skydio is made up of leading experts in AI, robotics, cameras, and electric vehicles from top companies, research labs, and universities from around the world. Skydio designs, assembles, and supports its products in the U.S. from its headquarters in Redwood City, CA, to offer the highest standards of supply chain and manufacturing security. Skydio is trusted by leading enterprises across a wide range of industry sectors and is backed by top investors and strategic partners including Andreesen Horowitz, Levitate Capital, Next47, IVP, Playground, and NVIDIA.
Aircover Communications:
Morgan Mason
skydioteam@aircoverpr.com | https://medium.com/skydio/autonomous-drone-maker-skydio-adds-key-product-and-engineering-executives-to-growing-team-1968647c0fc9 | [] | 2020-11-05 16:46:08.937000+00:00 | ['Hiring', 'Recruiting', 'Tech', 'Drones', 'Technology'] |
1,689 | Smart Contract — A Comprehensive Introduction | The birth of Bitcoin made the whole world know about what blockchain is. Later many tech enthusiasts started to scrutinize the functionality of blockchain technology. Blockchain is leading to so many innovations and evolutions that are constantly emerging in the world. The arrival of blockchain technology paved the transformation of different sectors to a decentralized network. This advent created the cryptocurrency market to flourish much more.
Many cryptocurrencies and crypto exchanges started to emerge in the crypto market. With the concept of decentralization, the whole transformation powered up to all the tokens and exchanges out there. That made traditional crypto exchanges (i.e) centralized exchanges to decentralized exchanges (DEX). There is a huge craze on decentralized exchange and many investors are building their DEX to make profits out of it.
Centralized vs Decentralized Exchanges
Centralized exchange (a.k.a CEX) is the traditional exchange. There will be a middle-man involved in the transactions done through CEX. For every transaction, the middle-man will charge some amount as a commission or brokerage. Here, the transactions can be either done by fiat-to-crypto or crypto-to-crypto.
The centralized exchange has an escrow system as a security feature. So, any asset can be pegged with the cryptocurrency. The asset will be in the hands of the middle-man until the transaction gets successful.
A decentralized exchange is contrary to a Centralized exchange. DEX cuts off the involvement of the middle-man during the transactions. Naturally, there will be no commission or brokerage charged for every trade and transaction done through the DEX.
Cryptocurrency Exchange
The entire DEX works as the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), the details of the transactions are stored on the blocks of the network which is very hard to track the personal information or data. So, this type of exchange is secured during the transactions. The entire transaction process is carried out in a peer-to-peer manner which is one-to-one, therefore the transactions are quite fast and transparent. Transactions are made with the help of a Private key, Public Key, and Smart Contract.
What is a Smart Contract?
A smart contract is a predefined line of code that is embedded in the crypto exchange’s back-end functions. It automatically works when the terms and conditions of the two users are involved in a transaction met. Smart Contracts are stored in the public server so that cannot be modified. The transactions that happen through the smart contract are preceded by blockchain. These lines of code cut downs the middle-man and the charges involved during the transaction.
Smart Contract in Global Sectors
Smart contracts can be brought into the transactions of global sectors like banking, insurance, agriculture, and government. Transparency will be maintained in the transactions done in the industry. Because of the reliability in the transactions, many might come forward to shift to smart contracts.
Smart Contract
Why is Smart Contract the Solution?
Sectors like banking and insurance will have huge transactions happening in a day. There will be millions and billions of transactional details will be shared. As this is the digital era when everything is turning towards advanced technologies, that also fits the hackers’ community too. The hackers are constantly trying to find a loophole to inject a threat or ransomware during the transaction. This will lead to money laundering.
To prevent such abnormal activities from the hackers’ side, smart contracts are introduced to prevent such illegal activities.
How Smart Contracts Acts an Iron Curtain?
The development of smart contracts includes complex programming structures and algorithms to make it unbreakable and insusceptible for cyber or any malicious attacks. When the user does a transaction, every transaction is stored in a form of a block with a hash code in it. When a user is transacting to another user, the sender must have a public key of the beneficiary. The sender can approve the transaction with the help of a private key which acts as a passcode for the account and a digital signature which is used instead of the personal details. After the miner validates the sender’s account details, the transaction is done. This complex back-end process makes the entire transaction to end fruitfully. This will be very hard for hackers to trace or break the iron curtain securities that are enabled in the blockchain technology.
Security
Benefits of Smart Contracts
There are n number of benefits that the entire blockchain ecosystem experience through enabling smart contract.
Security — The transactions done through the smart contract are very secure because there is no involvement of any third-person.
Anonymity — The personal data and transaction information are completely concealed from the view of the other. The information is concealed by the digital signature.
Transparency — The transactions are transparent that is stored in the form of blocks in a distributive ledger. Anyone involved in the transaction can view it later.
Swiftness — The transactions are nimble even in the peak hours of trading. As it is done in a peer-to-peer manner, the time required for a transaction is very little.
Immutable — The entire ecosystem is immutable. The technology is insusceptible to hackers or any other malicious attacks.
Phases of Smart Contracts
There some phases involved during the process of smart contract, they are:
Creation — The contracts are created based on the agreement of both parties. With the acknowledgment of both parties, the line of code is being prepared as a smart contract.
Freezing — When the transaction is processed, it has to approve all the requirements in the smart contract, only then the process will be carried out.
Execution — After meeting the requirement, the validating process is done by the miners. Once the validation is done the transaction is executed and forms a block as a public ledger.
Finalization — The transaction becomes finalized once the asset becomes unfrozen.
So…
Day to day there will be many evolutions in the technology relatively there will be an increase in hackers too. There is a fact that, In the last three years, the money laundering and theft rate is rising.
In the FY-18, Rs 44.25 cr was lost in 927 incidents. Also, in the FY-19, Rs 68.45 cr was lost in 1302 incidents.
Having this fact as proof, banks, insurance, and other industries can think about implementing smart contracts with the help of blockchain will provide safe and secure transactions. | https://medium.com/@praveenhere/smart-contract-a-comprehensive-introduction-f4c65800020a | [] | 2020-11-19 11:07:02.702000+00:00 | ['Blockchain Technology', 'Crypto Exchange', 'Smart Contracts', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Consensus'] |
1,690 | Team Zero Fortnightly Newsletter | Issue #14
Welcome to issue №14 of the Zero Newsletter, apologies for the gap in the last expected edition due to some vacation time taken from one of the team.
