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Little Presents | Photo @bydarius (Instagram)
You can call me a sap for Christmas. Every year I willingly fall for the overplayed Christmas songs, twinkling decorations, holiday movies with predictable storylines, and long nights perfecting my wrapping skills. I owe this joy of the season to my grandparents. Every year, the Jones house was filled with people, presents, and the Christmas spirit. My grandfather loved topping our tree with a Black angel; these little symbols instilled pride in us as a Black family. We would decorate the tree together, each of us choosing which ornament we wanted to gift the tree with. Our favorite part about giving our tree the works was covering it in candy canes. Our real treasure of this experience was eating the leftover ones. By December 25th, the candy canes that had their chance to dangle on the tree throughout the month had reached their natural downfall thanks to 6 young, sugar-loving children. Actually, that would be 5 children if you don’t count my brother Michael who never grew fond of candy. I vividly remember our living room being scattered with tree lights, glitter, and garland until our Christmas aesthetic was complete. I cherished how my grandfather managed to create a musical score of our experience featuring Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas album, which I still play today.
I still never quite fully understood how they successfully made our Christmases special, even with so little. Of course, we were taught the real joy through the Son of peace, which we all came around to believe on our own in our own unique ways. My grandparents captured our attention and built incredible anticipation year after year, knowing that it would lead to a lack of sleep on Christmas Eve. My siblings and I would count down the hours until we could rush downstairs to see what Grandma and Grandpa got us for Christmas. I kind of liked that they never gave Santa any credit for their efforts; our cousins who got tagged Santa gifts might argue differently. Our grandparents knew us uniquely and appreciated the individualism of us all. This was reflected in their spirit of gift-giving.
Certainly, there were times where our grandparents didn’t actually give us the gifts we liked. My grandmother was a Popular Club junkie; it was one of those catalogs where you could order anything from beauty items, clothes, toys, and furniture. I’ll never forget disappointing my grandparents when they asked if I liked the coat they got me from Popular Club. Or, that time, Grandma made us all wait in the car at the onset of a winter storm while she shopped for winter boots for my sister and me. In the late 90s, it wasn’t strange to leave kids unattended in vehicles while parents shopped. To be fair, my sister was probably 13 at the time, and hauling several kids into a retail store seems like a daunting task. My grandmother parked the van on Weybosset St. in Providence directly across from the Payless Shoe Store. She would appear in the glass window showing us a pair of boots and wait for our affirmation. After a smile and eager green light from each of us, my grandmother returned to the van with two shoe boxes. I chose the chocolate brown flat boot that slightly hovered over the ankle and was decorated with laces from top to bottom. It was the kind of boot that I would still wear now; I actually just tossed a worn-out pair similar to those a few years ago. As my sister and I gleefully removed our wet sneakers to put on our new boots, we realized my grandmother had gotten the sizes wrong. In that case, there was no return as she drove off. I wore the shoes my sister liked and she wore the ones I wanted. We knew better than to complain about Grandma’s efforts.
On those Christmas mornings, my grandparents would pass out each gift under the tree one by one. My siblings and I would share in each other’s excitement. Our enthusiasm grew as we heard one of our name’s called out one by one, “this one’s for Roderick,” my grandfather would exclaim. We’d ooh and aah, studying the shape of every gift meticulously to capture a sense of what was hidden underneath the wrapping. Finally, in our own little corners, we’d claw through each present with happiness, and we’d give our Grandparents endless thank you’s, hugs, and kisses. One of my favorite gifts was my Brother word processor. It was one of those bulky electronic typewriters with floppy disk capability and tiny LCD screens. They were heavy and probably better suited for an adult, but 11-year-old me would trek that baby all over the house. That gift was a reflection of how much they knew me.
As I’m sitting in our house in San Diego, things look slightly different from my cold Decembers in Rhode Island. In our Essell house, my husband and I have decorated in the same Christmas spirit. I still play the Merry Christmas album, but I occasionally give it a break to enjoy Kacey Musgrave’s holiday special. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about 6 eager children, but we’re excited to share the blessing of 1 little present with Baby Essell on the way. I can’t think of a better time of the year to share our growing family’s joy. We appreciate the gleams of our future and the moment we get to unwrap our little present. | https://medium.com/@tyrene/little-presents-1af39b7ac95a | ['Tyrene Jones Essell'] | 2020-12-24 20:22:08.777000+00:00 | ['Christmas', 'Baby'] |
Postures in Worship | Posturing is Natural!
More than likely, when you hear the words, “Let’s pray,” you instinctively will do at least one of the following:
Close your eyes Fold your hands Bow your head
What you may not have realized is that you have been doing liturgical postures all this time. Children from Christian homes are taught from a young age to close their eyes and fold their hands.
The posture of prayer reinforces the act of prayer. We close our eyes confessing that though we may not see our heavenly Father with our eyes, he is in every way real. We fold our hands to keep ourselves focused on communion with God. We bow our heads in reverence of the Lord. In other words, liturgical posturing as a concept is fairly natural and instinctive if we stop and think about it.
Chironomia: The Art of Posturing**
Ancient Greeks and Romans developed an entire artform of hand and arm gestures called Chironomia that early Christians appropriated in both their practice and artwork for prayer and worship. Each gesture communicated something. Other cultures from around the world have different gesticulations and postures that are a natural part of their communication, whether or not they are codified. Ancient Jewish liturgical posturing also deeply informed early church worship services.
A couple common examples from the early church are worth mentioning:
“The Blessed Matrona of Moscow” showing the Palm of the Righteous.
The Palm of the Righteous was a common hand gesture in the early church that was informed by 1 Timothy 2:8 and the calling of raising holy hands. One who was depicted with one hand raised with their palm facing outwards was known for their sincerity, honesty, and transparency in their faith.
Mary posturing with the orans.
The Orans was another common arm gesture that showed the person in prayer and/or worship raising both hands up with palms outward. The palms could be at chest or face level (which would entail bent elbows) or above their heads (which would entail straightened elbows). The upwardness of the arms represented lifting up one’s soul to God in prayer and worship, and the position of the palms represented open hands receiving grace.
Other common gestures included the hand on the chest, which depicted the heartfelt aspect of prayer and worship.
Posturing is for the Weary Faithful
Importantly, the postures and gestures of prayer and worship were not intended to be signs of the hyper-pious or effulgences of emotions. Rather, they were aids for the weary faithful, like you and me. They were postures of liturgical dependance and a call for help from the Lord. We raise our hands even when our heart and head aren’t in the right place during worship. It is saying, “Father, meet me even when all I can do today is lift up my hands.” They were created by brothers and sisters in the faith of old to help our heads and hearts follow our hands.
Posturing is… Reformed*
Some within and without the Reformed tradition unfortunately have a preconceived notion that Reformed worship and prayer has always been intended to be posture-less. But this is only partly right. The Reformed wing of the Protestant Reformation was responding specifically to the ostentatious and superstitious religious practices of the medieval church of their day. In many cases, the early Reformers employed rhetoric that should not be seen as universally applicable (though some of the later Puritans took it that way).
Surprising to many today, John Calvin was actually a proponent of liturgical posturing and gesturing. As he remarks in his Institutes:
The bodily gestures usually observed in prayer, such as kneeling and uncovering of the head (Calv. in Acts 20:36), are exercises by which we attempt to rise to higher veneration of God. (3.20.33)
Later, Calvin also explains that the Regulative Principle of Worship (a hallmark of Reformed worship practice) does not do away with liturgical posturing, but rather gives credence to it:
Let us take, for example, the bending of the knee which is made in public prayer. It is asked, whether this is a human tradition, which any one is at liberty to repudiate or neglect? I say, that it is human, and that at the same time it is divine. It is of God, inasmuch as it is a part of that decency, the care and observance of which is recommended by the apostle; and it is of men, inasmuch as it specially determines what was indicated in general, rather than expounded. (4.10.30)
Calvin is even more pointed in his commentary on Acts 20:36, where he speaks of liturgical posturing and gestures as aids for worship and prayer:
The inward affection is indeed the chiefest thing in prayer; yet the external signs, as kneeling, uncovering of the head, lifting up of the hands, have a double use; the first is, that we exercise all our members to the glory and worship of God; secondly, that by this exercise our sluggishness may be awakened, as it were. There is also a third use in solemn and public prayer, because the children of God do by this means make profession of their godliness, and one of them doth provoke another unto the reverence of God. And, as the lifting up of the hands is a token of boldness 451 and of an earnest desire, so, to testify our humility, we fall down upon our knees.
Simply put, Calvin not only found godly use for liturgical posturing, but his understanding of the Regulative Principle of Worship assumes posturing is already happening.
Putting Postures into Practice
If you haven’t noticed already, this article has indirectly gone through many of the common resistances to the idea of liturgical posturing.
We’ve seen that no matter what, we instinctively understand and do posturing in worship and prayer. In fact, putting your hands in your pockets is a liturgical posture as well! We’ve seen that posturing is not a recent novelty from charismatic Christian traditions nor just a rote ancient vestige. Gesturing was informed by both Jewish and Gentile practices and was well thought. We’ve seen that posturing isn’t for the super-spiritual but for everyday, ordinary Christians like you and me who are weak and weary. We’ve seen that, for those of us in Reformed churches, posturing is, well, Reformed! We can’t use “But Reformed…” as a viable reason against posturing.
So, if you’re convinced of liturgical posturing and how it may be a helpful aid for the weary pilgrim in Christ, try putting it into practice in your household (whether that’s just you or many family members). Especially now that many churches around the nation are holding church services exclusively or mainly through livestream due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a really great time to try out these practices from the safety of your own home. But then again, it’s only as awkward or weird as you make it out to be!
Give one or some of the above-listed postures and gestures in your personal devotions or during corporate worship and see how it affects you. | https://medium.com/@timothyisaiahcho/postures-in-worship-1b13427a5519 | ['Timothy Isaiah Cho'] | 2020-12-07 00:32:03.728000+00:00 | ['Worship', 'Christian', 'Church', 'Christianity'] |
American elegy as amendment, as apology, as blackness got your tongue? | By Sojourner Ahébée
Section 1.
All mornings shall open like a wound.
Congress will not come to bandage the body.
The State will call in sick. The U.S. will hack its hands
off ;
in other words, it will not touch your body.
Congress may read you your rights. Take note:
your rights have no language for the body;
life, property, citizen
not heart blooming through the hurt,
not lung, not can’t breathe,
Not chest on city floor, playing dead
like dead, no other word for it
Or,
your rights are not your rights to a body
Section 2.
So this morning opens like a wound &
your hotel sits on the edge of two worlds —
a bridge ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ stretched out like a body,
the only thing that separates you from Washington. You
are in Virginia but no words to say it like
the body that is made to feel present, your body that is breaking
before you.
And who is here to amend that, to say
sorry we’ve made a mistake.
You deserve that in writing;
in other words,
your hurt deserves a memory.
Section 3.
revolving doors push out with heavy hands &
you are scared but
say the wound is where the light enters
& you are greeted by a flag with 13 stars,
by three great flags flapping
in the white hands of men,
men who are asking you to name this,
to name their fear.
Something is slipping away from them,
like the moon in your hands.
(Once a slave-girl took off in the black of night,
the black of her own sweat,
and a man went hunting for her in the dark.
When the dawn broke and the hounds had no breath
two Americas removed their dresses, revealed themselves.)
Section 4.
Today, in the parking lot of a hotel,
three men with red flags had you cut open by all the world:
white stars spread out in a blue X as if to erase you, another language for
you don’t get to be here and alive
What they had perhaps forgotten
in the fervor of holding on to some historical self,
was that their violence
gave you a self to speak of,
could be mistaken for poetry —
this strange ability to name, to say
America, I’m here | https://medium.com/west-magazine/american-elegy-as-amendment-as-apology-as-blackness-got-your-tongue-e86d4ff00451 | [] | 2016-10-26 03:21:19.340000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Literature', 'Stanford', 'America', 'Elegy'] |
How to become another person? | Hi, My name is jordy. I’m new here so please guide me :)
Okay let’s back to the topic “How to become another person?”
this question is really ambiguous, Why? because what are you refer to be another person? there’s so many aspect that become our measurement to think what’s good on me. like maybe you have a friend that’s good doing something, good on manage his time, good on styling his own outfit or something else that good one someone else.
So, this is about you to find what’s wrong about my life? Why when someone can do everything but you can’t?
We need to change that mindset, because we can do anything as we try… so the context here is not become another person, but to become yourself and do it on your way. we have our own pace. let it flow and while it flow do your best for your life, do it for yourself! don’t do it if you want to become other person.
this is my first story. maybe it’s not good like other’s writing. but I’ll try my best at finding a good topic.
because this paragraph just pop out after I’m registered medium. lol
Thankyou | https://medium.com/@jordyandreas76/how-to-become-another-person-a826313572a4 | ['Jordy Andreas'] | 2020-09-06 04:13:05.688000+00:00 | ['Social'] |
QANX Token listing on PancakeSwap and Uniswap on June 2 (~2:00 PM UTC)[continuosly updated] | Launchpads
The opportunity to buy QANX Token on several launchpads will be possible soon since many QANplatform community members asked for Launchpad allocations before the PancakeSwap and Uniswap listing.
Update:
Tokenomics
Roadmap
QANplatform — QAN blockchain platform
QANplatform is the Quantum-resistant hybrid blockchain platform. Developers and Enterprises can build software applications like DApps or DeFi and run business processes rapidly on blockchain. QANplatform is the fastest blockchain to deploy to cloud platforms like Amazon AWS or Linode.
“QANplatform’s key mission is to build a future-proof blockchain platform, not just another one on the list. Quantum-resistant security is their USP, but QAN takes one step back and focuses on lowering the entry barrier for the developer community, so startups and enterprises can build their Proof-of-Concepts (PoC) and Minimum Viable Products (MVP) as fast as possible to reach mass adoption.
We solve this issue with building integrations to existing and widely used and loved programming languages (Rust), DevOps technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and Cloud Platforms like Amazon AWS.
Thanks to our unique development, QANplatform is the fastest blockchain to deploy on the market. Developers can deploy QAN private blockchain to Amazon AWS in <5 minutes.” says Johann Polecsak, Co-Founder and CTO of QANplatform
Pitch deck: click to read
White paper: click to read
Technical white paper: click to read
— — —
NOTE: This article is the only credible source and will be updated continuously.
— — —
About QANplatform:
QANplatform is the Quantum-resistant hybrid blockchain platform. Developers and Enterprises can build software applications like DApps or DeFi and run business processes rapidly on blockchain. QANplatform is the fastest blockchain to deploy to cloud platforms like Amazon AWS or Linode.
Website: qanplatform.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/qanplatform
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QANplatform
Telegram: https://t.me/QANplatform | https://medium.com/qanplatform/qanx-token-listing-on-pancakeswap-and-uniswap-on-june-2-2-00-pm-utc-continiuosly-updated-e3d6b3616b45 | [] | 2021-09-05 18:20:09.360000+00:00 | ['Uniswap', 'Pancakeswap', 'Qanplatform', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
4 questions to make the right choice…. | Image by Bruce Mars on Unsplash
Decisions, decisions, Decisions!
From dawn to dusk we are faced with decisions to take and choices to make. But a decision about whether to have a croissant or an omelet for breakfast is a far simpler one to make than a more critical one like whether to take a particular job offer or perhaps move to a whole new country.
Some people have it down to a science. I envy those people. They make a list of pros and cons and objectively decide on the way forward very efficiently and quickly. Certain others take a lot of time to make elaborate flow charts to help them arrive at a somewhat calculated decision.
But what about the rest of the world?
What is a good way to choose and then own that decision like a boss?
There’s still a life to lead past that decision and one has to either face the consequences of a bad decision or enjoy the rewards of a good one.
It almost makes you envy a young child whose age exempts them from facing the scourge of life changing decisions. Their lives are simply restricted to swallowing the puree they have been fed by their well meaning caregiver or expelling it out promptly with their tongues, expressing disgust.
But as adults we need to make decisions not only for ourselves but sometimes even for the people around us — our family, our friends, or colleagues. That is a heavy responsibility to shoulder.
I’m sure you’ll admit that we are surrounded by a lot of indecisive people. We encounter them on a regular basis. They fester on a decision and can unbiddenly annoy us. Often times they hinder our progress and affect our future. Some people would rather wallow in their current state of limbo than face the consequences of their choices.
Imagine that there was a simple way to arrive at a decision without leaving it to fate or asking someone else to make the decision for you. Imagine that after using this process you are able to make better choices and have much better outcomes thereon.
This is my go-to process when I have a big decision ahead of me. I take some time out from my schedule and ask myself these four questions. If you want to try this the next time you are faced with a big decision, bring out your notebook or a sheet of paper and let’s get cracking.
What WILL happen if I do this? What WILL happen if I DON’T do this? What will NOT happen if I do this? What will NOT happen if I DON’T do this?
These might seem a bit heavy to pen down, but it will challenge your mind to consider all the possibilities and make a far better decision. It will cause your mind to think out of the box and face your truth. You will feel more confident about the decision you finally make.
For simpler choices however, I must confess I rely entirely on my gut instinct. And that is exactly what the coin toss technique does for me. If my decision is between two possibilities, I simply flip a coin. If you are thinking “Oh she leaves it up to fate”….Not quite. Before I see the side that has landed face up there is a milli-second where I hope for a particular side. Most often that’s the choice I go with regardless of what the coin tells me. That is my subconscious who knows the answer before it comes into my conscious awareness. I trust it immensely.
So there you have it…you don’t have to feel so bogged down by the weight of a decision or a choice you need to make any longer. Try it and see if it helps you make a great decision. | https://medium.com/@preethisonia/4-questions-to-make-the-right-choice-53b5dbfd3c78 | ['Preethi Sonia'] | 2020-12-11 09:05:34.016000+00:00 | ['Decisions', 'Decision Making', 'Questions', 'Choices', 'Questions Worth Asking'] |
How to create your personal Persistence(XPRT) account on Cosmostation Wallet (iOS/Android/Web). | Persistence XPRT Token
XPRT is the native token of the Persistence ecosystem which carries a variety of use cases including governance of the Persistence main-chain, participating in staking to contribute to network security, and its role as a work token.
Governance
XPRT holders will be able to take part in protocol governance by issuing proposals and voting on various factors which will impact the broader Persistence ecosystem.
Staking
As the Persistence chain runs on delegated Proof-of-Stake based Tendermint PBFT consensus engine, staking is integral to ensuring a secure and robust network.
Persistence has onboarded some of the world’s top validators, distributed globally. XPRT token holders will be able to delegate their tokens to our network validators for staking. Stakers will receive rewards in the form of XPRT in return for contributing to the security of the network.
The current staking APR is 42.3%!
XPRT is the token around which the entire ecosystem is built, thus staking XPRT to secure the chain will result in a great deal of exposure to multiple dApps in the ecosystem for stakers.
Create your Persistence wallet on Cosmostation Mobile Wallet (iOS & Android)
Here’s a detailed guide on how to create your XPRT wallet and begin securely sending, delegating, earning passive income in XPRT all in the palm of your hand.
IMPORTANT
*It is NOT recommended to take your hardware wallet seed phrase and import that into the mobile wallet and/or keystation. Importing your hardware wallet seed phrase on soft wallets can potentially increase risk of loss of your funds.
#1 Download Cosmostation Wallet
Cosmostation Mobile Wallet is available in both iOS and Android. Search “Cosmostation” in Apple Store or Google Play to download and install the application.
iOS: https://apple.co/2IAM3Xm
Android: https://bit.ly/2BWex9
#2 Create a XPRT wallet
Cosmostation Wallet supports XPRT, CRO, FET, SENT, AKT, ATOM, KAVA, BAND, CTK, IOV, IRIS, BNB, OKT. Create your personal XPRT address after opening the application. If you already have a personal XPRT account, simply press “Import” to import your existing mnemonic phrase and load up your wallet.
Press “Create” -> “XPRT Mainnet” -> “Show Mnemonics” -> Back up your mnemonic phrase and keep it in a safe place only accessible by you (Important)
Next, Insert your PIN -> Confirm your PIN -> Your personal XPRT wallet
Please note that there is no way to recover your PIN once you lose it. Cosmostation does not store any user information.
once you lose it. Cosmostation does not store any user information. Please remember to keep your generated mnemonic phrase securely in a safe location only accessible to you. Losing your mnemonic phrase can lead to loss of your funds, and there is no way for you to recover them.
#3 Deposit XPRT to your address
If you do not have any XPRT in your account, you will need to deposit XPRT to your address to begin making transactions with your account.
Press the QR code icon on the left of your address -> Press “Copy” to copy your personal XPRT address.
Send XPRT to your personal address from another personal address or from an exchange address.
#4 Delegate(Stake) your XPRT to validators for passive income
Now that you have XPRT in your account, you can make delegations to validators of your choice to start earning delegation rewards.
Press the “Delegate” button in the main dashboard -> Press the “Top” tab to view the top 100 validators open for delegation -> Select Cosmostation and press the “Delegate” button.
Enter the amount you wish to delegate -> Enter memo (optional) -> Select transaction fee -> Confirm Tx detail -> Enter PIN
Please note that you will not be able to make additional transactions (claim rewards, send, etc.) if you delegate your entire available amount. Make sure to leave a minimal amount of XPRT for transaction fees for future transactions.
Your total delegated(staked) amount will show up under “delegated” in the main dashboard.
#5 Claim your XPRT staking rewards
Now that you’ve delegated your XPRT, your XPRT staking rewards will be accumulated on a per-block basis. Manually claim these unclaimed rewards in order to have it transferred to your available amount.
Press “Delegate” -> Press the validator you wish to claim rewards from under the “My” tab -> Press “Claim Reward” -> Press next to confirm your transaction -> Enter PIN
Your claimed rewards will now show up under “available” in the main dashboard.
#6 Withdraw XPRT from your account
Securely withdraw(send) your XPRT to another address.
Press the “Send” button (blue circle with the rocket icon) -> Enter recipient address -> Enter the amount you wish to withdraw -> Insert memo (optional) -> Select transaction fee -> Confirm Tx detail -> Enter PIN
Please note that if you are withdrawing funds to an exchange address, there may be a “memo” required. Most exchanges use a memo specifically assigned to each user to identify deposits and match them with corresponding accounts. If you withdraw funds to an exchange without including the required memo, your funds may get lost without a way to recover it.
#7 Undelegate from a validator
You can choose to undelegate a portion of your delegation. Undelegation from a validator takes up to 21 days for your funds to become available for transfer. During this period, the amount requested for undelegation will be displayed in the dashboard under “undonding.”
Press the “Undelegate” button -> Enter the amount you wish to undelegate -> Insert memo (optional) -> Select transaction fee -> Confirm Tx detail -> Enter PIN | https://medium.com/cosmostation/how-to-create-your-personal-persistence-xprt-account-on-cosmostation-wallet-ios-android-web-30cdfece35ce | [] | 2021-04-27 03:13:15.392000+00:00 | ['Cosmostation', 'Persistence', 'Validator', 'Cosmos', 'English'] |
The Truth About The Men Who Riot And Kill | A 27-year-old man with a history of abusing his girlfriend killed five people in Alabama last week, apparently because they tried to help her leave him. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have now been at least 248 mass shootings in the first eight months of the year, which continues an alarming upward trend in this kind of violence in the U.S.
In a 2015 essay for The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell explored whether or not the frequency of reported shootings in America has created a self-propagating “phenomenon” — with each new act increasing the likelihood that another person, somewhere in the country, will soon lash out.
Referencing the work of sociologist Mark Granovetter, Gladwell posits that school shooters, as a group, function much like a riot, in that each new participant’s “threshold,” at which they are compelled to join, is lowered by those before them. Riot instigators may be those on the brink of desperation, or people willing to destroy property for little reason at all, but at some point even otherwise “law-abiding” citizens tend to also suddenly take part in chaos. Gladwell uses this model to explain why it’s become so hard to create a single profile for shooters, or predict who might be next:
“The problem is not that there is an endless supply of deeply disturbed young men who are willing to contemplate horrific acts. It’s worse. It’s that young men no longer need to be deeply disturbed to contemplate horrific acts.”
This echoes a 2015 New York Times analysis of mass shootings in general, which concluded that “what seems telling about the killers . . . is not how much they have in common but how much they look and seem like so many others who do not inflict harm.”
Yet both the Times and Gladwell come to their conclusions while only glancing at a certain commonality: that these shooters are nearly all men (and mostly white men at that). Furthermore, these writers seem to presuppose that there is a “normal” or healthy ideal of how young men should behave in America. Which suggests that if it just weren’t for all these high-profile massacres, perhaps the threshold for violence amongst men would have remained higher, and so many of them would not be choosing to “inflict harm” on society.
But, in the year of Donald Trump, as we process the loss of more than 270 lives at the hands of mass shooters — whether in Alabama, at a gay club in Orlando, or on the streets of Dallas (not to mention attacks in Munich, Fort Myers, Baton Rouge, Istanbul, Dhaka, Baghdad, Nice, Kalamazoo, and too many other places to list) — it’s important to ask the question again: What exactly is “healthy” behavior for men? When exactly do boys learn how to be men in ways that do not inflict harm on society?
Gladwell himself makes a strong case for broadening our lens on this topic, in further explaining Granovetter’s research:
“[Granovetter] was most taken by the situations in which people did things for social reasons that went against everything they believed as individuals. ‘Most did not think it ‘right’ to commit illegal acts or even particularly want to do so,’ he wrote, about the findings of a study of delinquent boys. ‘But group interaction was such that none could admit this without loss of status; in our terms, their threshold for stealing cars is low because daring masculine acts bring status, and reluctance to join, once others have, carries the high cost of being labeled a sissy.’ You can’t just look at an individual’s norms and motives. You need to look at the group.”
Similarly, mass shooters in this country can’t be entirely separated from Granovetter’s group of boys who act recklessly out of a fear of being called “sissies.” It seems likely that the killer in Orlando, who targeted a gay nightclub that he himself visited (and who also had a history of domestic violence), shared an overt fear of femininity. The shooter at UC Santa Barbara in 2014, who made a confessional video listing his frustrations with women, was also clearly disturbed by the idea of appearing less than manly. As were countless other killers before and after them.
And though a majority of young men do not become murderers — or even “delinquent boys” — it’s no stretch to say they are mostly being socialized to carry in their hearts that same fear. So perhaps we should consider that so-called “healthy” visions of masculinity exist at the edges of society (if at all), and that the dislike of women and all things “feminine” is much closer to the center.
If mass shootings are akin to a new kind of cultural “riot,” then, it is a riot born in the traditional culture of masculinity — thriving in a country built on the macho mass violence of genocide and slavery. And it is occurring within a global society still dominated by hypermasculine straight white men, and where men of all backgrounds are cheered more for their loyalty to other men, than for their resistance to oppression.
But why exactly has this particular threshold been lowered in the last few decades? Gladwell points to the 1999 shootings at Columbine High, and the way news of that spree, and many subsequent ones, spread online and openly taught young men the rituals of mass killing. He emphasizes the role of visual storytelling in this process:
“[T]he sociologist Nathalie E. Paton has analyzed the online videos created by post-Columbine shooters and found a recurring set of stylized images: a moment where the killer points his gun at the camera, then at his own temple, and then spreads his arms wide with a gun in each hand; the closeup; the wave goodbye at the end. ‘School shooters explicitly name or represent each other,’ she writes.”
Illustrating this point, last month in Munich, a man who killed nine people at a shopping mall was found to be using the photo of another shooter (who killed 77 in Norway exactly five years before attack) as his own WhatsApp profile picture.
These killers don’t consume or create their stylized images of masculinity in a vacuum, though. We have long seen them elsewhere. If those who planned Columbine “laid down the ‘cultural script’ for the next generation of shooters,” as Gladwell writes, they did so within the context of other scripts and images which have also encouraged young men to, as Gladwell put it, “contemplate horrific acts.”
If knowing the stories of past shooters helps to lower the barrier of entry for these killers — or if this is a riot “in which each new participant’s action makes sense in reaction to and in combination with those who came before,” as Gladwell claims — perhaps it’s worth thinking more about how these stories intersect with those we most often tell about men.
Like all American institutions of power, popular cinema — one of our most celebrated forms of storytelling — is filled with white men, and is often centered on a conception of masculinity which encourages a fear of being called a “sissy.”
The stars of the year’s top live-action film, Captain America: Civil War (Captain America and Iron Man, played by Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.), or in last year’s blockbuster Jurassic World (Owen Brady, played by Chris Pratt), were not hellbent killers, but seemingly noble heroes intent on saving humanity from evil. These guys recall beloved movie characters like Han Solo, the kind of hard-shelled, wise-cracking white men who aren’t afraid to bend a few rules in pursuit of justice.
That seems different than how we might initially describe someone like Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver’s “lone wolf” protagonist who plots the execution of a presidential candidate and takes out his frustrations by murdering a pimp. Yet films like Taxi Driver or Reservoir Dogs aren’t cult hits because they necessarily differ from the status quo of popular cinema, but because they zero in on specific, familiar representations of masculinity, and then take them to extremes.
Similarly, SUNY professor Tristan Bridges says that instead of seeing mass shooters as “outliers or oddballs . . . we should actually think of them as conformists . . . They’re over-conforming to masculinity.” The truth we tend to avoid is that the norm is for men to be valued for harmful anti-social behaviors, and that most stories about men, intentionally or not, reinforce this norm.
Physical toughness, lack of emotion, and power over women are just as linked and celebrated in blockbusters like Captain America, or this year’s Deadpool, as they are in films like Taxi Driver, only slightly more obscured by romantic subplots, CGI-ed villains, or a framework of fantasy. But at his core, the immensely popular Iron Man is also a “lone wolf” type who rarely cries, makes rape jokes, and uses aggression to gain the respect of other straight men.
How many of our favorite movies — from American Sniper to Dirty Grandpa to The Revenant — give men ways of overcoming challenges that don’t appeal to aggression, power over women, and other limiting ideas of “manliness”?
Films like Batman vs. Superman tend to reiterate that (white) men are entitled to control, and that acceptance into the “group” of masculinity requires dominance. But they also risk providing a script for how men should go about obtaining that power — or at least reaffirm the vision of what it looks like to “become a man.” This echoes the underlying messages about masculinity we see in the videos of mass shooters, or even ISIS propaganda.
And, at the end of the day, there is no mainstream counter narrative for how masculinity should be performed. Instead we see Hollywood’s ideas about the man “club” replicated in mainstream politics, in the culture of law enforcement, popular music, comic books, video games, and in our everyday lives. Adding extreme violence to that mix — or guns, or racist, homophobic, or otherwise oppressive rhetoric — only fans the already rising flames.
In The Atlantic, James Hamblin recently expounded on the problem of “toxic masculinity,” but again emphasized its specificity: “The idea of toxic masculinity is — critically — not a sweeping indictment of bros or gender. It’s an admission that masculinity can be toxic at times.”
Yet, just as in Hollywood, “toxic masculinity” remains the most pervasive mode of masculinity in this country. Our patriarchal constitution, embedded in white supremacy, was written with these very behaviors in mind. As R.W. Connell has described, there are indeed many different “masculinities” in existence, and race, ethnicity, class, and a myriad of other factors can alter one’s experience. But the version we most often see, hear, and value — everywhere from cable news to talk radio to within our police departments — is primarily toxic.
This same fear of being excluded from the club is exactly what’s fueling Donald Trump’s campaign for president at the moment. And though it’s certainly terrifying, we can no longer pretend that his is a fringe vision of manhood.
Toxic masculinity remains the most pervasive mode of masculinity in this country.
It’s no coincidence that one of the common ways men criticize Trump is by resorting to the same type of hypermasculine shaming which accelerated his rise — ridiculing his penis size or calling him a “wuss.”
Can we expect to put out the fire in the hearts of “violent” men if we don’t recognize that we — all of us who have been socialized to be men — are also standing in flames? That we are a part of that same riot?
This isn’t to say we shouldn’t critique the inciting words of men in power, or completely denounce the thinking of mass shooters, but that we might spend more time considering broader context — and looking inward. Because improving mental health care or eliminating access to guns alone (just like removing extreme violence from cinema) will not change the harmful context of masculinity. Neither will defeating Trump.
In fact, we might ask ourselves: In our pursuit of a “healthier manhood,” are we more interested in creating a safer and more equitable world for others, or just putting ourselves above the ugliness of these men — creating new hierarchies? Why is it that straight cis men are more comfortable talking about “reimagining masculinity” than simply embracing “femininity”? Are we still holding onto that same fear of being called a “sissy,” of being associated with women?
Gladwell frames that New Yorker essay around the life of John LaDue, a young man who was caught planning a school shooting in Minnesota. The writer suggests that perhaps LaDue, who “never expressed a desire to hurt anyone,” was more attracted to the ritual of being a mass shooter — like a rioter who stumbles into the crowd — than he was to the end result:
“LaDue was fascinated — as many teen-age boys are — by guns and explosions. But he didn’t know the acceptable way to express those obsessions.”
Isn’t it strange that there is an “acceptable” way to express a desire to destroy others? As bell hooks writes, “many boys are angry, but no one really cares about this anger unless it leads to violent behavior. If boys take their rage and sit in front of a computer all day, never speaking, never relating, no one cares.”
On the 4chan message board where a 2015 shooter in Oregon allegedly left evidence of his plan, there are a number of casual replies from men who offer ideas on how to best enact mass murder. Most of them may not have imagined they were talking to someone who was seriously planning one, and yet they feign seriousness as a way to impress others — to prove their masculinity. And as subsequent reports revealed, the deceased killer himself may have once been one of those men, with those “obsessions,” who performed on message boards in an effort to be acknowledged by others.
These men may perceive themselves to be anti-establishment, but they are in fact — like Trump, Deadpool, or the Orlando shooter — just replicating the same systems of the establishment. The same fear of isolation, and same obsession with gaining entry into the club.
LaDue eventually received a plea deal, and on the day of his last hearing, Gladwell recounts how his father, David LaDue, stood outside the courthouse answering reporter’s questions:
“He wanted to remind the world that his son was human. ‘He had love,’ LaDue said. ‘He liked affection like anybody else.” [ . . . ] He talked about how difficult it was for men — and for teen-age boys in particular — to admit to vulnerability.”
Before he learned the rituals of mass shooters, John LaDue was taught the rituals of manhood. The way you must shut yourself down to matter. How physical force always speaks louder than a cry for help. These are the ideas which have been plaguing society since long before the Columbine shootings, September 11th, or the hateful murders at Pulse nightclub.
Regardless of what else we do in 2016, without transforming our cultural understanding of gender — without being vulnerable as people who call themselves men, without embracing love and what we call feminine, and including ourselves in this work of better, less gendered storytelling — the riot will rage on, taking new forms, attracting more and more fearful people searching for a way to prove that they belong. | https://medium.com/the-establishment/the-truth-about-the-men-who-riot-and-kill-51dfbe9be219 | ['Imran Siddiquee'] | 2017-10-03 15:20:16.631000+00:00 | ['Mass Shootings', 'Men', 'Masculinity', 'Society Politics', 'Essay'] |
What A Newbie Thinks About The Dash Community So Far | ‘Smart coin’ communities can be treacherous for newbies who are unfamiliar with digital currency technologies.
Its culture can be extremely intimidating and I believe that aspect could be one of the biggest reasons people don’t feel comfortable learning about smart coins.
In my previous smart coin community, some of the most active chat rooms had devolved into a kind of toxic cesspool of pathetic manboys who ranted about everything from the size of their bananas to the sad state of their vacuous souls. After being called a c*nt for no apparent reason by one of the whales (a whale is someone with an enormous account) in that chat room, I decided I’d had enough and that day I went searching for a new smart coin community that wasn’t hostile towards decent people.
I was talking about Bitcoin and Dash in a Facebook group last week and one of my friends remarked,
“I agree that the current marketing of cryptocurrency is a kind of exclusive, inaccessible club. For me and others I suspect it is also emotionally associated with a sort of nefarious, criminal need to hide, which has always put me off from finding out more.”
After I explained to my friend that I am neither a criminal nor one who needs to hide my financial activities, I offered to send her some Dash as a gift. Her response was,
“Oh, I am way too cautious to jump right in and start using it! I’ll need to do some serious research first.”
So, there you have it. That’s probably what more than 95% of the population honestly feels about smart coins. They think cryptocurrency is exclusive, inaccessible and full of scary criminals who are all trying to hide their activities on the dark web. That’s not exactly an accurate description, but I’m very well acquainted with that kind of uncertainty and fear.
I’ll be honest, though, it has not been all roses and puppy dogs.
It’s been a mix of good and bad, but mostly good things have come out of it. Knowledge is the best thing to come out of it for me personally.
I’ve been earning smart money for almost a year now. I haven’t gotten sucked into some nefarious criminal gang and I only associate with other people whom I trust. I’ve met some really amazing people, too. I will say, however, that I am more cautious than the average person and I’m able to detect dishonest people pretty easily.
Now, I’ll take you on a tour into a smart coin community that I just discovered last week. I’ll tell you where I went, what problems I encountered and how each problem got solved. The smart coin community I entered a week ago is the Dash community.
The first thing I did was go to the dash.org forum where I began researching which Dash wallet to get. After reading about the Dash Core wallet, I decided I wanted to start off with a wallet that was the easiest to use. An acquaintance from Steemit recommended the Exodus wallet and after researching it on a website called Crypto Compare , I decided to try out Exodus.
There were five reasons I chose the Exodus wallet:
Exodus interface
It’s super easy to use. It received 4.7 stars from users. The customer support for this wallet is outstanding. The wallet doesn’t hold your private keys in a server. It’s beautifully designed.
It’s not a good idea to hold too much money in the Exodus wallet because it’s not an offline wallet. But it’s a good wallet to keep a little money in and experiment with.
The Exodus wallet is visually stunning and contains many different colored skins for different tastes. It uses more graphics than text and is therefore much easier to use and way more aesthetically pleasing.
So far, so good. As I wandered around the Dash Forum I began to notice that it’s very well-organized and contains many moderators.
I was amused to discover that you can give people’s comments other things besides a thumbs up. You can give people a rainbow, a check mark and you can even give them a troll head if they’re nasty or being a jerk.
There’s a thumbs down icon you can use if you disagree with someone’s comment. A lot of forums I’ve been in aren’t this friendly and more still seem to be full of disgruntled young men who enjoy belittling people who are different from them. As someone who has been viciously stalked online several times and publicly doxxed twice by a deranged man, I’m happy that the forums in Dash are very well moderated. I felt extremely safe and respected in there. I really wasn’t expecting the Dash community to be so nice and welcoming. It was shocking.