The most notable deliverable’s during this period have been the iOS beta through to final testing and then submitting it to the app store for processing. Upon submission to the App Store, the final cut was held back from release, not due to any technical issues, but from a small legality issue whereby a company is required to be registered and associated with the release.
At this point in time we do not have a legal entity or company that controls Zero, so need to explore this avenue further. We don’t have the answer just yet and will be able to provide more information as we continue our expedition into Apple’s realm.
When we do get around for an eventual release, we believe that we are the first ‘Z’ coin (Zerocash protocol) that has an iOS wallet. Not bad considering we’ve been grinding away for only 4 months now since community takeover 2.0.
A big thanks to all who participated in the testing of the iOS though, the feedback and journey to get there were unmeasurable in terms of learning and developing.
During this period, we also released our cross platform Arizen Wallet that complements our already existing collection of cross platform and mobile wallets!
There are also some cool new feature that are now incorporated into Zero’s ranks, namely Z-Drop & Zero-Machine, which are both realtime transaction generators integrated with graphics & audio. Check them out below: | https://medium.com/zerocurrency/team-zero-fortnightly-newsletter-d3802586ceaf | ['Zero Currency'] | 2018-08-23 19:46:04.640000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Privacy', 'Blockchain', 'Technology', 'Computer Science'] |
1,691 | Towards Goal-Centric Design | From daily routines to big life events, technology is deeply woven into the texture of our lives. But even though technology gets easier to use with every passing day, it’s still falling short of what people need. And that’s because the way technology organizes the world doesn’t match how people think.
There’s a simple, fundamental reason for this mismatch: Digital products are generally pretty great at handling single tasks and moments in time—like booking an Uber or texting a friend—but people don’t just think about tasks. Instead, people think in terms of goals — the things they want to accomplish over time to fulfill higher-level needs. Goals shape who people are and drive everything they do.
No matter how far technology advances, this mismatch causes a host of pains that are hiding in plain sight. Take recent college graduate Sylvia*, for example. Not long ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that caused her to gain 20 lbs. “I never had to worry about going to the gym,” said Sylvia in an interview. “Then I had this massive weight gain and my doctor said I needed to work out.”
Sylvia was frustrated in her search for fitness classes. She pulled up her search history. “It keeps showing me yoga classes and I hate yoga.” There was more: “It’s impossible to find a class that works for my sister and me. And I have to keep updating my Excel spreadsheet to check if I can afford classes and still move in with my boyfriend.”
Sylvia was one person that we talked to over the course of a year-long user research project on personal goals, conducted on Google’s AIUX team (which is part of Google Research). Across eight studies — including surveys, interviews, prototype testing, and diary studies — we heard from more than 800 people across the United States about many different kinds of goals. This research revealed the deep-seated challenges people encounter in working towards their goals, and the changes that need to happen for technology to support them.
Here are the top takeaways.
Goals are diverse and highly personal. Yet truly personalized solutions are elusive.
The first thing to recognize is that goals come in different flavors. Ongoing goals, like managing mental health, require continual upkeep or habit. One-time goals, like remodeling a bathroom, have a clear end-point. Within each goal, people operate at different zoom levels, or “mindsets.” A person might be in an exploratory mindset considering the bigger picture, or in an execution mindset getting stuff done.
This creates four quadrants, or “goal states,” between which people oscillate. Each quadrant relates to different behaviors and needs. For instance, we noticed people who were exploring for a goal tended to conduct broad “how-to” online searches, while people who were executing had detailed searches. Someone getting a project done might need help managing time, while someone planning to buy a car might need advice.
It’s not just the state of the goal that can vary, but also its motivation. Take a goal like losing weight. It may seem straightforward and almost universal. But dig deeper, and people’s motivations vary widely. One person we talked to wanted to lose weight to manage a chronic condition; another wanted to spend time outdoors with their spouse; and yet another wanted to instill healthy habits in her son.
Because people’s goals are so personal, there’s no one size fits all solution. Meaningful assistance is different depending on what state someone is in, or what’s driving their actions. But digital products often don’t account for this variation, leaving people feeling overwhelmed by generic recommendations for new services and products. To help people navigate these diverse states and motivations, we need solutions that meet users where they’re at.
It’s hard to complete a goal, and even harder to recover from setbacks.
Our research showed that one of the hardest things about a goal was actually seeing it to completion.
One critical problem is that people lack the tools to track progress, manage their time, and stay disciplined. And productivity and motivation-based products don’t always hit the right pain points. As one person told me about a scheduling app: “Managing stress is such a stressful thing. You’re trying to get out of it, but…just opening [the app] when I’m stressed is hard.”
Reaching the finish line is especially hard in the face of “curveballs,” or unexpected events. Most tech products presume that the problem lies in a lack of intrinsic motivation, and focus on changing user behavior. But in fact, our research showed that it’s often external curveballs that sap motivation — even for the most driven people.
For instance, I spoke to Maddie*, a photographer who was tracking toward attainable budget goals, but gave up entirely after a car accident drained her emergency fund. In other cases, curveballs might be predictable, like bad weather or travel, but erode motivation over time. Or they may be major life events, like a move or career change, that makes it hard to resume a routine.
People need technology that can help them see their goals to completion by augmenting existing plans, noticing without nagging, and nudging at the right time. It’s critical to consider the “unhappy paths,” and design resilient, flexible systems that can anticipate and recover when things go wrong.
People can’t bridge across goals because information is siloed
People’s daily lives are complex, with dozens of context shifts and decisions per day. A single goal involves many touchpoints, and having information scattered across products is extremely common. (One student I spoke with used eight separate apps to plan for a concert.) Switching between apps is frustrating, and it’s hard for people to pick up where they left off across products and devices. All of this makes it difficult to stay organized with goals.
The problem gets only more complex when you consider that people are constantly making tradeoffs between the goals they have.
For example, I met Anjali*, a parent from California, who had many concurrent goals. Anjali’s health goals supported each other, but paying for wellness activities prevented her from saving money. And like many people, the things she felt she has to do (like cooking for her children) were at odds with the things she wants to do (like losing weight).
Such competing goals are everywhere. Travel or pay off student loans? Go to a better college or stay close to aging parents? These conflicts spawn guilt and confusion, often leading people to put all their eggs in one basket. And finally, it’s especially hard to see how daily tasks relate to bigger goals — for instance, how does eating out this weekend affect diet and budget?