Next, I ventured into the Dash slack channel.
In the Dash slack chat, I was very amused because the people in there seemed pretty nice.
Keep in mind, this was when the value of Dash had just skyrocketed up so people were celebrating big time. Lots of people made it rain Dash, which means that they tipped Dash to all the people in the slack chat room. It was kind of like being in a virtual bar, where everyone in it was bought a free drink.
I noticed that whenever a guy became an a**hole in slack, someone would step in and basically give him a hint about how to treat people. I have never witnessed this before in any online community. There’s a level of respect that I can honestly say is unique to the Dash community.
For people who are into being crude, they can go into the “off-topic” channel, so it’s not like there’s censorship or a lack of free expression. Creating an environment that is open but respectful towards others is a really difficult thing to achieve. It appears that a community manager created this uniquely positive social environment.
Many people might think that I am interested in the Dash community only because its value has shot up recently. That is perhaps why everyone else is interested in it but it’s only part of the reason for me.
I would say that it’s 40% of the reason why I came into Dash initially. The other 60% is because of my positive experiences within the Dash community and its amazing organization. I am tired of the fighting and discord in other smart coin communities. Achieving balance inside of a decentralized community is extremely difficult. Dash seems to have done this from what I can tell so far.
At the beginning of March when I first entered the Dash community, the price of Dash was around $38.
Some of my trader friends were selling their Dash, thinking that the price would immediately go down from there. As many of you know, it didn’t go down. At that same time many people were selling their Dash, I was buying it. But the reason I decided to buy it wasn’t based only on the market or expert opinions.
The reasons I decided to go all in with Dash was because I saw a number of things it has that is completely lacking in other smart coin communities: a very visible and trusted female leader, a newbie-friendly community, a well-organized and unified governance structure and a Treasury that is able to fund marketing and outreach efforts.
And the reason I kept converting my Bitcoin to Dash even when the price of Dash went up to $93 is because my own personal experiences within the Dash community were probably the best I’ve ever had in any online community. The amount of help I received when I had technical problems was the final thing that sent me over the Dash edge and made me a believer.
Let’s examine what happened to me when I had technical problems:
First Issue: Computer Froze Up
When I downloaded the Dash Core wallet, my computer froze up and became unresponsive. It did this while it was encrypting my wallet, so instead of just sitting there watching the beach ball go around, I decided to force quit and try the process all over again. I forced quit, downloaded the wallet again and then noticed that the wallet encryption had already finished from the earlier time. I posted my concerns in the Dash forum and very shortly thereafter, several people gave me very detailed instructions how to proceed.
Second Issue: Proposal Headaches
When I was going through the process of creating my Dash Budget Proposal, I ran into some issues that I could not resolve by myself. I asked a member for help and he provided me with step-by-step instructions in real-time that helped me navigate the super technical process of sending my proposal to through the Dash blockchain.
Third Issue: Writing Editor Woes
When I wrote my proposal on Dash Central, the fonts didn’t display properly. I highlighted them and changed the setting to ‘normal’ several times, but I wasn’t able to fix the size. I must have tried 6 more times, but still the letters were huge. I nearly lost my mind!
Also, weird code snippets were appearing in my text! I deleted the lines of code, but then the code would reappear again! It was like cutting off the head of a snake in a dream, only to have the snake regrow several more heads afterwards!
I almost lost my mind as I am a perfectionist and having my proposal display in such an ugly manner was super disturbing to me. I wrote for help in the forum and also sent an email to [email protected] asking for help to fix the size of the fonts. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to get a reply to my email. I figured my email would just sit there without getting any answer. To my surprise, not only did I get an answer, but a person named @rango fixed the size of my fonts in my proposal, and completely solved my problem. I really couldn’t believe it. It was shocking.
Well, there you have it. Now you understand why I’m happy to be involved with the Dash community. People are still at the heart of every successful new technological breakthrough. Without a supportive and encouraging community to help newbies jump through the technological hoops of smart money, Bitcoin and other alt coins will remain just a pipe dream.
I think Dash has the best chance of being embraced by the mainstream especially when Evolution comes out.
Full disclosure: I am lightly invested in Dash starting from March 3, 2017. I also recently created a proposal for the Dash Treasury. You can view my proposal here.
ps-I know this article is too long. The next one will be shorter.
About the author:
Leah Stephens is the editor of Dash For Newbies, writer and full stack artist. She has written one book, Un-Crap Your Life which is now available on Amazon. She wrote for Interesting Engineering before discovering the blockchain. She runs a zany YouTube channel and she’s now working within the Dash decentralized autonomous organization. Most days she can be found lurking on Twitter and in the Women of Dash Slack channel. She’s also a top writer in Steemit. Her favorite quote is by Rimbaud: | https://medium.com/dash-for-newbies/what-a-newbie-thinks-about-the-dash-community-so-far-16d2c4c4c90c | [] | 2017-04-21 17:14:05.771000+00:00 | ['Dash', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Women', 'Bitcoin'] |
Oncora Medical and the Changing Landscape of Cancer Care: a Conversation with Founder and CEO, David Lindsay (Podcast #52) | David Lindsay, Founder and CEO of Oncora Medical
David’s path to becoming a founder
David studied neurobiology and math at UConn and emphasizes the importance of learning coding and proficiency with statistics in his career. In college, he was inspired to pursue an MD/PhD by a physician mentor, who characterized it as a balance of caring for patients with the highest standard of care, while advancing that standard through research. At Penn, the MBA Medical Device class shed light on key processes involved in the development of a medical device company, and started him down the path of translational research and entrepreneurship.
Oncora’s vision and founding
During David’s first year of medical school, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. While juggling responsibilities caring for his mother and studying medicine, he perceived a lack of standardized data around the treatments that patients get while caring for his mom. The problem of clinician access to data was exacerbated by the technology ecosystem across the hospital, which historically has been composed of a fragmented series of databases specific to different services and specialties, all locked behind firewalls. David was inspired by his mentor Dr. Steve Hahn to solve this problem.
Oncora is building a software and data platform that organizes cancer patient data on treatments and outcomes. They leverage that data to improve physician decision making through machine learning. David’s focus is figuring out how to most effectively use the data that hospitals are already generating and collecting on EHR platforms. His big picture vision is a world where every cancer patient gets a custom treatment plan formed through new clinical trial data, observational evidence, and machine learning tied together under the expertise of the physician.
Some key challenges from the early days of Oncora
David and his team initially considered a direct-to-patient platform but ultimately opted to deliver the data through a trusted source: the physician, who can explain the decision-making process and data from Oncora alongside their clinical expertise.
Their next challenge was navigating data sharing with hospital systems and getting access to the data to build their platform. To build Oncora, they needed cross-institutional data sharing because no single hospital has enough data on a diverse enough set of patients and cancers to rely on a single institution.
Hospitals tend to view patient data as their own IP and are reluctant to share data, even with the patients themselves. CMS recently issued a ruling enforcing data sharing practices. Looking forward, some barriers to data sharing may be removed. In light of privacy concerns, Oncora will only use a patient’s data if it has 1) been fully de-identified and 2) is used for the purpose of advancing care for patients. They don’t use any data for any other commercial purposes, and it was a priority to invest early on to build a highly secure platform.
On the importance of partnerships with medical centers
David was advised by his mentors to not develop the product in isolation and to not guess at what physicians want. Partnerships with medical centers were also key: Oncora first had a research partnership with Penn to get their foot in the door. They later inked a partnership with MD Anderson in 2016 with the help of his mentor, Dr. Steve Hahn. MD Anderson became a user of the product, a partner to evaluate the product, and contributed intellectual property that was crucial to taking an early idea to prime-time and securing more funding.
What has David learned about himself and his leadership style?
His strategy to leadership is to take his instincts to the problem and surround himself with mentors and emulate their leadership styles. In particular, he’s learned the importance of trusting his team and empowering his team to trust in themselves. One lesson that David has picked up and adopted from Dr. Hahn is to take pride in the accomplishments of his team and to help support and facilitate the success of his team.
He characterizes the job of the CEO to remove barriers and make it easier for his team to do their best work and to help make sure everybody’s goals are aligned with the company’s vision.
What lies ahead for Oncora?
Oncora has recently partnered with and received an investment from Varian, the market leader in oncology software and devices involved in the delivery of radiation therapy, as well as software for radiation planning and tracking patient encounters. They are now working together to build a machine learning product to help radiation oncologists design the best possible radiation treatment plan.
They have also recently partnered with Tmunity to help guide their scientific and clinical activities using real-world data to accelerate clinical trials and in some cases supplement randomized control trials with synthetic or hybrid approaches.
What lies ahead for David?
David describes his own path as “scattered and meandering” but his driving goal has remained consistent, which has always been to use data and engineering to improve medicine. For him right now, pursuing this goal through Oncora is the best place for him to be. David also wants to complete his clinical training, as his experience as a physician will allow him to do a better job evaluating opportunities for new technology and bringing them to the clinic. While he’s not sure if he plans to do residency and fellowship, but for the time being, he plans to finish medical school and to continue to work as an entrepreneur in the field of oncology.
David shares his final piece of advice to any MD or PhD student thinking about starting a company: the barriers to starting a company are lower than any other time. The capital requirements are lower now with both cloud web hosting and software as a service (SaS) offerings to help with things like accounting. His advice is that if you have an idea and you are in some way uniquely positioned to tackle it, you should go for it. | https://medium.com/penn-healthx/oncora-and-the-changing-landscape-of-cancer-care-a-conversation-with-founder-david-lindsay-52952cf1244b | [] | 2020-04-27 16:39:52.852000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Startup', 'Data Science', 'Medicine', 'Cancer'] |
Principles of spacing in UI Design (Part 2) | In the left, if you equalize spacing for all input fields, it seems tight and not look actively bad. The label doesn’t have a visual hierarchy. Moreover, the user can’t quickly scan them. The problem with the first card is the spacing of that labels don’t have breathing room necessary and divide the system-level sizing.
In the right, it seems perfect more and improves the legibility of the user. My approach is to start designing something with too much spacing, then remove it until you have an eye-catching design. You need to notice that you should have some difference between the spacing and divide the least three formats in your design (small, medium and large spacing) ( I mentioned it in part 1). In addition, they can support you to define the system. 16px is a great number to start because it divides nicely ( 4px = 16 x 0.25, 8px = 16 x 0.5, 12px = 16 x 0.75, …)
You usually start to add a bit of white space. If something is too cramped, you will add a bit more spacing until everything looks better in your design. By this way, you only have a minimum spacing. So you need more space. This way will take a lot of your time and not have a good result. One of the ways to have an elegant design is your design should start with too much white space. | https://medium.com/dwarves-design/the-principle-of-spacing-part-2-e3cf31b909fa | ['Anna Tran'] | 2020-05-29 13:19:30.975000+00:00 | ['Accessibility', 'Design', 'Typography', 'Ui Ux Design', 'Front End Development'] |
How to build your own board game | How to build your own board game
In episode 22 of ‘The Nobody’s Famous Podcast’, Mohamed Al Qadi takes us through his process into creating the first Emirati board game: Conqueror - Final Conquest. He was always fascinated by strategy games ever since the Total War series came out, however with board games, he struggled to find something that was authentic and realistic without having wizards or mages creep up mid-game. The game allows you to “Form alliances, go to war, betray your friends, bribe your enemies, feed your armies and recruit heroes to build an everlasting empire” which he believes are elements that make up a believable environment.
1. Don't be a rocket scientist. Get shit done.
According to Mohamed, there are two types of people in this world:
Over-thinkers: They want everything to be absolutely perfect in a chaotic world… it just wont happen.
They want everything to be absolutely perfect in a chaotic world… it just wont happen. Learn as they go: They take an idea and hit the ground running. They learn from their mistakes and adjust along the way — it’s always an ongoing process filled with failures.
Creating a board game requires trial and error, statistical testing and continuous feedback. Therefore assuming that you will attain perfection is nonsense.
2. Draw out your board game and make up some rules.
You wouldn't create a board game without an initial concept. Now let’s focus on how to get that concept laid out. With Mohamed Al Qadi, he sketched the Game of Thrones map and made up some rules that mimic reality which he wanted to reflect in the game.
Draw out an already existing map so you don’t waste your time working on the rules and the map simultaneously.
From there, he tested the game on himself numerous times and once he felt confident to present it, he invited different players. After every game, he would sit down with each of them and write down their honest opinions. After implementing their comments, he was pleased with the final mechanics and dynamics. Finally, he picked his theme — Rome during the third century BC, developed his characters, heroes, the historical map, the algorithm and finally tested the probabilities.
Try to go to the root cause of their suggestions… Ask “WHY?”
A player might suggest to add a timer to eliminate long decision making, or it might be that in life, especially battlefields, you have to act fast — therefore, mimicking reality.
3. Artwork & Manufacturing & Logistics
Artwork should follow once the concept is finalized and you feel confident to take it forward. As for manufacturing, unless you're an expert on analyzing the quality of the product, do proper research beforehand and understand the different quality available. For logistics, get familiar with the different charges since it easy to miss the hidden charges. Marketing, branding, and logistics should all go towards the cost of the board game. | https://medium.com/@tnfpodcast/how-to-build-your-own-board-game-9251aeb994f6 | ["The Nobody'S Famous Podcast"] | 2020-03-03 13:09:24.337000+00:00 | ['How To', 'Board Games', 'Business Idea Generation', 'Process', 'Entrepreneurship'] |
William Faulkner Taught Us Compassion, Sacrifice, Endurance. | “I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance,” said William Faulkner in his acceptance of the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature.
In context, these words were said in Stockholm in 1950, after the United States State Department pressured him into accepting the reward he previously denied in 1949. But Faulkner’s bold vision for the human race as well as its soul and spirit resonant with me now and today. We dwell in uncertain ages and uncertain times, yet as did William Faulkner and the world in 1950, facing the possibility of atomic destruction in the midst of a nuclear arms race.
“Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it… There is only the question: When will I be blown up?”
As youth’s energies and writing was devoted to this threat and possibility, Faulkner urged the reader to focus on the struggles of the heart rather than the struggles of the external world, because “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.” As an aside, I love quoting Faulkner because his language has historically gone against Hemingway’s grain and notion that “less is more” and “less is better.” No, I do not believe that to be true, at least for me. Even with the volume and prolificness of my own writing and output, even when I make mistakes, more is better for me. More is more and always better, because you only improve at writing by, guess what? Writing.
Faulkner also believed in an immortality that can be achieved through writing and through art. Man “must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid,” and channeling that fear into “love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice” is how good art is created.
“I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure,” but, as Faulkner notes in the famous quote with which I began the article, man doesn’t simply endure, but prevails. We are immortalized in the memories and hearts of people we love and whose lives we touch. The spirit with which Faulkner speaks of is captured best, by “the poet’s, the writer’s duty to write about these things.”
For a long time, I wrote feature profile pieces about my friends and teammates on the cross country team. They weren’t perfect, and I illustrated various flaws in my technique and approach in an article at the end of 2017. I was prone to hero worship and straying away from flaws and demons of my subjects. I resorted to tropes of resiliency and perseverance. But I was able to, in a way, capture a slice of life of who my friends were in that moment of their lives, even if it were an imperfect picture. And as a writer, that is my goal and job to move forward, to keep pressing on imperfectly, stumbling, casting my hat in the arena unconditionally.
I have started writing feature pieces and profiles again, not for Odyssey, but for my class. I forgot how much I loved doing them, and how much connection I felt in capturing the character in the people I engage with. I wrote one on a hard-working, dependable, and charismatic custodian. I’m in the process of writing another one on a Mexican worker at our food court. In the words of Faulkner, the work is not a burden, but a privilege. “It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.”
In the present, we can forget the glory of our past. The title of Faulkner’s most famous book, The Sound and the Fury, comes from Macbeth’s famous soliloquy in act 5, scene 5 in Shakespeare’s : “Life’s but a walking shadow… a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing.” Yes, it might be awfully pessimistic to say that life is “told by an idiot,” and signifies nothing. But we create meaning through our sound and fury.
To me, humanity’s sound is Faulkner’s endurance. It is our day to day lives and how we make money, survive, and care of our basic physiological necessities at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
But our fury is how we scream, how we prevail and make our immortality. We all have our different ways of doing this. As an athlete, my fury is my running, my races in cross country, my recent marathons. As a writer, my fury is my articles, profiles, features, and everything in between. As a Crisis Counselor for the Crisis Text Line, my fury is my conversations with people that need help in whatever form. Your fury is different, but it is the way you immortalize yourself and your mark on the world, what people will remember you for long after you’re gone.
Looking at the way people have entered my life and saved me time and time again, as gifts of a God of unconditional love, I can’t help but agree with Faulkner’s optimism. Humanity’s soul has prevailed and will prevail with compassion, with sacrifice, with endurance. | https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/william-faulkner-taught-us-compassion-sacrifice-endurance-729caf4e3776 | ['Ryan Fan'] | 2019-09-03 23:49:24.131000+00:00 | ['Health', 'Writing', 'Mental Health', 'Religion', 'Spirituality'] |
Spork 15 Activation: April 2 | Spork 15 Activation: April 2
Dash Community,
We are currently at over 67% of masternodes registered with the Deterministic Masternode List. This is terrific progress given that DIP3 was activated just 9 days ago! However, it does not appear we are going to meet the spork 15 activation criteria this budget period. Based on the activation criteria, at 67% of masternodes registered, the rate of masternodes registering would have had to slow to less than 2.13% per day to justify a discontinuation of the process, and it is still going strong at over 3%.
Therefore we now plan to activate spork 15 on April 2, the day after the next super block payout. By that time, the masternode network will have met our activation criteria under any scenario. Masternode owners should continue registering with the Deterministic Masternode List as soon as possible. Instructions on how to register can be found here. It is critical that masternode owners register before the activation of spork 15 on April 2 to continue receiving payments.
Why the spork 15 activation criteria?
We created an activation formula to ensure we were balancing the competing objectives of the spork activation timing. These objectives include providing adequate time for masternode operators to register, and ensuring the spork is activated early enough in a voting cycle for proposal owners to recover lost votes. At the same time, we wanted to ensure that as we approached the 80% target, the network would not be held back if activation rates tailed off. The formula we proposed balanced the above objectives, while more aggressively discounting the importance of adoption rate as registration approached the ideal 80% target. The deadline of March 8 was set to minimize the impact to the proposal system, as the activation of spork 15 will reset proposal votes. We were concerned about multi-month proposal owners not having enough time to recoup votes. The deadline was selected because it is ~25% of the way into the voting period.
Spork 15 Activation Criteria
Please cast your votes!
Therefore, at this time masternode owners should feel free to begin casting their votes on proposals without concern that they will be reset. In the meantime, the team is working on a few updates to Dash Core v0.13 (separate communication coming on this), in addition to continuing work on Dash Core v0.14.
Thank you again to all masternode owners for the great progress made towards finalizing the Dash Core v0.13 update. We are really excited to continue rolling out new features together! | https://blog.dash.org/spork-15-activation-april-2-2ee937afb64d | ['Elizabeth Robuck'] | 2019-03-09 15:47:41.878000+00:00 | ['Payments', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Fintech', 'Dash', 'Blockchain'] |
My Family and I Tested Positive for Covid-19. Here’s our Survival Guide. | My Family and I Tested Positive for Covid-19. Here’s our Survival Guide.
For the sake of organisation I have divided this article into 3 parts-
(I) Pre-Covid Stage
(II) Covid Stage
(III) Post Covid- Stage
(I) Pre Covid Stage
How and when did you all contract Covid-19?
My mother was the first one to contract the virus. This happened in the first week of June. She used to keep stepping out for groceries and so it is hard to tell how she contracted the virus. She had fever for about 5 days when in the process I, my brother and my father got infected one after the other.
What were the Covid-19 symptoms that you experienced?
All of us had fever of varying intensities as a common symptom. Some of us also experienced weakness, chills at night, loss of smell and taste and a slight congestion in the chest. Given below is a daily diary of symptoms on a case-by-case basis-
My case:
Fever only for the first 2 days, weakness, Loss of sense of taste, smell and appetite.
My brother’s case:
Fever for initial 2–3 days (99–100.4 degrees), followed by a mild temperature (99–99.5 degrees) for the next 4–5 days . The fever would subside during the day and rise at night. Loss of sense of taste and smell, no weakness.
My father’s case:
Fever for 5–6 days followed by slight weakness.
Your mother had to be hospitalized because of Covid Pneumonia. What were her symptoms?
She had only fever for 6–7 days (ranging from 99–101 degrees) and absolutely no other symptoms. No breathlessness, no congestion in the chest. On the 8th and 9th day her fever spiked to 102.5 degrees at night which is when we took her to the hospital. Her oximeter readings were normal and she had no other complaints. It is only because of the Chest X-Ray and CRP test results that we came to know that she had Covid Pneumonia.
Where did you get tested?- Diagnostic Centre or Hospital? Why?
I took a Covid-19 Test at a Suburban Diagnostics centre at Mumbai. The test costed Rs. 4500/- when I took it. I booked the test online from their website — Link here
I, along with my mother got tested at a diagnostic centre instead of a hospital for the following reasons-
1. Online slot booking is possible
2. Limited slots per hour: Only 5–6 people are tested in 1 hour thereby enabling social distancing and hence reducing chances of getting infected if you are covid negative
3. One only needed an MBBS doctor’s prescription to get tested. (Update: No prescription required at 17 private labs in Mumbai W.e.f 8th July, 2020 — Link)
4. ‘Drive Thru’ testing in your own car is possible at select locations e.g. Suburban Diagnostics Mumbai (Bandra W). This enables social distancing as one is sitting in the relatively safe environment of his own car while getting tested. However since slots for these drive thru tests were full, we had to go to a normal centre.
Side Note: My brother and father got tested at a private hospital, where they were unnecessarily charged an extra amount of Rs.1000/- as consultation charge and Rs.700/- as ‘Handling of speciality samples’ . This amount could have been saved had we not been in an emergency situation and had tested at a diagnostic centre.
How exactly is a sample for covid test collected? Does it hurt?
A lab personnel wearing PPE would insert one side of the swab (imagine a really really long earbud) first in your nose. The other side of the swab would be put in your throat.
Honestly, whether it would hurt or not would depend on your luck. I almost started crying when the lab technician suddenly put the swab deep inside my nose. However my brother didn’t feel a thing because the technician who collected his sample was calmly swirling the swab in his nose.
Also, don’t worry if they don’t collect both your nose and throat swab. In my case both the nose and throat swab were collected. However in my brother’s case only a nasal swab was collected. Yet the results were accurate, we both were covid positive.
What exactly is written on the Covid Test result?
‘SARS-CoV-2 — Detected’ is written on the result if you are coronavirus positive.
Snapshot of Covid-19 Report
What’s the ‘first’ thing to do when one has a Fever? Should one isolate even if it seems to be a normal viral fever?
The first thing that one should do immediately and I can’t stress this enough is ISOLATE! And yes, one should isolate even if it seems to be a regular viral fever. It could simply be a viral fever but in case it is Covid-19, then just the initial 1–2 days are enough to spread the virus to your family members.
While isolating the suspected patient I would suggest allotting a separate room and bathroom, if possible. Give separate utensils and ask the patient to wash them first before handing them over to you. Do not go near the person without a mask. At this stage I would recommend an N-95 mask but even a 3-ply mask would do. Keep sanitising your hands regularly.
How to know whether the fever is due to Covid-19 or the weather change?
It is very, very, very difficult to know whether you have Covid-19 or just a normal Viral fever. I would go as far as to say that it is impossible to know whether you had Covid-19 or not without a RT-PCR (Covid-19) test. That’s one reason I would suggest anyone who has fever for more than 3 days to get a Covid test done.
When should one take a Covid-19 test?
In my opinion, a Covid-19 test should be taken if-
1. Fever persists for more than 3 days: The person should get tested on the 4th day so that the results come by the 6th day of onset of symptoms. If you turn out to be positive you would be able to start your course of HCQ or any other medicine early on and prevent damage to your internal organs.
2. More than one person in the household has fever or other Covid-19 symptoms | https://medium.com/@tripathirituja/my-family-and-i-tested-positive-for-covid-19-heres-our-survival-guide-4d4eb9789ea4 | ['Rituja T.'] | 2020-07-20 05:48:59.964000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Informative Content', 'Covid 19 Treatment', 'Covid Diaries', 'Covid19 Survival'] |
We all have issues | Everybody has their own issues but when we tell ourselves that or we are told that, lets be honest we think “but mine is different.” I mean maybe but, back to the beginning we all have issues. which leads me on to mine. I am 13 years old and I have OCD. OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Excessive thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead to compulsive behaviors. I have intrusive thoughts, that are very unsettling that lead me to believe if I don't do certain things something will happen. I end up doing the thing my OCD tells me to do to prevent what I think will happen from happening. I am in 8th grade now but, I have come a long way from where I started. follow me for more writings about my journey and my ability to trying to overcome OCD.
-Lola Sheff | https://medium.com/@lolasheff07/we-all-have-issues-7cf1786bc53b | ['Lola Sheff'] | 2020-12-18 03:56:38.245000+00:00 | ['Obsessive Compulsive', '13', 'Ocd', 'Journey'] |
Paul Robeson: Out of Slavery | Paul Robeson’s father often reminded his son that he must care for all people who were unfavourably treated…
Paul Robeson. Image: YouTube
Paul Leroy Robeson was born in Princeton on April 9th, 1898. His father, William Drew Robeson, was born a slave in 1845, as Robeson’s biographer, Martin Bauml Duberman writes:
William was “… the child of Benjamin and Sabra, on the Roberson[sic] plantation in Cross Roads Township, Martin County, North Carolina.”
In 1860, aged fifteen, William escaped the plantation, headed north and crossed into Pennsylvania, where he served as a labourer in the Union Army, often making the perilous journey back to the plantation to see his mother, something that could easily have cost him his life. At the end of the Civil War William sent himself to school, and then, earning the fees working as a farm labourer, entered Lincoln University where he studied theology, earning a degree in Sacred Theology in 1876.
Duberman continues:
“ While studying at Lincoln, William Drew met Maria Louisa Bustill, eight years his junior, a teacher at the Robert Vaux School. Her distinguished family traced its roots back to the African Bantu people (as William Drew did his to the Ibo of Nigeria), and in this country its members had intermarried with Delaware Indians and English Quakers. The many prominent descendants included Cyrus Bustill, who in 1787 helped to found the Free African Society, the first black self-help organization in America; Joseph Cassey Bustill, a prominent figure in the Underground Railroad; Sarah Mapps Douglass, a founding member of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Louisa Bustill’s own sister, Gertrude, wrote for several Philadelphia newspapers and married Dr. Nathan Francis Mossell, the first black graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (as well as a considerable activist for racial justice). When Louisa Bustill married William Drew Robeson in 1878, the impressive legacy of Bustill achievements, past and current, became part of their son Paul’s heritage.”
And although Paul was proud of his mother’s family he seldom spoke about them, preferring to talk about his father’s ‘good North Carolina kin’ .
In the year of Paul’s birth in 1898 his father was fifty-three, and his mother forty-five. Paul was the youngest of seven children, and was his mother’s favourite.
Paul Robeson’s eldest brother William became a doctor in Washington DC, dying in 1925 aged forty-four. For Paul his dead brother became his ‘…principal source of learning how to study.’
In the early years of Robeson’s life the town of Princeton has been described as a “…strictly Jim Crow place, with black adults held to menial jobs and black youngsters relegated to the segregated Witherspoon Elementary School…” a school which only taught to eighth grade. If a better education was sought by African American parents, as was the case with Paul’s, it had to be sought elsewhere. As Robeson wrote, African Americans…” lived a much more communal life “ in Princeton “ than the white people, “ a communality expressed and preserved” by the church.
Duberman writes:
“ Within that church, [Paul’s father] was an admired figure. He had been pastor of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church in Princeton for nearly twenty years when his son Paul was born. Of the three black churches in Princeton at the turn of the century, Witherspoon was the largest, the possessor of an auditorium, a parish house, and several additional properties, together valued at more than thirty thousand dollars. As pastor of Witherspoon, Reverend Robeson would later be recalled as having initially ‘made many improvements in the church methods and church prosperity.’ He would also be recalled, by blacks, as ‘ever the defender of justice — standing firmly for the rights of our race.’ A contemporary commented that ‘you could move the Rock of Gibraltar’ more easily — William Drew Robeson was made of ‘flintstone, unwilling to compromise on moral principles, even if it meant economic harm.’ ”
But then, after twenty years of service, the Reverend Robeson was forced out of his position. Many reasons have been given, but it sounds like a bad case of church politics and envy. Then, in 1904, William’s wife Louisa died after a hot coal fell from the fire onto her dress with devastating effect.
Paul and his brother Ben (the only two children left at home), with their father moved from the church house into an attic above a grocery store (owned by a member of William’s old congregation), where the Rev Robeson now worked. They cooked and washed in a lean-to attached to the back of the store. They were hard times but the Rev Robeson was made of oak and gradually, and with the help of members of his old church, earned enough to build and start a church of his own. The Reverand’s original church may have disowned the Robeson family but the real church — its congregation — did not, as Robeson’s faithful biographer recounts:
“ The woman who ran the grocery store downstairs, along with other church sisters and neighbors, brought food from time to time (supplemented by bags of cornmeal, greens, yams, and peanuts sent up by relatives from Robersonville, North Carolina); and if Reverend Robeson had to visit a parishioner or be away overnight, one of the sisters would take young Paul home, sewing on his buttons, darning his socks, making him rice pudding and chocolate cake.”
As Robeson later wrote:
“ There must have been moments when I felt the sorrows of a motherless child, but what I most remember from my youngest days was an abiding sense of comfort and security.”
Paul was always remembered by the townspeople as a kindly open-hearted boy.
Paul’s father had a passion for oratory, and a voice that could carry clearly across a crowded church, or a gathering in a field. It was also William’s desire to pass on his oratory skills to his son; “ dwelling on the choice of the word, the turn of phrase, or the potency of an inflexion…” giving Paul speech after speech to memorise, going through them line by line. Afterwards Paul would perform them for his father’s judgement and the much loved smile if he was pleased. With those precious lessons out of the way, father and son would often play checkers (drafts), with William occasionally speaking of his time as a slave, and again as Paul’s biographer writes, his father was the influence:
“ If the tales were infrequent, they were also graphic; later in life Paul would recall how they haunted his memory and infused his singing of the slave spirituals with a special knowledge and poignancy. He marveled at his father’s refusal to remain in bondage and, ‘in all the years of his manhood,’ his refusal ‘ to be an Uncle Tom.’ Though he himself witnessed his father ‘taunted by the hideous injustices of the color bar,’ he never once saw in him a ‘hint of servility’; Reverend Robeson taught his children that the black man ‘was in every way the equal of the white man.’ Paul marveled, too, that his father always acted like ‘a perfect Christian,’ rejecting bitterness or even unkindliness. He taught Paul that he had a special responsibility to his race — but also taught him to care ‘for all people who were unfavorably treated’ and never to assume that whites, by definition, were as a group incapable of caring, reminding him, ‘ that whites as well as blacks had given him aid and comfort in his trek for freedom.”
In 1910 Paul attended the James L. Jamison “Colored School”, graduating in 1911 with a rendition of Founding Father, Patrick Henry’s, ‘An Appeal to Arms’, and quite captivated the assembly with his oratory. There would have been a smile on his father’s face I’m sure. Paul then spent a short period at Westfield’s unsegregated Washington School “…graduating at the head of his class…” entering Somerville High in 1912.
Paul’s obvious abilities can certainly be laid at his father’s door.
The Rev Robeson was a hugely loving parent, who was also demanding, and a strict disciplinarian, who expected his son to become involved in church life, at the same time earn money doing odd jobs to pay his way through school, as he had done. And Paul was no slouch, working as a kitchen boy, as well as working on a farm, and later shifts in the shipyards and brickyards, and then as a waiter at the Imperial Hotel at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, where all the guests “… were white and all the staff black.” Robeson remembered the job with some affection, not least hanging around with Oscar C. Brown, who later became a real estate developer and civil-rights activist. Brown worked as a bell-hop in the hotel, earning $60 for a summer’s work. Another of the “good chaps” working at the hotel was Fritz Pollard who later became the “…first black All-American football player, named a year before Robeson became the second.”
Fritz Pollard is quoted as saying that “…everyone loved Paul, and everywhere he went there was a great demand to hear his voice.”
Paul was as popular as a student as he was a waiter, as Duberman writes:
“ Most of Paul’s white classmates [at Somerville High]apparently believed…that his unfailingly courteous, Christian demeanor reflected the full range of his feelings, and that his penchant for remaining somewhat apart merely reflected a loner’s temperament. ‘ Well,’ Robeson later laconically observed, ‘ I was a good boy, sure enough — but I wasn’t that good!’ ”
It would seem that Robeson sometimes fell behind with assignments due to his love of football, but was “…always fun to be with.”
But as Jeff Sparrow writes in No Way But This:
“ Paul graduated top of his class his first year at Somerville. ‘Pop was pleased by that, I guess,’ he wrote, ‘ though it was only what he expected of me, and his attitude never allowed for feelings of exaggerated self-esteem.’ ”
And, in 1915, it would be at Somerville that Paul Robeson first played Othello.
In the same year, 1915, that Paul Robeson played Othello at Somerville High, where his wonderful voice was noted, the seventeen year old Paul, applied and took a statewide written exam for a four year scholarship to Rutgers University. Paul’s father would preferred the all black Lincoln University where he had himself studied, but it would have been out of the minister’s financial ability, and the chance of a scholarship to Rutgers was very appealing financially. Anyway, Paul didn’t want to go to Lincoln and had his heart set on a much larger university, with Rutgers fitting the bill well.
Paul Robeson was determined.
“ I don’t want to have things handed to me, I don’t want it made easy,” Paul made clear at the time.
And easy they were not.
All the other students had already worked a four year course at school to prepare them for the exam. Paul had not, so had to take an exam that covered that four year course of work, and he won the competition.
Paul knew it was to be hard going to a non-segregated university, having, as an African-American, already suffered a certain amount of racial abuse, but his father had taught him an intricate “…strategy for survival.”
And as Martin Bauml Duberman has written, his father:
“ …had taught him to reject the automatic assumption that all whites are malignant, to react to individuals, not to a hostile white mass. At the same time, Reverend Robeson knew the extent of white hostility — he had, after all, been born a slave — and he counseled his son to adopt a gracious amenable exterior while awaiting the measure of an individual white person’s trustworthiness. But William Drew was no Uncle Tom; Paul was constantly reminded of his ‘obligations to the race,’ constantly reminded of its plight. Taught to be firm in his dedication to freeing his people, Paul was also taught to avoid gratuitous grandstanding. His job was to protest and stay alive; outright rebellion against a slave system was as suicidal as subservient capitulation to it.”
When Paul Robeson entered Rutgers University the school was 149 years old and still private, with fewer than 500 students. It did not admit African-American students until the Civil War, with only two on the books from that period until Robeson walked through their doors, although some African-American s may have attended unofficially. The year after Robeson entered Rutgers another African-American, Robert Davenport, enrolled, with the two students known as “Davvy and “ Robey” , with the two becoming great friends.
And as Jeff Sparrow has written:
“ At Rudgers, the Reverend Robeson watched his son accumulate academic and other trophies, triumphs that were never within William’s own reach. Paul won fourteen varsity letters, he headed the debating team; joined Phi Beta Kappa, an honour accorded to those deemed the best representatives of the college ideals.”
In 1918 Paul’s father became seriously ill, and although Paul offered to come home instead of competing in an oratorical prize, his father, as recorded in Jeff’s book, commanded:
“ I don’t care what happens to me. I want you to go and give your speech, and I want you to win.”
Paul’s father died in May, and three days later Paul took the competition, going off script at one point to politely inform the mainly white audience about the “…inadequate educational opportunities offered blacks — and emphasized, by way of contrast, the distinction with which they continued to fight in the countries wars.” He won the competition.
In his 1964 memoir, Music on My Mind, the jazz pianist, Willie The Lion Smith, writes:
“ During the years before World War I, colored folks moved uptown. Harlem itself did not become heavily populated until during the war when a great many Negroes from the south came up to work in the plants. But the section called San Juan Hill, or The Jungle, located west of of Broadway from Fifty-ninth up to Sixty-fourth, was growing steadily. West Fifty-third Street started to become the meeting place of entertainers and musicians.”
Willie The Lion Smith saw it all.
What Willie witnessed in those years of the early 20th century was six million African-Americans moving from the Southern States to the industrial North — and to a lesser extent the Mid-West and West. In 1900 approximately 90% of African-Americans lived in the Southern States: by 1970 it was down to half that figure.
The twenty-year-old Paul Robeson, whose own father had fled Southern slavery in the 19th century, was one of those who headed north: in his case only slightly further north, to the stomping ground of Willie The Lion Smith, Harlem.
Martin Bauml Duberman again:
“ No promised land awaited the new migrants to the North, yet amid the endemic squalor and discrimination they did manage to make some improvements in their daily lot: decreased death, illiteracy, and infant-mortality rates, a rise in school enrollment and political participation (blacks could vote in the North). Fierce white resistance to residential integration — including bombings and beatings — forced blacks into ghettos, where development of community institutions like churches and fraternal orders provided some sense of refuge, a potential political base, and a focus for cultural cohesion.”
When Robeson arrived in Harlem in 1919 he was already well known from Rutgers as a football star and basket-ball player, a hugely talented singer, and, as his father had asked him to be: an outspoken champion of his race. Paul was soon considered a ‘Harlem Darling’ and an ambitious ‘New Negro.’
And it wasn’t long before Robeson was spotted by an up and coming playwright, as Ann Douglas writes in her book, Terrible Honesty:
“ Serious white dramatists showcased black talent…[such as] Eugene O’Neill, who urged his black peers to ‘… be yourselves! Don’t reach out for our stuff which we call good!’ “
O’Neill pioneered drama about African-Americans, and used African-American actors too “… not white ones in blackface…” which was, to say the least, quite revolutionary. O’Neill’s The Dreamy Kid was produced in 1919 with an all black cast, and five years later, O’Neill cast Paul Robeson as Jim Harris in All God’s Chillun Got Wings.
But we get slightly ahead of ourselves.