Right now, technology products are divided by verticals like health, finance, or travel. But people care less about these boundaries and more about getting things done seamlessly. So how might we better align people’s daily tasks and broader goals? How might we organize the stuff of everyday life in a way that’s more intuitive, centralized, and easy to understand? And how might we allow people’s goals to become filters they can apply to the many decisions they make everyday?
We need a paradigm shift towards goal-centric design
A year of studying personal goals demonstrated how foundational these goals are to everything people do, and highlighted the incredible complexity of everyday life. Whether because they are deeply personal, intricately interwoven, or disrupted by unexpected events, goal journeys are rarely a straight line.
It’s this complexity that makes designing for goals a challenge. These challenges can’t be addressed with a new app, device, or product feature — we need a paradigm shift that starts with deeply understanding how people think about their lives. From there, technology must align itself to human goals, not the other way around. It’s going to take a lot of collaboration, breaking down familiar models, and years if not decades to get there — and of course tech products are only one slice of supporting people’s needs. But a more goal-centered approach can unlock a new level of meaningful and helpful computing for humans.
*Names have been changed and scenarios have been modified slightly to preserve participant confidentiality.
Illustrations by Tabitha Yong.
Special thanks to Cliff Kuang for helpful feedback throughout. | https://medium.com/google-design/towards-goal-centric-design-184f0476d7aa | ['Preeti Talwai'] | 2020-02-21 18:08:17.443000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Goals', 'Thought Leadership', 'UX Research', 'UX'] |
1,692 | When Roadmaps Become Roadblocks | For any product manager, one of the most important responsibilities is to build strategic roadmaps. Roadmaps play a crucial role in the success of any project. They are high-level visual explanations of the steps the team will take to deliver a result. They include the milestones, as well as when each task starts and ends. Once these are made, everyone in the crew (from engineering to the design team, the boss to management) can understand when to expect things to be completed. While roadmaps are supposed to be developed as accurately as possible, there is a good chance they may undergo changes (minor, usually). This is completely fine — or Agile, as someone in the software field would say.
Roadmaps are pretty much a must for any successful project. However, there is something else that can take place: roadmaps becoming roadblocks. This probably sounds bizarre, considering how roadmaps are supposed to be built in a way that eliminates roadblocks. Let me share some signs that indicate how your roadmap might be acting as more of a roadblock than something useful.
Signs of roadmaps becoming roadblocks
Too much time for making roadmaps
While roadmaps should clearly cover the what, why and how much time, the overall time to create them should not be much. If you spend so much time on the planning phase, then you and your team will have less time in the next phases, such as execution, testing and so forth. So when you are building roadmaps, ask yourself how much time you are taking to make the roadmap. If making the roadmap is becoming a project, it’s advisable to stop and redo things.
Never-ending changes
Before you make the roadmap, it’s very important you and your team are fully aware of the scope of the project. Only when you know this can you divide the tasks into phases. Sometimes, when you are unclear about the scope, and you go ahead and make a roadmap, what happens next is constant changes. Just as you are about to finish the roadmap, a new task will be added, or something will be removed. Due to this, you end up never getting past the planning phase.
Not considering possible future roadblocks
A good roadmap is one that is well aware of roadblocks that may take place in areas such as design, UI development, QA and elsewhere. However, if you make a roadmap in which possible obstacles are not kept in mind, soon you will find the roadmap is a cause of many problems, such as delayed deliveries.
How to prevent roadmaps from becoming roadblocks
Be clear about the scope
Before you start making a roadmap, make sure you and your team know the overall goals that need to be achieved through the project. In case there are any doubts, get clarification from your client, then proceed to make the roadmap.
Consider all the subtasks for each task
While the roadmap is a high-level summary of what will happen and when, in order to provide the estimated dates for each task, you will need to know the subtasks for each. For instance, when coming up with how much time UI development takes for desktop design, consider the sub-tasks, such as installations, integrations and others.
Crosscheck the estimates given by the team
In no way am I trying to say the estimates given by your development, design and QA teams will not be right. However, in order to ensure the estimates are reasonable, go ahead and cross-check. Perhaps a task is assigned more time than it generally takes. By reviewing the dates, you can see if you need to discuss anything important with the team prior to execution. Also, if at any point the client or your boss feels an estimate seems unreasonable, you have to be ready with an explanation.
Review the overall roadmap with the team again
Generally, when building the roadmap, you will be asking the development, design, QA and other teams to provide you with the milestones and dates separately. However, once you have made the roadmap, it’s a good idea to bring together the whole team that will be working on it. Review with everyone, so everyone knows which step will follow another.
Use simple tool(s) to build a roadmap
Sometimes you are doing everything right to build your roadmap. You and your team know the scope, you have cross-checked the estimates, and everyone has reviewed it. However, one thing that can still cause your roadmapping to be ineffective is using complicated tools. There is a wide range of options for how you can build it. Choose one that is simple. Believe it or not, an Excel sheet is good enough to share with your management. It’s not about how pretty your roadmap looks; it’s about how accurate your roadmap is.
Certain ways of roadmapping can slow down productivity, but you can prevent this from happening. In the end, roadmaps are supposed to be a constant guide for the entire team to deliver quality. Projects can even be done with just verbal planning. However, when made correctly, roadmaps can do wonders for all in the long run.
Have you experienced this kind of situation, where your roadmaps felt rather unuseful? How do you build roadmaps strategically? Comment in the section below, as I would love to know! | https://medium.com/agileinsider/when-roadmaps-become-roadblocks-7046aeaa659f | ['Ishita Mehta'] | 2020-10-02 21:05:30.233000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Product Management', 'Projects', 'Roadmapping', 'Roadblocks'] |
1,693 | Are software algorithms more biased than humans? | I believe that humans are more biased than algorithms. For algorithms, their bias depends on the rules it was programmed with to make decisions and the data set they were trained with. On the other hand, we humans have a more complex decision-making approach because of our System 1, automatic but susceptible to bias, and System 2, takes conscious effort but is analytical and less prone to bias (Douglass). Because of this, algorithm behavior can be more flexible when we adjust it towards a more controllable and favorable level of performance to solve problems, compared to human behavior.