Paul Robeson’s final year in college had, in the words of Australian writer Jeff Sparrow:
“ …been marked by tremendous industrial upheavals, police repression, and racial conflict. Throughout the so called Red Summer of 1919, whites sought to intimidate black soldiers returning from France to accept pre-war conditions through lynchings and other forms of violence, resulting in hundreds of African-American deaths across the nation. There was nothing out of the ordinary in that. What was new was that African-Americans were fighting back — sometimes even taking up arms against their assailants.”
When Robeson arrived in Harlem that summer of 1919, it was filled with demobilised officers and men, with khaki everywhere, and African-American students from all over the country attending Columbia University’s summer school. And not withstanding the violence and tension the place was jumping with jazz pianists, such The Lion, back from the war setting up shop in speakeasies, and more grandly at the Leroy Wilkin’s Club on 135th Street.
Willie and Robeson were both part of what became known as the Harlem Renaissance, which, apart from music and theatre, brought to the fore such writers as Rudolph Fisher — a friend of Robeson’s at the time — who became a major literary figure with his two novels, The Walls of Jericho and The Conjure Man Dies. Fisher was also studying medicine at Columbia, later becoming a much respected psychiatrist.
Fisher and Robeson would hang around together with another friend, the young musician, Jimmy Lightfoot, with whom Robeson shared an apartment on 135th Street.
Robeson was not slow at coming forward either where young women were concerned, often seen out walking with an attractive female on his arm: most often Francis Quiett, who had come to New York in 1918, with Fisher’s ‘steady date’ May Chinn, who became the first African-American female Bellevue graduate, and the first black woman intern at Harlem Hospital.
May was also a fine singer and pianist. Duberman again:
“ The four spent a lot of time together, and often May would play the piano while Paul sang. As Frankie [Francis Quiett] recalled sixty-five years later, he ‘had a beautiful, wondrous voice…’ ”
It was after one of these soirées at May’s apartment that Robeson decided to take his singing more seriously, rehearsing as often as he could with May playing the piano. It wasn’t long before the two were asked to give small recitals in schools and churches.
And when Paul Robeson wasn’t singing he was studying law.
To Be Continued…
Bibliography: Martin Bauml Duberman — Paul Robeson (The Bodley Head, London, 1989); Jeff Sparrow — No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson (Scribe Publications, 2017); Willie The Lion Smith — Music on My Mind (The Jazz Book Club, by arrangement with MacGibbon & Kee, London, 1966) | https://stevenewmanwriter.medium.com/paul-robeson-son-of-the-father-f6365d3f0343 | ['Steve Newman Writer'] | 2020-09-15 16:09:44.702000+00:00 | ['History', 'Books', 'Biography', 'Paul Robeson', 'Slavery'] |
Blockchain-less technologies — Too good to be true? | 1. What DAG fuck?
Let’s start with what it’s NOT. A DAG, is not:
However, a DAG is:
Directed: All links (vertices) between different nodes (edges) of the graph have a direction (eg: going from one node to another and not the other way around).
All links (vertices) between different nodes (edges) of the graph have a direction (eg: going from one node to another and not the other way around). Acyclic: One node cannot reference itself through any path
One node cannot reference itself through any path Graph: A collection of edges (nodes) and vertices (link between the nodes)
As we can see, the Graph in the Figure 2 is:
Not Acyclic: A can reference itself by going through B, C, D, E, F vertices
A can reference itself by going through B, C, D, E, F vertices Not Directed: D & E are linked by a bidirectional vertex
2. Blockchain vs DAG: Is DAG really the future?
One obvious advantage of DAG vs blockchain is that at any point of time a DAG can have an infinite number of tips (nodes at the very limit of the graph that are not yet referenced by other nodes), if we assume these nodes are transactions, it means an infinite number of transactions can be added to the graph at any point of time and can therefore be validated simultaneously if the network is large enough.
In contrast, a blockchain only has one tip at any point of time which is the latest block that has been validated and therefore a blockchain scalability is tied to the number of blocks that can be added per second and the number of transactions a given block can contain.
Recap of Blockchain vs DAG strengths & weaknesses: | https://medium.com/ibbc-io/blockchain-less-technologies-too-good-to-be-true-bc03947a66ea | ['Yacine Achiakh'] | 2018-07-12 04:23:17.025000+00:00 | ['Directed Acyclic Graph', 'Iota', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Knowledge'] |
4th Sunday of Advent. Today’s, the fourth Sunday of Advent… | ‘’I am the handmaid of the Lord’, said Mary, ‘let what you have said be done to me.” (Luke 1:38)
Today’s, the fourth Sunday of Advent, reading begins the Incarnation history of Jesus where Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel who bore the news of her conception of Jesus. This is the most important part of the Gospels as we are brought to the knowledge of the mystery of God in working in and through us in not only seeing how God’s will makes nothing impossible, but also how we are called upon to use the Gospels as inspiration for how we live.
When Mary received news of her virgin conception, she was ‘deeply disturbed’, but the angel Gabriel assured her, ‘Do not be afraid.’ Upon understanding the will of God, Mary then acknowledged her position as ‘the handmaid of the Lord’ and accepts her role humbly in doing God’s will.
Such an encounter in the Gospel is highly significant, but not uncommon. We see this being played repeatedly throughout the Gospels, especially during the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane by Jesus before he was betrayed by Judas.
Such acceptance of God’s will is also once again seen when Jesus embarked on his path of spreading the good news, was crucified and died at the cross, and Mary never once rose in anger at his enemies or at Jesus’ fate. Instead she allowed God’s will to play out and understood her role in God’s plan.
Here, we ask ourselves as we prepare for Advent, if we have actually learnt and reflected upon the Gospels. Following God’s will requires us to let go of our self-centred desires and ego. Following God’s will as seen in the lives of Jesus and Mary, provides us with strong evidence of how we ought to respond to events around us.
We wait actively and respond to God’s will, with the help of the Holy Spirit to discern what God wants of us to do. We practise the act of surrendering and letting go. We acknowledge that with God’s grace, the Lord provides us with what we need to grow to be Christ-like, in the love of the Lord, and to truly understand God. In order to do so, we need to be conscious of what and who we are. We need to ask ourselves if this person, I, is truly the Self, or the Ego. | https://medium.com/@claremusings/i-am-the-handmaid-of-the-lord-said-mary-let-what-you-have-said-be-done-to-me-luke-1-38-6afba1b03ed1 | [] | 2020-12-20 11:42:21.270000+00:00 | ['Annunciation', 'God', 'Jesus', 'Advent', 'Mary'] |
Perfection | A Tale of How Chase of Being can create Pressure, Anxiety, Myths and Doubts, wheras Perfection lies in …
Chase of Perfection,
Often ends up with Pressure,
Pressure of Excellence,
Pressure of Achievement,
Pressure to be simply Perfect.
Paths of Perfection,
Often leads to Anxiety,
Anxiety of Failing,
Anxiety of Losing,
Anxiety to be simply Perfect.
Waves of Perfection,
Often creates tides of Fear,
Fear of Rejection,
Fear of Future,
Fear to be simply Perfect.
Myths of Perfection,
Often cascades mirage of Doubts,
Doubts of Self-abilities,
Doubt of not being Enough,
Doubt to be simply Perfect.
Perfection is a Pressure,
Perfection is an Anxiety,
Perfection is a Fear,
Perfection is a Myth,
Perfection is simply an Imperfection.
……………………………..
To Follow My Journey Connect —
📍 LinkedIn —
📍 Instagram —
https://www.instagram.com/daman873/ | https://medium.com/illumination/perfection-2a59305dd0b1 | ['Daman Sandhu'] | 2020-08-02 09:30:19.912000+00:00 | ['Poem On Medium', 'Perfection', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Writing', 'Poetry'] |
Best IT Skills to Learn in 2021. | Best IT Skills to Learn in 2021 and Give Wings to your Career.
Looking to change fields and get into tech, but don’t know what skills you need to launch your career? Maximize your marketability by pursuing tech skills in demand for the future!
Regular or Continuous Learning is the most important thing, it will help you to keep updated with new skills and technologies and also help keep on track of the latest technology trends.
The world of technology is growing rapidly, and 2021 is going to see even more of a demand for IT skills and IT-related jobs.
It won’t be too long before technology starts to have another dramatic impact on the business world, and we are even starting to see the seeds of this being sown now.
As you know now, Information Technology (IT) is a very broad field and it keeps growing day-by-day, so there are lots of options you can take to start a technical career.
Companies know that in order to keep up with the latest in the field, they need to hire individuals with the relevant Technology Skills.
So, it is the right time to start your career in Information Technology, you can just start with basic technology skills that will help you to open doors to your career in technology which results in the increment of your salary as well.
If you are looking to switch your career to technology but don’t know which technology skill you should learn to launch your new career path.
Here are 15 in-demand technology skills you can learn and give wings to your career and start flying in 2021 and beyond.
Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Cybersecurity Data Science and Analytics Cloud Computing Internet of Things (IoT) UI/UX Design Mobile Development Extended Reality (Virtual Reality — VR and Augmented Reality — AR) Blockchain Product Management Robotics Salesforce Quantum Computing General Programming Languages
You can check this list at www.digitalstock.co.in in detail along with detailed facts, statistics data, average salary for each skill set, future prospects of each technology, etc.
You can select any among the above listed skills set or technology which will suit you to quick start your technology career in 2021 and beyond. Having competency one or a few of them can set you on the right career path.
So investing your time and money in learning them can be extremely rewarding based on today’s market demands and dynamics. Plus you keep reaping dividends from them in years to come.
Happy Learning.!!! | https://medium.com/@anishasan/best-it-skills-to-learn-in-2021-8a2ddaefd981 | ['Anis Hasan'] | 2020-12-12 18:07:19.285000+00:00 | ['In Demand Skills', 'Best It Skills', 'Career Change', 'Technology'] |
There Are 3 Big Misconceptions About Medium Going Around | There Are 3 Big Misconceptions About Medium Going Around
Don’t let them confuse you.
I just wrote a piece about how each Medium writer should do their own legwork when it comes to finding their way on the platform. And it’s true, the more you learn by yourself, the better. There are, however, many misconceptions going around about Medium, especially on outside forums, which can seriously impede a writer’s progress on this journey.
And that’s not good. When it comes to using Medium to further your writing career, any misunderstanding can set you back a lot when not corrected in time. So let’s get into it.
A few Medium concepts a lot of people have been getting wrong
It’s time to stop the confusion once and for all.
1. Fans and followers are not the same thing
Sometimes you’ll see a successful Medium writer talking about how the stat she pays more attention to is her number of fans, so you think she must be obsessed with her follower count, right? Wrong!
On Medium, followers and fans are NOT the same thing. We don’t use those two words interchangeably because they are completely different concepts.
A follower is a person who went into your profile and clicked on the “follow” button. This person is more likely to receive your content on her feed because she is actively indicating to Medium that she likes your writing and would like to see more from you.
When you click on Follow, you become a follower
A fan is simply someone who claps for your story. Everyone who claps for one of your stories becomes a fan, it doesn’t matter if they gave you 1 clap or 50. It also doesn’t matter if they’re following you or not.
Clicking on the clap button makes you a fan.
Therefore, sometimes your followers will be your fans because they clapped for your story, but not every one of your fans will necessarily be a follower, they can be just people who came across your article and happened to like it.
You can go to your profile to see who follows you. To check your fans, go to your stats page. It will show you total fans for the month (nº of people who clapped for your stories) and number of fans per story.
2. Publications, Medium magazines, member features and curation are not the same thing
Publications
Anyone on Medium can create a publication. Just go on your round profile picture on the top right corner, click “publications,” then “create new.”
I’ve created one. It’s called Mariposa and it’s awesome.
There are Medium publications of all sizes, each with its own editors and catering to its own specific niche.
Each publication has its own submission guidelines and rules to accept writers. I haven’t yet come across a publication which doesn’t feature their “how to submit” page in a very obvious place on their homepage. If you wish to submit, read and follow the instructions carefully.
Medium Magazines (or Collections)
These are especially put together by Medium following a theme. Some of the most recent ones were: “Can we Talk?”; “For the Record”; “Office Politics” and “Reasonable Doubt.”
The good news is that Medium will occasionally send out emails to its Partner Program Members with specific calls for submissions, but unlike publications, these magazines or collections don’t have easily accessible guidelines or submissions open year-round. All you can do, really, is keep checking your inbox.
Member Feature Story
These are the stories Medium editors pick to feature at the homepage. When you click on one of them, it will have the nice “Member Feature Story” up there near the title. There’s no way to submit or apply for those. All you should do is to write and post a story as usual, then hope Medium editors will see it and like it enough to want to feature it. If they do, you’ll get a notification by email.
It never happened to me, but other writers who had their pieces featured have confirmed that this is the process.
Update: when I wrote this story, I was under the impression that Member Feature meant featured stories BY members, which meant you’d have to be a member to have a story features. As I have recently learned, Member Feature means the story is feature TO the members, which means the writer herself doesn’t have to be a member to be featured.
Curation (or Story Distributed by Curators)
Curation is the term for having your story picked by the Medium curators to be distributed under one or more tags. Getting a story curated means it will show up on thousands of people’s feeds, including those who don’t follow you.
Getting curated is also an endorsement of your story by Medium editors. It means they have read it and found it worthy of sharing. Medium now notifies writers when their stories are curated. You can also know if a story has been curated when you look at individual story stats and see something like this:
Medium makes it pretty obvious when you’re curated.
Any story posted behind the paywall can get curated, whether you post them on publications or just on your profile, just make sure you keep the box for the Partner Program checked when you publish. It looks like this:
For more detailed insights into curation, make sure to read Shannon Ashley’s piece on the subject here.
3. There’s no “normal” when it comes to Medium — each writer has her own journey
Another common misconception about Medium is the idea that you can predict how your experience is going to be like (or how much money you’re going to make) based on the experiences of others.
Because each voice here is unique, each writer is going to have a different experience.
You can ask however many questions you want.
Is it normal that I haven’t been curated yet? How much can I expect to make in my first week? Is it normal to only get 3 claps on your first story?
These questions don’t even make sense. Or they do, only they all have the same answer: when it comes to Medium, there is no normal.
Some writers sign up on Medium with Facebook, and bring along their friends as their first audience. Some writers sign up for Medium and start with a 0 follower count. Some will submit to publications, some won’t. Some will get accepted, some won’t. Some will have well-received stories, some won’t.
What’s normal? All of it is.
We’re all unique people, with unique voices and a particular way to experience the platform. There’s no way to predict how your experience is going to be like based on someone else’s. You can achieve similar results by taking similar steps, but please, don’t get attached to comparisons, and forget the idea that there is a “normal.”
You make your own Medium journey. You make your own normal. | https://medium.com/sunday-morning-talks/there-are-3-big-misconceptions-about-medium-going-around-3f63e090f3c3 | ['Tesia Blake'] | 2019-02-28 17:33:33.395000+00:00 | ['Medium', 'Writing', 'Self', 'Creativity', 'Writing Tips'] |
Eyes Wide Shut: A Magical Realism Holiday Movie | Tom Cruise as Dr. Bill Hartford on his fantastical journey through a holiday-hued New York City.
The setting is a festive street in a metropolis, as an individual walks on the sidewalk utterly alone. They are eclipsed by the glow of a holiday sale in a storefront window while laughing children in knit scarves brush past, eating a festive sweet, relishing the jubilant atmosphere, unaware of this introspective darkness. The lone person, clad in an expensive wool coat, is financially well-off, moderately attractive, and successful in their field, but one wouldn’t know that from the misbegotten shuffle of their feet, or sad eyes masked with an aggressive stare. The individual is named Ebenezer Scrooge, Doris Walker, Louis Winthorpe III, or even Dr. William “Bill” Harford or Dr. Grace Fraser. A Christmas tale comes in many forms, but none more potent, or faithful to the genre than a tale of magical realism and self-discovery. The scene described is one I’ve found in several films within the holiday blockbuster canon. It’s first and foremost a suspense or drama, elevating the darkest corners of its characters’ psyches and revealing a hard-fought truth by the culmination of its plot all set during Christmas-time in New York City. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) is the film, and it is truly emblematic of the holiday genre.
The celluloid legacy of the Holiday Movie is as lengthy and saturated as film history itself. The first appearance of Santa Claus on film was in an 1898 British silent film entitled Santa Claus. The character’s most recent is the 2020 Netflix film The Christmas Chronicles 2 starring Kurt Russell as our bearded hero. The Christmas-themed content created in the last 120 years is voluminous and far-reaching, with Santa Claus as one of several images or figures representing themes of family, graciousness, and renewal. A far more detestable character from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is Ebenezer Scrooge who has been immortalized in twenty films, and over forty-nine television adaptations. The classic tale is one where supernatural elements and the bizarre lead a miserly man to the path of self-actualization and forgiveness. Much like the magical realism in O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi,” Scrooge’s story is a widely known parable for selflessness and humanity, a mascot as prolific as Santa Claus, but more human and transformative.
At its core, the genre embodies these timeless themes anchored in a decadent, winter backdrop. Any film with these shared symbols and language related to the tale of a soul-searching wealthy man seeking redemption before the New Year, or lovers reckoning with their shortcomings ahead of a day of togetherness are emblematic of the Christmas narrative. In the year 1999, Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut, was released into theaters with an exciting and bizarre take on a New York couple. It’s a suspenseful narrative of an isolated man, reckoning with a fractured marriage during the holiday season only to encounter a bizarre sexual cabal of the affluent that drives him into an abyss of self-reflection and discovery. The film is a Christmas-set family drama with sexual overtones and a pastiche of the mystical encounters and plot twists; the quintessence of the Christmas season narrative.
Dr. Bill Hartford speaks to a shop owner during the holidays in Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Our lead character of Dr. Bill Hartford, played by a career-pinnacle Tom Cruise, is suffering from his wife’s disclosure of an extra-marital fantasy about a stranger from a past family vacation. A mysterious, delicate Nicole Kidman who was married to Cruise at the time of filming, embodies the subdued, yet volcanic nature of a spouse’s admission of deviance. It’s this inciting incident that leads Dr. Hartford to roam the streets of festive Manhattan, whose urbanity is hued with the colored glow of Christmas lights.
What the rest of Eyes Wide Shut conveys is this sense of mystery and erotica, a slow burn the likes of Gabriel García Márquez, but with the backdrop of a frosty New York City instead of a South American locale. Dr. Hartford has eerie encounters with acquaintances in the vein of Scrooge, as his past seems to manifest serendipitously with those he meets. This includes an old medical school colleague who is now a pianist at a Christmas party who invites Bill to an underground orgy for the wealthy. The pianist is an avatar for another life and a guide into the surreal. Another meeting is his affluent patient’s drug-addled lover whom we meet at the start of the film incapacitated. Dr. Hartford attends to her, only to disturbingly see Mandy dead from an overdose in the morgue later. Each meeting starts as odd but becomes darker as the narrative progresses almost correlated to the void Scrooge must muddle his way through in each visit by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. The motif of the abyss follows our holiday protagonists and that is what solidifies these stories as the holiday genre. A fantastical place inside the mind, scary, and swimming in a reality that feels suspended in time, trying to uncover the truth. Abyss occurs in various forms of literature, but in our reality, the backdrop can be any setting where time is suspended. In 2020, but most years, Christmas has that feeling of suspension from the present: a time of reassessment of the past, relationships, and rekindling. These themes are almost indistinguishable from the theme of Christmas itself. It’s magic, and the more shadowy the chasm the brighter the illumination.
A mask magically appears in the Hartford’s bed after Bill witnesses an otherworldly orgy at a mansion. Nicole Kidman plays his wife, Alice Hartford in Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
The notion of a film neatly fitting into the “Christmas” category is lofty in our postmodern era. While there are shared features, ultimately I think it’s the themes of self-reflection and selflessness, and a mystical, reality-rooted winter setting that determines a movie’s identity as holiday-themed. What O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” or the other countless Christmas tales employing magical realism show us, is humility and relationships are paramount to happiness. In any contemporary stories of love, loss, and discovery with a December setting, the holiday spirit is alive and well. One could argue that HBO’s The Undoing similarly conveys this like Eyes Wide Shut, except this time Nicole Kidman takes center stage as the explorer, rather than the catalyst, as her character wanders through the landscape of Manhattan, her own urban void. While the story does not take place around the Christmas season, its wintry backdrop and family core present the same motifs in a yuletide gaze. Eyes Wide Shut achieves this same feat, doing so in a much more fantastical thematic tone, but also as a much more lush and fulfilling story.
Nicole Kidman in The Undoing (2020) an HBO miniseries also a winter tale of self-discovery
Eyes Wide Shut is another entry in the holiday canon. Its emotional darkness amongst a sardonic Christmas atmosphere, its characters will find the light, even if they encounter a psychological nightmare to get there. Even in the murky, at times chilling moments of doubt, a magical, luminescence will guide you to resolution. | https://medium.com/feature-presentation/eyes-wide-shut-a-magical-realism-holiday-movie-3bc19d3838d5 | ['Hilary Jane Smith'] | 2020-12-10 18:32:57.636000+00:00 | ['Holidays', '90s', 'Culture', 'Holidays 2020', 'Christmas Movies'] |
Ambrosus: A New Type of Health Care Collaboration, Quality Assurance Provides New Value to Enterprises, DNA Tracers Meet Ambrosus Blockchain | Welcome to our small bi-weekly update on $AMB! All the information about the current state of development and partnerships is accessible via their Progress reports: in the recent update, a project with DNA Tracers company was announced; they also work on a collaboration to completely reshape preventative healthcare as it is currently understood. Not only is this initiative groundbreaking within the healthcare industry, but it is also going to utilize the Ambrosus blockchain for securely storing and managing data — with the opportunity of incorporating Ambrosus IoT devices further down the line.
A formal announcement is expected soon. Moreover, they are currently in negotiations with a large US condiments company that produces vanilla extract for the multi-billion dollar food industry. The unique opportunity at hand refers to the fact that a potential solution would not only trace vanilla from Madagascar but also from Indonesia and Uganda as well. More amazing use-cases of Ambrosus can be found at the end of our update. Furthermore, Ambrosus hosted a meetup in Brussels on October 16th and attended the Hard Fork Summit — feel free to share photos with us if you participated in the events! The Ambrosus community is slightly growing in various social networks; enthusiasts actively participate in AMB life at Reddit and Telegram Chat.
Paradigm Fund is waiting for more progress of Ambrosus and ChipLess! Stay tuned! | https://medium.com/paradigm-fund/ambrosus-a-new-type-of-health-care-collaboration-quality-assurance-provides-new-value-to-ee537408f755 | [] | 2019-10-21 15:50:11.269000+00:00 | ['Ambrosus News', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto', 'Ambrosus', 'Blockchain'] |
Sinatra Project- Show Your Keyboard | After creating the tables/database, we create the controllers. In this case I used the application controller (creates the overall flow of the app) in which the rest of the controllers inherit from, the users controller ( performs CRUD actions for the user), the sessions controller (responsible for login and setting cookies), and the images controller (performs CRUD for images).
These are the controller files created to help the flow of the app
The next step in making the app come to fruition is creating the views which allows to render the routes in the controllers. Our views uses “.erb” files which is Sinatra’s template to use HTML to embed Ruby. Side note: a strong characteristic of “.erb” files have “<%%>” expressions. For me in particular the views aspect of this project took the longest for me to create because of te different form tags and their function and expression. But with the help of videos and searching the internet, I was able to slowly put the views together.
This is an example of an .erb file and small part of the views portion of the project.
Before getting to the last part of the project, I need to preface that any project that you should decide to begin, remember that the project will read your config file first. If you are starting the Sinatra project, remember to connect your migrations and change the “if ” statement from:
if ActiveRecord::Base.Migrator.needs_migration?
raise ‘Migrations are pending. Run `rake db:migrate` to resolve the issue.’
end
TO:
if ActiveRecord::Base.connection.migration_context.needs_migration?
raise ‘Migrations are pending. Run `rake db:migrate` to resolve the issue.’
end
because for some reason the previous method does not work as intended. And to also bring in controllers (responsible for the flow of the app) into the config.ru file.
Last but not least, the styling of the project comes through via the public file into the style.css file. This is where creativty comes in, where there are vast variety ways of making how your app looks and the way you would like to make it look. I however did not spend as much time on styling, as I was more focused that the functionality was working. That the function was to be a simple image uploader, mainly for keyboards. Fortunately enough, there are many CSS styles to choose from, for the syntax and expressions I also searched the web to understand CSS.
That’s about it, overall the project further helped my understanding of has many and belongs relationships, the use of CRUD, and the MVC format using Sinatra. It also helps to show how the get and post routes work through trial and error along with helpful videos that show how to build out these routes step by step.
Therse are the gems that i used in my project which are all accessible here:
Access to my repo is here: https://github.com/DILLONDNGUYEN/show_your_keyboard
Thank you for reading about my journey in the Sinatra project | https://medium.com/@dillon-d-nguyen/sinatra-project-show-your-keyboard-94094868384d | ['Dillon D Nguyen'] | 2021-03-04 08:25:50.601000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Flatiron School', 'Keyboard', 'Show Your Keyboard', 'Sinatra'] |
JavaScript Problems — Adding Minutes, Find Min and Max, and More | Photo by Rachel Hisko on Unsplash
Like any kind of apps, there are difficult issues to solve when we write JavaScript apps.
In this article, we’ll look at some solutions to common JavaScript problems.
Add Minutes to a JavaScript Date Object
There are a few ways to add a given number of minutes to a JavaScript.
For instance, we can add 50 minutes to a JavaScript Date object by writing:
const newDateObj = moment(oldDateObj).add(50, 'm').toDate();
We used moment.js to convert the oldDateObj date object into a moment object.
Then we add 50 minutes to it with the add method.
50 is the minutes, 'm' stands for minutes.
Then we convert it back to a Date instance with the toDate method.
To do the same thing with plain JavaScript, we can add the minutes by writing:
const newDateObj = new Date(oldDateObj.getTime() + 50 * 1000 * 60);
getTime converts the Date instance into a UNIX timestamp, which is the number of milliseconds since Jan 1, 1970 12 AM UTC.
Then we add 50 * 1000 * 60 , which is the number of milliseconds in 50 minutes.
We convert to seconds by multiplying by 60 and we convert to milliseconds by multiplying by 1000.
However, we have to be careful with daylight saving time.
The plain JavaScript way doesn’t take into account daylight saving time.
Get a Hash Value in a URL
We can set the window.location.hash to get the value after the hash sign.
Then we can use substring(1) to get the value without the hash.
Therefore, we can write:
window.location.hash.substring(1)
to get the value.
Remove All Classes using jQuery and JavaScript
We can call removeClass that’s included with jQuery to remove all classes.
For instance, we can write:
$("#item").removeClass();
to remove all the classes from the element with ID item .
Alternatively, we can use removeAttr :
$("#item").removeAttr('class');
We can use attr :
$("#item").attr('class', '');
to set the class value blank.
Likewise, we can write:
$('#item')[0].className = '';
If we want to use plain JavaScript, we can write:
document.getElementById('item').className = '';
We just set the className property to an empty string.
Format Number to always Show in 2 Decimal Places
We can round to 2 decimal places with:
Number(1.333).toFixed(2);
to get ‘1.33’ .
toFixed formats the number to a given number of decimal places.
It returns the string representation of it.
prototype and this
There is a difference between using the proottype for instance methods and attaching them to this inside the constructor function.
So, this:
const A = function () {
this.x = function () {
// ...
};
};
is different from:
const A = function () { };
A.prototype.x = function () {
// ...
};
The first way creates separate copies of instance methods within the constructor function whenever we instantiate an instance of it.
The instance methods added to the prototype is reused among all instances in memory.
However, they act the same in that they work on their own instances only.
Therefore, if we write instance methods, we should attach them to prototype since we only have one copy of it in memory, so less memory is used.
Find the Min and Max Values in a JavaScript Array
There are a few ways to find the min and max values in a JavaScript array.
For instance, we can write:
const min = Math.min.apply(null, arr),
const max = Math.max.apply(null, arr);
arr is the array.
apply calls the Math.min or Math.max with the entries in arr as the arguments.
Math.min returns the minimum value of an array and Math.max returns the max value.
They take a comma-separated list of arguments.
A more modern alternative is to use the spread operator.
For instance, we can write:
const min = Math.min(...arr),
const max = Math.max(...arr);
We spread the array entries into arguments with the spread operator.
It’s shorter and gets the same results.
Photo by Sean O. on Unsplash
Conclusion
We can find the max and min values from an array in various ways.
They all use the Math.min and Math.max methods.
Attaching to prototype is better for instance methods than attaching directly to this .
There are various ways to remove classes from a DOM element. | https://medium.com/dataseries/javascript-problems-adding-minutes-find-min-and-max-and-more-fbad38117e20 | ['John Au-Yeung'] | 2020-06-29 08:32:30.502000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Web Development', 'JavaScript', 'Software Development', 'Technology'] |
Sea turtles | Sea turtles
Welcome to Down-To-Earth by Jenna, an online series about an offline world.
(substack • medium • youtube • instagram • spotify • apple • stitcher • jenna)
Green sea turtle photo by Xanthe Rivett
My grandfather loved sea turtles.
And whales.
And fish.
He was a sea creatures kind of guy.
One of my favorite memories is watching him float, suspended underwater, in an ocean bay that we were swimming in. We were laughing, and, as a result, puffing out big bubbles at each other. We both had goggles on, but our eyes would’ve been open anyways. The coral around us was a pale pink color. We watched as our big bubbles jellyfished their way to the surface.
The more that I remember him, the more I think that the man was actually a giant sea turtle in human form.
He was really tall. He had the best smile lines of all time, and spoke with a BOOMING, shake-any-room voice. Of course, being born in 1928 in Chicago, he pronounced everything with a thick Chicago accent.
Have you ever heard a real, old school Chicago accent before? It’s much more than just the A’s.
Anyways — John Matecki was a larger-than-life family man from Chicago who happened to be a sea creatures kind of guy. He was a giant, 92-year-old sea turtle in human form, and he passed away last week.
My grandfather was one-of-a-kind, but they also don’t make people like him anymore. He, like his favorite animal, was an endangered species.
For the love of sea turtles
Endangered species are animals that are, most likely, going to become extinct in the near future. If you are brave today and want to take a look at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species — you’ll find a bunch of amazing animals that we’re at risk of soon losing forever, like the Mysterious Lantern Firefly or Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur.
Mysterious Lantern Firefly photo by Radim Schreiber
Some environmentalists say things like “well, it’s not just most likely, we are CERTAIN that we are already going to lose these species forever, as we’re in the middle of a human-caused mass extinction.” It’s true — we’ve lost 60% of the world’s vertebrate individuals since when my grandfather was 42 and walking around barefoot in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.
In ecological time, 1970 was a quarter-of-a-blink ago.
Listen — have you ever seen a green sea turtle swim?
They look at you. I’m not talking about a fleeting that-thing-may-have-looked-at-me kind of moment, but a real, eye-to-eye, “I have calmly noted your existence and am thinking about you” stare.
Have you ever had the joy of watching ADORABLE baby sea turtles waddle towards the ocean?
If you’re one of the 22 million people who saw this video, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind watching it again.
Conspiracy mongers
I guess this is the point where I could share some fun sea turtle facts with you. But that’s not what effective communication is.
Sure — it’s interesting that green sea turtles have green body fat from all the algae and seagrass they eat (hence their name), or that they can grow up to 6ft / 1.8m long, or that most females return to the same beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs.
Sure.
But sea turtles, on the whole, are part of a much bigger ecological picture, one that we’re in too.
Bigger pictures tell better stories. And people are smart, story-loving creatures. So if you want to compel people to care about sea turtles more…
Know that sea turtles maintain coral reefs and seagrass fields. They improve the beaches where they lay their eggs. They provide food for fish, and habitats for barnacles (surprisingly important) and ocean critters like mini crabs. They control the amount of jellyfish in our oceans, and look majestic for divers and snorkelers on vacation, which supports economies that rely on tourism. Many indigenous cultures like the Hawaiians revere them as deities or ancestors.
3 billion people around the world consume seafood, and 60 million people are employed by the seafood industry. Turtles don’t leave tags on the species they helped on their way to the plates of 3 billion people, but you can bet on it. They would wholeheartedly agree with you on how tasty your fish is.
But for the love of turtles, eat more oysters. They clean the water that they’re in.
And for the love of turtles, please take a second look at the seafood that you’re eating or buy it from some group that you know that did.
Some tips from my seafood-loving friends: Sea2Table and RealGoodFish are two American mail order services that do a great job telling you what’s up with the fish, Monterrey Bay Aquarium has a nice info-packed map and list of better-than-others seafood. “Search for your local fish CSA,” “support your local fisherperson,” “catch it yourself,” and “fake fish isn’t bad.” For yummy fake fish recommendations, see any of Green Queen’s alt protein articles, they cover a lot of great alt-seafood.
Let’s say that you were one of the thousands of people globally who watched Seaspiracy on Netflix last week (it’s now in the top 10 films list worldwide) and have sworn off seafood forever. If you did watch it, and find fault in the the fact that this film provided no counterargument and leading questions — were you expecting a film titled ‘Seaspiracy’ to be unbiased journalism? :)
For the record, I watched it. It was a sad and gripping flick. It raises awareness about issues largely ignored in environmental and ocean circles. I am a fan of Cowspiracy, so of course I had to see this one. They deserve the success they’re enjoying with this.
Yes — both of these movies will likely ruin your current eating habits for life — for the better I would argue, but remember I’m biased too. My agenda is to get us all to reconnect with nature, and better connect with ourselves.
I have to say that in general — we need more nuance in these kinds of arguments — across the board. If not, we end up giving fodder to people who do not understand nuance, who end up shaming a lot of folks and groups who do amazing work to protect our oceans.
Also — so many people cannot afford to not eat seafood. They don’t have the privilege of options and/or already eat it in the most sustainable way that anyone could, so they’re the last people you need to tell about this or ask to go plant-based.
But — was I expecting a ton of general nuance in a film designed for entertainment value and shock titled ‘Seaspiracy?’ Absolutely not.
I bring up Seaspiracy right now because it was a big hit last week with you all. Seaspiracy is a scathing argument against the seafood industry — on the whole.
Why am I bringing up the seafood industry when talking about turtles?
The alpha turtles
You remember the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that I brought up at the beginning of this note, right? They’re the ones that make that Red List of Threatened Species.
There’s a part of the IUCN that you need to know about — The Marine Turtle Specialist Group. The MTSG is one of the more than 160 Specialist Groups and Task Forces that make up the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The MTSG are regarded as the *global authority on marine turtles.* They are the experts’ experts on the flippered ones.
According to the MTSG, this is an official summary of a definitive answer for why sea turtles are endangered (direct quote below):
Fisheries Impacts. Sea turtles virtually everywhere are impacted by fisheries-especially by longlines, gill nets, and trawls. Bycatch mortality, habitat destruction, and food web changes are the most severe of these impacts. Direct Take. Throughout the world, people kill sea turtles and consume their eggs for food and for products such as oil, leather, and shell. Coastal Development. Sea turtle habitats are degraded and destroyed by coastal development. This includes both shoreline and seafloor alterations such as nesting beach degradation, seafloor dredging, vessel traffic, construction, and alteration of vegetation. Pollution and Pathogens. Marine pollution-plastics, discarded fishing gear, petroleum byproducts, and other debris-directly impact sea turtles through ingestion and entanglement. Light pollution disrupts nesting behavior and hatchling orientation, leading to hatchling mortality. Chemical pollutants can weaken sea turtles’ immune systems, making them susceptible to pathogens. Global Warming. Global warming may impact natural sex ratios of hatchlings; escalate the frequency of extreme weather events; increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks among sea turtles; and result in loss of nesting beaches, destruction of coral reefs, and other alterations critical to sea turtle habitats and basic oceanographic processes.
Thanks for sticking with that gruesome list.
At this point — I’m assuming you care about sea turtles too. You made it through this April O’Neil-esque long note. Cowabunga.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles original cover featuring character April O’Neil, art by Kevin Eastman, for sale at comicartfans.com
If you’re looking for what you can do to help turtles, take a plant-based day once a week and/or eat more sustainable seafood if you do eat it, cut down on your plastic consumption and CO2 footprint, and/or donate to the IUCN because they’re fighting the good, nuanced fight for all the endangered species out there, not just cute ones like turtles.
My grandpa was the best grandpa anyone could ever have.
He was a instantly-loveable giant sea turtle. He came to every single one of my school plays. Told excellent stories. Remembered everything I ever told him. Asked me about all the things I cared about, every single week, until the end. He was a great dad, husband, and grandpa. His eyes actually twinkled.
Me and the rest of the Matecki’s were lucky enough to have had him in our lives for as long as we did, and to keep all these memories about how truly awesome he was.
Please consider sea turtles, not just because they’re endangered, but because they’re one of the hundreds of threatened animals on the IUCN list. Please consider sea turtles because they’re nuanced, quiet, and floating.
Please consider them, because my grandfather was a turtle himself.
Now he is off in someplace both far and near, swimming.
Take a dip this week,
Jenna | https://medium.com/down-to-earth-by-jenna-matecki/sea-turtles-79e0abe180c | ['Jenna Matecki'] | 2021-04-06 21:16:17.550000+00:00 | ['Oceans', 'Seafood', 'Sea Turtles', 'Sustainability', 'Nature Writing'] |
Check Given number is Prime number or not using C programming | Check Given number is Prime number or not using C programming come code ·Dec 27, 2020
//check whether given number is prime or not
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
int num, i;
printf(“Enter the value or number
”);
scanf(“%d”, &num);
for(i = 2; i< num; i++){
if(num %i == 0){
printf(“
It is not a prime number”);
break;
}
}
if(num == i){
printf(“
It is prime number”);
}
} | https://medium.com/@comecode98/check-given-number-is-prime-number-or-not-using-c-programming-d908cd76cc5c | ['Come Code'] | 2020-12-27 14:47:19.155000+00:00 | ['C Programming', 'Prime Numbers', 'C', 'Programming Languages', 'Coding'] |
3 Ways To Create Tables With Apache Spark | Introduction
Apache Spark is a distributed data processing engine that allows you to create two main types of tables:
Managed (or Internal) Tables: for these tables, Spark manages both the data and the metadata. In particular, data is usually saved in the Spark SQL warehouse directory - that is the default for managed tables - whereas metadata is saved in a meta-store of relational entities (including databases, tables, temporary views) and can be accessed through an interface known as the “catalog”. Unmanaged (or External) Tables: for these tables, Spark only manages the metadata, but requires you to specify the exact location where you wish to save the table or, alternatively, the source directory from which data will be pulled to create a table.
Moreover, because of their different purpose:
if you delete a managed table , Spark will delete both the table data in the warehouse and the metadata in the meta-store, meaning that you will neither be able to query the table directly or to retrieve data into it.
, Spark will delete both the table data in the warehouse and the metadata in the meta-store, meaning that you will neither be able to query the table directly or to retrieve data into it. if you delete an unmanaged table, Spark will just delete the metadata, meaning that you won’t be able to query the table anymore, as your query won’t be resolved against the catalog in the execution analysis phase; but you will still find the tables you created in the external location.
In this tutorial, I will share three methods to create managed and unmanaged tables and explain the cases when it make sense to use one or the other.
Initial Dataset Manipulation
If you wish to follow along, but are relatively new to Spark and don’t have a better option, I would strongly suggest to use Databrick’s community edition as it gives you access to a cluster with 15GB of memory and 2 Cores to execute Spark code.
The sales_redords dataset I am going to use, is quite big (600MB) as it includes 5 million rows and 14 columns - you can download it here. I chose a sizable dataset to - at least partially - replicate the volume of data you will have to deal with in the real world.
Because the dataset comes in a semi-structured CSV format, in order to create a DataFrame in your SparkSession, make sure to upload the original file in the /FileStore/ directory in the DataBricks File System (DBFS) first, then run the following code:
To simulate the cleaning process that raw data would undergo as part of a daily ETL pipeline, let’s suppose that you wished to:
Convert the original column names to lowercase and replace blanks “ ” with and underscore “_”;
Convert the original “Order Date” from STRING to DATE and the original “Units Sold”, “Unit Price” and “Total Revenue” from STRING to FLOAT ;
to and the original “Units Sold”, “Unit Price” and “Total Revenue” from to ; Drop the following columns as they are not required by your stakeholders: [“Region”, “Country”, “Order Priority”, “Ship Date”, “Total Profit”, “Total Cost”, “Unit Cost”];
Remove duplicates in the original “Order ID” field.
This can be achieved executing the code below, that creates a new DataFrame named df_final that only includes 7 columns and 2M rows.( first 5 rows are also displayed ):
The df_final has been manipulated to obtain the preferred result and it’s now ready to be used as a source to create tables.
However, in order to show you all 3 different methods, I also had to make df_final available as a temporary view and as parquet file (split in 2 partitions) in the DBFS :
Create Managed Tables
As mentioned, when you create a managed table, Spark will manage both the table data and the metadata (information about the table itself). In particular data is written to the default Hive warehouse, that is set in the /user/hive/warehouse location. You can change this behavior, using the spark.sql.warehouse.dir configuration while generating a SparkSession .
METHOD #1
The most straightforward way to create a managed table is to write the df_final through the Structured API saveAsTable() method, without specifying any paths:
You can check that the command successfully created a permanent table named salesTable_manag1 with tableType = 'MANAGED' by running:
spark.catalog.listTables() Out[1]: [Table(name=’salestable_manag1', database=’default’, description=None, tableType=’MANAGED’, isTemporary=False)
You should prefer this method in most cases, as its syntax is very compact and readable and avoids you the additional step of creating a temp view in memory.
METHOD #2
An alternative way to create a managed table is to run a SQL command that queries all the records in the temp df_final_View :
In this case I used the %sql magic in Databricks to run a SQL command directly, without wrapping it into spark.sql() . However, you can achieve the exact same result with the syntax:
spark.sql(“CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS salesTable_manag2 AS SELECT * FROM df_final_View”)
If you have a SQL background, this method is probably the most familiar, as you don’t need to bother with the “standard” Structured API syntax and can even perform additional manipulation on the fly. However, while working with big data, you should take into account the extra space required to create a temp view on your cluster.
METHOD #3
The last method you can use, is similar to the previous one, but it involves two steps as you first create a the table salesTable_manag3 and then insert data into it by querying the temp view:
You should opt for this method when you wish to change the column types, or if you already created a table and want to replace or append data into it instead of deleting it and start from scratch.
Create Unmanaged Tables
Unmanaged tables provide much more flexibility, as the table data can be stored in a location of your choice, or the table can be built directly on top of data available in an external directory. In turn, this means that in Spark, a location is mandatory for external tables. Metadata is again saved in the meta-store and accessible through the catalog.
Unmanaged tables provide much more flexibility, as the table data can be stored in a location of your choice, or the table can be built directly on top of data available in an external directory.
In the example below, I am going to use Databricks File System to to simulate an external location with respect to the default Spark SQL warehouse, but of course, it is possible to save unmanaged tables (or create them on top of) every file system compatible with Spark, including cloud data warehouses.
METHOD #1
To create an unmanaged (external) table you can simply specify a path before the saveAsTable() method:
When you run this code, Spark will:
Shuffle data in the df_final DataFrame to create 2 partitions and write these to the /FileStore/tables/salesTable_unmanag1 directory.
DataFrame to create 2 partitions and write these to the directory. Create an external table named salesTable_unmanag1 using the partitions stored at that location and save relevant information in the meta-store.
METHOD #2
As similar result can be obtained by specifying the location as part of a SQL query. In this case your will need to use the temp view as a data source:
Also remember to use the CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE syntax instead of CREATE TABLE .
METHOD #3
Finally, if the data you intend to use to create the table, is already available in an external location, you can simply build the table on the top of it by pointing to the location through the USING format OPTIONS (path 'path to location') syntax:
In this case, the table is created on the top of the df_final.parquet file that I saved in the FileStore after manipulating the original dataset. Note that if you use this method, you will need to specify the type of each column.
If you try to list the tables in the catalog again:
spark.catalog.listTables()
You can see that now the output includes 6 tables of which 3 managed and 3 unmanaged, together with the temp view created at the beginning:
Executing the following code will delete metadata from both type of tables and data from managed tables only, whereas data will be preserved in the external locations you specified:
However, after erasing metadata you won’t be able to run queries against any of the tables.
When To Use Managed or External Tables?
By now, you should have a solid grasp of the differences between these two types of table and should be ready to apply the code above to your specific use cases. However, perhaps you are still a bit confused when it comes to choose between one of the two, while working on a real project.
In general, you should store data in a MANAGED table:
When you wish to use Spark as a database to perform ad hoc or interactive queries to explore and visualize data sets → for instance, you could devise an ETL pipeline in Spark that eventually stores data in a managed table and then use a JDBC-ODBC connector to query this table via Looker, Tableau, Power BI and other BI Tools. When you are working on a project and wish to temporarily save data in Spark for additional manipulation or testing, before writing it to the final location → for instance, managed tables could be handy while building, training and evaluating machine learning models in Spark, as they remove the need for an external storage to save partial iterations. When you wish for Spark to take care of the complete lifecycle of the table data including its deletion or are concerned about security in the external file system → if data does not need to be shared with other clients immediately or there are security concerns, then saving data in the Spark warehouse could be a valid temporary solution. When you are not worried about data reproducibility → if data can easily be retrieved from other sources or the computational effort that takes to transform it is not too extensive, then the risk of erroneously drop a managed table is more contained.
You should instead store data in an EXTERNAL table: | https://towardsdatascience.com/3-ways-to-create-tables-with-apache-spark-32aed0f355ab | [] | 2021-08-18 08:19:27.746000+00:00 | ['Careers', 'Apache Spark', 'Python', 'Sql', 'Data Engineering'] |
A View from the Stands — My life as a parent of a Club Volleyball Player. PT I | A View from the Stands — My life as a parent of a Club Volleyball Player. PT I Ruben Cervantes May 1, 2020·7 min read
Mackenzie at 14U
This is part one of a three part post into the evolution of how I came from being a cheering parent into helping run a non-profit club volleyball organization.
I remember the time my daughter Mackenzie, who was 13 years old at the time, came up to me and asked if she could play club volleyball. She loved her experience playing the game for her middle school team. I attended most of her middle school volleyball games and helped out some by doing the scoring with the flip cards or score sheets. But I was mostly a loud cheerleader for her team, much to her embarrassment, but that’s what parents do…be nice and loud and live vicariously through your kids.
My wife and I wanted to support her, as we discovered Mackenzie really thrived being on a team and I felt that volleyball is a great team sport. My only experience with volleyball was playing on the grade 8–9 team in my middle school years, but it wasn’t very memorable for me. My more fond memories with the sport was when my father was a site convener and scorekeeper for a Filipina young women’s volleyball league in the early 80’s that was held at the University of Winnipeg and I would come with him on Sunday mornings and do the scoring and score sheets for all the games. Back then it was side-out scoring where the team that was serving was the only one that could score. I remember games to 15 would take a long time.
But watching Mackenzie’s games in middle school, the scoring changed to rally scoring which was officially adopted in 1999, with the score going to 25 instead of 15. Even with the raise in score, rally scoring made the average length of a game shorter, quicker and spectator friendly.
My wife remembered seeing a flyer at school for Vision volleyball tryouts and we headed out on a Sunday morning and attended a tryout. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but there must have been a hundred girls in the gym. There were about 4–5 coaches walking around and then choosing players as they were doing drills. Mackenzie was picked and she joined the U14 Vision Elite team with about 11 other girls. She was a competitive rhythmic gymnast prior to playing volleyball and I think that really helped her with her jumping and eye-hand coordination and with the competitive nature of gymnastics at a young age also helped her with discipline. She was surprised that she was chosen as the team captain as voted among her teammates. But I think it was Mack’s benign soul and temperament as most of the girls on the team seemed naturally drawn to her. After making the club team she also asked if she could sign up for the youth league which was a non-competitive volleyball league that was run by Volleyball Winnipeg. So during her first season of volleyball she was playing club and recreational volleyball. I think it was a bit of overkill, but Mackenzie really enjoyed playing the game and we made a pact that as long as volleyball did not interfere with her studies, she could continue to play rec-league.
I remember the season being up and down as I didn’t know it at the time, but her team was more developmental than competitive, Mackenzie experienced a lot more losses than wins with her team, but she was having a positive experience as she was learning a lot more skills in the sport and developing good friendships. My wife and I were also getting to know the parents of Mack’s teammates and we made friends along the way that season. The club practiced a lot during the season, sometimes four or five times a week at various gyms across the city, so the driving was challenging and I didn’t stay to watch many practices, even though the gyms were open to the parents. Tournaments were long days, but it was fun watching Mackenzie grow through the sport, the trips to Brandon for tournaments were a good bonding experience for Mack and her team and it was fun to get together with the parents and talk and learn about each other. I also learned how tough and determined Mackenzie can be.
At the two day Brandon tournament during her second or third match of the evening, one of her teammates jumped and stepped on her ankle. She was writhing in pain and the coaches had to come to the court and pick her up from the floor and walk her back to the bench. I wasn’t sure as a parent, if you can just rush to the floor so I stood by the side of the court and asked if I could come and help. The coach told me that the coaching staff have it under control. So they iced up Mack’s ankle and my wife walked to the bench and sat beside her and held the ice-pack to her leg the rest of the match.
When we got back to the hotel, we noticed the swelling go down but I figured her weekend was done, but she told me that she wanted me to tape up her ankle as she was determined to get back on the court for the next day’s matches. I was a bit apprehensive about letting her return, but the look in her eyes was not of defeat, but resoluteness that she will not let her team down. I spoke to her coach about this and my wife suggested we see if the swelling goes down and if she can place her weight on the ankle and foot then we can make the final decision. Needless to say, the next morning, the swelling on the ankle was considerably lower. She was putting weight on it, and she told me it wasn’t bothering her…I let her play and thank goodness that she made it through the tournament fine health-wise, but I couldn’t recall if they ended their day with a win or not. But I kept thinking to myself , I wasn’t 100% sure that this was the vicarious parent letting her play or the one who thinks she’s tough, determined and comes from a long line of tough guys like me…which I guess is exactly like the vicarious parent…gulp.
A lasting memory I had with Mackenzie was actually at her U14 Provincials. I remember the team she played against, a club rival, and Vision lost the first set. During the second set, the score was close and there was an errant ball that was mis-passed and was going to the back of the court and Mackenzie ran for the ball and tried to save it, but ended up smashing her head into the wall. I was on the sidelines watching the game cheering, and when she hit the wall and started screaming, I quickly got up off my chair and ran to her. I knew not to touch her as I didn’t know the extent of her injury and didn’t want to make things worse. I was just hovering over her and her coach came running to her to watch over her and my wife got someone to call an ambulance. Everyone was frozen in shock, there was a parent who was a nurse and gently checked on her. The nurse assessed that nothing was broken so she was able to move her body which was a good sign and she put Mackenzie in the recovery position while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.
The opposing team’s coach didn’t want to continue the game as everyone from both teams were pretty shaken up. I remember our player advocate at the time helping my wife guide the EMT workers to where Mack was while I stood watch over her. When we got to the Children’s hospital the Dr. told us she suffered a concussion and that we had to observe the concussion protocols, so there would be no sports of any kind for 2 weeks at least. The team didn’t go to Nationals that year, so Mackenzie’s season ended at Provincials. What was very interesting in her first season, her assistant coach told me, was Mackenzie did not miss a practice during her U14 season. She didn’t get player of the year award at the year end banquet, but she told me that she was determined to get back on the court the next season and be an even better player than she was this season.
As for me…the parent who drove her to practices and games about 70% of the time, as the wife is a teacher, so she’s extremely busy. But I didn’t mind the season as a parent of a club player. I found there was a lot of driving to practices and rec-league games and tournaments. It was a bit overwhelming for me at moments, but when isn’t it overwhelming when the kids have to be somewhere after a long day at work? And like I said, I didn’t even stay for many practices as I figured she didn’t need me to be a distraction.
But Mackenzie really enjoyed the practices and the Sunday rec-league games and something else I noticed, was she had a really good knack for the game. Watching from the stands, I’d see some real acrobatic plays as she was never afraid to hit the floor, she seemed to enjoy her role as a captain and she was always the loudest player to cheer when her teammates scored. She was always more happy to see her teammates succeed than herself and I was seeing a side of her that was maturing into a real good person. And that I can truly live vicariously through… | https://medium.com/@zen1331/a-view-from-the-stands-my-life-as-a-parent-of-a-club-volleyball-player-pt-i-b334c84a911a | ['Ruben Cervantes'] | 2020-05-01 18:18:32.048000+00:00 | ['Volunteering', 'Parenthood', 'Family', 'Fatherhood', 'Volleyball'] |
Without Preconditions: Peace Between the U.S. and Iran? | Iran is running out of allies in the Middle East. Trump is determined to use this advantage to end Iran-sponsored terrorism and curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Will it work?
Vice President Mike Pence speaks with Andrzej Duda upon arrival at a welcome dinner prior to his participation in the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East, in Warsaw, Poland on February 13, 2019. [State Department Photo/ Public Domain]
“We each come from different nations and cultures. Our people speak different languages. They hold fast to different faiths, from the Abrahamic tradition and beyond. But all of us are united in our mission to forge a brighter future of security and prosperity in the Middle East.” — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, at the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East. February 13, 2019.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a State Department visit to Switzerland this weekend, made it clear that the Trump Administration is not backing down on Iran and its destabilizing influence on the Middle East.
After a long three years of consolidating support from other nations in the region, the U.S. is strategically well-placed to take on Iran as never before. Trump administration officials seem determined to use this momentum from the international consensus to push Iran for concessions to its nuclear programs.
And an end to its state-sponsored terrorism.
Back in July of 2018, Trump himself suggested his willingness to sit down with Iranian leadership for talks “without preconditions”, an offer Tehran is yet to accept. Switzerland has indicated willingness to mediate the talks. However, both Iran and the U.S. must request that they do so, which has not happened yet according to Swiss officials.
Pompeo repeated the offer for talks with Iran “without preconditions” on Sunday, though he made it clear the U.S. had no intention of backing down from its demands that Iran halt its nuclear program and stop funding terrorist attacks.
“We’re prepared to engage in a conversation with no preconditions. We’re ready to sit down with them, but the American effort to fundamentally reverse the malign activity of this Islamic Republic, this revolutionary force, is going to continue.” — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Over the past year, the U.S. has taken numerous steps to counter Iran. One of those steps was repeatedly ramping up sanctions on Iran. The increasingly crippling sanctions, and Trump’s move last year to classify Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization, has drawn threats and condemnation from Iranian authorities.
Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, wants the U.S. to honor the 2015 nuclear deal entered into by the Obama Administration. Considering it was the only accomplishment of his tenure in office, and its terms were very friendly to Iran, this isn’t much of a surprise.
Not that there is much hope of that happening. The Trump Administration, and U.S. allies in the Middle East like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, were never happy with the terms of the agreement, nor Iran’s adherence to it.
Instead, the Trump Administration has been teasing a Mideast peace plan spearheaded by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. The plan is due to be released sometime this month.
Promises of a peace plan have been met with the usual resistance from regional powers in Iran and Palestine, who see no hope in a Trump plan that is almost certainly going to contain concessions to Israel.
However, the Iranian government, and Hezbollah, which is largely in charge of the Palestinian government, aren’t likely to find many friends among their neighbors. Other Middle Eastern nations, the most frequent target of extremist Islamist attacks, are tired of dealing with the fundamentalist government in Iran.
They have even softened on Israel.
“An Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of the leading Arab countries stood together and spoke with unusual force, clarity and unity against the common threat of the Iranian regime.” Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, February 2019
Middle Eastern nations insist that Iran used the billions of dollars they received in 2015 deal with U.S. President Barack Obama to fund more terrorism. Nor has Iran curbed its nuclear ambitions, as they promised to do in the agreement.
Iran may also be concerned at breaking news that Russia has withdrawn its support for embattled Venezuelan dictator, Nicolaus Maduro. President Hassan Rouhani may be rightly concerned that Russia may prove as unwilling to buck the international community in supporting the Iranian regime.
“The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world. They have bombed American embassies, murdered hundreds of American troops, and even to this day, they hold hostage citizens of the United States and other Western nations.” “Iran has brazenly defied United Nations sanctions, violated resolutions, and plotted terrorist attacks on European soil.” “Forty years ago this month, the mullahs seized control of that country [Iran]. And every year since, they’ve supported terrorist proxies and militias — Hezbollah and Hamas; exported missiles; fueled conflicts in Syria and Yemen and beyond.” — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence
The extremist regime in Iran has wrecked the most havoc on the Iranian citizens themselves. Before the Iranian Revolution of 1979, women could vote, abstain from wearing the hijab, even hold office.
Today, women can’t even talk about sex in Iran, not even to their husbands.
The anniversary of Islamic revolution is celebrated on 11 February, 2015. (photo: Mostafameraji)
Iran engages in state-sanctioned religious discrimination. Iranian law denies freedom of religion to Baha’is and minority Muslims.
People can’t even walk their dogs in Iran. That is, if you haven’t already been arrested and/or imprisoned in connection with owning a dog.
Quds Day officially called International Quds Day is an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan that was initiated by the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and oppose Zionism and Israel, as well as Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in Israeli-occupied territories. (photo: Mostafameraji)
“The authoritarian regime in Tehran represses the freedom of speech and assembly, it persecutes religious minorities, brutalizes women, executes gay people, and openly advocates the destruction of the State of Israel.” — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence
19 July Global Day of Protest, held on the anniversary of Iran’s execution of two gay teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni. . Dupont Circle . Washington DC . 19 July 2006 . (Elvert Xaiver Barnes Protest Photography.)
Being LGTBQ in Iran was made a capital offense after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Under Iranian law, same-sex conduct is punishable by flogging and can carry the death penalty. Amnesty International estimates that more than 5,000 people have been executed under Iran’s same-sex conduct laws since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Other things carry a death sentence in Iran, too. Iranian law considers acts such as blasphemy (insulting the prophet), apostasy (converting from Islam), adultery, and even certain non-violent drug-related offenses as crimes punishable by death.
Iran routinely jails human-rights workers and advocates, imprisoning them for decades.
As support for the Iranian regime dwindles, how will President Rouhani react to Trump’s peace plan?
He may want to seriously consider it. Rouhani may soon find himself running out of options as well as running out of friends.
(contributing writer, Brooke Bell) | https://munrkazmir.medium.com/without-preconditions-peace-between-the-u-s-and-iran-e032e0bc5b6b | ['Dr. Munr Kazmir'] | 2019-06-03 21:10:56.558000+00:00 | ['Iran', 'Politics', 'Israel', 'World', 'Trump'] |
027 | Binance (バイナンス) の登録方法&入金方法 | in Eudaimonia and Co | https://medium.com/%E4%BB%AE%E6%83%B3%E9%80%9A%E8%B2%A8%E3%81%A7%E9%80%B1%E9%A1%8D%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%90%E3%81%AE%E7%A9%8D%E7%AB%8B%E3%82%92%E8%B2%B7%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A6%E3%81%BF%E3%81%9F/027-binance-%E3%83%90%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8A%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9-%E3%81%AE%E7%99%BB%E9%8C%B2%E6%96%B9%E6%B3%95-%E5%85%A5%E9%87%91%E6%96%B9%E6%B3%95-1cfed51125fa | [] | 2019-09-18 04:38:39.589000+00:00 | ['Crypto', 'Blockchain', '日本語', 'Binance'] |
Four strategies to enhance your self esteem | If You have these opinions about yourself your self esteem is actually lower which impacts badly on the other sides of the life. Self esteem is essential part of life, as it heavily influences people’s choices and decisions.
Here are the four strategies to uplift your self esteem..
When you’re in a company of different people and you are wordless or may you just try to keep neglecting the conversation or you don’t have any kind of intrest in introducing yourself (just because you’re shy to do so). You are more likely to be known as an absurd person and guess that is why no one talks to you, & you became the main subject of the joke. Umm, however this is not "actually" how it goes, but low self-esteem acts somewhat like this. People with low self-esteem – who feel poorly about themselves and judge themselves to be inferior to others – are at risk, then, of not fulfilling their true potential in life. They may not take the initiative to set and pursue personal goals; they may not put any effort into their education or careers; they may accept poor treatment from family, friends and romantic partners
A young person with healthy self-esteem is more likely to display positive behavioural characteristics, such as:
Acting independent and mature
Taking pride in their accomplishments/acheivements
Trying new things
Causes of low self-esteem
How people feel about themselves is a result of their experiences and how they tackle with situations. But there are major resons for a lower self esteem.
1. You compare yourself with others.
I’ve always said that, comparision is way more toxic to your mental health. You might reject opportunities coming your ways, just because you don’t have enough trust on yourself. when we compare ourselves to others, we look at their strengths and focus on our weaknesses, or we focus on their achievements and our lack of achievements. This is not a fair comparison and will often lead to doubt and loss of self-confidence.
2. Over analysing small mistakes.
“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.” - Nikki Giovanni. ...
Learn to forgive yourself for small mistakes, and rather than regretting about what you did, find out the way how you're going to make it. Forgiveness is important to the healing process since it allows you to let go of the anger, guilt, shame, sadness, or any other feeling you may be experiencing, and move on. Once you identify what you're feeling, give a voice to it and accept that mistakes are inevitable. Have a conversation with yourself and know what exactly your fault is. When you do it, you're warning your mind to avoid it, learning from your past experiences. Learn to stop overthinking negative things, alternate your thoughts with positive ones. Learn more at my previous blog about curing overthinking.
3. Loneliness
Yes, Loneliness. We all get lonely from time to time—after a breakup, at a new job, in the classroom or in a new city. Or sometimes for no obvious reason at all. But whatever the case, we have the power to relieve those uncomfortable, unwelcome feelings. Loneliness can be normal, and is only an indicator of underlying disease when feelings become excessive, all-consuming and interfere with daily living . The findings of the study of General Self-efficacy Scale (Jerusalem and Schwarzer, 1979) showed that females reported higher loneliness compared to their males counter mates. Lower self-esteem and lower self-efficacy were associated with high levels of loneliness.
Ways to uplift your self esteem.
• Develop healthy self motivating habits
• Correct your self esteem in a positive way
• Appreciate yourself for your good deeds.
• Remember it’s ok to not to be perfect, despite your small faults.
• Ensure your learning from your past experiences.
• Write five things you’re good at, whenever you’re feeling under the weather.
{ Get more tips on my Instagram account : @sanitysky18 }
4. Body image
"To me beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin, it’s about knowing and accepting who you are"
- Ellen DeGeneres
The University of Washington’s Teen Health and the Media webpage reports that 53% of girls surveyed were unhappy with their bodies, a number that rises to 78% by the age of 17,according to goodchoicesgoodlife.org. Body image and self-esteem directly influence each other—and your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. If you don’t like your body (or a part of your body), it’s hard to feel good about your whole self. Pessimism has a way of leading to more negative thinking. When you have a positive and healthy body image, you feel more capable and energetic. You keep realistic expectations and respect yourself, consequently boosting self-esteem and here judging is an indirect reason for your cynical thoughts about body image.
How to create a positive body image | https://medium.com/@bluesky18/four-strategies-to-elevate-your-self-esteem-a8d56bb91124 | [] | 2021-02-27 23:41:29.451000+00:00 | ['Positivity', 'Self Esteem', 'Self Improvement', 'Healthcare', 'Body Image'] |
What Is An Apartment Syndication? | High Country Capital Partners | “I would love to own a rental property…. I just don’t have the time, money, or know how to do so!” We have probably all heard this, or some form of this from someone we know. Maybe you heard it from a doctor, dentist, a business owner, or maybe you heard it from Joe blow down the street. Maybe you said it yourself! Not that it matters who you heard it from, but I’m sure you’ve heard it. These people (and hopefully you) would love to own and benefit from an appreciating physical asset, like an apartment complex, that provides phenomenal tax benefits & cashflow. Apartment Syndication.
How many of these people actually go out and buy a rental property? That buy an apartment complex — “The Babe Ruth of rental properties!”? From my experience, the far majority of them never do. For various reasons, but the biggest being that few actually have the ability (money, time, expertise, etc.) to purchase an apartment complex on their own. They might have the money, but not the time or knowledge. They might have the time, but not the money, etc..
It is truly unfortunate these individuals never find an avenue that allows them to own and benefit from great assets, like apartments! Today, I want to offer a possible solution for these individuals! Remember “these individuals” includes YOU! Yes, YOU the person reading this! Maybe you have never thought about owning and benefiting from apartment complexes, but you’ll want to after reading this. The solution I am talking about is….
APARTMENT SYNDICATION!!
“AWESOME ….. But what does that mean Alec?” Whenever I use this term I’m usually met with blank stares. But that’s okay, because it’s not a common term, and I’m going to teach you about it today.
The best and most concise definition of an apartment syndication that I can come up with is this: A group of individuals or companies that combine their resources (money, time, expertise, etc.) to do something they couldn’t do, or at least would be very hard to do, on their own. In this case, buying a large apartment complex.
Like mentioned above, individuals typically have one or two parts to the puzzle, but not all. Time, capital, the know-how, etc.. There are specific roles within an apartment syndication to make it go round. Let’s go over them:
THE FIRST ROLE IN AN APARTMENT SYNDICATION IS THE: GENERAL PARTNERS (GP):
The general partners in short, are the deal operators or managing partners. These individuals have the time and know-how part of the puzzle. They are also commonly referred to as syndicators, sponsors, and active investors. The GP’s are active in the day to day operations of the business. They are responsible for researching and finding target markets. Finding apartment complexes within those markets. Sourcing capital from passive investors. Developing the business plan and hiring the various team members to run the apartment complexes. Then managing the day to day operations of the property. Basically making sure everything runs smoothly from A to Z.
The GP’s are usually a team of people (like High Country Capital Partners). A few common roles in a GP team are: an investor relations and capital raising person, an acquisitions and asset management person, and a loan package and high net worth person to sign on the loan. GP teams come in all shapes and sizes.
THE NEXT ROLE IN AN APARTMENT SYNDICATION IS THE: LIMITED PARTNERS (LP):
The limited partners, also known as passive investors, are an intricate part of an apartment syndication. They are responsible for investing the money needed to fund each deal. They are the majority shareholders in each deal and receive a large majority of the profits from the operation and sale of each asset. The profits are split in relation to the ownership percentage of each individual or company involved with the asset.
The limited partners have limited voting rights, which in turn limits any liability if there were to be a lawsuit. These are the individuals who have capital, want to own and benefit from real estate, but don’t have the time or know-how to do so. They complete a part of the puzzle!
LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST IS THE: PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Without this team the deals would simply not be profitable. This is typically a third party team, but can also be in house on the GP team. The property management team oversees the day to day operations physically on the property. They place and care for existing tenants, market the property to prospective tenants, and oversee any renovation projects on the property.
HOW DO PROFITS BREAK DOWN IN AN APARTMENT SYNDICATION?
A typical total deal split is a 70/30 split. This would result in 70% of the profits going to the Limited Partners and the remaining 30% of profits going to the General Partners. The total deal split can vary depending on the GP’s and the deal itself.
Let’s break a deal split down a little further. Say there was a deal that needed $1,500,000 in funding and there were 3 limited partners that all invested $500,000, for a total of $1,500,000. The 70% split, that goes to the limited partners, would be evenly split amongst the 3 of them for a total ownership percentage per person of 23.33%. The same goes for the GP side with the remaining 30%. That is a very simple breakdown of how the 70% could get split, but it usually does not split that evenly.
CONCLUSION:
Apartment Syndications provide a great solution to busy individuals that want to own and benefit from real estate, but are not able to do so by themselves. Apartment Syndications are an amazing way to become a part owner in an institutional grade investment that in the past, was only available to very large institutional investors.
Next time you drive past a huge apartment complex remember those types of assets aren’t only for the other guys! They can be for YOU too!! You now have a viable option and way to own the exact same assets the ultra wealthy own! So tell your family! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors! Tell everybody!
High Country Capital Partners is an investment company that structures apartment syndications like I’ve mentioned above! If you are interested in investing with us or have any questions, reach out anytime by clicking one of the buttons below to schedule a call or contact us!
Click HERE to learn more about High Country Capital Partners and how we can help you put your money to work and achieve financial freedom!
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. Click HERE to ask a question or get in touch with us.
If you’re ready to invest click HERE to get access to our offerings! | https://medium.com/@alecbeardall/what-is-an-apartment-syndication-high-country-capital-partners-ca86451be73e | ['Alec Beardall'] | 2021-07-08 17:59:12.820000+00:00 | ['Investors', 'Investment', 'Apartments', 'Apartment Syndication', 'Investing'] |
The Goldilocks Fundraise. Startup founders — how much should you… | Startup founders — how much should you raise?
It’s fair to say in this crayzay investment world right now you could probably raise a cool mil off the back of a crayon scribbled napkin in a seedy bar. But that aside, how much should you really raise in the early stages?
Not too much, or you may fall into BAU and never have the hunger or discipline to make it (PS don’t give too much to investors and don’t think that money answers everything, it doesn’t).
Not too little or you’ll never catch your flow with too little action and too many fires.
In either event, doing a flat or down round in 18 months is not a fun place to be. So…
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
Missions are time-boxed achievable things that milestone your way to your vision e.g. Hit £10k MRR by Dec 21, or sign one banner ICP within 90 days. Contextually — think what secret can you prove about your target market?
So sell us investors on your vision but have a realistic roadmap through each raise that is mission-centric. Always thinking one raise ahead.
If pre-revenue, what can you do on your own without raising? What mission (that you AND investors care about) can you hit with a spreadsheet, no-code platform, and an unlimited mobile phone plan?
Same with pre seed (SEIS). What can you do with the easier £150k that will get you investable for the next round? And again at seed. What mission is essential to raise your seriesA — e.g. £100k MRR.
Another trick is the rule of halves. Have 50% cash in reserve at the right time. Don’t bulk the numbers but instead have a get out of jail plan up your sleeve if you don’t hit target by 50% of the way through, to save 50% of what’s left, to hit your mission. (nb in early stage don’t focus on product, focus on market.)
And finally — check in regularly to make sure it’s mission possible! | https://medium.com/@danvc/the-goldilocks-fund-raise-8c7137b36931 | ['Dan Bowyer'] | 2021-07-15 11:39:07.269000+00:00 | ['Founder Stories', 'Startup', 'Venture Capital', 'Fundraising', 'VC'] |
How to publish R packages in good journals | How to publish R packages in good journals
R packages for researchers
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
In earlier posts, we have discussed the procedure to develop an R package and its importance in computational research. The R packages are a great tool to create reproducible research. Thousands of such R packages are been contributed to the CRAN, nowadays. A similar thing is observed in Python and other languages such as Matlab. On my own experience, I can say, it’s really difficult and challenging to make your package/s popular and raise the number of downloads unless you have a great team and follower who can share it with the targeted audience.
I found, publishing such packages in reputed journals is a great option to bring your R package in the traditional research and make researchers try-on. It is true that the R package itself is the citable entity, but making available it in publication format has several benefits, such as:
While following the publishing procedure, the package gets reviewed by several reviewers and editors, which ensure the usefulness and reliability of the package. The published version of the package increases the confidence of its users while using it. Out of hundreds of available packages, the published ones are experiencing more downloads and citations. The packages published in journals attract traditional researchers (who are not expert in Coding and developing the package), which eventually increase the users/viewers of the packages.
Now, it is worth noting that publishing an R package is not an easy task, as one can imagine. The traditional journals usually reject to review the package related manuscript with the very common comment that it is out of the scope of the journal. For the R packages, the R community has a great platform journal, the R journal. It is targeted only for the R packages, its introduction, and demonstration, with the minimum mathematical derivations. But still, it’s challenging to publish all kind of R packages in this journal, since it prefers the articles which are related to statistics and machine learning with significant contributions in computational capabilities.
Hence, it is very important to know the possible journals to publish R packages with higher chances of acceptance. The following is the list of journals in several domains:
Apart from these journals, there are several domain-specific journals which have published several R packages. Some of them are as follows:
A good review of such journals for several domains such as Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Engineering, Humanities, Social Sciences, Image Processing, Informatics, Mathematics, Statistics, and Life Sciences is presented here.
It is worth noting that publishing an R package is a very challenging task and the package must hold significant contributions in the domain. If it is to be published in journals like the R Journal or the Journal Of Statistical Software, which are dedicated to software packages, the manuscript draft should be focused on introduction, description, and examples of the package. Whereas, if you are targeting a domain-specific journal with traditional scopes, such as IEEE Access or Energies, it is essential to discuss some case studies in the manuscript which can prove how your package can be useful in that domain (an example). This is very important to impress the editor of such a journal so that he should not reject your manuscript with ‘Out of the Scope’ stamp.
Additionally, it is crucial to provide the link of your R package along with GitHub code folders. It will be helpful to locate your package and can improve the possibility of package reuse. Further, the R packages allow you to provide the citable link for the package, where you can replace the existing CRAN BibTeX with the published journal BibTeX. For example, the R allows you to know the possible citation of an R package with the following syntax.
In default form, it will show you something like the following:
But, if you update the description of the package with a new citation with the revised BibTeX, you can find it here:
This ensures the proper citation for your package’s publication and the better spread of the package. There is another trick, that you can put the published journal article of your package at the Vignette of the package, provided you must be clear with the sharing policies of the journal. There won’t be any issue with the articles published with open access policies.
Enjoy developing and publishing. | https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-publish-r-packages-in-good-journals-55a3153bd409 | ['Neeraj Dhanraj'] | 2020-06-29 18:00:43.788000+00:00 | ['Publication', 'Software Development', 'Research', 'Software', 'R'] |
Hey, Biden-Harris Team, What About the UN? | Hey, Biden-Harris Team, What About the UN?
The incoming Biden administration faces the task of repairing a rocky relationship with the UN and its various programs. Experts weigh in. PassBlue Nov 17, 2020·9 min read
by Stéphanie Fillion. Read more on PassBlue.
President-elect Joe Biden’s first message to fellow world leaders was clear: America is back. But there’s a glaring omission in his foreign policy plan: the United Nations.
After four years of the Trump administration’s defunding and leaving UN organizations and agreements, the United States’ relationship with the UN is ripe for revival. But what, specifically, does the new administration need to do?
PassBlue asked four legal and foreign policy experts to weigh in on the steps that are needed to re-engage with a range of UN agencies and initiatives: the Paris Agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran ( Iran nuclear deal), the Human Rights Council, Unesco, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ( UNRWA), the UN Population Fund ( UNFPA) and the World Health Organization ( WHO).
“The Biden administration can reverse a lot of that,” said Larry Johnson, a former assistant UN secretary-general for legal affairs and an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, referring to Trump administration policies. “But it will need political will.” As he sees it, “There’s no real difficulty or obstacles to the US returning and as a full supporter and full player and a leader within the UN.”
(PassBlue’s UN-Scripted podcast series also features this topic and experts. To listen, download the latest episode from SoundCloud or Patreon.)
The Paris Agreement
Biden has said that climate change is a top priority. “The first thing I would do, on the first day,” he said in June as a presidential candidate, “would be to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement,” a vow he has repeated many times since then. Now, on his transition-team website, it says: “He will not only recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement on climate change — he will go much further than that. He is working to lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets.”
The US officially withdrew from the 2015 agreement on Nov. 4. Paul Watkinson, an expert on climate change who was part of France’s negotiating team in 2015, believes it would be straightforward for the US to re-enter the agreement, as “any party which is not a party to the Paris Agreement, once it is in force, can join” — simply by notifying the UN of ratification acceptance and waiting 30 days.
The politics surrounding recommitment are more complicated. Many participating countries have revised their 2030 emissions targets, and the Biden administration would have to establish its own target, or carbon emission reduction, as well. If the US hadn’t quit the Paris agreement, it “would have had to revise that target now and set a target for 2030.”
“I think it’s fair to say that the international community remains committed to [the agreement], despite the decision of the US to leave,” Watkinson added. But while other countries have been preparing rules to implement the Agreement, “to some extent the full implementation is only just about to start. So the key question is what happens now,” making the potential role of the US at this moment “critical.”
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
Even more complicated are the politics surrounding the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US withdrew from this agreement in 2018, though this summer the Trump administration argued that it was still a party to it and thus could trigger the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, having deemed it is in noncompliance with the deal. That action was rebutted by most of the other members of the UN Security Council, which authorized the Iran deal through a resolution in 2015. (The other parties to the deal are Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.)
“All it takes from the US, from a legal point of view, is to return to compliance, revoke what the Trump administration has done in terms of reimposing sanctions and just return to the letter of the agreement,” Johnson, the UN legal expert, said, adding that it’s not even “legally necessary” to announce it to the Security Council.