Human bias is part of the technology humans create. In 2015, Amazon realized that their AI recruitment tool was biased against women when showing the top tech job candidates (Dastin). This was mainly because the training data set provided to the AI recruitment tool was based on a male-dominant 10-year resume pool. In the past, human resources have perceived men to be rightfully dominant to land tech jobs such as IT and software development (Pot’Vin-Gorman 23). Although the AI’s biased results were unintentionally programmed, the prevalence of men candidates in the results reflected the human bias that tech jobs are often applied for by men.
After Amazon’s attempts in revising the algorithm to be more gender-neutral, Amazon halted the AI recruitment tool by the start of 2017 “because executives lost hope for the project” (Dastin). Perhaps the loss of hope was not due to not being able to solve the bias of the AI tool, but solving human bias seemed impossible. Diving deeper into the issue of gender discrimination in the workplace, researchers have looked into two types of gender discrimination: statistical discrimination, the perceived average gender group differences in abilities or skills, and taste-based discrimination, driven by stereotypes, favouritism, and bias (Gerdeman). Statistical discrimination shows that when we know little about an individual, we tend to categorize them to a certain group. If individuals belong to a group that is perceived to perform worse than the other group, it creates a bias against them. Between the two, statistical discrimination is much harder to root out (Gerdeman).
Despite the unsuccessful attempts of creating a bias-free AI recruitment tool, I believe Amazon should continue to develop it. According to Moore’s Law, computers can remarkably grow faster over time and become exponentially more powerful (McAfee and Brynjolfsson 35); thus, if the AI recruitment tool becomes more fine-tuned to fairly and reliably recommend candidates, it can significantly minimize hiring costs and hiring issues prone to humans. Using resumè metrics, such as keywords like “women’s chess club captain”, can categorize candidates into groups. An algorithm would then use keywords to decide if the candidate belongs to the perceived inferior group or the superior group. If this would be the main basis for determining how qualified a candidate is for a job position, it can lead to statistical discrimination. To minimize bias, Amazon can implement AI in its recruitment process by adapting Google’s hiring approach (McAfee and Brynjolfsson 57). Instead of resumès, Amazon can use a standardized questionnaire and a consistent rubric for hiring. In replacement of a human interviewer, the AI recruitment tool can indicate how the candidate did on the hiring process based on measurable and comparable results. By understanding better the contributing factors to human bias, we can use methods to eliminate or at least control them better through algorithms that will reduce the bias that exists in these human-created technologies to create faster and more effective solutions.
References: | https://medium.com/@jasrosebay/are-software-algorithms-more-biased-than-humans-e80dc3c2d25b | ['Jasmine Bayani'] | 2021-09-13 05:26:32.365000+00:00 | ['Human Resources', 'Human Behavior', 'Algorithms', 'Technology', 'Personal Biases'] |
1,694 | The best advice I’ve received as a junior developer | Freshly graduate, you are enthusiastic about your first job but it’s more difficult than you expected. We have all been there at some point. I have been lucky to receive great advice and I would like to share some of those as I think they can be very valuable.
Photo by MD Duran on Unsplash
Software engineering is hard, especially for newcomers. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of things you have to learn. Job descriptions are intimidating and you might end up with this feeling that you are not ready, that there is still so much to learn. So here comes my first advice.
It’s ok to not know everything. Focus on one thing at a time.
As a junior developer, we don’t expect you to know all the technologies from the CNCF landscape for example. We know you can only be proficient in a few programming languages. It’s normal and senior developers know just a little bit more than you. Be sure that the knowledge gap is narrower than you think.
Don’t be afraid of job descriptions. You can apply for a job even if your profile doesn’t match perfectly. Recruiters know their expectations are super high, sometimes a bit too high…
Tweet by the creator of FastAPI about job descriptions
If you want to feel confident about your skills, don’t try to rush and learn everything, navigating from one side project to the other. Focus on one thing at a time. Start with a language, then discover popular libraries or frameworks for this language. Build small projects along the way.
You can create your own roadmap to help you throughout your journey. It will help you stay consistent and motivated. There are some nice inspirations on the Internet.
Example of a roadmap for react developers
Companies don’t expect you to know everything but there is a minimum you need to know and this brings me to my second piece of advice.
Know your basics very well
A few years ago, I was in a position where I wanted to become a data scientist. This job attracted me because the achievements of this new discipline were incredible. While I was watching the excellent documentary on AlphaGo, the first AI to defeat a go world champion, I thought it might be a good idea to learn more about the techniques they used. Oh God, I was incredibly wrong.
Starting your data science journey with recurrent neural networks whereas you don’t know the basics of machine learning yet is way too ambitious. First, this is useless because the step is too high but worse, it will demotivate you.
I chose this example but you can transpose this mistake to other fields. For example, in DevOps, don’t try to learn more about Kubernetes without having a good understanding of Docker. In Front End development, don’t learn to React before vanilla Javascript.
In short, don’t put the cart before the horse.
Funny illustration I’ve found on a forum
There is a couple of things you can learn and you can be sure they will be helpful:
Version Control : Git is widely used nowadays, focus on learning the concepts, not the commands. You will use Git daily regardless of your job title. This is required for all developers.
: Git is widely used nowadays, focus on learning the concepts, not the commands. You will use Git daily regardless of your job title. This is required for all developers. Testing : testing is language agnostic. Learn the philosophy behind the tests. For instance, do you know the difference between a unit test and an integration test?
: testing is language agnostic. Learn the philosophy behind the tests. For instance, do you know the difference between a unit test and an integration test? Networking basics: know the basics of networking protocols like TCP/IP, HTTP. Would you be able to tell what is a hostname? How is it related to DNS?
You may have noticed that I have mentioned hard skills essentially. As a junior developer, they are mandatory because we expect you to deliver features quickly and you don’t have any other responsibilities. But as you grow, you will see that soft skills are as important and it is never too early to work on them.
Work on your soft skills
Hard skills run the tech, soft skills scale it up.
This quote is from Jean Baptiste Pringuey, VP of engineering at Teads, a large tech company specialized in online advertising. I couldn’t agree more. As a developer, you need to permanently reinvent yourself. This requires two main character traits:
humility: in this field, everyone can teach you something, from the intern to the CEO. There is a book that really opened my eyes to the subject: the start-up of you by Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn. In this book, Hoffman highlights the fact that you have to adapt yourself continuously to stay up to date. This is what he calls the “beta” mode.
The start-up of you, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha
listening: if you want to make progress, listening is fundamental. Embrace code reviews and pair programming. They are great opportunities to develop your coding skills but only if you are listening 🙂. Accept feedback.
Also, work on your written and oral communication skills. During the pandemic, you may have discovered the importance of clear communication while working from home. Here are a few tips you can keep in mind:
Be precise and structured .
. Don’t assume anything about the person you’re speaking to. It is a common mistake to assume the person in front of you has the same context as you. This is never the case. For example, during daily meetings, you can use this template: “I am working on the user story X. I have identified n subtasks. I have completed the first task which is X. Now I’m moving on to the next one which is Y. I’ve found it challenging. I have a lead but I would appreciate your help, Alice.”. Thus, everyone has the same level of information, you provide clear explanations about your progress and announce the next steps.
Finally, be kind and remain positive throughout challenging periods. Don’t forget that you are part of a team, be the person everyone wants to work with.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap! We have seen that to be a better version of yourself every day, you need to be patient and focus on one thing at a time. On the other hand, even though hard skills are required for your day to day job, soft skills will help you keep growing.
Again, this is not me giving you some advice, this is me forwarding the best advice I’ve received. They really helped me evolve these past 2 years.
This post was more personal and meant to be a basis for discussion as I keep receiving tips from my coworkers. For instance, read the official documentation first before googling your issue, stay off the hype-driven development, think in terms of business/user needs, take some time off, etc.
References | https://medium.com/devops-dudes/the-best-advice-ive-received-as-a-junior-developer-4f02354e475a | ['Benoît Goujon'] | 2020-12-27 21:20:46.765000+00:00 | ['Software Engineering', 'Personal Development', 'Programming', 'Technology', 'Career Advice'] |
1,695 | Remote Sensing and its future? | Remote Sensing
If you guys are reading this then you would have come across this term while reading about climate change or something to do with satellite image processing in various domains. Many of you would have given a pass to this term and wouldn’t have bothered to understand the broad meaning of it. But as remotely sensed images are becoming more common and are being used in many analytical data stack there is a need to understand this term.
According to NOAA : Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, typically from aircraft or satellites.
Remote sensing in itself has been a hot topic for research for a long time and still is, it was present before the inception of Deep Learning. Then the Data was coarser in resolution (Spatial, Temporal & Radiometric) and was limited to only few use cases.
At present, remote sensing is being perceived in a very different way than what it use to be before. This change is due to availability of varied open source satellite data and high resolution satellite imagery surfacing in open datasets. Moreover new research integrating deep learning with these datasets have opened up a plethora of use cases in tech as well as in business world.
It is also considered to be the heart of satellite image data processing. Science of remote sensing is actually about how information is captured, stored and how we can generate insights from it. | https://medium.com/@rishabhjain4891/remote-sensing-and-its-future-2caee3f8dd40 | ['Rishabh Jain'] | 2020-10-09 05:23:58.199000+00:00 | ['Remote Sensing', 'Sar', 'Geospatial', 'Space Technology', 'Satellite Imagery'] |
1,696 | The quantum computing revolution, part II: the path to commercialisation | There is no conclusive evidence yet that QAs are superior to classical computers. Most commercial use is mostly experimental in nature. However, with more and more experience and hardware advancement, there are already promising signs that annealing is delivering some benefits over current technologies — for example, see Quantum annealing versus classical machine learning applied to a simplified computational biology problem.
A universal quantum machine will deliver exponential improvement in capabilities
Universal QCs will not offer a mere improvement in computing capabilities, but a new paradigm, enabling us to tackle challenges thought to be insolvable with classical computers. There are three broad classes of problems that QCs should, theoretically, excel at:
Factoring (cryptography) — Cybersecurity systems and protocols rely on encryption for secure communication of information (including password protection, secure web browsing, etc.). A large proportion of encryption techniques, including RSA (widely used in digital signatures) and cryptographic key exchange protocols (e.g. Transport Layer Security handshake, or TLS), are based on solving the discrete log problem or the problem of factoring large integers. These algorithms have been considered impractical to break because of the time and computing power it would take for a classical machine to do so (time is exponentially growing with the number of bits used in the encryption). However, the properties of QC significantly challenge these assumptions. In fact, the first quantum algorithm (proposed by Peter Shor) to demonstrate the practical potential of QC solved the problem of factoring large numbers and computing discrete logarithms. It achieved that exponentially faster than any algorithm developed for a classical device. For example, it would take the best-in-class modern classic machine 300 trillion years to break an RSA key with 2048 bits, while a QC with 4099 logical qubits (i.e. ones that could be used in calculations) could do so in 10s. Admittedly, we are some time away from engineering a machine with 4099 logical qubits (would require thousands more physical qubits given the state of the art error correction techniques available today). However, it is clear that QC poses a significant threat to existing security software infrastructure and this has put many in the cyber community on high alert to develop quantum-secure encryption algorithms.
Commercial examples: The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has an ongoing competition to build quantum-resistant encryption algorithms. Companies such as Post-Quantum and PQShield are participants in NIST’s programme.
Optimisation (including machine learning) — optimisation problems exist across a range of domains (transportation, finance, energy, logistics, engineering, computer science, etc.). The goal is to find the best solution of a set of possible solutions and usually involves minimising the error between a given solution and the correct solution. Classical computers need to sequentially optimise individual variables of the system before they can arrive at an answer. QCs can operate on multiple variables simultaneously, thus exponentially speeding up the calculation. QAs are particularly well suited to solving optimisation problems and have already been deployed commercially in industries such as finance, transport and supply chain. They can also be used to meaningfully improve machine learning capabilities.
Commercial examples: JPMorgan Chase wants to optimise stock trading strategies and financial risk analysis using QC. Delta Airlines is trying to use QC to optimise its flight schedule after massive disruptions like hurricanes and blizzards.
Simulation — Simulating quantum systems is probably the most natural problem set for a QC. The general purpose here is to simulate the environment in which the system exists and the interactions with that environment. There are a variety of valuable applications in this area ranging from material science to medicine. Via simulations of chemical reactions, scientists are hoping to revolutionise the way new materials are created. Some of these simulations may require QCs with only a few hundred qubits and therefore could become one of the first real-life applications for gate model computers. D-Wave has already employed their QA hardware in a number of scenarios, proving that it is capable of doing simulations of electronic structures.