The US claim that it could trigger the snapback element to reinvoke UN sanctions was hotly debated in August in the Council through letters sent by most of its members to the Council president that month, Dian Triansyah Djani of Indonesia. Many of the letters argued that the US was no longer a legal participant to the deal, so US actions — which included submitting a draft resolution to trigger the snapback mechanism — were considered null and void. Ambassador Djani decided not to take any action on the US effort. Instead, he said, “Given the lack of consensus among Council members the presidency could not take further action on this issue.”
Johnson said, “The letters are extremely important, but there was no Council decision as such, and certainly no resolution and no decision as such.”
Since the president of the Council at the time did not conclude whether the US was a member of the JCPOA, Johnson believes the US doesn’t even need the Council’s approval to still be considered part of the agreement.
The Washington Post has reported that Biden intends to return to the Iran nuclear deal only if Iran returns to compliance. On Nov. 11, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed that Iran continues to increase its stockpile of low-enriched uranium, and is currently at 12 times the limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal, proving noncompliance.
A Security Council diplomat told PassBlue that his country is unsure whether the Biden administration would want to rejoin the Iran deal as Tehran has gained more technical skill in building nuclear weapons while violating the agreement.
Human Rights Council (HRC)
The US left the Human Rights Council in 2018 amid its three-year term, citing the body’s alleged bias against Israel and other issues. The Council is an intergovernmental body composed of 47 members elected in rotation every three years, based on the UN’s five regional groups.
Becoming a member of the Council again would mean getting elected. However, as history tells us, it’s not a goal the US could take for granted. In May 2001, the US lost an election to the Human Rights Council’s predecessor, the Human Rights Commission.
“The US lost its seat before the 9/11 terrorist attack, the US invasion of Iraq and its human rights abuses in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo Bay,” Mona Ali Khalil, a former UN senior legal officer told PassBlue. However, the US was again elected in 2009, 2012 and in 2017. When it left suddenly in 2018, its seat was taken by Iceland.
The Council is regularly criticized for electing countries that breach international human rights. At its most recent election, in October, Russia and China, who are repeat members, won seats despite opposition by organizations like Human Rights Watch; but Saudi Arabia, also opposed by Human Rights Watch, failed to get a seat. Venezuela and the Philippines, also highly questionable human-rights protectors, also sit on the Council.
The bias against Israel is also an argument that has been made by previous US administrations against the main UN human-rights body in its current and previous forms — in 2006, President George W. Bush cited it in boycotting the Council’s elections. But the bias argument does not hold for Khalil.
She said, “While the [Human Rights Council] has indeed passed successive resolutions to address violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, the [Human Rights Council] annually adopts other country-specific resolutions on violations in Belarus, Burundi, DPRK, Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, the Philippines, Venezuela, Yemen and elsewhere.”
Thus, the question of whether to run for election is going to have to be thought through by the Biden administration. Johnson supposes that the US will do it sooner rather than later to signal Biden’s commitment to international human rights. “Given Biden’s track record as being pro-human rights and pro-international justice and accountability, I would think they would want to make a statement right away in general about human rights, that the US is back on the human rights stage,” Johnson said, adding, “This is a political issue, clearly not a legal one.”
Or, as Khalil put it, the US will “have to balance any potential political risks at home against the inevitable risks of forfeiting its leadership on the international stage.”
Unesco
The US also left the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or Unesco, on the grounds of bias against Israel. In 2011, after Unesco admitted Palestine as a member, the US stopped funding the organization, as the US is legally required to do so with any UN entity that formally recognizes Palestine, or “accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as member states.”
In 2011, the Obama administration stopped paying its dues to Unesco, and Trump officially withdrew the US from it in 2018, while remaining an observer member in order to “contribute US views, perspectives and expertise on some of the important issues undertaken by the organization, including the protection of world heritage, advocating for press freedoms and promoting scientific collaboration and education.”
While Biden hasn’t announced a US plan for Unesco, Jordie Hannum, executive director of the Better World Campaign, a nonpartisan organization focused on the relationship between the US and the UN, said: “I can certainly see the administration rejoining as the first step. In terms of funding the organization, it would require either repealing the two 1990s laws or amending them.”
The US previously left Unesco in 1984. In 2003, the US rejoined it and started funding the organization again. If the US wants to be a full-fledged member again, it can do so, but a lot depends on Biden’s political position toward Israel and, of course, the legal restraints.
World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization has been under fire by President Trump for its alleged bias toward China and its role in the coronavirus pandemic. In July, the US formally started the process of withdrawing from the organization, but since the withdrawal takes effect a year later, the US only has to cancel its notice of withdrawal to remain a full-fledged member. “More important from the WHO’s point of view is whether the US, as a member, would restart its full funding,” Hannum said.
Because withdrawal takes a year, “the US can change its mind and withdraw that withdrawal before it becomes effective on July 6, 2021,” Hannum added. “Then funding is the next step. . . . Right now, there’s a $300-to-$400 million hole in the [WHO] budget for money we promised in the middle of a pandemic. So these contributions are critical. They were serving American interests, and it’s essential that not only do we rejoin, but we make sure that we refund because right now the WHO is in desperate straits.”
UNRWA & UNFPA
The US could also re-engage with the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, and UNFPA, the UN Population Fund, but that would require financing the organizations again. The decision to fund them is “just a matter of political will,” Johnson said, and no legal issues are involved. (The UNFPA, according to a PassBlue report, is thriving despite the US defunding.)
Vice-President-elect Harris pledged to reverse Trump’s decision to defund organizations providing aid to the Palestinians. “Will take immediate steps to restore economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reopen the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem and work to reopen the PLO mission in Washington,” she is quoted as saying in an article in Middle East Monitor.
Multilateralism
Rebuilding relationships with America’s oldest allies could be the biggest foreign policy challenge facing the incoming president. But since the UN wasn’t even mentioned in Biden’s foreign policy plan, how much will the UN be prioritized by the new people in the White House? One hint: Biden has a US mission to the UN “agency review team” in his transition camp. (On a trivial note, Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, were married in 1977 in the chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations, which is not part of the UN but located across the street from it.)
“The reality is that China is playing chess on the world stage right now while we play checkers,” Hannum said. “They are ramping up their efforts at the UN in multilateral forums as well as bilaterally with economic initiatives like [the] Belt and Road [infrastructure investments], while we have withdrawn from the world stage, hollowed out the State Department and USAID.
“That approach by this administration has failed, and that’s something Republicans and Democrats have realized, and the administration itself admitted as much when they appointed for the first time an envoy to counter China’s influence globally.
“But it’s going to take more than one staff person. What’s needed going forward, what we’re saying to Congress, and the president, is there need to be tangible signs that we are serious about re-engagement with the world. I think the Biden administration recognizes the importance of it, too.”
DONATE TO PASSBLUE AND DOUBLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION THROUGH DEC. 31. | https://medium.com/@passblue-un/hey-biden-harris-team-what-about-the-un-59f2da7ba44d | [] | 2020-11-18 17:44:36.142000+00:00 | ['Human Rights', 'Biden', 'Trump', 'United Nations', 'Foreign Policy'] |
Rebuilding 101: How your Small Business Can Rise Again After COVID-19 | 2020 is finally over. But for many small businesses, the difficulty persists. No less than 92% of small businesses have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. More and more people are being inoculated by the various available vaccines, but business owners know there is still quite a bit more hunkering down to be done.
After the 2008 financial crisis, it took small businesses up to six years to return to pre-recession levels, a full two years longer than large enterprises. With this as a model, it would be less than productive to ask when the crisis would end. We already know that it will take quite a while. For small business owners, it would be more proactive to ask how the crisis can end, what can be controlled to ease the blow and position the business towards recovery. For this, two immediate overarching steps can be taken. First is to identify and name the problem and second, build a plan to address it.
In a survey conducted by the National Academy of Sciences early in the second quarter of 2020, it was found that the pandemic’s adverse impact on small businesses was immediate. In one fell swoop, closures — both temporary and permanent — occurred, and this had been exacerbated by a general financial fragility across Main Street. Because these primary problems have been experienced early on, quick tactical stop gaps could have already been applied. This might involve the streamlining of operations to manage expenses. But as the pandemic effects rage on, we explore strategic solutions with a longer-term and more strategic view for rebuilding.
First is to identify and name the problem and second, build a plan to address it.
PROBLEM # 1: Temporary business closures
Lockdown and quarantine orders have varied from state to state. But when business shutdowns have been mandated, along with reductions in demand and employee health concerns, the majority of small businesses have had to close temporarily all across the country. A business owner had nothing to do with the crisis — COVID-19 is a natural disaster — but now, every aspect of operations have dramatically downshifted. If it still remains unclear how to move forward, the following guidelines can help the business owner navigate these testy waters.
Revisit your business plan
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire world has shifted. But rather than allow this stark reality to cause anxiety, consider it as permission to give the way you do business a second look. What does your market want now and is that what you are delivering? What is the best way to provide the demand? Confer with your employees, peers in the industry and even suppliers about trends that they see. You can use the tentative nature of reopenings as a chance to experiment.
One example comes from Noma, a two-Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen that despite its renown was not immune to the impact of lockdown measures on the food and beverages industry. During the closure of the restaurant, its kitchen began making and selling burgers for takeout, also converting the restaurant’s yard into outdoor seating. The burgers were such a hit that when restrictions were lifted and Noma went back to service, chef and owner Rene Redzepi launched POPL Burger, a stand-alone burger joint that offers its lockdown creations. A week into its launch, Copenhagen went into lockdown again, but by then, the kitchen and its patrons know the drill: continue offering the burgers for takeout. Check their Instagram, they always sell out.
Create a recovery plan
Vaccinate ALL 58 has been launched in California and the effort to inoculate as many individuals in the soonest possible time is underway. While the disease is still raging, we have a sense that within this new year, the real end of the pandemic could finally begin.
As immunity to COVID-19 increases in the community, the rebuilding of businesses like yours must start taking place. This could involve, first, creating a priority list of items that should be recovered, such as reaching out again to your regular clients, rehiring employees and securing government loans and grants to buttress the business. In addition to these basic business foundations, incorporate the findings of your business plan review as well as the new rules of the world of work and enterprise. Ensure that your plan involves health protocols and relevant ways of delivering value.
Place these items into a schedule, a checklist or a timeline and prioritize accordingly, based on the realities in your community and industry. Most importantly, act on the plan and record the progress. It is advisable that you review the results on a weekly basis, adjusting accordingly to make sure you are tracking in the right direction.
Jumpstart a crisis playbook
Consider this perspective: a once-in-a-century disaster happens in your lifetime. It has upended all aspects of society, including your small enterprise. While it might seem unlikely, and you want it to be so, that a new respiratory virus will emerge, we cannot say that a crisis of a different nature hitting in the next 18 to 24 months is out of the realm of possibility. What the pandemic has given us is actual experience in dealing with the heaviest of blows, making us see the vulnerabilities of how our businesses are run.
Through the lockdowns, you may have discovered that your business is still heavily operating offline. Without your traditional methods of meeting your clients and networking with new ones, demand just ground to a halt. The closures may have driven you to learn how to build capacity for online customer engagement. The lessons that you learned in this regard would not only help in the post-pandemic rebuild but also beyond.
A crisis playbook is all about future-proofing your business. We can argue that with COVID-19, we have seen the worst-case scenario. The adjustments we have done to manage and mitigate and our strategies to recover will now be the steps we can take to protect the business from another bad hit in the future.
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
PROBLEM # 2: Lack of operational cashflow
When pandemic-related movement curbs began, it was found that the median small business in the United States had only about two weeks of cash on hand. It is a tenuous financial situation. This fragility and the interdependent relationships of small businesses, the employees, their suppliers and landlords set up the financial havoc many economies are in the midst of.
As the United States deals with the winter surge and fresh sets of lockdowns, we can be certain that many small business owners are unsure if they can bear the pressure any longer. In dealing with the cash crunch in Main Street, a few pointers are crucial in working towards business survival.
Survey the financial hit
How bad has your business been affected? What is the topline impact on your revenues and how far have your profits shrunk? This might send feelings of trepidation, but have you updated your financial statements?
One of the first steps in rebuilding would be to assess the financial damage the pandemic has dealt your small business. Whether it is deeper than first thought or not as bad as expected, the reality of the impact must be clear in the mind of the small business owner. The captain of the ship, in the midst of a violent storm, must know its exact location to be able to chart a way out.
Know at what level your sales are at, how profit and loss look like and how your cash flow has evolved. These would have been impacted by changes in your sourcing, manpower and the demand for your business. Consider everything — the goal of this activity is clarity that is radically important for the next step.
Assess if you need additional funding
Whether it is to jumpstart your operations or to fund the increase in costs of doing business due to continuous social distancing, your business may need additional, it is likely that you will need financing to keep afloat.
In California, the state has earmarked $500 million for the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. Applications for Round 1, done through its website, will close January 13th, 2021 and the details of the second round are soon to be announced. In addition, the state has provided funding for the California Rebuilding Fund that is geared toward providing capital for underserved small businesses as well as a loan guarantee program to help small businesses improve their access to loans. To complement these financing programs, the state government has issued executive orders to halt evictions for commercial renters as well as tax relief for small business taxes.
Needless to say, going through all of these steps would be hectic and stressful for the small business owner. One might default to a bunker mentality and try to do everything alone. As has been made aware to everyone the world over, isolation is rarely a great idea. Now, more than ever, are small business communities radically important. The camaraderie shared amongst business owners who had to face the real threat of permanent closure cannot be manufactured and can be a source of encouragement that everyone needs a healthy dose of. Furthermore, if you have access to mentors, like the ones from Small Business Administration (SBA) affiliate SCORE, get in touch and get that sounding board and expert opinion as you plan your business’ rebuilding.
In Part 2 of this blog, we explore how to address low or unknown customer demand as well as the reduced opportunity to attract new clients for your business.
Need a much-needed boost for your services business? Get on the Supertap waitlist and get $200 free credits when we launch. | https://medium.com/supertap/rebuilding-101-how-your-small-business-can-rise-again-after-covid-19-914806a889f8 | ['Ethel Francisco'] | 2021-01-07 03:17:45.065000+00:00 | ['Coronavirus Covid19', 'Small Business', 'Stimulus', 'Relief Package', 'California'] |
Why new social network Voice might not be a better answer to Facebook | “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”
A proclamation by the pigs who control the government in the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell. The sentence is a comment on the hypocrisy of governments that proclaim the absolute equality of their citizens but give power and privileges to a small elite.
Block.one — the multibillion-dollar company behind EOS, now has aspirations to build a new social network called Voice. The time is right for an alternative to Facebook, but are these the right people to build it.
This entire post can be summarized by this single question: Why must you be located in certain jurisdictions to have specific rights to your data and how it’s used?
According to voice.com
We think social networking is due for a major rework. From the bot mobs, to the data tracking, to the shady algorithms behind our feeds, social media has not been a good friend to us.
I am exceptionally concerned by the words they chose to use in their privacy policy. There is a lot I don’t like about it, but I will highlight just one aspect because it is the foundation upon which their entire business will be built.
I’m concerned with their approach to treating users differently based on their jurisdiction. Unless you live in a country that has strong privacy laws to protect you, Voice won’t be any better than Facebook.
Here’s the section I’m most concerned about
Individuals in certain jurisdictions — Your rights If you are located in certain jurisdictions, you may have the following rights:
Why must you be located in certain jurisdictions to have specific rights? If I could only ask the team one question, this would be it.
Why can’t Voice (Block.one) allow everyone, everywhere, to have the same rights? Isn’t blockchain about democratizing the internet and the people who use it? Why are they restricting who receives what benefits based on where they live?
My proposed change to this text:
Your rights, no matter where you live
You have the following rights no matter where you live, because we believe everyone should be treated equally.
A right of access to the personal information that we hold about you, and to some related information, under applicable data protection law.
Why must we be protected by applicable data protection law? This means that individuals who live in a country where there is little to no protection, will suffer — just like they do on Facebook — how is Voice any different?
My proposed change to the text:
A right of access to the personal information that we hold about you, and all related information, irrespective of the law that protects you.
A right to require any inaccurate personal information that we hold about you to be corrected or deleted. A right to object to our use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time and you may have the right to object to our processing of some or all of your personal information (and require them to be deleted) in some other circumstances.
I’m concerned with the words “may” and “some”.
My proposed text:
A right to require any inaccurate personal information that we hold about you to be corrected or deleted.
A right to object to our use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time and you have the right to object to our processing of some or all of your personal information (and require them to be deleted) in all other circumstances.
A right to data portability, which means the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format if: the processing of your personal information is based on your consent or required for the performance of a contract or; the processing is carried out by automated means.
Everyone in the world has a right to data portability. It shouldn’t be restricted to people who live in a country that demand it by law.
My proposed text:
We will make it very easy for you to port your data at any time.
Your right to data portability means the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used and human-readable and machine-readable format if: the processing of your personal information is based on your consent or required for the performance of a contract or; the processing is carried out by automated means.
(The words “we will make it easy” are extremely important because Facebook supports data portability — but it’s difficult to do, and what you get is anything but easy to reuse).
To learn more about these rights (including if they apply to you) and/or if you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us as set out below.
Wow. I’m going to repeat this to bring it home… To learn more about these rights including IF they apply to you…
To summarize…
I’m very unhappy that the people behind a new social network aren’t more caring of everyone’s right to privacy — they shouldn’t do the bare minimum.
Complying with the law is necessary, but they should aim for a higher standard for everyone in society.
☞ Paul eventually reads every response on Medium, and you can chat him up on Twitter or send him an email. | https://medium.com/hackernoon/why-new-social-network-voice-might-not-be-a-better-answer-to-facebook-be75557e6da0 | ['Paul Walsh'] | 2019-06-14 17:51:31.250000+00:00 | ['Facebook', 'Eos', 'Privacy', 'Social Media', 'Blockchain'] |
Why It Hurts to Feel Like an Outsider | If a child grows up in freezing temperatures and never knew of anything hotter, would he yearn for what he didn’t have?
It’s been so long now that I’ve been on the outside that I have become equally accustomed to the cold. I can’t say I don’t yearn for something different, but I am certainly starting to doubt that it even exists and so, pessimism eats away at me.
I tell myself that the happy alternative that I have been so willing to vicariously absorb is all a sham, an act of forgery that I should celebrate not being party to.
Shakespeare tells us:
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” (As You Like It)
This view of life is dangerously seductive for a human in my position. How great that a man as profound as Shakespeare should have an equally pessimistic view of humanity.
The history of the intelligentsia is littered with folk who held similar beliefs to the social scepticism that my isolation has bred within me.
Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard is one of these folk. However, he is different, he also offers a ray of hope that I try to latch on to. A shining light that comes from the very idiosyncratic view of Christianity that he espouses in his works.
A devout Christian man, who could also utter the words:
“Who tricked me into this whole thing and leaves me standing here? Who am I? How did I get into the world? Why was I not asked about it, why was I not informed of the rules and regulations and just thrust into the ranks as if I had been bought from a peddling shanghai-er of human beings? How did I get involved in the big enterprise called actuality? Why should I be involved? Isn’t it a matter of choice? If I am compelled to be involved, where is the manager-I have something to say about this. Is there no manager? To whom shall I make my complaint?” (Soren Kierkegaard, Repetition)
I shout these words loud and clear as I read them, tears running down my face, at that moment we are together, me and my Danish friend.
When I feel like something inside me that isn’t my lungs is suffocating and the oxygen I’m in desperate need of is meaningful human contact, Kierkegaard’s words provide some form of respite. Together we shout “Who am I? How did I get into the world?”.
I can’t relate to all of my friend’s words, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe them to be true. Together with fellow admirer Ludwig Wittgenstein I can say that there are parts of Kierkegaard's writing “too deep” for me to understand, but that nevertheless, the Dane “is a saint”.
Some words of my friend that find no home inside me:
“The commandment is that you shall love, but when you understand life and yourself, then it is as if you should not need to be commanded, because to love human beings is still the only thing worth living for; without this life you really do not live.” (Soren Kierkegaard, Works of Love)
I cannot shout this out in unison with Soren. But, I can trust his words. You tend to trust the promises of a friend. Can you call a human who you never saw, heard, smelt or touched your friend?
True friends affect one another on a deeply meaningful level, I think. Soren has effected me in this way, have I done the same to him? If he lives on through his words, then I can testify to having left an impact on these linguistic relics of his presence. The books I have of his are replete with signs of my physical touch: | https://medium.com/swlh/why-it-hurts-to-feel-like-an-outsider-edc7111b12fd | ['Antony Pinol'] | 2020-02-07 15:12:27.268000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Identity', 'Life', 'Self', 'Mental Health'] |
Equilibrium Lightpaper | Equilibrium is the absolute goal
In our Lightpaper you’ll be able to see with clarity the goal of Equilibrium and how it will achieve it.
Join us at:
www.equilibrium.to
https://t.me/equilibriumprotocol | https://medium.com/@equilibriumprotocol/equilibrium-lightpaper-cd6b13c13f61 | ['Equilibrium Protocol'] | 2021-01-01 18:03:41.789000+00:00 | ['Uniswap', 'Cry', 'Defi', 'Equilibrio', 'Ethereum'] |
7 Innovations in Audio Storytelling | 1. The First Podcast Feeds—2003
Digital audio files were generally distributed through Web pages in the days of “webcasting” that preceded podcasting. In late 2003, Dave Winer began wrapping audio in an RSS feed and Adam Curry created an RSS to iPod script. These and other related developments paved the way for the growth of “podcasting,” a term first used in this Guardian piece in 2004.
2. Embedded Audio—2008
Before podcast players were commonplace on smartphones, Soundcloud launched in 2008 and made it easy to distribute audio with the first widely-adopted embeddable audio tool. It was free and easy to use. Here’s an embed example, from the debut episode of our Tow-Knight podcast.
3. In-Line Audio—2013
Five years later, in 2013, Northwestern’s Knight Lab developed Soundcite, a terrific tool to make it easy to integrate sound snippets inline, right in the soul of a Web story. When you explore Soundcite examples, like the Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie, you hear a small bit of sound bring a piece of text to life.
Soundcite provides an easy and elegant way to integrate audio into Web text
4. Social Audio—2018
A decade after Soundcloud launched and five years after Soundcite, Anchor.fm has taken audio embedding a step further. Anchor enables anyone to create a short video out of any audio clip that’s under three minutes. That means you can easily share audio in a visual way on social platforms like Twitter, Instagram or YouTube. Entrepreneurs have tried numerous times to create an “Instagram for audio” (witness the defunct French startup Bobler, for example), but this is the first time there appears to be traction.
5. Democratizing Audio Publishing—2018
Anchor has also made it easy for anyone to create and distribute a podcast. Others have focused on democratizing various aspects of the audio creation process, but Anchor is the best-designed service for novices that I’ve seen and the easiest to use. It’s also free. | https://medium.com/journalism-innovation/7-innovations-in-audio-storytelling-45f44a06a475 | ['Jeremy Caplan'] | 2018-05-04 01:41:34.645000+00:00 | ['Audio', 'Podcasting', 'Radio', 'Podcast', 'Journalism'] |
Scale-up Spotlight: A conversation with Co-founder and CEO of Sendcloud, Rob van den Heuvel | Scale-up Spotlight: A conversation with Co-founder and CEO of Sendcloud, Rob van den Heuvel
We spoke with the CEO and Co-founder of Sendcloud, Rob van den Heuvel, about the growth of his company and… Top Business Tech Dec 22, 2021·3 min read
We spoke with the CEO and Co-founder of Sendcloud, Rob van den Heuvel, about the growth of his company and how it has adapted to the post-Covid-19 world.
Sendcloud is an all-in-one shipping platform for e-commerce businesses that want to become international giants. Rob van den Heuvel came up with the idea for Sendcloud back in 2012 when he and his partners Bas Smeulders (Co-founder and COO) and Sabi Tolou (Co-founder and CCO) all ran an online store in phone accessories. “Things were going great, and our businesses were growing,” he explained, “but we were struggling with shipping as it was both time-consuming and expensive. After some beers, we decided to come up with a solution ourselves and asked a friend to help us build the software. Sendcloud was born, and the rest is history!”
Sendcloud started in the Netherlands but has quickly become one of the fastest growing scale-ups in Europe, with more than 23,000 customers across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Austria. Its current customers range from small to enterprise-sized online retailers in industries ranging from fashion and electronics to food and drink.
Sendcloud differentiates itself in the market by being customer- and solution-centric, saying: “technology is at the heart of everything we do here”. Its end-to-end product covers the entire process, putting everything they need in one platform. In comparison, most retailers typically use three or four separate tools for shipping, labels, order picking, and returns.
Through its carrier and partner network, Sendcloud positions itself as one of the European leaders in enabling retailers to grow internationally. It’s also fully scalable, catering to businesses of all sizes, whether they ship 40 parcels a month or 400,000.
Covid-19 has massively affected businesses in the last two years, and e-commerce gained rapid momentum because of the lockdown measures as high street stores closed and people flocked to online shopping in huge numbers. When asked about Sendcloud’s last milestone as a company, van den Heuvel said: “it has to be rapidly expanding our team to keep up with this growth. We started with 140 employees in 2020 and recently reached the milestone of 300 employees” reiterating our status as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe.
Where other companies have had to slow their work down to adapt to the new changes, Sendcloud has found itself in a state of flux. This meant hiring people even faster than planned and managing all of this remotely. The biggest challenge for Sendcloud according to van der Heuvel has been scaling up the business even faster than originally expected whilst making sure new members are onboarded properly and staff remain motivated whilst working remotely.
E-commerce has grown tremendously during this past year, but now that shops have reopened and consumers have returned to the high street, this growth will naturally slow down. However, it can still be expected that many consumers will opt for online shopping in the long term. Lockdown has really caused an acceleration of an ongoing trend that ensures their safety and gives them peace of mind in a dangerous world.
Read More:
In the post-Covid world, many consumers may be craving the physical shopping experience and excitement that you simply can’t provide online. However, consumers have realized the full range of benefits of online shopping, from the peace of mind to deliveries built around their schedule, and have made it part of their routine. Covid-19 has set an irreversible trend when it comes to online shopping, and an omnichannel approach to shopping is here to stay as consumers get used to this new shopping environment.
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Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter | https://medium.com/tbtech-news/scale-up-spotlight-a-conversation-with-co-founder-and-ceo-of-sendcloud-rob-van-den-heuvel-ef41443afff3 | ['Top Business Tech'] | 2021-12-22 12:14:14.639000+00:00 | ['It', 'Cybersecurity', 'Technology', 'Business', 'Scaleup Spotlight'] |
Understanding Transgender, for Cis Folks | This neurological view of mismatch aversion has had profound repercussions for our understanding of several other types of body dysphorias. Among these is the feeling that a person’s gender identity differs from their body gender, which is gender dysphoria. Quite literally, the person is born with a mind, a soul, whose gender fails to match that of the body in which it finds itself:
During fetal development, different aspects of sexuality are set in motion in parallel: sexual morphology (external anatomy), sexual identity (what you see yourself as), sexual orientation (what sex you are attracted to), and sexual body image (your brain’s internal representation of your body parts). [These typically] harmonize during physical and social development… but they can become uncoupled, leading to deviations that shift the individual toward one or the other end of the spectrum of normal distribution. (Ramachandran)
It’s important to understand that this isn’t a binary situation. Sex and gender exist as a broad spectrum of manifestations, both in the body and the soul. (I am using the term “soul” here to refer to a person’s conscious experience, the sentient mind, because at the end of the day that is what souls are.) Yes, there is a bell-curve to it, and some physical and mental manifestations of sex and gender are much more common than others. But the point is, the experience of “being” a person of a certain gender — wherever on the spectrum that may fall — while having the body of a different sort of gender is rooted in biological reality.
So it is simply not correct to say that a person who is trans-male was born “biologically female” or that a person who is trans-female was born “biologically male”. Our brains and our genitalia are all part of our biology. What is correct is that they were born transgender.
It’s not possible to fully imagine what being a transgender person actually feels like if you are not one, just as it’s not possible to fully imagine what it’s like being any different gender. But imagining how you might feel should at least open the door to compassion and understanding for folks who are going through something which you haven’t, and are dealing with it and living their lives the best way they see to do so, according to their choices.
But where we, as a society, have the most trouble figuring out how to approach the reality of transgendered people is in dealing with children who experience mismatch aversion involving their sexual identities. On the one hand, our laws generally hold that prepubescent children cannot understand sexual maturity and therefore cannot be in a position to reasonably consent to anything having to do with it. Therefore, some people reason, it is a form of child abuse to begin any sort of gender transition in young kids who express their experience of feeling that they “are” a different sex than their genitalia would indicate. What if it’s just a phase? Or rebellion? What if they don’t understand the profound consequences of the process, that it’s not the same thing as playing dress-up?
On the other hand, we would do well to consider the very real terror of a gender-mismatched child with a boy’s body map, but a little girl’s body, facing the prospect of developing breasts and a uterus capable of bearing children. Or a gender-mismatched child with a girl’s body map, but a little boy’s body, anticipating the inevitable development of an enlarged penis and testicles, a deep voice, and a beard. If you are cis-gendered, imagine being told at that age that your own body was soon to grow into the adult form of the opposite gender, and knowing that the metamorphosis drew nearer with each passing day.
As long as outdated notions persist of gender mismatch as a social or psychological problem, rather than an innate issue of biology and neurology, of genuine and innate identity, we are passively dooming these kids to what is now at least a partially avoidable fate. And we are dooming ourselves to using inappropriate instruments to assess the situation and determine the best course of action in each individual case. This does not mean that we start prescribing hormone therapy to every tomboy who says “I hate being a girl” or to any little boy who says he’d rather join the Brownies than the Cub Scouts. It does mean that when children start indicating that they identify as a gender other than the one on their birth certificate, they are assured that they are not crazy, and we begin exploring the possibility that gender mismatch might be the issue.
And as cis-gendered adults, by understanding that gender mismatch is biologically real, we can start treating folks who gender-identify in different ways from ourselves with the respect and dignity they deserve as fellow humans. We can stop demeaning others and insisting that they’re seeking attention or in need of counseling to set them right. We can stop assuming that our own body-mind alignment is “correct” rather than merely common. And stop labeling a neurological configuration as a “sickness” or “perversion”.
The truth, it is said, shall set you free. And God knows we can all use a little more freedom from alienation and bigotry right about now. | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/understanding-transgender-445295701dde | ['Paul Thomas Zenki'] | 2020-12-25 16:03:00.785000+00:00 | ['Health', 'LGBTQ', 'Science', 'Culture', 'Neuroscience'] |
Katy Perry kissed a boy & he didn’t like it. | Katy Perry kissed a boy & he didn’t like it.
Looks like some people don’t realize that they shouldn’t let the media or celebrities in general tell them what to do, especially if it goes against their own beliefs and value. These demands also come to show what type of “people” we look up to and how different identities produce different reactions from our society.
It hasn’t even been a week since the moment in which Katy Perry, the only female judge on this season of American Idol, planted a kiss on the lips of a contestant named Benjamin Glaze without his consent. “No way! Hold on!” is exactly how Benjamin responded when Katy kept commanding him to “Come here right now!”. Before he even had a chance to actually sing, he was being asked by the judges questions like “Have you kissed a girl and liked it?” and even though he responded that he had never kissed a girl because “I can’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship”, all three judges it would appear continued to pressured him to kiss Katy on the cheek. Right after Katy purposely moved her head to the side to kiss him on the lips, Benjamin looked shocked and fell to the ground while the judges acted like they had just won the lottery. It might actually have felt that way based on the assumption that they will do anything to provide their audiences with “great television”. On the contrary, many people, not just people who actually watch the show, saw this moment as an act of sexual assault.
In “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color”, Kimberle Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and leading scholar of critical race theory defines intersectionality as the different identities one has like race, class, gender, etc. that often shape one’s experiences. Therefore, there is no universal experience and each person, depending on their identity, has their own specific experience. Crenshaw further breaks down the concept of intersectionality into three categories: structural, political, and representational.
Crenshaw defines representational intersectionality as the way pop culture constructs the experiences of people of color which in turn often creates a stereotypical portrayal of people for audiences to grasp and believe and therefore conceals the real experiences of people of color. In terms of the controversy between Katy Perry and Benjamin Glaze, I will be focusing how pop culture and the media portrays different celebrities which ultimately prevents consequences from being enforced when moments like these happen.
While some people, like Benjamin, just felt uncomfortable for reasons like it was so unexpected or because it was a stranger in the sense that they don’t have that type of relationship, other people, including myself, felt uncomfortable for another more drastic reason. First of all, he didn’t consent to it and he was coerced and pressured into doing it. Second of all, if the genders were reversed and it was a male judge and female contest, there would be a completely different reaction from the media.
In “The Rules Of #MeToo Are Clear. Women Can Sexually Harass Whomever They Want.”, Matt Walsh, a reporter on the Dailywire, points out the contreversy around this event and how a double standard is clearly evident because of the reactions, or lack of, from this event. He explains “Imagine a male pop star demanding a kiss from a shy 19-year-old female and then smooching her on the lips without consent. The outrage would be deafening and immediate. He would certainly be fired from the show.” The fact that many people, including the male judges, didn’t react negatively towards the kiss just proves that some celebrities have this mindset that they can do what they want and have no regard for the consequences.
There are two main issues with what went on. One is that pop culture creates this image around celebrities in which they are seen as a higher class and more powerful than people who aren’t famous or even people on these shows that do in fact get famous or strive to be by winning these shows. The second is that women like Katy Perry who don’t realize what she did is seen to many people as sexual assault are not and possibly won’t me accepted by the #MeToo movement or any type of feminist politics.
What I believe should have happened was that women like Katy Perry should be held accountable for the same things we hold men accountable for. For the past few months, that is all we have been doing to men who have sexually assaulted women in our society, including Hollywood. The first time I read about what happened was in a tweet on Twitter and I honestly expected it to come up on every social media I had with people talking about it. Unfortunately, I was wrong. | https://medium.com/gendered-violence/katy-perry-kissed-a-boy-he-didnt-like-it-7c6743757059 | ['Yoselin Zavala Lopez'] | 2018-03-28 00:23:44.383000+00:00 | ['Katy Perry', 'Consent', 'Feminism', 'Intersectionality', 'Entertainment'] |
NinjaChat Basics with Dialogflow | Some interesting ways we have used contexts in Dialogflow for our chatbot:
Each exclusive type of user (unverified user, consumer and shipper) have their own overarching context (e.g. shipper-sns ) which is accepted as an input context and re-fired as an output context for all associated intents. This ensures that an utterance from a shipper user can never match an intent meant for a consumer, and vice versa.
) which is accepted as an input context and re-fired as an output context for all associated intents. This ensures that an utterance from a shipper user can never match an intent meant for a consumer, and vice versa. Certain flows require us to capture information from the user, validate that information and rely on that validated information for subsequent intent matches. One example is a flow for shippers to create appointments for their parcels to be picked up by our drivers. The whole sequence of intents prompt the user for their requested date, address etc. After each matched intent, we validate the captured information with external services, and if successful, manually update the main user context in Dialogflow using one of Dialogflow’s ContextsClient methods with a unique name for the parameter indicating that it is ‘validated’. This ‘validated’ variable associated with the overarching user context is later retrieved as needed. If not found when needed, an error response is shown to the user.
methods with a unique name for the parameter indicating that it is ‘validated’. This ‘validated’ variable associated with the overarching user context is later retrieved as needed. If not found when needed, an error response is shown to the user. Lifespans for all contexts are set to reflect whether it is required (deactivated contexts are set as output context for an intent with lifespan = 0 ), will be required in the foreseeable future (with lifespan = 5 ), or belong to an overarching user context (set as lifespan = 50 meaning we never want it to expire, although arguably some other big-enough number would get the job done as well).
*As a special noteworthy mention:
Context management was an integral part of a feature we were working on called timelapse. Timelapse involved allowing the user to select an option from way back in his/her conversation history, and — as long as the option selected was shown during the current session — have the bot respond to the option as if nothing else had occurred since then, with all appropriate contexts and stored values active/present. (Just like old times.)
To accomplish this, we relied on the intent match metadata in our database that we persisted with each user-bot interaction . When an earlier option is selected, we scan through our history of interactions for this user and try to extract the metadata from the interaction just before the match.
Using this metadata, we call on Dialogflow’s ContextClient to restore all active contexts contained within the metadata we extracted, including stored parameter values. Finally, we trigger an intent match with the new option and process the result from the new match this time.
This allows users to jump right back into the main menu if they lose their way in our chatbot, track another order immediately without having to navigate back to that part of the conversation, or even return to the middle of order pickup creation once they have successfully created a pickup with our bot.
Using Actions to Produce Side Effects
After an intent is matched, SNS needs to, in a quasi-idempotent way, do more than just reply to the user with a pre-configured response. It needs to call services, update databases, process information, etc. This was achieved with Dialogflow’s actions, a value configured for each intent that is returned as part of the matched result when we call Dialogflow with user input. This value is interpreted by our service, in this case DialogflowIntentService and its derivatives for each user type, and processed with a handler method.
Dialogflow — Action Section on an Intent page
I wrote quasi-idempotent because the same action value would always lead to the same set of behaviors being performed on our service, and also the response from the bot more or less follows the same structure for given action.
More importantly, though, the burden of state management is placed primarily on Dialogflow, and SNS only needs to fulfill a preset series of expected behaviors whenever it encounters an intent match carrying action value x . A basic example for us would be the action we defined as CONFIRM_SELECTION , whose handler looks something like this:
private /* ... */ handleConfirmSelection(QueryResult queryResult) {
String responseText = fromDFKey(
queryResult.getFulfillmentText());
DialogflowOptionContainer options = translate(CONFIRM_OPTIONS));
return completedFuture(buildResponseBean(
responseText, options));
}
The handler simply returns a response bean with the response text equal to what was configured for the matched intent, and displays CONFIRM_OPTIONS , which is a constant holding two options ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. (*Note: fromDFKey() and translate() are used to localize the actual text displayed to the user, based on the language set for the user’s country). If you’re interested, the main service responsible for delegating which handler method to call looks like this:
public /* ... */ processMatchedIntent(R request, Q queryResult) {
return handleGeneralIntents(requestBean, queryResult)
.orElseGet(() -> identifyAction(queryResult.getAction())
.filter(intentFunctionMap::containsKey)
.map(action -> matchedIntentMap
.get(action)
.apply(request, queryResult))
.orElseGet(() -> {
//nvLogger.warn(...);
//return default response bean
}));
} private /* ... */ initializeMatchedIntentMap() {
matchedIntentMap.put(CUSTOMER_DISPLAY_MAIN_MENU,
this::handleDisplayMainMenu);
matchedIntentMap.put(CUSTOMER_DISPLAY_SUB_OTHERS_MENU,
this::handleDisplaySubOthersMenu);
//... more map.put(action, handler) return map;
}
initializeMatchedIntentMap() is called to build a map of intent action values and their corresponding handler methods. For each request for a user of type CUSTOMER , we call processMatchedIntent() which first executes handleGeneralIntents() , a superclass method that attempts to match for general action values utilized by more than one intent service classes. Then, it attempts to match with a customer-specific action value and if a match is found, calls the corresponding handler method by accessing the customer intent function map.
This pattern is used for all intent service classes. The goal is that as user specific intents start to grow, we would also look into categorically moving these intents into separate classes based on the flows they’re involved in. | https://medium.com/ninjavan-tech/ninjachat-basics-with-dialogflow-b8d64e71c49b | ['Dexter Fong'] | 2020-11-05 03:14:44.713000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Machine Learning', 'Chatbots', 'Ninja Van', 'AI'] |
Weekly Roundup: Animal ordinance, LRHSD board representative | Weekly Roundup: Animal ordinance, LRHSD board representative
Catch up on what happened this week in Medford.
Medford Council at a standstill with animal ordinance
At this week’s Medford Council meeting, a draft ordinance was presented in regard to animal regulations.
Medford Township’s draft ordinance stated there would be no more than 15 dogs age 6 months and older allowed on one property, regardless of lot size.
Deputy Mayor Frank Czekay said he thinks allowing 15 dogs on one property is too high. Czekay said he would not want to live next to a house on a half-acre lot that has ownership of 15 dogs — to which Councilman Erik Rebstock agreed.
The full story can be found here.
LRHSD board representative resigns after 22 years of service
“You are a family man, you are a community man, you are a Lenape man.”
Those are the words of Lenape High School Principal Tony Cattani as he spoke to resigning Lenape Regional High School District board member John “JJ” Jeffers at this week’s board meeting.
Jeffers was a Mount Laurel representative to the Lenape District Board of Education, on which he has served for the past 22 years.
The full story can be found here. | https://medium.com/the-medford-sun/weekly-roundup-animal-ordinance-lrhsd-board-representative-fa90e5c3b6c7 | ['Melissa Riker'] | 2019-02-24 15:31:00.630000+00:00 | ['New Jersey', 'Schools', 'Animals'] |
The girl in the yellow cab | Photo by Lerone Pieters on Unsplash
Life in New York can be fast, and I sometimes feel I think about doing things more than I actually get stuff done. I have been meaning to write for a long time but juggling between work, late-night coding sprints, daily runs, and Netflix kept me pretty much occupied. Today, I decided to change that and write a few lines.
From spending almost 21 years of my life in Goa, a beautiful coastal state in India to moving to my dream city, life has definitely changed a lot. Taking up Computer Science major back in undergrads was not a very conscious decision, but I’m glad I did it. It definitely gave me an opportunity to come to this country to pursue my grad studies in Data Science and appreciate my educational background more. Being able to create a product out of scratch definitely feels empowering. There have been times, I thought about some idea and spent weekends building that idea out which until then was just a figment in my mind.
So talking about my move to New York, it wasn’t an easy ride. Coming from a country that had a completely different culture, tastes, and sentiments, fitting in this new world was definitely tough. I did have my fair share of initial embarrassing moments. But the move eventually turned out to be the best decision of my life. This city helped me churn my interest and inquisitiveness in fintech into a full-blown career and passion.
This city is full of hustle, full of energy that I never saw anywhere else. Even during the pandemic, New Yorkers tried their best to survive and rise up again. There is nothing you can’t accomplish in this city if you have the courage, patience, and enough hard work to sweat it out and achieve your goals.
After writing numerous lines of code, working for one of the top global banks, and spending the last 4 years gaining a deep understanding of building fintech products, I am embarking on a new challenge to use my cross functional development skills and industry knowledge to build great products and convert ideas from 0 to 1.
To my forever love for New York City, I’ll always be that girl in the yellow cab chasing her dreams. | https://medium.com/@devika-naik/the-girl-in-the-yellow-cab-32f4f1554b4f | ['Devika Naik'] | 2020-12-08 00:27:14.873000+00:00 | ['Hustle', 'New York City', 'About Me'] |
They told me it’d help. | It was quite awkward, she wasn’t going to lie- all these people just sitting in a circle in the empty town hall fingering their long sleeves in the oppressive heat, surrounded by pictures of happy seven -year-olds in scout uniforms.
The silence stretched on, and the longer it continued the stronger the urge to laugh became. She tried her best to push it down- this was the worst possible place to descend into hysterics, it would be the sure -fire way to cement herself firmly as truly mad. And once that happens, you are forever the one at the very bottom of the ‘damaged people’ food chain, the one everyone compares themselves to and is relieved that however bad they themselves may be, at least they’re not quite as bad as her.
And Sophie knew she wasn’t the worst one. She was just more open.
She had always been a drama queen, a naturally appealing self -decrepitating comedic flare coupled with appreciation of attention had ensured that. She couldn’t remember how long she had kept cutting herself quiet- might have been a month but it was unlikely to be longer- and once one person knew, everyone else found out in pretty quick succession.
Isaac was the first person to see. She had been surprised at his reaction actually; she had known he had many issues of his own, that was why she didn’t make much of an effort to hide, but he had been almost totally unfazed by the whole thing. Of course, she was glad that he wasn’t too upset, but there was something deep inside her that wanted just a little bit more of a reaction. There were these big red welts on her skin, she figured she’d at least get an ‘oh I’m so sorry you are going through this’ but he didn’t really say anything.
The attention-seeking part of her was something she had always hated, but it was basically uncontrollable. She no longer hid under long sleeves, and proclaimed her issues to everyone without exception. Sophie knew that this was not normal self- harming behaviour, but why should she hide these things if she didn’t feel the need to? It was much better this way ultimately. Everyone who knew her knew she had these problems, and strangely that actually seemed to work in her favour.
She didn’t quite understand how, but being relatively open at all times with people somehow gave her a safety net. People presumed that if she talked about it, then it was as bad as it looked and nothing worse. The semi-humorous narratives that she espoused everywhere were graphic enough to explain some of the deeper scars: the time her upper thigh wouldn’t stop bleeding in the middle of an exam, the time her maths teacher fainted when she saw one of the infected cuts (“did they expect her to sterilise it beforehand!?”)- but not too much. She omitted more than she would care to admit. She didn’t tell anyone of the time she woke up in a hedge at 4:30 in the morning. She didn’t tell anyone of the time she had broken into her friend’s parents house to take some vodka she had seen earlier. She didn’t tell anyone of the time she had sex in a field with her cousin’s boyfriend.
She didn’t tell anyone about the bottles of paracetamol still hidden under her bed.
The somehow both monotonous and grating voice of the seventeen- year old opposite her drew Sophie out of her own musings. Not for much though; the girl was simpering and whining as she did every session without fail, going into infuriating detail as to how extraordinarily well she had done that week, how fantastically this therapy was going for her, how even though she did have a couple of ‘very minor blips, shall we say’ but with the ‘oh so excellent’ techniques they had been taught the thoughts were gone in a flash- ‘all thanks of course to the extraordinary blessing that was this group….’ Sophie had to work immensely hard not to roll her eyes. The girl was impeccably by the book- every single word she said was so correct as to be absurd, and always treacled out with a glowing smile that was half long -suffering martyr and half patronising sycophant. As if they didn’t all know she had overdosed literally four days earlier.
Out of the corner of her eye Sophie could see Elaine nodding rhythmically along, an intense look of understanding gratitude all over her face; she was absolutely lapping this stuff up. Of course Elaine was a rubbish therapist, no doubt about that, but in this case Sophie couldn’t really find it in herself to blame her for allowing herself to be taken in. Who wouldn’t want to hear cheerful and optimistic lies over the bland depressing truth? It must make a nice break, these sunny fantasies, over all those dark, brutal, honest suicides. | https://medium.com/@eleanorcarmel/they-told-me-itd-help-682d1c82a0ab | ['Eleanor Carmel'] | 2020-12-22 15:54:08.340000+00:00 | ['Fiction Writing', 'Mental Health', 'Therapy', 'Short Story'] |
The Power of Microservices in a Modern Data Architecture World | The microservices approach to custom development is accelerating with the advancement of services from public cloud providers. This approach also has the benefit of easily incorporating the large data sets that are required in today’s more advanced analytical applications.
Cervello’s teams design, implement, and manage custom data and analytics solutions using a microservices approach on cloud platforms. Since managing data and analytics is an ongoing journey, our ability to create abstract design with scaled architecture not only serves our clients’ goals but also makes it easy to integrate new requirements. To do such scaled engineering, our team connect the custom services with cloud providers’ services, such as Amazon Simple Queue Service, Amazon Simple Storage Service, Azure Blob Storage, and Hadoop HDFS. In addition, to enable communication and deployment of the entire architecture, we leverage cloud providers’ platforms and use their services, such as AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Amazon Elastic Container Service, and Azure Container Registry.
In this first post of a series, I briefly discuss the relevance of microservices in the modern data architecture world. First, let’s consider how microservices function by taking a look at a private ride example.
Standard Microservice Design
In this diagram, every benzene-like structure acts like a microservice. A microservice such as billing a rider app covers the entire billing process, and once a rider is billed through the Stripe payment process, that communication is sent to another microservice that is waiting to be triggered to perform the next step. These communications between microservices are attained through messengers such as RestAPI endpoints, messaging queues (Kafka, JMS, and SQS), and remote procedure call strategies. Finally, these services can either be deployed as a serverless process or a container service on AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Amazon ECS, or Azure Kubernetes Service. | https://medium.com/cervello-an-a-t-kearney-company/power-of-microservices-in-modern-data-architecture-world-e98a16e54b96 | ['Harsh Loomba'] | 2019-12-12 20:23:53.724000+00:00 | ['Microservices', 'Best Practices', 'Rest Api'] |
How to Write a Custom React Hook | How to Write a Custom React Hook
A lesson on how to extract component logic into reusable hooks.
React hooks, released in React v16.8, have changed the way developers write code. By default, React gives us access to a set of powerful base hooks, like useState , useEffect , useReducer , and others, but we can also build our own custom hooks to abstract complex state logic.
Photo by v2osk on Unsplash
Wait, what are custom hooks?
When writing React applications, there’s bound to be instances where you find yourself using the same repetitive or redundant state logic across multiple components. With custom hooks, we can extract this logic into a function to make our code cleaner and more reusable.
Custom hooks are simply functions that encompass other hooks and contain a common stateful logic that can be reused in multiple components. These functions are prefixed with the word use . Custom hooks mean less keystrokes and DRYer code.
Before you write your own custom hook, keep in mind that the open source community has published thousands of hooks, so there’s a very high probability someone has written the logic you need and published it online.
However, that is of no concern to us, this article is going to be focused on how to write custom hooks, not whether or not you should write them. Let’s dive right into our first example.
useLocalStorageState
Lets take a look at this Counter component that stores its current count value in local storage:
Here, we’re using useState and useEffect to sync up local state to local storage. Now what if we want to duplicate this logic across multiple components? Instead of copying and pasting code, we’ll create a new custom hook to handle this logic.
useLocalStorageState takes in two parameters, the key and the default value. On first initialization, we get the count from local storage if it exists and set it to state, otherwise we use the default value. We then use the useEffect hook to keep our local storage synced with local state, and return our state and setState functions as an array. Notice how we stringify and parse the values from localStorage using JSON.stringify and JSON.parse meaning we can also store objects with this hook as well!
Now we can reuse this useLocalStorageState hook across any component we want!
useArray
Note that we don’t always have to return an array from a custom hook. In this example, we’ll be building a custom useArray hook that allows us to manage array states easier.
This hook is pretty intuitive. We return an object with a bunch of modifiers for our array state that allow us to easily manipulate the array. We take in an initial array as the hook argument, then provide add , clear , removeById , and removeIndex as additional functions besides the usual value and setValue operations.
Lets see how we would implement this hook in a component:
See how we’ve drastically reduced the amount of extraneous logic we would need in this component by using a custom hook? Pretty incredible.
Do we have to start our custom hooks with use ?
Technically no, but really yes. As per the React docs: “Please do. This convention is very important. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to automatically check for violations of rules of Hooks because we couldn’t tell if a certain function contains calls to Hooks inside of it.”
Custom hooks don’t share state
Each instance of a custom hook has its own state, so unfortunately you can’t share state by default with a custom hook. However, if you pair up a custom hook with a global state library like Redux or Recoil, you can build custom hooks that interact with global state!
Conclusion
React custom hooks are incredibly powerful for writing cleaner, more maintainable, and DRYer code. We looked at a couple great examples of custom hooks, usLocalStorageState and useArray and how we can use them to reduce code complexity and increase reusability. Got some great custom React hooks you’ve used or made? I’d love to see them, feel free to comment below!
Keep in Touch
There’s a lot of content out there and I appreciate you reading mine. I’m an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley in the MET program and a young entrepreneur. I write about software development, startups, and failure (something I’m quite adept at). You can signup for my newsletter here or check out what I’m working on at my website.
Feel free to reach out and connect with me on Linkedin or Twitter, I love hearing from people who read my articles :) | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/how-to-write-a-custom-react-hook-6a8315f351f6 | ['Caelin Sutch'] | 2020-12-26 22:37:13.493000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Software Development', 'JavaScript', 'Web Development', 'React'] |
Envisioning A New Earth | Alex Grey is a visionary mystic artist who believes that every one of us has a divine responsibility to create art. I love thinking about creating art as a responsibility rather than as an indulgence, hobby or general pastime. When we think about creating art being our responsibility it suddenly becomes so much more important, it’s bigger than us- the true possibilities begin to unfold. I often think about how different my life would be if my favourite artists hadn’t shared their art with the world. What if I had never discovered their poems or songs or photographs and paintings? Would I be the same person? My own art may have turned out very differently if it weren’t for the artists who came before me. The most talented musicians I’ve ever known have all been people in my own life who have never released their music, and maybe never will. While we tend to think about releasing our own art as something deeply personal and quite exposing, in reality art has far reaching effects that greatly surpass the individual who created it.
You can never know what the effects of your art will be on others. If you scroll down to the comments of any song on YouTube you’re bound to run into a few that say “this band saved my life”. If someone told you that your art could save someone’s life you wouldn’t be so hesitant to release it. Our creations are not about us, they’re about everything and everyone. The more music, poetry, paintings, photography and any other art form you can think of that people create the more beautiful our world will become. Creating and expressing yourself gives other people permission to create and express themselves, it validates people’s feelings when you express your true and authentic experiences, it lets others know they are not alone, and it connects us on a deeply spiritual and metaphysical level.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a guy on the street who told me he was a rapper but that he hadn’t released anything yet because he was procrastinating and didn’t have enough self-belief. It made me wonder how many people are walking around with these secret talents and ideas that could potentially change not only their own lives but the lives of everyone around them? We simply can’t afford to keep these things to ourselves any longer. I believe that everyone is a creative being who has their own individual creative mission and responsibility, but I also believe that we have a collective creative responsibility. I write and talk a lot about changing the world and the systems that currently function within it- it’s easy to point out the problems, since they’re so evident, and generally most people agree that things aren’t ideal. I don’t think anyone wants to live in a world where vast numbers of people suffer so intensely, no matter how indifferent some people may seem. I’ve found that the problem lies in coming up with solutions. Often when I talk about how capitalism doesn’t work someone will hit back with a “but communism doesn’t work either!” as if there are only two options available to us. I realised that it’s our collective lack of imagination that’s hindering our ability to envision a different world.
Albert Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, and it’s only now that I truly know what he meant. I’ve written in a previous article that I think most people accept depression/feeling unfulfilled as the background radiation of their lives, and I still believe that however I don’t believe they don’t want change, or wouldn’t embrace change if it was suddenly thrust upon them. I think they’re suffering from an acute lack of imagination. The world we live in actively discourages creativity and imagination. Schools and jobs teach us to conform, capitalism makes sure our survival is at the top of our priorities and makes art and creativity seem like silly frivolities only available to the rich and privileged. That’s why individual creativity and art needs to be embraced and explored. If someone is too scared to paint because they “aren’t good enough” or maybe they do paint or sing or do something creative but they’re too scared to share it with anyone- then they definitely won’t come forward with pioneering and creative ideas about how to change the world or make it a better place.
The more creative we can be in our own lives and with our own art then the more creative and imaginative we can be as a collective. If we make creativity the norm and accept the fact that everyone is an artist in some way, and we get rid of the idea that you have to be “good” to create something or showcase it, then people raised with those ideals will be more open to new ideas about how to run society. In order for us to fight for a better world we really need to know what this world will look like. People only fight for things they can truly conceptualise. To many, the idea of “freedom” or “change” is just too vague. It isn’t enough to give up our comforts and familiar ways for a vision we can’t quite see.
A great example of this is the TV series Roots. A story about slavery, it follows the story of the main character Kunta Kinte. We see him going about his life in his African village- dancing, singing, being initiated into the tribe and generally enjoying his life. We see him get violently kidnapped and sold into the transatlantic slave trade. Throughout the series he attempts to escape multiple times, facing atrocious consequences such as having his toes chopped off, but still he persists in his efforts to gain freedom. His escape efforts are greatly contrasted by the attitudes of the other slaves on the plantation- they accept their lot, they do not try to escape and they think Kunta Kinte is crazy for trying to. For the slaves born into slavery they simply can’t imagine a different way of life, they have never been exposed to anything remotely like it, so they will never fight for it. Kunta on the other hand is from a completely different world- he knows what’s possible and he’s willing to do anything to get back to it.
Most of us have never experienced anything other than our current realities which is why it’s so important to dare to imagine something greater and keep the flame of creativity alive inside our hearts. Although the story of Kunta Kinte is a fictional one, slavery was very real and I often wondered why slaves didn’t revolt more often, have some kind of revolution, try to escape? But then I also wonder why people are content with the way things are now. The 9–5 jobs, having to purchase basic essentials like food and water, the amount of poverty and homelessness and all of the other problems that come along with capitalism. The answer is the same, it’s all they’ve ever known and they have accepted it as “simply life”.
Life is our greatest canvas. Our biggest project. Even though many people may be content enough or “OK” with how things are, why can’t we dare to dream of more? And what about the people who are suffering greatly? A society that fails even one person is a society that fails everyone. Like the ripple effects of releasing art into the world, suffering in the world also has ripple effects far and wide. Since we are all connected it is in our interest for everyone to be happy and healthy so they can offer their own unique and creative gifts to us all.
I want to live in a world where people are not just “alright” but amazing, alive, creative and free. There is more than enough for everyone on Earth- more than enough food, water, shelter and love. I want more for myself and I want more for the people around me.
The first step towards this change is to imagine it — and that’s the fun part. If we all take on this collective project of envisioning a new Earth it won’t feel so daunting and scary, we need so many different ideas and visions of how life could be so that we can create a coherent picture of the future. We need all kinds of different artists- story tellers, musicians, poets, painters and photographers, short film makers- the more interpretations of this new Earth that we have then the stronger the vision and the more willing we will all be to fight for this new way of life.
Writing down and sharing even the smallest ideas is imperative, the most radical acts of change are often the smallest. Maybe you’ve had some of these ideas yourself. It could be anything from giving food and clothes to homeless people, starting up a community garden, organising a clothes swap instead of fuelling fast fashion. Or maybe you want to be even more daring and make friends with a stranger, invite that lonely old person in your neighbourhood over for tea or quit your job and start pursuing your real passions. The more unorthodox and unusual the better. In a world where homeless people begging outside of supermarkets stocked full of food is normal and acceptable it’s really time to rethink our values and do away with social convention.
Returning to the theme of slavery and Kunta Kinte- I’m sure that the world we inhabit now would have seemed impossible to a slave on a plantation. Slavery abolitionists were considered dreamers and out of touch with reality because of how common and accepted slavery was. It’s only ever the people who are willing to challenge the current narrative that create true and lasting change. Our creativity and imagination is our greatest power and we can never stop imagining how things could be, it’s too dangerous to simply accept how things are and not push for a more just and fair world. I’m sure people will look back at our times and be appalled at the injustices and atrocities that were allowed to occur.
How could things change if we approach our lives and the world around us as our divine, creative responsibility? I’m intrigued to find out.
“Another world is not only possible; she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing”- Arundhati Roy
The Inner Artist (by Alex Grey)
The inner artist guides us toward actions that serve our soul’s emergence.
The inner artist is not the voice of reason.
The inner artists can have wild and impossible ideas.
Artists are most themselves when they are out of their minds, transcending the ego skirmishes of conceptual thought, and intuitively relinquishing control to the greater Creator.
The inner artist is not the voice of comfort.
The artist challenges us to work at the peak of our potential and guides us toward greater beauty, meaning and love.
What decisions in our lives and work could satisfy and fulfil the artist in our soul?
If our lives are the most important canvas, let the inner artist guide the strokes and make the best possible picture of it.
If our lives are the most important theatrical production, let the inner artist unfold the plot, making decisions that bring excitement, wonder and revelation into life.
How does every nuance and whisper of colour, design, or music affect our feelings?
Our artist temperament is deeply penetrated by the experiences of all the senses- not just the five senses, but the moral and spiritual sense, as well.
The artist soul is open to and pounded by all the forces of creation, yet instead of shattering, is compressed into a radiant diamond.
The inner artist is not only sensitive, but takes action to make each project, and life itself, into a beautiful and meaningful creation.
The inner artist finds inventive ways of sharing gifts, inviting relationships and participation in life.
The inner artist has faith in and surrenders to God’s limitless creativity, combining aspects of both the mystic and the engineer to bring spirit into form.
Listen to the inner artist and begin your Magnum Opus. — Alex Grey. | https://medium.com/@gabriella_evang/envisioning-a-new-earth-38716a6f439f | ['Gabriella Evangeline'] | 2020-06-01 18:00:52.493000+00:00 | ['Art', 'Creativity', 'Social Change', 'Vision', 'Spirituality'] |
modern love story // poem | Ive met so many people, making me the happiest person alive, but they quite didn’t reach the point you did.
You touched me, in an other way, both litterly and metaphorically,
I let you do things to me no one has ever before
when we were together, it was like the world was full of opportunities and the only thing I needed was you,
a hug, a kiss couldn’t describe the love I felt for you
Now I know, what cloud 9 feels like, calling it heaven-like truly is an understatement
we had it out for each other and then one thing came to an other
I’ve been telling you everything about my life, all the sad news that arose, all the problems I had to climb
you sat there, listened,
though you always stayed quiet, sharing maybe half of what happened
I was trying, I really was, but deep inside you didn’t seem to let go- let go of the ideal that we were a one time thing
Your snaps got less meaningful
your love, if it ever existed got less cheerful
we might not text that often or see each other as much but we sure as hell knew this was gonna be fun
isn’t it typical? the teen romance
it’s the “sorry I ignored you all day” or “call I call you back someday?” for me
we were both happy, we were — I saw it in your eyes, undeniable
is it the reality that hit you? or is it just me? the small things, like
Not being able to fully concentrate without listening to music, wanting to keep in touch — did that annoy you?
Did it annoy you that I would rather FaceTime then text? Want a good night snap instead of — nothing? Nothingness.
Did it annoy you the way I loved you? Did I annoy you?
I can’t seem to think straight, my mind is racing, thinking of thousand reasons why, with these pictures and I can’t decide — maybe it’s another girl.
But why are you still holding on, by this tiny little thread? Barely hold on, can’t even see what’s ahead
Is it the uncertainty that still keeps you going? The day, some day you’ll be able to feel the same thing again
Here I am, sitting, thinking- the mind racing, remember? Thinking of the good and bad
Ive come to the decision…. wait no I haven’t, I’m just faking, but you wouldn’t notice, would you?
Im lost and I’m sensing so are you,
but what I know is that you can’t help me find my way out anymore.
hey you, give yourself credit — you admitted your feelings and that’s a big leap forward, now go find the meaning
This is a text about endless love and heartbreak. Never had the guts to send it to the one whom it may concern. | https://medium.com/@maxiemilie/modern-love-story-poem-4b31c39e2f98 | ['Maxi Emilie'] | 2020-12-18 14:07:42.413000+00:00 | ['Poem', 'Short Story', 'Modern Life', 'Teens', 'Love'] |
Contrasts of the Desert Life | PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE
Contrasts of the Desert Life
Exploring a different world. Desert life is just so different. It’s simple. It’s slower. It’s about being happy with less. And it’s about seeing beauty in a small flower and a drop of water from the morning mist.
This week Dennett gave us a new challenge. Instead of one photograph per day, we are posting two of them. By doing so we are including some contrasts of our lives and surroundings. Two photographs each day that show diversity. Diversity in our world.
Her wisely chosen one-word-descriptions brought this week’s project to another level. I love how she plays with words and creates a vibe between them and the photograph.
© Bonfert — 17/12/2020 — NATURE
After handing in the car for a service we walked down the street. It was a rainy morning. Again. Rain in the desert. Not the kind of rain you think of. It’s a fine one. It almost feels like a heavy fog.
It’s drizzling.
But nobody wears a raincoat. Nobody has an umbrella. You can’t even buy things like that in the city. That’s what it means being a city in the desert.
The first shot is taken in the “Altstadt” which describes the old city of the former German colony. In the middle of it stands tall the Christmas tree. Not German style. German-style would mean it is a real fir tree. But being in Africa it is a plastic one.
As close as you can get to a traditional Christmas tree. Guess I’ll just have to get used to the plastic. Or start decorating palm trees. Either or.
The second picture taken further down the street is a lovely flower covered in water drops. It stopped drizzling for a moment. This is more my type of plant. A real one. Nature at its best. | https://medium.com/snap-shots/contrasts-of-the-desert-life-44285545af96 | ['Anne Bonfert'] | 2020-12-25 20:03:04.704000+00:00 | ['Nature', 'Diversity', 'Travel', 'Photography', 'Outdoors'] |
A Tale of Wanderlust: I left New York City During Covid Like Many Other People and Have Already Gained Some Good Perspective | A Tale of Wanderlust: I left New York City During Covid Like Many Other People and Have Already Gained Some Good Perspective Sam Moritz Dec 10, 2020·8 min read
It was a tough year for me, and everyone. Personally, my job was greatly affected by the Pandemic, and more affected, I felt, than it was for some of my other colleagues. Because of that, I was very sad or, more specifically, heartbroken, because I had invested a lot of time and effort into my career just to see it crumble while on the precipice of what I believed was about to be a giant break through in the beginning of 2020. Because things were bad for me, I made a spontaneous decision to leave New York City to try living in another city — a journey that had been on my radar for awhile, but something which I never took seriously enough to execute because I was too entrenched and, for the most part, happy with my life in New York.
My wanderlust was borne from a trip in May of 2015. I was 24 years old, and I had just gotten laid off from a startup tech company abruptly. I had saved a good amount of money from working two years of tech jobs that I found tolerable, if not lucrative, but also not super fun.
Once I was laid off from this particular company, I decided I would take the money I had saved, sublet my bedroom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and leave. I bought a one way ticket to Copenhagen, Denmark. I traveled through Europe by myself for two and a half months.
I had never studied abroad, and hadn’t spent much time outside of the US. I learned so much while backpacking through Europe. I learned about myself and what it was to be an American. I also came to realize and understand that there were so many other places to live aside from New York City.
For a long time, New York City was everything to me. I had grown up in the city until I was about nine years old, when my parents decided they would move me and my brothers to a neighboring suburb in Connecticut, where we would spend our childhood and teen years. When they took us from New York City, I felt like they had wrestled the city away from me. Returning to the city after college and living there was the only goal I had in mind.
I had lived in Brooklyn for about two years when I took my trip to Europe. After the trip, and after gaining so much perspective about all the types of people living across the world, and all the places where someone can live, I suddenly realized that New York City wasn’t everything. I had gained some valuable and important perspective. After thinking New York City was everything — after my trip, now I wanted to live somewhere else, or at least I thought I did.
In August of 2015, after returning from Europe, I traveled to Detroit. I rented a car, got a job offer from Quicken Loans, and considered moving to the Motor City. But I got cold feet and decided against it. I renewed my lease in Brooklyn.
Six months later, I got the urge again. This time I was going to move to Denver. I announced to family and friends that I was leaving. A month later, I bailed, again, on leaving New York City, and canceled all tentative plans. I stayed put in Brooklyn.
I did transition to a new career in January of 2017, as a residential real estate agent in Brooklyn — and I loved my job. It kept me grounded and happy living in Brooklyn. I loved the hustle of renting apartments in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. That job is exhilarating — being outside, meeting with clients, prospecting (cold calling) for new business. It’s all so fun and entrepreneurial. Real estate in Brooklyn was great for four years — and each year I got a little bit better, finding more and more new business and learning every year. I truly believe that because of the knowledge and contacts I had gained through the years of working in real estate, that 2020 was going to be the year that I really broke through and made more money than I had ever made before.
Years of hard work were finally beginning to pay off in early March 2020 as I made more commission in just the first ten days of the month than I had ever made in any entire month of March in previous years. In the rental market in New York City, when there are no abnormal events occurring, like a Pandemic, there is more demand of renters than there are apartments to rent — sure, it is important to find a tenant to rent the apartment, but the real key is to have the rental listing, to have the relationship with the landlord who gives the listing, or be associated with a brokerage that can share their listings with an agent, as I had, because as long as the apartment is appropriately priced, and as long as the agent showing it is competent and shows the apartment every time a tenant requests to view it, the apartment will rent within a month, because there is more demand than there is supply. In March of 2020, really the first month of any rental season, I had access to more apartments than I had ever had before, because I had spent years cultivating landlord relationships through cold calling and follow up efforts — I brought many of my own listings into the brokerage I worked with, and further, that same stellar brokerage shared their large portfolio of listings with me. The future was looking really bright on March 10th. I had already rented five apartments in the month and had so many more apartments to go — and they were all on track to rent that month. My earnings for March and beyond were going to be substantial. Then the Pandemic hit.
Once that happened, any prospect of having a career year crumbled — quickly. The rental market stopped on a dime as a New York City exodus began, potential renters now fleeing to the homes they grew up in, leaving New York City for the time being. Not all my colleagues struggled, but for me, there was nothing but a slow trickle of interested renters throughout the spring and summer months. No one seemed to be selling their properties, either. I made 35% of the income in 2020 as I made in 2019 and 2018, and I was very sad and, as mentioned, heartbroken about the real estate market, because I truly thought this was going to be the year I broke through after years of being successful enough, but not out of this world successful. Summers in New York City while working in real estate were some of my favorite moments — working non stop, showing apartments, walking on the streets of Bushwick with the sun beating down on me, caked in the dirt from the streets and the sweat which comes from the efforts of showing apartments. There is something gladiatorial about working in the rental market in Bushwick, something that ignites a competitive spirit within me. Being on the streets of Bushwick, busy showing apartments, while everyone else who works nine to five is relaxing and eating brunch, sparks a passion in me. This year, those moments of competitiveness just didn’t happen. I suffered through the year, and was very sad at times as I spent more time reading Ken Follett novels on the couch in my apartment than I was out showing apartments.
And, as mentioned, a New York City relative exodus had begun: many clients, and a handful of other people I knew or followed on Instagram, were following their work-from-home remote work life dreams. They were moving to Los Angeles, or working remotely for their New York City jobs in Colorado. I couldn’t work remote as a New York City real estate agent, and I had really come so far in my career, building my business every year steadily. But I decided to say fuck it. My own feelings of wanderlust began to permeate into my conscious — memories of moving to Detroit or Denver, and my trip to Europe, began to simmer and rise in my psyche. After a week or so of pondering, my desire to follow these wanderlust dreams began to outweigh my desire to stick it out during a tough time in Brooklyn. The timing couldn’t have been better for me, at least. I was about to turn 30, and I still felt young, didn’t have a serious relationship, or kids. I was pretty free and weightless. I could make the move now —it was still possible for me to do it before life became more complicated! It wasn’t an easy decision to make, and I battled some anxiety about actually making the plunge, but in July, two months before my lease would end in Brooklyn, I decided I would move to Salt Lake City. I chose Salt Lake City because I liked the outdoors, and had heard about all the great hiking and camping available near the city, and also had a close friend living there, and it seemed like it would be pretty different from New York.
I moved to Salt Lake City and dumped my emotional, covid-ravaged, but far from defeated self, and all of my luggage into a small hostel room in downtown Salt Lake on September 30th. I got a full time job for a Utah based company, then signed a six month lease for an apartment, and then bought a car. When I first left New York, I thought I was leaving to escape the struggles of my experience in the New York City real estate market in 2020 — leaving financial hardship and running away from heartbreak. But now I’ve been in Salt Lake City for two and a half months, and I have had time to reflect on why I came here. The truth is that while perhaps the lack of real estate market forced me to consider alternative options, the real reason why I left is because I had always wanted to try a different city since my trip to Europe. Because I am enlightened, and also burdened, by wanderlust. The affects of the Pandemic pushed me to make a difficult decision that I had sat on and pondered for a long time.
And so far, even in just the short few, covid-defined months I have been here, I have already gained perspective about what it is like to live New York City. I miss New York City every day — I miss the energy, the subways, the people on the streets. Salt Lake City feels like a small, sleepy town. That’s not to say Salt Lake is not cool. Salt Lake is cool, and has a lot to offer — its sunny every day, I go hiking every weekend, and I plan to go skiing as much as possible starting this coming weekend, because the ski resorts are only a 20 minute drive away. I have a beautiful, luxurious apartment, for about $500 less than I was paying for the last bedroom I rented inside of a two bedroom apartment in Bushwick.
So while my trip to Europe helped me gain perspective about living outside of New York, this covid-era decision has now given me perspective about how special New York City is. I plan to one day return to the city that created me, and my love for it as grown as I have lived outside of it for the first time in my adult life.
I am happy that I made the leap. It wasn’t an easy decision and I struggled immensely before leaving. I’m not sure how long I will be here, but the affects of the Pandemic on my business pushed me to go for it. The bottom line is that leaving the great city of New York has given me a deeper appreciation for it, and that I am also now living out a dream of mine. So, maybe in some ways the Pandemic had SOME positive affects: all the New Yorkers who struggled to manifest their wanderlust dreams, now have the opportunity to experience and explore those desires while the world is turned on its head, and perhaps find some new kind of deeper appreciation for the great, international capital of the world which is New York City. | https://medium.com/@sammoritz/i-was-one-of-the-ones-that-left-new-york-city-during-covid-and-i-have-already-gained-some-de05299a8654 | ['Sam Moritz'] | 2020-12-17 22:53:54.110000+00:00 | ['Wanderlust', 'Covid 19', 'New York City'] |
Standardized usability questionnaires: post-task measures | Standardized usability questionnaires: post-task measures
Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash
A standardized questionnaire is a questionnaire that is written and administered so all participants are asked precisely the same questions in an identical format and responses recorded and scored in a specific, consistent manner (Boynton et al., 2004).
There are two categories of questionnaires used during usability testing:
Post-task questionnaires: These measures are completed immediately after users finish a task and they capture their impressions of that task (e.g., Overall, this task was…?). A question is usually presented after the end of each task, which results in multiple answers collected within a session. Post-test (post-study) questionnaires: They are administered at the end of a session (or can be used after a user has interacted with a product). They measure the user’s overall impressions of an app or a website.
The first part of this series was focused on post-test questionnaires. The focus of this article will be post-task questionnaires.
Post-study questionnaires are important instruments in the usability practitioner’s toolbox, but they assess satisfaction at a relatively high level and provide limited insight when we are trying to find problem areas in a user interface. Post-task questionnaires can help with this as they allow us to perform a quick assessment of perceived usability immediately after users complete each task or scenario in a usability study. Usually, post-task questionnaires have a positive correlation with post-study measures but they are not identical. As a result, it makes sense to take both types of measurements when conducting studies as they can both contribute to our understanding of the user experience.
According to Saura and Lewis (2012), the most commonly used post-task questionnaires are listed below:
ASQ
The ASQ is a three-item questionnaire measuring overall ease of task completion, satisfaction with completion time, and satisfaction with support information. The overall ASQ score is calculated by the average of the responses to those three items. The ASQ has high reliability, sensitivity, and concurrent validity (it correlates significantly with task measures of usability such as success rate).
The After-Scenario Questionnaire (ASQ)
SMEQ
The SMEQ (also known as the Rating Scale for Mental Effort, or RSME) was developed by Zijlstra and van Doorn in 1985.
It is a single-item questionnaire with a rating scale from 0 to 150 with nine verbal labels ranging from “Not at all hard to do” ( just above 0) to “Tremendously hard to do” ( just above 110). The original version was paper-based and participants had to draw a line through the scale to indicate the perceived mental effort it took to complete a task. The SMEQ score is the number of millimeters the participant marked above the baseline of 0. An online version was developed by Sauro and Dumas (2009) in which participants use a slider control to indicate their ratings. Research suggests that the SMEQ has good reliability and concurrent validity.
The Subjective Mental Effort Question (SMEQ)
ER
Expectation ratings measure the difference between how easy a task was experienced to be and perceived to be beforehand by the user. The expectation rating procedure gets participants to rate the expected difficulty of all of the tasks planned for a usability study before doing any of the tasks (the expectation ratings), which are then compared to ratings collected after the completion of each task (the experience rating).
Expectation rating question: “How difficult or easy do you expect this task to be?”
Experience rating question: “How difficult or easy did you find this task to be?”
Users have to respond using a 5 or a 7-point Likert scale (from Very Easy to Very Difficult). For each task, the average expectation rating and the average experience rating can be visualized as a scatterplot. Results can be mapped onto four quadrants suggesting which features need to be improved and prioritizing the work. In particular:
In the upper left quadrant are the tasks that users thought would be difficult and actually were easy ( “Promote it” ). These are features that may help distinguish the tested product from the competition and should be promoted as such.
). These are features that may help distinguish the tested product from the competition and should be promoted as such. In the lower left quadrant are the tasks that the users thought would be difficult and actually were difficult ( “Big opportunity” ). There are no big surprises here, but there could be important opportunities to make improvements.
). There are no big surprises here, but there could be important opportunities to make improvements. In the upper right quadrant are the tasks that the users thought would be easy and actually were easy ( “Don’t touch it” ). As the name suggests no changes are needed for these features as they are working just fine.
). As the name suggests no changes are needed for these features as they are working just fine. In the lower right quadrant are the tasks that the users thought would be easy but actually turned out to be difficult — a potential source of user dissatisfaction (“Fix it fast”). These are the tasks that should be the primary focus for improvement.