Commercial examples: D-Wave has already employed their QA hardware in a number of scenarios, proving that it is capable of doing simulations of electronic structures (see the table above). ProteinQure has partnered with QC manufacturers (IBM, Rigetti) and pharma companies (AstraZeneca) to explore approaches to modelling proteins.
Chasing Quantum Advantage
A highly sought after milestone in the race to developing the first QC is achieving “quantum advantage,” i.e. demonstrating that a QC can perform a task that is beyond the capability of any classical computer. This often gets mixed up with achieving ‘quantum supremacy’, which has a tighter definition of a QC outperforming a classical one for solving a particular problem. In October 2019, Google published a paper claiming it hit quantum supremacy — the company used its 53-qubit quantum processor to perform a random sampling calculation (verifying a set of numbers is randomly distributed) in 200s, a speed unattainable for a classical computer. Arguably, the problem that Google chose is of little practical significance. Google claimed it would have taken IBM’s Summit, the most powerful supercomputer currently, 10,000 years to arrive at the solution. IBM argued that using a specific algorithm designed algorithm Summit could solve the problem for 2.5 days. Ignoring the technicalities, while it cannot be classed as ‘quantum advantage’, Google’s achievement is definitely a step in the right direction.
That said, we should not lose sight of the big picture — we are still in the era of the NISQ machines that are error prone, low in computing power and difficult to control. Using a QC to solve the hard problems that will meaningfully impact science, engineering and business is still years away. Using an aviation analogy, Google’s milestone is comparable to Wright Brothers’ first flight, which took place in 1903. The first commercial flight was not until 1910.
Cloud is emerging as the preferred delivery mechanism
While QC technology is relatively nascent, the potential for unlocking powerful use cases is enticing enterprises and academics alike.
D-Wave was one of the first companies to sell QCs commercially. In 2010, Lockheed Martin became the first customer, purchasing a 128-qubit D-Wave One machine (installed at University of Southern California’s Information Science Institute site). Following that milestone, other organisations (including Google and NASA) have also purchased D-Wave’s hardware or access to it. While there is still no conclusive evidence that annealers are supreme to classical machines, D-Wave helps its customers design the algorithms to achieve cost, speed and quality of answer advantages for specific problems. This approach has certainly resonated with its client base, which has now signed contracts with a total value exceeding $75m. Recently, D-Wave launched its newest machine using 5,000 qubits.
D-Wave started off by selling hardware for on-premise installation, however, the company is increasingly moving to a cloud model, i.e. providing access to machines instead of ownership. The cheapest tier on their new Leap 2 offering provides 10 minutes of access to a quantum process for $335 (additional time is charged at $2000/hr).
Among the major tech providers Alibaba, Amazon, IBM, Honeywell and Microsoft have introduced cloud access and application development environments to work on top of their hardware. Despite being among the QC pioneers, Google is yet to provide cloud access to their quantum device. Rigetti Computing is another prominent QC vendor that offers access over the cloud.
Cloud access to compute has well-understood benefits for the consumer: reduced capex, lower maintenance costs, greater scalability and flexibility. These are even more important for QC due to the highly sophisticated hardware involved and the specialised environment required. For the operators, cloud delivery allows more control over the hardware and greater flexibility when it comes to upgrading, introducing new software, languages and applications. Most startups also plan to use the cloud as the default access mechanism and commercial model. That said, the convenience and lower cost of cloud access have to be balanced with security considerations. Given the strategic importance of QC, it is likely that some companies would prefer an on-premise installation. But, at this point, it is difficult to see QCs being mass produced for home or professional environments.
The future is quantum… start now
Theorists in QC expect future machines to represent a step change in electronics, not too dissimilar to the progress made possible by the invention of the classical computer. Given the engineering challenges scientists face, a mature universal QC is at least 10 years away. Therefore, current efforts naturally focus more on the technology rather than thoroughly exploring all the possible applications. Nevertheless, experts envisage a revolution in our understanding of important science and engineering fields such as machine learning, materials, chemistry, medicine, meteorology, cyber security, code breaking.
Governments and companies should prepare for the potential paradigm shift because the implications will be profound. There are at least four axes for leaders to consider:
Quantum-proof security — a mature QC capability might render the present encryption techniques obsolete. Shifting to a quantum-secure architecture, by relying on technologies that harness quantum mechanics, is already becoming a priority for security leaders. The time required to acquire the new expertise and tooling should not be underestimated — the latest report on cyber security risks by the World Economic Forum further emphasises this point.
— a mature QC capability might render the present encryption techniques obsolete. Shifting to a quantum-secure architecture, by relying on technologies that harness quantum mechanics, is already becoming a priority for security leaders. The time required to acquire the new expertise and tooling should not be underestimated — the latest report on cyber security risks by the World Economic Forum further emphasises this point. Impact of new use cases and applications — as with any new enabling technology, the ‘killer app’ is difficult to imagine today. However, most of the theoretical research points to significant disruption across multiple industries. For example, advances in drug design, faster drug manufacturing, the invention of new materials, or the application of more powerful AI are all types of use cases that can materially shift industry structures. This explains why most governments think of the development of quantum technologies as a matter of strategic importance and a national priority.
— as with any new enabling technology, the ‘killer app’ is difficult to imagine today. However, most of the theoretical research points to significant disruption across multiple industries. For example, advances in drug design, faster drug manufacturing, the invention of new materials, or the application of more powerful AI are all types of use cases that can materially shift industry structures. This explains why most governments think of the development of quantum technologies as a matter of strategic importance and a national priority. New skills required — in many industries, maintaining a competitive edge will require harnessing the power of quantum systems. Organisations that want to be successful in navigating the hype and identifying business-relevant opportunities will need to develop QC competencies. An interdisciplinary skillset will be important in the early days both for assessing the business impact and selecting the relevant technology stack. Fortunately, with many cloud offerings up and running (see above), some of the tools needed to start experimenting are already present.
— in many industries, maintaining a competitive edge will require harnessing the power of quantum systems. Organisations that want to be successful in navigating the hype and identifying business-relevant opportunities will need to develop QC competencies. An interdisciplinary skillset will be important in the early days both for assessing the business impact and selecting the relevant technology stack. Fortunately, with many cloud offerings up and running (see above), some of the tools needed to start experimenting are already present. Regulation and responsible design — QC is a technology with significant disruptive potential. Therefore, who gets to develop, use and benefit from it matters. We are still in the early days of development and this presents an opportunity to embed ethical and responsible design principles in our approach to the technology.