The ER is reliable and has good concurrent validity and sensitivity (Tedesco & Tullis, 2006).
UME
Magnitude estimation has a rich history in psychophysics, the branch of psychology that attempts to develop mathematical relationships between the physical dimensions of a stimulus and its perception. It was created to overcome some of the disadvantages of Likert scales, such as ceiling and floor effects). Users are asked to create their own scale (from 0 to no limit/subjective limit. The goal of UME is to get a measurement of usability that enables ratio measurement, so a task (or product) with a perceived difficulty of 20 is perceived as twice as difficult as a task (or product) with a perceived difficulty of 10. Calculating the results can be quite complex as the resulting ratings need to be converted into a ratio scale of the subjective dimension (Sauro & Dumas, 2009; McGee, 2003).
The UME has high construct validity, is sensitive, and is easy to interpret. However, practitioners often avoid using it due to the complexity of the scoring process.
SEQ
The SEQ simply asks participants to assess the overall ease of completing a task using a 5- or a 7-point scale. This is the most commonly used rating scale in usability testing. Even though it is simple, the SEQ has high concurrent validity and reliability (Sauro & Dumas, 2009).
The SEQ
Which one to use?
The psychometric data support the use of all five post-task questionnaires: ASQ, SEQ, SMEQ, ER, and UME. They all have good scores when it comes to validity and reliability. If using below 10 participants, none of the above questionnaires have high detection rates. As a result, a sample of at least 10 users should be used to produce meaningful results.
Research has shown that the SMEQ correlates significantly with other post-task measures such as the SEQ and the SMEQ. It also correlates with post-study measures like SUS scores and completion time, completion rates, and errors.
Recent studies of post-task questionnaires generally support the use of single items, and the two best of those are the SEQ and the SMEQ. If you are after simplicity, the SEQ is the simplest measure of post-task usability and has sufficient psychometric. It is best used with 7 rather than 5 scale steps to increase its reliability of measurement (Sauro and Dumas, 2009). In general, the more scale steps (e.g., 5 or 7 choices) in a questionnaire item the better. An alternative, suitable for online questionnaires, is the SMEQ, which is slightly more sensitive than the SEQ.
It is important to note that self-report measurements of usability are not a substitute, only a complement to other performance measures and qualitative testing methods. | https://uxdesign.cc/standardized-usability-questionnaires-post-task-measures-702dfd64cd5e | ['Maria Panagiotidi'] | 2021-09-16 21:35:11.057000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Research', 'Usability', 'UX', 'UX Research'] |
Body Horror and the Jackass films | Early on in Jackass: The Movie, cast members Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Dave England, and Ehren McGhehey sit around a table with a muscle stimulator (a device that sends an electric current through the muscles of whatever part of the body it is hooked up to). Knoxville starts with the stimulator pads on his cheeks. The switch is thrown and he screams in pain before ripping them off. Englund then squeezes them in the palms of his hands. The switch is thrown and he screams in pain, his hands contorting in unnatural directions as his muscles spasm from the electric current. McGhehey then has them placed on his pectoral muscles. As the electric current is turned up his body tenses and shakes as he shouts in agony. Knoxville picks up a different stimulator pad, exclaiming “This one’s for the gooch!” before a cut to Englund with the pad placed on the aforementioned area. Again he screams in pain as his legs kick back and forth while he endures it all. And then, in the logical conclusion of the scene, Chris Pontius has it done to his testicles.
If someone heard about this scene without knowing what Jackass was, it would be very easy to misinterpret it as being from some kind of sadistic horror film. The body horror genre mainly involves gross bodily mutilation to an individual or group, examples of such being Cabin Fever, David Cronenberg’s The Fly, and John Carpenter’s The Thing. The torture inflicted upon the members of the Jackass crew, both in front of and behind the camera, rivals that of the Saw franchise, the work of Takashi Miike, or the films of David Cronenberg. The main difference being the overall tone of the films and who the violence is perpetrated to.
Released in 2002, Jackass: The Movie is an adaptation of the popular television show produced by Johnny Knoxville, director of the film Jeff Tremaine, and Spike Jonze. The show, and the first film specifically, feel very indebted to the skate videos of the 90s and early 2000s, a genre which Spike Jonze helped to popularize in directing Video Days for Blind Skateboards, and co-directing perhaps the greatest skate film of all time: Yeah Right! for Girl Skateboards. Skate videos would feature various parts from different professional skaters attempting tricks, most of which would succeed, but usually not shying away from showing the failures as well. In addition, it was not uncommon for skate videos to have a variety of skits in between different skaters parts, a particular example being in Yeah Right! where actor Owen Wilson appears to do a very complex trick by swapping him out with skater Eric Koston who actually performs the trick.
It’s within the framework of small segments strung together in a larger piece that the Jackass films lie. But where a skate video is all about accomplishing stunts, Jackass is about setting up an impossible stunt and failing for the amusement of the viewer. A good example of that being the Mousetraps stunt, in which Ehren McGhehey attempts to crawl over hundreds of mouse traps placed on the ground. As soon as he steps onto the floor all of the traps start going off, attaching to his body or just flinging themselves at him. There’s a frankly beautiful overhead shot of McGhehey rolling through the traps as they all go off in chain reaction. By the end of the segment, McGhehey’s bare torso is almost completely red, and covered in welts resulting from the chaos. It’s a hilarious scene, but also goes to highlight some of the immense amount of pain the performers in these films go through for the entertainment of their audience. While the cast members scream in pain, each of them has chosen to participate in the stunts. So while it accomplishes the same goal as a body horror film, by bending and breaking the body in unnatural and unnerving ways, the fact that each of the participants are willing, and the cast is so jovial while filming, that it surpasses the horror and becomes comedy.
Like all of the best body horror films, there are certain moments that are still incredibly difficult to watch. One scene involves Steve-O at a Japanese restaurant snorting wasabi. His screams of agony are followed by intense vomiting, and by the end of the scene he eats the vomit and throws up again. It is an incredibly disgusting scene which, to get personal for a moment, forced this writer to watch it with their hands in front of their eyes. Another scene involves Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O getting paper cuts, on the webbings of Knoxville’s fingers and toes and at the corner of Steve-O’s mouth. It’s an incredibly visceral scene, made even more so by cinematographer Lance Bangs fainting just from watching it. It’s this kind of willing mutilation to the human body that makes these films stand out amongst other “low-brow” comedy films, and the fact that it’s all real just makes it even more unique.
2006’s Jackass Number Two takes the same formula as the original, but with a much larger budget. Most sequels that just keep the same idea with more money thrown at it would feel pretty stale, but because of the Jackass formula, it allows them to be much more inventive with the pranks and stunts shown to viewers. The film opens on the core Jackass cast running through a suburban street, before it is shown that they are being chased by a herd of bulls. The very next scene involves Chris Pontius getting the head of his penis bitten by a snake. The success and larger budget of this film has allowed the filmmakers the kind of creative freedom they were always deserving of, and opens the door for the cast to mutilate themselves in more elaborate ways.
A great example of the body horror at work in this film is the sketch titled The Leech Healer. During the segment, Steve-O has a traditional Indian leech healer apply a leech to his eye. The men behind the camera yell for him to keep his eye open so they can get the shot, but as Steve-O’s screams become more and more panicked it becomes clear that the pain being inflicted is too much to bear. Steve-O runs out of frame before it cuts to show his bloodshot eye, a circle embedded in it from where the leech was originally attached. It’s a truly gut-wrenching sequence to watch, and feels like the most intense stunt in all three of the films.
The film’s crowning achievement is a sketch called The Fish Hook. It begins with Steve-O and Chris Pontius on a boat, Steve-O attempting to shove a fish hook through his cheek. He tries for a while but is not able to do it. Pontius steps in and helps him finish piercing the hook through his flesh, exclaiming “That hurt to do that to you.” Steve-O then says “Alright, cast me out!” and jumps into the water. The scene then cuts to an underwater shot, revealing to the viewer that the water is filled with sharks. The rest of the scene plays out with Steve-O attempting to swim away from all the sharks before eventually getting back on the boat. In a way, it’s the perfect Jackass stunt, beginning with revolting body mutilation before transitioning into an incredibly dangerous and intense suspense scene, all the while being so absurd to still make the viewer laugh.
Jackass Number Two has the most winning stunts out of any of the films. The Beehive Limo where members of the cast think they’re in a limo to a photo shoot, only to then have the doors locked and bees poured in through the sunroof. Medicine Ball Dodgeball where the entire cast plays dodgeball with heavy medicine balls, in a completely pitch black room. The Toro Totter where Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Ponius, and Ryan Dunn all sit on a four way teeter-totter while a bull tries to attack them. And it ends with a great musical sequence in which each member of the cast performs a stunt, ending with Johnny Knoxville paying homage to perhaps the biggest filmic influence for the Jackass style: Buster Keaton.
Jackass 3D, released in 2010, is not necessarily a bad film, but does little to improve what had been done before it. While still having some great and disgusting sketches, such as Ehren McGhehey having a tooth pulled out by a Lamborghini, pulling off chest hair with super glue, or having the cast try to stand behind a running jet engine, the film doesn’t elevate in the same way that the second film did over the first. And with the cast having aged more, and having done these things for ten years at that point, the willingness to put their body on the line has definitely lessened. It is possible that the 3D technology could have made this film stand out from the other two, but with it now being so inaccessible, watching in 2D does not quite have the same effect.
While obviously not for everyone, the Jackass films stand alone amongst a trove of forgettable comedies. Not only because of the evolution of physical and slapstick comedy present in all three films, but the willing masochism of all the participants provides a very real sense of danger to every scene. The viewer never knows whether the next scene is going to make them laugh, make them squirm with discomfort over the ways in which the human body can be abused and manipulated, or just make them want to vomit. | https://medium.com/@tragicmushrooms/body-horror-and-the-jackass-films-7dbeef0656b7 | ['Ryan Vienneau'] | 2020-12-20 00:15:55.451000+00:00 | ['Documentary', 'Comedy', 'Jackass', 'Film', 'Horror'] |
Automating Youtube views | Create a new tab
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: headless, }); const page = await this._browser.newPage();
2. Load Youtube Website
page.goto(url, {waitUntil: 'networkidle2'});
3. Start the video
page.click('#container');
4. Listen to “On Video Ended” event
By default, the page does not provide you with the on video ended event. While it is possible that Youtube’s existing javascript has such an events to tap into, here we are just going to do something simple.
Code Snipplet for checking of video play time
We setup a check every 5 seconds and inspect the text for the current duration and the total video timestamp. If the values are the same, we conclude that video has ended. Else we register for the next check.
You may have noticed the video ended code calling “window.videoEnded()”. To subscribe to that event, you will just need the code below:
await page.exposeFunction('videoEnded', () => { this.fire('videoEnded'); });
And here on, the application is complete. Code is rather simple. On video ended, you can either replay the video or go on to the next video. Perform an infinite loop and track statistics on the number of videos.
Youtube has its own algorithm to determine what is a view and you will be able to track how many views are from you and how many organic. Track your Youtube analytics for more accurate details.
Scaling through Proxy IPs
Ok, now that we accomplish with 1 viewer, let us try to scale it. Through proxy servers, we could potentially act as a viewer from anywhere in the world. You will also like to use that to emulate multiple viewers from different IPs. To do that, you would just need to add args and the proxy server as the parameter as below.
this._browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: headless, args: [ `--proxy-server=socks5://123.123.123.123:1234`, ] });
Overcoming reCAPTCHA
Encountering reCAPTCHA from Youtube
If you are using free proxy, you will definitely encounter reCAPTCHA from Google. It will be extremely challenging to overcome it. It becomes much easier if it is a real human performing the task but you will not be able to scale your views programmatically. Still, it is definitely an interesting challenge to be looked into in future articles. | https://medium.com/@louisz/automating-youtube-views-e3d4803156ac | [] | 2020-12-12 04:49:58.882000+00:00 | ['YouTube', 'Nodejs', 'Bots', 'Puppeteer'] |
Central Limit Theorem | When analyzing data, studying a huge population as a whole may prove to be a tedious task. So instead, a sub-set of data points are drawn from the population, referred to as Sample.
Central Limit Theorem states that the mean of samples (size > 30) follows a normal distribution, no matter what the distribution of the underlying population is (exponential, uniform etc.)
Properties of Sampling Distribution
The mean of sampling distribution is close to the mean of the underlying population. As the size of the sample increases ; mean of the sample becomes “almost” equal to mean of the underlying population. This is because taking larger values removes sample bias by accommodating the diversity that is inherent in the population.
Depiction of Central Limit Theorem
Generate a random exponential distribution
Plot the mean of 1000 samples from the population. Size of each sample is 30
How does a sample size of less than or greater than 30 impact the distribution of Sample means.
As the sample size increases, the distribution of sample means resemble a normal distribution
As evident from the above diagram, the plot resembles a close to perfect normal distribution for sample size ≥ 30. | https://medium.com/@hoda-saiful/central-limit-theorem-f568c6857e2c | ['Hoda Saiful'] | 2021-06-17 08:41:15.512000+00:00 | ['Central Limit Theorem', 'Seaborn', 'Data Analytics', 'Python'] |
Fasten your Recon process using Shell Scripting | A lot of new hackers do not utilize the power of automation but once you get used to it there is no turning back.
Recon using shell scripting
Recon plays an important part while you are hacking into a system as it gives you the idea about the system and how much area you can cover while you will be hacking, sometimes you find a lot of cool vulnerabilities just by doing recon for example :-
Sensitive information disclosure.
Open S3 buckets.
Subdomain takeovers.
Usage of buggy applications.
So doing recon not only provides you with a bunch of important data but also helps you in finding quick bugs. In this article, we are going to cover some of the automation that I use while I do my recon, it not only saves time but also gives me a clear picture of all the parts of the system.
Getting Started
Before we get started I would recommend you to have a basic knowledge of the following topics:
Understanding of Basic Linux commands and Shell Scripting.
Basic Networking Knowledge and understanding of Client-Server Architecture.
Understanding of different protocols http, ftp, ssh etc.
Approach
We are going to follow the below approach in our recon.
Recon Approach
Subdomain Enumeration — We will be seeing how we can automate our subdomain enumeration process and can gather as many domains as possible.
Data collection — This phase will focus on collecting different types of data about the hosts e.g open ports, JS files, technologies, header response etc.
Data processing — In this phase, we will try to crawl different assets from the collected data and will see some techniques to look for quick bugs.
Subdomain Enumeration
There are lot of tools available for subdomain enumeration the one I use are listed below :-
Sublist3r — https://github.com/aboul3la/Sublist3r
Assetfinder by TomNomNom https://github.com/tomnomnom/assetfinder
Google Dorks — While playing with google dorks its better to go for a manual approach.
GitHub — Sometime GitHub also reveals some of the subdomain which are used internally by the organization.
crt.sh — It allows you to use wildcards, this tool will help you to identify the domain structure of an organization.
Using all the above tools individually will take a lot of time and the data gathered needs to be formatted properly for further processing. So, let’s remove all the hassle and try to automate our subdomain enumeration process.
Before we start scripting, make sure you have downloaded and installed Sublist3r, Assetfinder and httprobe on your machine.
##!/bin/bash #starting sublist3r sublist3r -d $1 -v -o domains.txt #running assetfinder ~/go/bin/assetfinder --subs-only $1 | tee -a domains.txt #removing duplicate entries sort -u domains.txt -o domains.txt #checking for alive domains echo "
[+] Checking for alive domains..
"
cat domains.txt | ~/go/bin/httprobe | tee -a alive.txt #formatting the data to json cat alive.txt | python -c "import sys; import json; print (json.dumps({'domains':list(sys.stdin)}))" > alive.json cat domains.txt | python -c "import sys; import json; print (json.dumps({'domains':list(sys.stdin)}))" > domains.json
In the above script, we have used Sublist3r and Assetfinder for subdomain enumeration, then we used sort to remove the duplicate entries. One more step we added in the above script to check how many domains are actually alive, for that we have used a tool called httprobe by TomNomNom and saved the alive domains in a different file called alive.txt.
To run the script use the following commands
$ sudo chmod 755 enum.sh #setting file permissions
$ ./enum.sh example.com
Once you will run the script, you will get the following four files domains.txt, domains.json, alive.txt and alive.json containing all the subdomains in text and JSON format.
├── alive.json
├── alive.txt
├── domains.json
├── domains.txt
└── enum.sh 0 directories, 5 files
This is where our first step gets completed, if you want you can modify the script and add some more tools and modifications to it or you can add more domains manually by using Google dorks and GitHub (more domains means more data which means more bugs) but it’s completely fine if you want to use it as it is.
Data Collection
Storing subdomain headers and response bodies
We got a bunch of subdomains now let’s start working on them, In this step, we will catch all the response headers and response bodies of the subdomains stored in alive.txt, we will be using cURL as our primary tool.
#!/bin/bash mkdir headers
mkdir responsebody CURRENT_PATH=$(pwd) for x in $(cat $1)
do
NAME=$(echo $x | awk -F/ '{print $3}')
curl -X GET -H "X-Forwarded-For: evil.com" $x -I > "$CURRENT_PATH/headers/$NAME"
curl -s -X GET -H "X-Forwarded-For: evil.com" -L $x > "$CURRENT_PATH/responsebody/$NAME"
done
In the above script, we are looping through all the domains stored in alive.txt and sending cURL requests to fetch headers and response body and then storing them inside headers and responsebody directories.
Use the following commands to run the script
$ sudo chmod 755 response.sh
$ ./response.sh alive.txt
Collecting JavaScript files and Hidden Endpoints
Gathering data from JavaScript files is one of the most important steps in a Recon process. In this step, we are going to collect all the JavaScript files from the response body text which we collected in the previous step.
#!/bin/bash mkdir scripts
mkdir scriptsresponse RED='\033[0;31m'
NC='\033[0m'
CUR_PATH=$(pwd)
do
printf "
${RED}$x${NC}
"
END_POINTS=$(cat "$CUR_PATH/responsebody/$x" | grep -Eoi "src=\"[^>]+></script>" | cut -d '"' -f 2)
for end_point in $END_POINTS
do
len=$(echo $end_point | grep "http" | wc -c)
mkdir "scriptsresponse/$x/"
URL=$end_point
if [ $len == 0 ]
then
URL="
fi
file=$(basename $end_point)
curl -X GET $URL -L > "scriptsresponse/$x/$file"
echo $URL >> "scripts/$x"
done
done for x in $(ls "$CUR_PATH/responsebody")doprintf "
${RED}$x${NC}
"END_POINTS=$(cat "$CUR_PATH/responsebody/$x" | grep -Eoi "src=\"[^>]+>" | cut -d '"' -f 2)for end_point in $END_POINTSdolen=$(echo $end_point | grep "http" | wc -c)mkdir "scriptsresponse/$x/"URL=$end_pointif [ $len == 0 ]thenURL=" https://$x$end_point fifile=$(basename $end_point)curl -X GET $URL -L > "scriptsresponse/$x/$file"echo $URL >> "scripts/$x"donedone
Save the file as jsfiles.sh and run the following commands.
$ chmod 755 jsfiles.sh
$ ./jsfiles.sh
The above script will crawl all the absolute and relative JavaScript file paths from the response bodies and will segregate all the paths according to the sub-domains inside the scripts directory. So, if you want to see all the JavaScript files related to abc.example.com you can get it from the file scripts/abc.example.com .
The JavaScript URLs will get segregated with respect to the domain name under the scripts directory.
The script will also store the JavaScript file contents inside the scriptresponse/{domainname} directory e.g content of all the JavaScript files from abc.example.com will be stored under the directory scriptresponse/abc.example.com/ .
We have the JavaScript URLs and their respective content the next step is to collect data from these files, the first thing we will try to collect are some hidden endpoints for this we are going to use a tool called relative-url-extractor by Jobert Abma, this tool will collect all the relative paths which are present in the JavaScript files the reason we are doing it is because we can end-up getting some interesting endpoints and configurations.
Make sure to clone relative-url-extractor tool in your home directory
#!/bin/bash #looping through the scriptsresponse directory mkdir endpoints CUR_DIR=$(pwd) for domain in $(ls scriptsresponse)
do
#looping through files in each domain
mkdir endpoints/$domain
for file in $(ls scriptsresponse/$domain)
do
ruby ~/relative-url-extractor/extract.rb scriptsresponse/$domain/$file >> endpoints/$domain/$file
done
done
Save the script as endpoints.sh and run the following commands.
$ chmod 755 endpoints.sh
$ ./endpoints.sh
The above script will loop through all the collected JavaScript files and pass it to our relative-url-extractor tool. Once you will run the above script you will be having endpoints directory containing all the endpoint related data. e.g if you want to know the endpoints present in the file abc.js from domain abc.example.com then it will be present inside the endpoints/abc.example.com/abc.js file.
Endpoints present in the JavaScript file.
Till now we have collected sufficient amount of data to work on but there are some few more things which we can collect and that is the number of open ports and services up and running on the hosts for this we are going to use nmap , we will be running nmap over all the subdomains we have collected so far and will store the results in nmapscans directory.
#!/bin/bash
mkdir nmapscans for domain in $(cat $1)
do
nmap -sC -sV $domain | tee nmapscans/$domain
done
Save the script as nmap.sh and run it using following commands.
$ chmod 755 nmap.sh
$ ./nmap.sh domains.txt
The above script is a simple one it will pass all the domains present in domains.txt to nmap and will store the result inside the nmapscans directory but will take considerate amount of time to get executed(only if you have bunch of domains to scan for) so leave the process for a while and grab a quick cup of coffee.
Now we have almost completed our data gathering phase the last thing remaining is screenshotting, we have a considerable amount of textual data with us, we also need some good visuals of our target, screenshotting sometimes can lead to quick bugs and find outs.
We are going to use aquatone to take the web screenshots, for this we don’t need an actual script we just simply need to pass on our alive.txt domains to aquatone and it will generate the screenshots for us.
$ cat alive.txt | aquatone -out ~/example.com/screenshots/
This is the end of our data-collection phase. So far we have collected the following data:
subdomains — More domains means more data to look at.
Response headers and Response text — Can be used for fingerprinting and to run regex over the text to look for different types of data e.g s3 buckets, secret tokens etc.
JavaScript files —To find hidden endpoints, sensitive data exposure, JavaScript hijacking and Manual Code testing.
Nmap scans — Open ports and technologies running on the hosts.
Web-Screenshots — For quick reviews and quick bugs.
The data-collection phase is not limited to the above mentioned techniques, you can add more techniques but for the sake of this article we will be ending our data-collection phase to make things a little simple.
Data Processing
This journey has almost come to an end(not really, recon is actually a never-ending process), we have collected a bunch of data now the next step is to process the data to find out vulnerabilities and other useful information.
We will finish off by writing a script to find particular strings in our collected data, this will not only help us to identify multiple assets at once but will also help us get our hands on to some sensitive data.
Fun Fact:- while writing this article I was able to find two info-disclosure bug using above methodology.
#!/bin/bash BOLD="\e[1m"
NORMAL="\e[0m"
GREEN="\e[32m"
RED="\e[30m" HELP="
${BOLD}[+]USAGE:${NORMAL} ./search.sh (OPTIONS) -j (string) - search in javascript files
-x (string) - search in header files
-e (string) - search in html files
-n (string) - search nmap scans
-h - help
" #writing code to check for expressions in html
searchhtml() {
local WORD="${1}"
for domain in $(ls responsebody)
do
echo -e "
${BOLD}${GREEN}${domain}${NORMAL}"
RES=$(cat responsebody/$domain | grep -E "${WORD}")
if [ $(echo $RES | wc -c) -le 1 ]
then
echo -e "${BOLD}${RED}No results found${NORMAL}"
else
echo $RES
fi
done
} searchheader() {
local WORD="${1}"
for domain in $(ls headers)
do
echo -e "
${BOLD}${GREEN}${domain}${NORMAL}"
RES=$(cat headers/$domain | grep -E "${WORD}")
if [ $(echo $RES | wc -c) -le 1 ]
then
echo -e "${BOLD}${RED}No results found${NORMAL}"
else
echo $RES
fi done
} searchjs() {
local WORD="${1}"
for domain in $(ls scriptsresponse)
do
for file in $(ls scriptsresponse/$domain)
do
echo -e "
${BOLD}${GREEN}${domain}/${file}${NORMAL}"
RES=$(grep --color -E "${WORD}" scriptsresponse/$domain/$file)
if [ $(echo $RES | wc -c) -le 1 ]
then
echo -e "${BOLD}${RED}No results found${NORMAL}"
else
echo $RES
fi done
done
}
searchnmap() {
local WORD="${1}"
for domain in $(ls nmapscans)
do
echo -e "
${BOLD}${GREEN}${domain}${NORMAL}"
RES=$(cat nmapscans/$domain | grep -E "${WORD}")
if [ $(echo $RES | wc -c) -le 1 ]
then
echo -e "${BOLD}${RED}No results found${NORMAL}"
else
echo $RES
fi done } while getopts j:x:e:n:h OPTIONS
do
case "${OPTIONS}" in
j) searchjs "${OPTARG}" ;;
e) searchhtml "${OPTARG}" ;;
x) searchheader "${OPTARG}" ;;
n) searchnmap "${OPTARG}" ;;
h) echo -e "${HELP}" ;;
*)
echo "[+] Select a valid option.
"
echo -e "${HELP}"
exit 1
;;
esac
done
The above script uses command line options to search for the specified input inside the HTML, JavaScript, Nmap scans and header files. The script simply traverse through all the collected data and uses grep to find the matching keywords.
root@ubuntu:~/example.com$ ./search.sh -h [+]USAGE: ./search.sh (OPTIONS) -j (string) - search in javascript files
-x (string) - search in header files
-e (string) - search in html files
-n (string) - search nmap scans
-h - help
Some examples to use the above script are shown below:
$ ./search.sh -j "admin"
$ ./search.sh -x "nginx"
$ ./search.sh -e "s3.amazonaws"
$ ./search.sh -n "ssh" #searching nmap scans for the string ssh
In the first example, the string “admin” will be searched inside all the JavaScript files. In the second example, the string “nginx” will be searched inside all the header responses which we gathered in the data collection phase and the third example will look for the string “s3.amazonaws” in the response bodies.
Try it yourself: If you want you can create a custom word-list and can write a simple shell script to pass on the words from the word-list to the search.sh script for quick asset discovery.
This is the end of our data processing phase, there is a lot more you can add to this phase for example; checking for s3 buckets using CNAME, Testing for PUT method against all the collected hosts, automating the task to check for open buckets etc.
End notes :-
I believe recon is a never-ending process, the more data you will collect the less it will be.
From the above methodology, we understood how shell scripting can speed up the process and can collect a huge amount of data in just a few minutes, The script you will write for your automation will enhance every time you will work with them and encounter new scenarios while bug hunting.
You are free to tweak with the above scripts and the methodology I used, you can add more phases and more tools in the above recon process for more enhancements, you can find all the above scripts at the following Github Repository, feel free to contribute :) . | https://infosecwriteups.com/fasten-your-recon-process-using-shell-scripting-359800905d2a | ['Mohd Shibli'] | 2019-11-18 16:08:53.013000+00:00 | ['Infosec', 'Security', 'Cybersecurity', 'Hacking', 'Bug Bounty'] |
Start something in November | January is too obvious, and December too busy. No, the best time to start something new is November. We have an image in our minds of starting fresh in the new year, new year, new you, so the saying goes, but why not get a head start?
If you’ve already built the habit by January, then half of the battle is already won! Start thinking about what you can change now, and even start taking steps to achieve it. Future you will thank you.
Tim Bunting ( @kiwiyamabushi) is a self-professed Dewa Sanzan nerd from New Zealand who became an official Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi in 2017.
He is currently helping develop the Dewa Sanzan into a global retreat centre among other jobs. Check out yamabushido.jp or dewasanzan.com for more on this wonderful area of Japan, or email him. | https://medium.com/@timbunting/start-something-in-november-761d7babe296 | ['Tim Bunting'] | 2020-12-07 08:53:21.522000+00:00 | ['New Years Resolutions', 'New Habits', 'Resolution', 'Habits'] |
So Long, Sex Life | So Long, Sex Life
(Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels)
Talking about the pandemic in a recent interview with Brené Brown, President Barack Obama said, “My daughters have been with us for months now, and I’m fine with it.” He imagines telling them, “Just move in. There’s no reason for you ever to leave”.
Brown replied, “Oh man, me too!”
Who are these people?
The pandemic has brought all kinds of misery worldwide. Too many have paid with their lives and their livelihoods. The lucky ones have merely had to put up with inconveniences like restaurant closings and ‘mask acne’.
But among these myriad inconveniences is a phenomenon only whispered about in certain circles. I’m talking about the effect on the sex lives of empty-nesters when their adult kids move back home to isolate with them.
I can’t tell you how many of my peers have confided in me that the return of their children has seriously cramped their style.
Our friends Ben and Lara recently told us how difficult it has been having their 25-year-old daughter around. After nine long months, they were elated when she decided to spend the holidays with her boyfriend’s parents halfway across the country. Finally, they would have some adult time alone at home.
At the last minute, however, their daughter announced that she and her boyfriend had decided to stay with Ben and Lara instead. That’s right, she didn’t ask — she announced.
I’ve met this young woman before. She’s smart and conscientious. I’m sure she was thinking ‘Won’t Mom and Dad be thrilled when they find out that the apple of their eye will be with them during the most wonderful time of the year, sparing them the heartache of a Christmas without their only child?’
You don’t have to ask someone if they want a million dollars, right? You just give it to them.
But this was not good news. No, no, no. Ben and Lara had experienced a miraculous reboot to their love life since they’d had the house to themselves the past two years. Among other things, they had acquired a taste for noisy lovemaking. Allowing their daughter to ride out the Covid-19 crisis in their home had been a real sacrifice.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been all seething resentment. Ben and Lara love their daughter, and for the most part, have enjoyed having her around, but the lack of freedom had been getting to them. The cancellation of their two-week Christmas reprieve was crushing.
That’s just one case study among many. I should mention, by the way, that those ‘many’ include my wife and myself. We’ve had my 31-year-old son living with us for the last four months and have taken to going away to a hotel every second weekend for the luxury of not having to worry about how often and how loudly we have sex.
And it’s not all about carnal pleasure, by the way. Cuddling on the sofa just isn’t the same with an adult child sitting beside you texting his friends. We censor our conversations when sensitive topics arise, rather than speaking freely. We’re more careful about the shows we watch.
Oh, and we also make sure the sex toys and lube are safely tucked away when not in use, in case someone naively wanders into our bedroom looking for a clean towel.
Those of us in our 40’s and 50’s tend to think of the younger generation as more comfortable with sex than we are. And for the most part, that’s true. They are statistically more likely to experiment with different relationship styles, and to be more adventurous between the sheets.
But when it comes to empathically imagining what might be going on between their parents, they appear to be absolutely clueless.
I’m sure it’s never occurred to most kids that their mother might shout out obscenities when she orgasms.
What child ever wonders if their respectable father has a major spanking fetish?
In their years of having the house to themselves, empty-nester parents can get used to certain luxuries, like having sex wherever and whenever the impulse strikes them. How about in the kitchen before breakfast, or in the tv room after a sexy movie? Let’s go! That kind of freedom is hard to let go of when an adult child moves back in.
Every sensitive parent knows to make allowances when their son or daughter has a boyfriend or girlfriend over. Closed doors are respected. Interruptions are minimized. They’ll stay as far away in the house as practical, and maybe even turn up the TV a little louder to create a bit of a sound barrier.
But our culture programs children to think of their parents as asexual service providers. We offer them food, and shelter, and rides, and spending money, and endless affirmation. If they think about it at all, they might assume that their parents’ sex life shut down after the conception of the youngest child.
But let’s be honest — they don’t think about it. Not at all. Any time a parent so much as kisses their partner on the lips, shock sets in. Gross! Get a room! How am I supposed to unsee that?
And we, for the most part, are complicit in that mischaracterization. The idea of advocating for our own sexual freedom seems selfish, not to mention incredibly awkward. No one wants to be rebuked for providing tmi — too much information. Oversharing, especially when it comes to sexual matters, is a sin that only gets worse as you grow older.
So, we struggle in silence, furtively seeking pleasure when chance permits, like star-crossed lovers in our own homes.
You know, I happen to think Brené Brown is an excellent researcher and communicator. Furthermore, I believe Barack Obama is the most gifted politician of our times. That’s why I’ve decided I can forgive them if they were telling some little white lies about how delighted they’ve been to have their offspring back in the nest. After all, their kids might have been listening, and no parent — even if they’re a famous author or ex-president — seems to want to disturb their precious illusions.
They might, like me, take comfort in the likelihood that their kids will figure it out for themselves in another twenty or thirty years. | https://medium.com/heart-affairs/so-long-sex-life-36d140800756 | ['Liam Macadam'] | 2020-12-27 03:03:18.709000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Parenting', 'Empty Nest', 'Sex', 'Sexuality'] |
About Me — Tobias Hermes. “The function of man is to live, not to… | “The function of man is to live, not to exist.”
— Jack London
I never wanted to do the job that I do. At least growing up, I had much different aspirations. I had always wanted to write. I loved, and still do love reading and engaging through the written word. I remember waking up to grab the day’s copy of the Idaho Statesman, and sitting down with my dad to learn about the world’s events.
I grew up in a suburban Idaho town. It may be hard to imagine, but Idaho does have suburbs. My father, an electrical engineer and my mother who worked from home, provided me with a sheltered, albeit boring upbringing. As an only child, I was dependent on the interaction of friends and classmates. When home, I would retreat into books or the company of my dad.
My dad’s love for athletics spilled out in every conversation. A star distance runner in college, his love for all sports is infectious. Football, running, basketball, and hockey were all staples in our household. But above all of these, baseball was viewed as a religion. One of my earliest memories is laying on my dad’s chest, asking about the nuances of baseball.
“Why did that guy just walk to first base?”
“How does the catcher know what pitch is coming?”
“Is this guy good?”
When I was eleven, I was old enough to play little league in our community. I didn’t have much experience, aside from a non-official season of tee-ball. I started that season hoping to enjoy the spring with a few friends.
I fell in love with baseball.
I was really good. I could hit. I could throw. I could field. I was a good baseball player from the start. The success and the competition were unrelentingly addictive. I played the next year, and the year after that. I played into high school. I pitched through high school and was awarded a scholarship to play in college.
There’s an interesting phenomenon with collegiate athletes. Someone offers to pay for your tuition to a 4-year college, a very pricey obligation, in exchange to play a game that you love to play. I would have played baseball for free. I would have paid them to let me play ball at the school. All I had to do was focus on playing baseball and getting good grades. It was a great deal. Unfortunately, nobody really talks to you about what you should be studying to ensure a smooth transition into a career.
I started out in college knowing what I wanted to be: a journalist. My head had been filled from inception that I was going to be a sleuth. I was destined to be the next Bob Woodward. The first day of my first journalism major, the professor addressed our class.
“If you’re here aspiring to be a journalist, you may want to re-think your goals. Print journalism is dead, and unless you want to write fluff pieces for minimum wage, I suggest you find a different major.”
Filled with rage, hurt, trying to mend a rapidly deflating ego, I pivoted from study to study. Education? No, not for me. English? Interesting, but not lined with job prospects once I’m off campus. I decided to adventure into athletic coaching. I signed up for sports management, and got my degree.
From the first day on campus as a freshman until the last game of my senior year, I had focused on getting good grades so that I would be eligible for the next series. After the last game of my senior year, I looked at myself and questioned, now what? Sure I had a degree, but I had no idea what to do with it.
Luckily, my wife (oh, by the way, I got married in college.) convinced me to think about emergency medical services. My wife, a nurse, knew that I enjoyed critical thinking and excelled in a team environment. EMS was a decent bet for me to find success.
She was right.
I signed up for the first EMT class I could after I had graduated. I expected to be bored, learning about anatomy and medications. It was entrancing. I hung to every word, every lecture. Each morsel of knowledge more tantalizing than the last.
I completed the class and shortly after became certified. Continuing the momentum, I completed paramedic school and found employment for a local ambulance provider. Every day on the job was a wholly fulfilling experience; interacting with people who needed help. Disclaimer, not every patient in EMS is worthy of a television script. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the job is glorified taxi driving. Still, there is fulfillment in helping someone in a vulnerable moment.
Working as a paramedic has been a gift for me. I get to wake up every day for work excited at the prospect of interacting with people who need my help and solving difficult problems with honed skills. I’m blessed to have coworkers who share my passion and enthusiasm, and it has bred a winning team at our department.
Most recently, my wife and I have moved into Oregon. We have an amazing set of twins, one boy and one girl. We are still learning what the hell we’re doing as parents every day. Most notably, we’ve taken on the challenge of cloth diapering twins.
As I get older, I’d love to branch out from my comfort and test the waters on a few endeavors. I’d love to try my hand at a business, preferably a small restaurant. I’m also interested (obviously) at committing more deeply to writing, specifically as an outlet for myself. Whatever the future holds for me, I hope it continues to provide me an avenue for passion and adventure. | https://medium.com/about-me-stories/about-me-tobias-hermes-291530d1b3c1 | ['Tobias Hermes'] | 2020-12-14 00:02:44.090000+00:00 | ['Introduction', 'About Me', 'Baseball', 'Paramedic', 'Medicine'] |
10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Began Trading Cryptocurrencies | by Noah Newfield
Visit https://www.elevatyr.io/friends to sign up for the closed beta waitlist, and to learn more about how Elevatyr is the simplest way to intelligently trade cryptocurrencies.
Hello everyone. A little backstory about my trading history before I share what I’ve learned, just so you can get a feel for where my advice is coming from. I’ve always had an interest in investing, mainly traditional markets, but all of my attempts to participate fell short. I constantly felt like a small fish in big ocean. The crypto ocean is pretty big too, but since my start I’ve learned to navigate and survive here.
I had known what Bitcoin was for a while because I had always been interested in online poker. Not that I was ever a great player, but I loved the statistics and the game theory. I bought my first bit of bitcoin towards the beginning of the mania of 2017 and continued well into the bubble. That 17k price tag still hurts to look at. Luckily for me I’m a big fan of the wild west that is cryptocurrency investing, so I immediately moved all of my BTC to alts. I doubled my portfolio’s USD value in the first week of trading and then proceeded to hold onto those alts as they fell out of the sky and my portfolio’s USD value was half of where I started. Through some shrewd small plays and craftiness I managed to keep everything around even by the time we bottomed out. From there I decided to reevaluate my strategies and commit to becoming a skilled trader. These are the things I wish I knew when I had started.