QCs with 50–70 logical qubits would be only marginally superior to the most powerful classical supercomputers and this would be true for a relatively limited subset of problems. For example, in material science/chemistry, such quantum machines would simulate relatively simple structures, while the goal is to be able to examine complex reactions in order to find new, more efficient methods to produce ammonia, or to simulate the reactions occurring in the first moments of the universe after the Big Bang. The highly anticipated potential applications discussed above (e.g. code breaking or drug design) require thousands if not millions of logical qubits, a feat, which is clearly beyond any current engineering capability. Therefore, finding applications, which are going to fill the gap between the computers that we have today and the universal quantum machines of the future is crucial to keep investment flowing in.
UK is a global leader in quantum technologies
UK is one of the leaders in quantum technologies, ranking fourth by R&D budget globally.
UK ranks fourth by public investment into QC globally. Source: Qureca ltd.
The UK National Quantum Computing Programme is organised in four hubs, each focussing on a different set of quantum technologies:
The Sensors and Timing Hub aims to develop a range of quantum sensor and measurement technologies
aims to develop a range of quantum sensor and measurement technologies The Quantum Imaging Hub works on new types of ultra-high sensitivity cameras such as single-photon visible and infrared cameras, single-pixel cameras, extreme time-resolution imaging, 3D profiling, imaging beyond line-of-sight, and imaging of local gravity fields.
works on new types of ultra-high sensitivity cameras such as single-photon visible and infrared cameras, single-pixel cameras, extreme time-resolution imaging, 3D profiling, imaging beyond line-of-sight, and imaging of local gravity fields. The Quantum Computing & Simulation Hub focuses on accelerating progress within QC.
focuses on accelerating progress within QC. The Quantum Communications Hub focuses on the research, development and commercialisation of quantum secure communications.
The government provided £120m of funding to these hubs over a five year period (2014–2019). In 2019, the UK government launched a second wave of government support worth £94m. As part of this second phase, a National Quantum Computing Centre was also established. This is a dedicated national centre with £93m of funding covering four key streams:
100+ qubit NISQ demonstrator hardware platform(s)
Quantum software, algorithm & applications development
High performance, scalable qubit technology development
Roadmap and architecture towards fault-tolerant general purpose quantum computing.
The robust academic activity and government support are supporting the emergence of a vibrant early-stage ecosystem. | https://medium.com/mmc-writes/the-quantum-computing-revolution-part-ii-the-path-to-commercialisation-1ed3123d27f0 | ['Mmc Ventures'] | 2020-12-10 08:42:11.352000+00:00 | ['Quantum Computing', 'Quantum', 'Insights', 'Technology', 'Venture Capital'] |
1,697 | The Perfect Portable Charger for All Your Apple Gadgets Is Here | The Perfect Portable Charger for All Your Apple Gadgets Is Here
Photos courtesy of the author
I love power banks.
I used to carry around a 26,800 mAh Anker power bank all the time, back when we went outside for extended periods of time. It weighed 20 ounces—more than a pound—but it was worth it.
The most annoying part of carrying around a power bank, though, is also needing to carry a bag with its associated cords. You probably already get the gist that I have more gadgets than common sense, so I’d need to carry around a USB-to-Lightning cable for my phone, USB-to-Apple Watch charger, USB-to-micro-USB, and USB-to-USB-C cables all the time just to use the already bulky charging brick.
But I recently preordered and received a gadget that fixes those issues.
The $100 Satechi Quatro wireless charging bank is a 10,000 mAh power bank that has a built-in Apple Watch charger and wireless charging pad, as well as USB-C and USB-A ports. It can charge my phone, watch, and iPad all at the same time, and I only need to carry one USB-C cable for the iPad. I can also use that USB-C cable to recharge the power bank. I have the iPhone 12, and it works well even though it’s not MagSafe, and if you have wireless earbuds like AirPods, they can charge wirelessly too, though not at the same time as the phone.
I’ve used the power bank only a few times and can’t speak to details like how rapidly the wireless charging works or how many days of charging I can get for all my devices. (My gut feeling and some back-of-the-napkin math says one night of charging and a little more the next day.) But I can say that the device works as advertised, and I’m excited to use it on a trip. It’s a little clunky to use as a daily charger, but I have used it around my apartment to charge my phone if the battery is low while I’m watching TV or something like that.
I am obviously not traveling often due to the global pandemic, but this was more of an aspirational purchase. An investment into a future where I can take a trip without packing a mask. | https://debugger.medium.com/the-perfect-portable-charger-for-all-your-apple-gadgets-is-here-68fc4d0c4d60 | ['Dave Gershgorn'] | 2020-11-04 06:33:08.627000+00:00 | ['Gadgets', 'Consumer Tech', 'Smartphones', 'Digital Life', 'Technology'] |
1,698 | 10 Event Websites You Must Check Out for Inspiration | Your event website works as the online representative for your event. Not only is it the official point of contact for you and your attendees, it is also a reflection of what your event is all about and the ideologies guiding it.
In the most basic sense, event websites work as a deal-maker or a total deal-breaker. Think of it this way. A person from your target audience heard about your event and seems interested. S(he) looks for the details online and comes across your website. Once they are here, they expect two things which, if fulfilled will make them your registered attendees:
1. They want the answers to all their questions regarding your event. The time, venue, date, speakers, event registration process, and anything and everything else.
2. They want to understand the quality and standard of your event and see if they match up to their expectations.
Thus, you need to work well on a design that will be sure to convert your website visitors into registered attendees.
“The event website is THE place to show off your outstanding event design, distinctive activities and unique sessions. Show off your greatness in a way that shouts “Are you not entertained?” — Russell Crowe style.
To help you get creative and give you some inspiration for coming up with a unique website design, here are 10 amazing event website examples. In all these websites, you can see how the designers have conveyed a clear-cut message in an efficient and attractive manner.
The website for this grand music and art festival is nothing short of a masterpiece. It definitely has its basics sorted with a clean interface and smart content. But apart from that, they have managed to put in a lot of other interactive elements that help attendees know everything they need to know about the event.
Not only have they added the bare minimum details, but they have taken a step forward and equipped website with an intricate planner for the event.
From details about the festival maps to the foods and drinks, from the event experience to a festival directory, this guide is sufficient for attendees to plan their trip.
While such a design is definitely very productive and helpful for the registered attendees, it also leaves an implied message for the visitors. It tells them that you care about their experience in the event and you are ready to go beyond the conventional ways to make things better for them.
2. Kikk Festival
If you are planning to go for an event website that uses the best design technology along-with amazing graphics and of course, the essential event details and elements, one of the best examples to look up to is the Kikk Festival 2017.
The designers have managed to literally breathe life into the website with its graphics. The menu bar helps you with efficient navigation to all the web pages which do more than serving the purpose of informing you about the event.
The theme of the website is definitely the main highlight. One look at it tells you that this is not one of your ordinary festivals out there and is something grander and better.
3. India Bike Week 2018
The website for India Bike Week 2018 is the perfect example that shows that even a one-page website can be brilliantly creative. Simply visiting the website can pump up some energy in your body. Watching the enthusiasm in the previous event editions in a stunning montage can surely get the biker in you all excited. Using such a first look of grandeur can help you leave a lasting impression on all the visitors of your event website.
The best thing about this website is that even while conveying all the essential details of the event the website keeps it all to the bare minimum. Thus, there is nothing in it to divert the attention from the focal point of the website.
4. Pegasus
This racing and wagering website won the price of the Best Event Website in the annual WebAward Competition, 2017. That award is definitely not for nothing and shows that the creators have done a great job designing the website.
The website definitely has a lucrative interface and a functional design. But the main focus of the website is the content. They have an elaborate and smart concoction of written and visual content which tries to address the different target demographics.
They have included the basic essential content that details you about the event;
Plus, they have also added other interactive types of content:
This sends out a subliminal message suggesting that the event goes beyond the fixed stereotypes and is actually meant for anyone and everyone who is interested enough to participate.
5. Dreamforce
Colours and graphics are very interesting options to brighten up your event website. You can tone them up or down to match the personality of your event and can convey clear messages as needed. Yet, most of the times, working with colours becomes risky in the sense that you might mismanage or rather misuse the elements and end up giving the website a not so amazing look.
The designers of the Dreamforce website are definitely great at their job which becomes clear from the first look of the website. While the website has enough colours to replace a child’s drawing book, it manages to keep the essence of the event and its professionalism intact.
The way they have been able to combine animated elements with the live ones is definitely commendable. It gives a totally fresh and positive effect which piques the curiosity of the website visitors.
Check out the entire list on the Hubilo blog.
Have your own favourite event website examples you’d like to share? Feel free to share your insights with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
To know more about us, click here. | https://medium.com/hubilo-officil-blog/10-event-websites-you-must-check-out-for-inspiration-47d77c84abe0 | ['Hiteshree Dudani'] | 2018-07-30 07:04:34.937000+00:00 | ['Event Planning', 'Events', 'Event Website', 'Event Technology', 'Design'] |
1,699 | Millennials are More Charitable Than We Think — Charities Take Notice and Learn To Be Tech Savvy | Millennials are More Charitable Than We Think — Charities Take Notice and Learn To Be Tech Savvy Yuri Vanetik Dec 4, 2020·3 min read
Millennials are more generous than we think. To engage them nonprofits, need to learn to speak their language — the language of technology.
By Yuri Vanetik
Is the entitled generation comprised of millennials also the philanthropic generation? Many people assume that millennials have fleeting passions and pursue causes, but are not charitable. Reliable data indicates that it is, and charities better learn how to engage their new donors or risk loosing them. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/08/15/how-millennials-are-changing-philanthropy/?sh=1eee5a2d7c68 The generation that we often criticize for being selfish, technology-absorbed, bratty, and spoiled may be taking on a new title: the philanthropic generation.
That is right — philanthropy has a new face, and it’s younger than you probably imagined. According to reports from Entrepreneur and NBC, among others, millennials are actively trying to buck the trend of the “selfish” label that has been following them in recent years. An incredible 84 percent of millennials donated money to a charitable cause in 2014, and 70 percent spent at least one hour doing volunteer work–two of the largest means of contributing and giving back to one’s community. The trend is on the rise. Nearly 3 out of 4 millennials donated during the pandemic. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/more-millennials-donated-money-during-the-pandemic-than-other-generations.html
Among the many negative qualities often associated with the millennial generation is the almost insurmountable burden of student debt they have racked up. This has become such a controversial and burdensome issue that it has been discussed thoroughly in presidential politics and has made its way into mainstream media: the average student graduates with almost $30,000 in student loan debts. And what generation is the one that’s currently graduating (or getting there, or having just graduated): the ever-generous millennials, of course.
Though weighed down by student loans, part-time work, Bernie Sanders attitude towards social welfare, and an unimpressive job market, Gen Y-ers managed to contribute an average of $481 dollars per person, per year in recent studies.
In a totally different paradigm of generosity, millennials outshine all other generations in terms of their propensity for crowdfunding. A relatively new concept that was ushered into the spotlight as technology has continued to advance, crowdfunding seems to fit the millennial build almost to a T. It is web and internet-based, allowing for the technology-enhanced giving model that millennials have quickly adopted to come into play. It is feedback oriented and is perceived to have a “cool” factor. According to Entrepreneur, “Millennials are a whopping three times more likely than Baby Boomers to donate to a crowdfunding campaign and 70 percent more likely than Gen Xers.”
Although older generations tended to give more money per person in the grand scheme of things, the tendency for younger people to continue the trend of philanthropy could be pointing to a good sign for the future. If millennials who are in debt and potentially making meager salaries are inclined to donate to philanthropic causes now, the future of philanthropy could be in for increased donations as Gen-Y grows older and more financially secure, while maintaining a charitable outlook on life.
In light of the charitable constitution of millennials, nonprofits should not overlook the gen y , and should invest time to better understand what is important to them. To accomplish this, philanthropic organizations, including those with a policy or political mission, ought to consider the importance of technology in drawing in their new donors. This means social media, blogs, sticky web sites, and tech savvy donor campaigns need to replace mailers and stale old-world pitching methods.
The charities that become early adapters in the world of technology driven capital campaigns will be the winners with the gen y crowd.
Yuri Vanetik is an attorney and private investor. | https://medium.com/@yvanetik/millennials-are-more-charitable-than-we-think-charities-take-notice-and-learn-to-be-tech-savvy-5607ec837323 | ['Yuri Vanetik'] | 2020-12-23 04:56:47.642000+00:00 | ['Millennials', 'Charity Technology', 'Gen Y', 'Crowdfunding', 'Donate'] |
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