1. Buy Low/ Sell High
A phrase I can remember my father telling me before every purchase I made while growing up. It didn’t even apply to the situation most of the time, he just liked to say it. It’s the most straightforward and honest investing advice someone could give you, but the human mental heuristics for trading usually have us doing the exact opposite. I couldn’t tell you how many times I repeated this phrase in my head looking at a chart before I understood what all of these investment books were trying to tell me. It’s important to note that you won’t get it right off the bat. Even after you understand the phrase, you need to internalize it to the point where you’re trading habits become a clear reflection of its use.
April 3rd was a great time to buy, while May 3rd was the perfect time to sell.
2. Making money is straight-forward, keeping it can be complicated
Risk management is the most important investing skill. You’re going to lose trades, a lot of them. The best traders make their fortunes on 20% of their trades, “homeruns”. The other 80% are a mixture of small wins and losses. Notice how there aren’t any “homerun” losses. This is the power of diversification; owning many, fundamentally different cryptocurrencies disperses your risk, so a single underperforming asset does not bring down the whole ship. By knowing how much of your total portfolio value you’re willing to risk on any single trade you can sit at a risk level you’re comfortable with, knowing that your worst case scenario has already been prepared for. If you are looking for an easy way to deal with this, you may want to check out one of the crypto trading services that help with diversification, like Elevatyr.
3. Plan out your trades
One of the best tips to help yourself improve as a trader over time is to plan your trades entirely from start to end, and keep those plans to look back on as references. DO NOT BUY THINGS ON IMPULSE. Prices can move very quickly, sometimes a quick trigger finger is needed, but the best trades you make will be the ones where you have a clear entry, exit, and stop loss planned our days or weeks in advance. Planning your trades also gives you the ability to learn from your mistakes. In a 24/7 market like cryptocurrency there are always charts to be looked at, so even if you make a plan for trades you decide not to go in on, you’ll observe and learn more about the market at a very accelerated rate.
4. Shop Around
Have you ever gone to buy something and decided against it because you knew you could get a better price elsewhere? I think most people have had this experience at some point, even if it is difficult to think of a specific example. While it may not be a necessary step when buying something trivial, like paper towels, for significant purchases like a car, house, or in our case cryptocurrencies, it is absolutely in your best interest to do so.
Prices can be dramatically different across multiple exchanges. You also want the best price.
Although it can be time consuming, you can get better value out of the investments you plan to make by comparing the trading price of your desired tokens across all the exchanges that offer them so you make your trades at the best price available. Elevatyr makes this easy by executing your purchases at the lowest price available and your sales at the highest price available, across all of Elevatyr’s supported exchanges.
5. Risk and Reward
Risk and reward is the underlying mechanism for how we make all of our decisions, including how we invest our capital. Intuitively, as a general rule, when you look to invest in something risky, you expect to have the potential to receive a reward that is aligned. Put simply, the riskier the investment the better the potential reward to look to receive, and conversely, the more conservative the investment, the less significant the reward you reasonably expect to get back. Ensuring your risk and reward are in balance is key to long term success, and can be achieved by many of the lessons here, including diversification and consistency.
6. Greater Fools
Less of a trading tip and more of a lesson in market theory. The term greater fool, sometimes called a “bagholder” in crypto, are the people who bought at the very top, held on as it dropped hoping it would go back up, and eventually had to sell near the bottom. Everyone has bought the top at one point another, so technically we’re all greater fools for making someone else money.
Pump-and-dump schemes are designed to take advantage of greater fools.
This theory goes to show that markets in general are a 0 sum game. Someone has to lose money for you to make money. You are actively playing against the other traders in the space to take what is theirs and protect what is yours. Understanding this will help you be more careful with your capital and weary of people offering free “homerun” advice.
7. Bear Markets Build Character
This one’s a tough pill to swallow. There’s no way around it. When the market’s going down, we retail investors don’t have the power to turn it around. On the bright side, the hardest steel is forged in the toughest fires. While bull markets are full of exuberance and irrationalism, bear markets are perfect for honing your skills, doing research and focusing on your personal trading practices. Everybody likes to be in when the market is skyrocketing, but being able to make money consistently in any kind of trend is the mark of a good trader. Everybody’s a genius in a bull market. The key to succeeding in a bear market is to prepare beforehand and to not lose sight of the goal or your nerve when things are the most bleak.
8. Value Investing Vs. Speculation
This isn’t advice to use either as your investment strategy, but advice to be aware of the different ways these assets prices move based on their level development. Value investing is a strategy based around calculating the present and future value of a company. To do this you need to evaluate a project which involves taking a look at revenue, projections, dividends and many others.
Speculators boom and bust with the times and are less likely to benefit from long term growth.
The speculation strategy I’ve learned since my humble beginnings is that human speculation will almost always cause more volatile price action for project evaluations. Take note that as this market becomes more mature these coins with billion dollar evaluations may have to come back down to earth with more realistic appraisals likely based on the service they can provide. The lack of structure and influx of speculation in the space right now make it a traders paradise if you know what you’re doing, but treacherous if you’re not up for it.
9. Who to take advice from
This a tough one. The answer is definitely not me. If someone says that you should take their advice, it’s a big red flag that you shouldn’t. There are a select group of influencers/ traders who I consider honest and well intentioned but that’s my bias opinion. The strategy I’ve implemented is to take a look at everyone’s advice with an open mind. I’d study a chart written in crayon if I thought there might be some money to be made and being open to other opinions is vital to not getting stuck in your own bias. There’s nothing wrong with getting some new information and scrapping your previous plan. Maybe your trade wasn’t right but at least your capital is safe. My best advice for taking other peoples’ advice is to diversify the information you receive from others and verify it with your own research. Having a healthy amount of differing opinions from knowledgeable traders will help you get a better perspective on the market and should help your trading. And as always DYOR (do you own research)!
10. Diversification
The average advice you’d get about diversification would be to split up your portfolio between small, medium, and large market cap coins to hedge against the volatility of the smaller assets. Smaller often means more volatile, but because we are operating in a market power largely by speculation about the future potential of blockchain companies, the value of an individual cryptocurrency does not indicate the health of the underlying organization behind it to the same degree as stocks do on the traditional market. Therefore other factors, and other methods of diversifications must be taken into consideration.
Owning a little of many cryptocurrencies, means your medium losses can be offset by large gains.
Another method of diversification beyond overall value that can be used is the diversification of asset classes. This can be taken at a high level — having a diversity of holdings from cryptocurrencies to stock and bonds and other assets — or within the cryptocurrency industry itself. For example, rather than holding 30 different tokens each aiming to be the one general digital currency, it can be beneficial to instead hold 3–5 of those, 3–5 privacy tokens, 3–5 data storage tokens, and so on. Thus, if a major player takes over one vertical within the market, hurting the value of its direct competitors, you hold enough other types of tokens that the brunt of that effect is limited, and you enjoy opportunities for success in other areas at the same time. | https://medium.com/elevatyr/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-began-trading-cryptocurrencies-5a4c259a0959 | [] | 2018-07-23 18:59:09.478000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Bitcoin', 'Trading', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Finance'] |
10 super easy ways to spring clean your website | Moving house: there’s nothing quite like it for forcing you to go through years of accumulated stuff and decide whether to keep or ditch. We’ve found the same with websites, as people typically go through all their content when moving to a new site or design, deciding what to retain, redo or remove. It’s very satisfying when you’ve done it.
Now that spring is here, now is as good a time as any to roll up your sleeves and give your website the attention it deserves. There is a lot to look at, so it is as well to do multiple sweeps through the entire site, so that you can focus on certain aspects without distractions.
1. Revisit your website’s goals
When your website was being created, you presumably came up with a few main goals that you wanted it to accomplish. (Otherwise, what’s the point, right?) What were you trying to achieve with your website? Think about those goals for a few moments before you dive into action. Perhaps they’ve even changed somewhat since you last thought about your website.
2. Rethink the navigation
Imagine you are a first-time visitor to your site. Look at the primary navigation and ask yourself if there is any way of rearranging things to make it easier for a user to accomplish the main goals. It may also be useful to ask a friend or family member to try this exercise. You may be so familiar with your site that it will be hard to take a step back and view it from an outsider’s perspective.
3. Do an informational sweep
There are probably a few pages on your site that contain incorrect or outdated information. Find them and either get rid of them or update them.
4. Do a technical sweep
Go through your site and check every link and form to make sure they are in full working order. The last thing you want is a confused or frustrated user who is unable to accomplish the goals of the site.
5. Do a consistency sweep
You have probably been adding content to your website for some time, or perhaps different people update different pages. Sit down and read through the entire site, page by page, making sure the text is cohesive and reflects your brand’s voice. Is the tone consistent? Is grammar and punctuation correct? If this seems daunting, hire a copywriter who can help you communicate the benefits of your brand in a consistent voice.
6. Do an image sweep
Visual content drives user engagement. Putting in new photos or graphics is a simple way to update your website with a fresh, appealing look. Don’t jam your site with a bunch of random visuals, though; make sure they are top quality and support your brand. You might consider hiring a professional photographer to take pictures of your products and/or your team.
7. Do a social media sweep
Skim each page ensuring there are easy-to-find buttons that link to all of your social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, Yelp, etc.). You might consider adding a Twitter feed if you’re active on Twitter.
8. Update testimonials
Do you have a dedicated space on your site for customer testimonials? If so, you might want to add a few more and even include a date stamp so it’s obvious they’re recent. If you don’t have any on your site, there’s every reason to add testimonials. Ask a few recent clients for feedback. Not only will you get quotes to add credibility to your website, but you’ll learn a little bit more about your customers, too.
9. Create a plan for adding content
As we covered in a recent post, it’s really important to have a content strategy. The best way to do this is to schedule regular blog posts for your website and keep your social media active.
10. Set up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an extremely powerful tool. It can show you where and when visitors landed on your site, what they read, how long they stayed, what they were searching for, the browser they were using, where they live, and much more besides. It’s easy to set up and free.
If you have any questions or need assistance updating your site, feel free to contact us. We are here to help! | https://medium.com/pennink-productions-blog/10-super-easy-ways-to-spring-clean-your-website-bbc58672821 | ['Pennink Productions'] | 2018-01-11 11:23:34.470000+00:00 | ['Content', 'Optimisation', 'Social Media', 'Content Creation', 'Spring Cleaning'] |
Pictures | Pictures
So Tiny.
Looking at your baby pics.
Haven’t looked at this photo album since I made it. I made 4 in the months following your death.
I baked – breads, cakes, cookies – but none of it had any taste.
A grayness washed over my life when you died.
A dulling of my senses while sharpening my emotions.
And the pain is brutal.
I do not look back in regret but mostly fondness
and that Longing –
The Mother’s Desire to feel you in my belly again.
To start over – the great dream of middle age
To return to our younger selves but with today’s knowledge. You can’t get experience without time but sometimes both are a bitch.
To give without return.
We do it when our kids are young – then get rewarded by an infant’s smile and a toddler’s kiss – the love from an innocent. Then the kids grow up and the love has to grow also. From perfunctory to preferred. A choice. The metamorphosis of psyche and the physical. Coming to our own conclusions, shaking off our parents, to truly stand in our own. Yes, “in.”
I am coming in to a new version on the Jennifer-Kate continuum and I’ve been watching the changes from my disconnected self I’ve lived in since you died. I’ve spent more time in 3rd party and I’ve wondered if maybe I died and I’m hanging out with “God” reviewing my life play by play. But if I was dead and you are dead, why doesn’t this benevolent omnipotent god let us reunite? Okay, too deep into another thought to follow at this moment…
Looking at the picture after we got home from the hospital, I’m holding you against my chest in one hand, you are so so tiny and I look so so tired. Oh to be that kind of Tired again. Not this heavy cloak of weariness wrapped up in the knowledge you will die in 31 years.
Oh geez. I’m going to vomit…
4/25/2021
www.letterstomygirl.com | https://medium.com/@kateboundsrn/pictures-cacbb6b4df2f | ['Kate Bounds'] | 2021-04-25 13:45:25.398000+00:00 | ['Death And Dying', 'Death', 'Bereavement', 'Grief', 'Grief And Loss'] |
The “Hiiii” Girl vs. the “Bruh” Girl | The “Hiiii” Girl vs. the “Bruh” Girl
There’s a trend on TikTok that describes the difference between two different “types” of girls. But many think it encourages internalized misogyny.
The “girly girl vs. tomboy” differentiation has risen again — this time, on TikTok and the Internet, in the form of the “hiiii” girl vs. the “bruh” girl.
The “hiiii” girl, also referred to as the “hey girlie” girl or the “🥺” (shy/pleading face emoji) girl (the names refer to how these girls speak/text), is known to embrace more traditionally feminine traits. They like pink, brunch, dresses, flowers, makeup, and fashion.
By contrast, the “bruh” girl (who is known to use the word “bruh” in texts or conversations), is known to have more traditionally masculine traits and likes, such as sports, video games, weird or edgy humor, athletic clothes and sweats, etc.
When this trend became popular on TikTok in June, it mostly focused around people coming up with characteristics/habits/dislikes of each type and trying to figure out which one they were. However, it quickly became apparent that the bruh girl was considered by many to be more desirable, with many self-described bruh girls stating that they’re more fun, “elite,” and “lowkey superior.” The trend became a way to subtly dig at girls who were traditionally more feminine, wore makeup, etc. Accusations of people trying to become bruh girls to be trendy were also thrown out, as well as attempts to differentiate the “fake” bruh girls from the real ones.
Many think the belief that bruh girls are better is a form of internalized misogyny, “the involuntary belief by girls and women that the lies, stereotypes, and myths about girls and women that are delivered to everyone in a sexist society are true.” This manifests in girls looking down upon other girls who exhibit more traditionally feminine traits while viewing others who exhibit traditionally masculine traits positively.
This has been compared to the “I’m not like other girls” trend, a bunch of Facebook and Tumblr posts a few years ago which would portray traditionally feminine girls as superficial, unintelligent, and only caring about appearances, which was later turned into a meme.
Those who are perceived to be “trying too hard” to be bruh girls have also been accused of being “pick me” girls, meaning they put other girls down in order to be accepted (“picked”) by guys.
This also overlaps with the divide between the so-called “basic” vs. “alt/indie” girls. A few days ago, a girl posted a TikTok with the caption “they always pick the skinny, blonde, Lululemon-wearing, drama-starting, toxic [girl].” (I’m not including the video here because the creator has deleted the video and disabled all of her comments, likely because of all the comments/duets she’s been receiving). Many were upset by this video, which implied that “alternative” girls are better than those who dress “basic” or have traditionally feminine traits.
Categorizations of different types of girls have been happening for a while now —there’s the basic girl, the indie girl, the VSCO girl, the e-girl, the soft girl, etc.
However, more people are realizing that these divides are artificial and encourage the pitting of girls against each other. Instead, girls are beginning to embrace all sides of their personalities.
As TikTok user @/katararomama states, “I keep seeing videos on my For You page that are like, uh I wanna be a bruh girl, but I also wanna be a ‘hey girlie’ girl, or I wanna be a surfer girl or a skater… You can be all of them. This isn’t a TV show where you have to have a set aesthetic for your character. You’re three-dimensional. Dress however you want!” | https://kristinmerrilees.medium.com/the-hiiii-girl-vs-the-bruh-girl-a48fb87384b3 | ['Kristin Merrilees'] | 2020-07-07 23:53:27.850000+00:00 | ['Social Change', 'Women', 'Teens', 'Feminism', 'Social Media'] |
37 Predictions From 2016. Donald Trump was elected President on… | Things I was confident in
1. Economic Recession
In November of 2020 we will be emerging from, or still in, a global recession brought on by unnecessary and destructive trade wars, policy volatility, tax cuts, irresponsible deregulation, and general economic mismanagement. The recession will be serious and drawn out, but not as destructive as what happened in 2008. The recovery will be especially weak, because Republicans were unwilling to spend money to jump-start the economy.
The stage is being set:
Deregulation has begun in earnest.
A foolish tax-cut was passed.
Some share my prediction that the next recession will be pretty bad, for the same reasons I cite.
In 2018, many economists are predicting a recession by 2020.
Verdict: 4/5
By mid-2020 we were in a full-on recession, due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump’s foolish tax cuts and trade wars didn’t help and made “real” economic indicators weak, but the core reason for the recession was not exactly what I (or anyone) predicted. Still, the mismanagement of the economy before the pandemic and the catastrophically bad handling of the pandemic by the federal government has made the resulting recession significantly worse than it needed to be.
2. Wall along the Mexican Border
There will not be a 30' tall wall along the length of the US-Mexican border that has been paid for by Mexico. At most, there will be a relatively small wall built for show and Mexicans will have “paid” for it only via tariffs, which ultimately will have been passed on to American consumers. The Trump administration will instead try to spin the idea of high-tech border surveillance and more border agents as the “real” wall. In either case, the real or virtual wall will be only marginally more effective than what we have now.
Almost immediately, Trump backed off the promise that Mexico will outright pay for this wall. He’s asked Congress for money for the wall. He more-or-less admitted it was always a ploy in a phone call with the Mexican President. Now it will supposedly be funded by American taxpayers and Mexico will pay for it “eventually” via tariffs or import tax, which, of course, will be passed on to American consumers. Congratulations taxpayers, you get to pay twice for the wall that you don’t want.
A prototype of the wall is supposedly being built in September 2017, but I’ve not seen any actual evidence of that.
Just about a year after being elected, there are already signs that a real, physical wall may not be constructed along the entirety of the US-Mexican border. Rather a “virtual” wall and bureaucratic obstacles will be used to reduce illegal immigration.
In January of 2018, small prototypes of the wall were on display in San Diego. Additionally, Trump asked Congress for $18 billion to build the wall in a section of the south-west border.
Just before the one-year mark of the Trump administration, Kellyanne Conway is walking back Trump’s promise for a full-border wall. Apparently, the totally not narcissistic self-declared stable genius “discovered” that we don’t need a wall for the entire border and can make due with a combination of a wall, better technology, and fencing. And mountains and rivers.
“After conferring with the experts who are involved in this process, Christopher, the president has discovered that part of it, he knows, will be the physical wall, part of it is better technology, part of it is also fencing.” -Kellyanne Conway
Verdict: 5/5
By the time of the election, very little “new” wall had been constructed and Mexico had paid exactly $0.00 for it.
3. Deportation
There will have been a short-lived, violent, relatively ineffective attempt at rounding up and deporting undocumented aliens. Only a small percentage of the alien population will actually be deported. If anything, the collapse of the economy will have done more to get immigrants to return home than any deportation program could ever do. The optics of armed, pseudo-military garbed ICE agents forcibly rounding up migrant families in the middle of the night will go over like a lead balloon. Think millions of Elián Gonzálezes.
Deportations are being pursued more vigorously than before, and Trump has wavered on DACA. However, there’s no substantial pushback on deportation. Yet.
Immigration officials detained and threatened to deport a 10-year-old girl with Cerebral Palsy who was in a hospital where she was recovering from emergency surgery. It did not go over well.
It took a while, but ICE started rounding people up en masse and separating children from their parents. The children were moved into shelters/detention centers. Children being kept in secretive, over-crowded detention centers that are adorned with cult-of-personality propaganda proved naked
Verdict: 4/5
Not only did Trump fail to deport nearly as many undocumented aliens as he claimed he would, but his “border cage” policy was also wildly unpopular. Putting separated children in cages was terrible optics. Somehow he handled this so poorly it upset both the left and the right.
4. Tax Cuts
Massive tax-cuts, aimed at the rich and corporations, will initially be popular but will, like the Bush tax-cuts before them, fail to jolt the economy and will add tremendously to the deficit and debt. The Republican Congress and Trump administration will call every tax cut “revenue neutral” by using some tortured resurrection of trickle-down economic theory that never quite seems to work out.
At the end of 2017, a tax cut aimed at the rich and corporations was passed. So, I was right about that. It is deeply unpopular, so I was wrong about that part.
Naturally, the Treasury Department released a one-page (!!!) “study” of the tax cut that claims it will be revenue neutral because the economy is going to grow at an “optimistic” rate that must be sustained for 10 years running. That optimistic rate is about 30% higher than most other serious studies predict. Because…. magic.
Verdict: 5/5
Tax cuts aimed at primarily the rich? Check
Tax cuts failed to stimulate the economy broadly? Check
Exploding debt and deficit? Check
5. Economic Growth
The economy will have never hit sustained 4% growth.
Verdict: 5/5
It wasn’t even close. Even before COVID hit.
6. Repealing Obamacare
ACA will have been repealed or largely dismantled with nothing equivalent in its place. A larger percentage of people will be uninsured than what we currently have. The Republicans will go through the motions of saying they’re in the process of replacing it, but nothing substantial will ever materialize.
The Republicans in Congress have tried numerous times to repeal the ACA, but thus far it seems that they’re all bark and no bite. They can’t come up with a plan that doesn’t result in millions of people losing coverage, increased premiums, and (at least) tens of thousands of people dying prematurely.
Skinny Repeal loses by one vote in July 2017
Graham-Cassidy in September 2017, killed before it came to a vote.
The individual mandate was repealed in the hacked-together tax bill passed in 2017. PPACA is still standing, but this repeal hobbles it. The coming spike in premiums and the uninsured (It’s estimated that 13 million people will loose health insurance) can’t be good news for anyone.
The Justice Department doesn’t want to defend protections in the PPACA guaranteeing people with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied health insurance.
Verdict: 3/5
I’m glad to say that I was wrong in predicting that Obamacare would be largely dismantled or repealed. While efforts are still ongoing, it seems unlikely that PPACA is going away, thankfully. I was right that Trump, and the GOP on the whole, would claim to be proposing a replacement that would fail to materialize.
7. Restoring Manufacturing Jobs
Manufacturing jobs will not have come-back from overseas because they didn’t go overseas. Those jobs were automated away. The government won’t pass laws that tell businesses that they aren’t allowed to replace semi-skilled labor with software and robots.
When you can’t keep people from quitting your American Manufactures Council during the first six months of your term, it’s probably not a good sign that those jobs are coming back.
There is a lot of evidence that automation is replacing manufacturing/blue-collar jobs at an increased pace.
Verdict: 5/5
Even before the pandemic, manufacturing was bleeding jobs. By 2029, it’s predicted we’ll lose 444,800 jobs in that sector, even though net productivity is rising, due to automation.
8. Climate Change
We will have experienced (at least) two more of the hottest years on record. We still won’t be converting our energy production to something sane quickly enough.
Quitting the Paris Climate Agreement is not a good sign.
From NOAA’s Global Climate Report in September 2017: “September 2017 also marks the 41st consecutive September and the 393rd consecutive month with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th-century average.” Think about that, every month since January 1984 has been warmer than the 20th-century average.
And, of course, Trump tweeted that a cold-snap in the winter means that we should want Global Warming.
Verdict: 5/5
The world’s seven hottest years on record have all occurred since 2014. Can we please start to take this seriously and act? Please?
9. Trump’s Approval Ratings
Donald Trump’s approval will have wavered mostly between 25% and 45%. If the economy really tanks, it could go lower.
His polls are really terrible so far.
Trump came in second place to Obama as the most admired person. A year after Trump was elected. Ouch.
Verdict: 5/5
Trump’s approval was remarkably stable in the high-30s to mid-40s and it cratered at the end of his term.
10. Democratic Nominee in 2020
If the Democrats nominate a person who is both charismatic (Hillary wasn’t) and obviously competent (Hillary was) they will win the White House in 2020. If this happens, the 2020 election will transfer control of the Senate back to Democrats as well.
This thought-exercise from late 2017 regarding possible Democratic nominees has a lot more (really old) chaff than wheat. Ugh. Still, anyone on this list would be a far better choice than what we have now.
Verdict: 5/5
Joe Biden is very charismatic and pragmatically competent, even if he may not have not always been super transformative. Still, this election was closer than I thought it would be. Moreover, the GOP has followed Trump over the cliff (mostly) and the Democrats have (barely) won back the Senate and kept the House. I’m glad the Democrats eeked out a win, but it should have been a vicious curb-stomping of the GOP.
11. Republican Platform is Unchanging
The Republicans will double-down on what worked in 2014 and 2016 and will not make accommodations to their policies to reflect a changing society.
Verdict: 5/5
The GOP didn’t even pretend. They literally didn’t present a platform at their 2020 convention. That is insane.
12. Balkanized News Media
The 24 hour news cycle in general, and cable news channels specifically, will not have made any meaningful changes. Media outlets will still be ideologically segmented and Balkanized; consequentially people will still consume media that confirms their pre-held beliefs.
Verdict: 5/5
If anything things have gotten worse. Trump turned on Fox News and other right-leaning outlets (e.g. Drudge) when they occasionally told the truth that he didn’t want to hear. OAN and NewsMax, extreme far-right outlets that are little more than Trump/GOP propaganda machines are ascending. CNN seemed to grow a bit more overtly anti-Trump over the last four years.
What I didn’t predict was how social media would both exacerbate and broaden the problem.
13. Fake News and Fact-Checking
Internet/algorithmic based news outlets will figure out ways to inject fact-checking into news media in a useful way. There will be ideologues on both sides that introduce distrust of fact-checking veracity. Even so, this fact checking ability will give these digital news media outlets an aura of legitimacy that threatens television.
One thing I didn’t really see coming was the backlash from the government towards Social Media for allowing fake news to be injected via advertising. Facebook didn’t see this coming either, apparently. #ffff00 journalism.
NewsGuard, a start-up announced in November 2017, will use dozens of humans (journalists even!) to rate news stories for trustworthiness. It will be interesting to see if this sort of approach gains traction, and if it does, if it is scalable. I’d also imagine that this approach might find itself in a never-ending series of lawsuits. If NewsGuard rates a bunch of stories from some website as fake/untrustworthy, will the website sue? My suspicion is that a better approach would be some sort of crowd-sourced system with inlined, live rating system. Imagine an icon associated with news stories linked on Facebook and Twitter that indicates the trustworthiness and fact-check status of the story and/or provider.
Facebook, Google and others are trying to figure out how to incorporate “trust indicators” into some content.
And…. not long after Facebook added “trust indicators” to linked news stories, they’re removing the feature. Instead, they’re automatically adding links to related stories, perhaps exposing users to multiple facets of a particular story.
Google has added a very innocuous side-bar on search results for media outlets as a low-friction method of indicating the trustworthiness of news outlets. This data, added only to sites that third-party factchecking sites have frequently cited as false, is only attached to websites and not to specific stories. Still, some conservatives are in a twist over this because they feel like they’re being disproportionately called out…. Shoot the bearer of bad news. :)
Verdict: 2/5
Television and radio have struggled to fact-check in real-time. Social media has fared slightly better, but until the Jan 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol (a phrase I couldn’t have predicted I’d be writing in 2016) social media was reticent to challenge lies. There have been some efforts to label untruthful “news” as such, but full-throated banning and purging at scale didn’t really begin in earnest until after the election.
14. Trump’s Cabinet
Trump has a cabinet largely populated by second-stringers and erstwhile has-beens because 1) Trump’s id can’t handle being challenged by competent adults so he’ll surround himself with sycophants and betas 2) He can’t attract legitimate talent for the same reasons he lacked/lost endorsements in 2016 3) He has a managerial style wholly unsuited for government. This team of inexperienced and incompetent buffoons causes his administration make a large number of amateurish mistakes and unforced errors which in turn makes it initially very ineffective. This gives the few “adults” in the administration disproportionate power. (Chief-of-Staff Gingrich will wield the real power?) This also empowers Congress to dictate the details of most every bill. The Trump Administration will learn how to maneuver at least somewhat effectively after a very rough start, but they will only appear professional when graded on a curve.
Seems to be mostly true. Nobody wants to work for him. Trump cannot fill 100’s of posts in his administration.
Moreover, those that do come work for him report he’s an abusive, demoralizing boss and many don’t last long.
When there are actual proficient adults in the administration they, unsurprisingly, keep things from going completely sideways. At least for a little while.
Verdict: 5/5
The longer Trump stayed in office and the more unhinged he became, the more difficult time he had attracting and retaining competent adults. He had an astronomically high 85% turnover rate and, well, it shows.
15. Promises Kept From 2016 Campaign
More than half of the outlandish promises Trump made during the 2016 campaign (e.g. a total travel ban on immigrants from “certain” areas of the world) are never followed through on in any meaningful way. When he’s called out on this in 2020, it fails to dissuade his base.
Verdict: 5/5
As of his last week in office, this website finds that only 21 of 174 promises made were achieved.
16. Congressional Investigations into Trump
Despite persistent calls for impeachment from a segment of the population, Trump is never investigated or prosecuted by Congress, as Congress is held by Republicans who don’t want to be primaried by failing an ideological purity test.
Well, Congress isn’t (yet?) investigating Trump, but the Justice Department is. So in one sense, I was wrong. In fact, Trump made one of the dumbest political moves possible when he fired the original investigator looking into Russian meddling in the election and then admitted on national TV that was the reason he fired Comey.
It remains to be seen what the investigation finds, and what actions are taken if indictments are handed down.
Verdict: 1/5
Trump was impeached twice. Half of all impeachments in the country’s history belong to him. As of this writing, it looks like there’s a decent chance he’ll be convicted by the Senate and may be denied his benefits and barred from running again. I’m glad to have been wrong about this one.
17. Democratic Resistance in Congress
Democrats in Congress put up consistent, but mostly ineffective, roadblocks to Trump’s agenda. Occasionally they offer effective opposition, filibuster, etc., but most of it is for show.
Verdict: 3/5
After winning back the House in 2018, the Democrats provided pretty effective resistance to Trump, impeaching him twice and simply not passing bills to support his agenda. However, he did manage to pack the courts and act unilaterally via Executive Orders.
18. The Resistance
Trump is hounded by protests everywhere he goes in the world for the entire four years, but he never alters his policies because of it.
Day One of the Trump Presidency was met with the Women’s March, which was the largest single-day protest in American History.
Verdict: 3/5
Trump endured pretty consistent protest and pushback, especially after police brutality protests came to head. He never really seemed to care and even tried to exploit bad actors on the left to take a Law-and-Order position in the 2020 election. That backfired pretty badly both before the election and especially after it.
19. Tax Reform
The tax code will not be significantly simplified, but Trump will say it is.
The 2017 Tax Reform and Jobs Act was passed with no Democratic votes and was by all accounts rushed. While the number of tax brackets was reduced, the tax code was not simplified in any meaningful way (in fact it may be more complex and have even more loopholes for the wealthy) and it has the added benefit of adding $1.5 trillion to the debt, eventually raising taxes for 53% of people, hamstringing the PPACA (which may have the ironic side-effect of making more people dependent on government-provided health insurance, so… gg GOP?) removing tools to jump-start the economy during the next recession, and shifting more capital to the wealthiest people.
Verdict: 4/5
The tax code is, if anything, more complex. To his credit (I guess) Trump didn’t make a big deal out of claiming he simplified it.
20. Ted Cruz is Terrible
Ted Cruz will still be the world record holder for douche-bagginess. Everyone, including most members of his immediate family, agrees that he would be immeasurably improved if he would cover himself in dog shit and then run headfirst into a brick wall.
This one is pretty much a gimme.
This interview with Ted Cruz is maybe the most overtly hypocritical thing you’ll ever witness.
Verdict: 5/5
Ted Cruz is possibly the least liked human in the Senate, assuming he’s human. You have to work so hard to be the least liked person in the Senate. It’s a sort of accomplishment. | https://medium.com/@mikemachowski/predictions-from-2016-262cc39a8331 | ['Mike Machowski'] | 2021-01-21 22:35:36.061000+00:00 | ['2016 Election', '2016 Presidential Race', '2020 Presidential Race', 'Politics', 'Predictions'] |
Even more true with the recent changes. | Even more true with the recent changes.
However, it’s worth it to keep experimenting. Short-form is an opportunity for quick sharing and showing, and for resurrecting a few buried stories. | https://medium.com/@vicobiscotti/even-more-true-with-the-recent-changes-6ffc7415fcb6 | ['Vico Biscotti'] | 2020-12-17 17:00:36.258000+00:00 | ['Writing Tips', 'Blogging', 'Ｍedium', 'Writing', 'Short Form'] |
Hoop Cam Plus review: solid security at a bargain price | The notion that you need to pay more to get more from a Wi-Fi security camera no longer seems as true as it did just a year ago. I offer the Hoop Cam Plus as evidence. It offers Full HD (1080p) video, several types of smart detection, geofencing, and other goodies in a unique design for less than $100. Together with the Wyze Cam and the Xiaomi Mi Home Security Camera, it makes clear that “budget” doesn’t need to be synonymous with “bare bones.”
The popular Wyze Cam has sparked a trend toward squat, boxy designs, and the Hoop Cam Plus literally doubles down on short. The top of its circlular module houses the camera while the bottom operates as a base on which the camera can pan 350 degrees and tilt 45 degrees. A speaker, pair of USB ports, and an LED status light are on the back of the base, and on its bottom are a setup button and microSD card slot.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best home security cameras, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.The Hoop Cam Plus comes with all the features we now expect from a home security camera: 1080p full-color live display, sound- and motion-activated alerts, night vision, two-way communication, and compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. There are also a couple of small surprises: The ability to set intelligent reminders, and a text-to-speech messaging feature.
Hoop The Hoop Cam Plus can pan 350 degrees and tilt 45 degrees.
The camera pairs with the Hoop Home app. You need to create an account the first time you launch it, then add the camera and follow the on-screen prompts to connect it to your Wi-Fi. The process went smoothly and took just a few minutes in my testing.
Mentioned in this article Wyze Cam Outdoor (with base station) Read TechHive's review$49.99MSRP $49.99with base station)" data-vars-link-position-id="005" data-vars-link-position="Product Sidebar" data-po="vendor" data-product-id="1444555" data-vars-product-id="1444555" data-bkc="HomeTech" data-bkmfr="WyzeLabs" data-vars-bkmfr="WyzeLabs" data-bkvndr="WyzeLabs" data-vars-bkvndr="WyzeLabs" data-vars-outbound-link="https://wyze.com/wyze-cam-outdoor.html">See iton Wyze Labs The app opens to its home screen, from which you can configure and activate three modes of operation: Home, Away, and High Alert. For each of these you can set motion, sound, and fire-alarm detection to on, off, or Smart. When you choose the last one, Hoop’s proprietary algorithm takes over to reduce the number of irrelevant notifications you receive. I used it for all three types of detection.
You can also create profiles here for each of your family members to use with intelligent reminders. Once you upload a photo and phone number, you can create tasks with assigned dates and times that are sent to the recipient via push notification, SMS, or voice alert through the camera.
Michael Ansaldo/IDG The Hoop Home app is well designed and intuitive to use.
The camera’s live feed, which you can access from a toolbar at the bottom of the home screen, provides the usual camera controls for managing two-way communication and capturing video and screenshots of the live stream, plus the text-to-speech messaging, which broadcasts whatever you type into its field in a pleasant female voice. I used it a few times to “speak” to my kids downstairs and it worked well, but using the push-to-talk button is much faster (although less private at your end).
Video quality is excellent, and you can timestamp clips by flipping a toggle in the settings. That’s helpful if you ever need to turn the files over to the police as evidence of a crime. Night vision can be set to turn on automatically in low light, and it provides enough illumination and contrast to see clearly in a completely darkened room.
The camera’s motorized pan-and-tilt can be operated from the directional pad below the live feed or by swiping on the feed image itself. I experienced a bit of latency between when I pressed/swiped and when the camera responded. That wasn’t a big deal when I was just scanning the room, but it made it difficult to track someone’s movement through it as you might want to when alerted to an intruder.
Detection alerts were timely and accurate, and the Smart algorithm kept me from being slammed with notifications every few minutes. Still, I missed the level of control the ability to calibrate detection sensitivity myself provides. The event-triggered clips for the current day are displayed in reverse chronology on the home screen and can be downloaded to your device, shared, or deleted during playback. By default, they are also saved to the cloud for 24 hours free of charge, and can aslo be saved to a microSD card (not included) for longer-term storage. In this case, you can look through your video history by scrolling through a calendar at the top of the home screen.
Michael Ansaldo/IDG You can program the camera to remind family members of tasks, appointments, and the like.
The Hoop Cam Plus lists for about $80, which is fairly modest for its feature set, especially considering most of its competitors come with the added cost of a cloud subscription. But Hoop was offering the camera for 50 percent off at the time of this writing, putting it in the same price range as the Mi Home, our current pick for best budget home security camera. The Mi Home still has the edge for its more extensive detection-customization options, which give the user a degree of control the Hoop Cam Plus currently does not. But if you prefer a camera that lets you set it and forget it while still delivering solid security, the Hoop Cam Plus is an excellent option.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@Angela23830092/hoop-cam-plus-review-solid-security-at-a-bargain-price-1eabafa563f5 | [] | 2020-09-18 11:15:10.699000+00:00 | ['Connected Home', 'Surveillance', 'Headphones', 'Mobile Accessories'] |
Between the Dunes and the Ocean | The ocean had been rough for the last couple of days. That’s why we took a break from paddling after the initial first three days in a row where we went out. We don’t like big waves and getting trashed by them.
But today we decided to try our luck. As long as we can get out of the mole, which is a little bay, we will be fine. Getting out of the bay and then staying behind the waves or the point where they break, was our plan.
As we stopped the car in the parking lot I could see them already. A group of dolphins playing in the water. Surrounding a guy sitting on a surfboard. I couldn’t get my board quick enough off the car and was tripping three times on my way down to the water.
But the dolphins were in no rush. As we reached the other guy five or more dolphins were surrounding us. Jumping up and down. Swimming underneath us just to pop up on the other side again.
I’ve never experienced something like this I would say. But it’s a lie. This happened to me here before. The dolphins often swim down the coastline and come into the bay to swim around paddlers and surfers.
But still. Every time I experience it my heart stops beating. Don’t ask me to take pictures of it. I was too much in the moment and forgot about the camera. Only started to film once they were moving out of the bay.
We followed them for a bit. It was lovely watching them having fun and playing in the waves. Dolphins play in the water which shows their incredible level of intelligence.
Such lovely creatures. So peaceful. The first time I freaked out when I saw them in the water only seeing the fins sticking out. But after realizing that there are no sharks here I quickly fell in love with their presence.
After the initial excitement, I got hit by reality and was facing head on a huge wave. Hoping it wouldn’t break before I could paddle over it. We went far out onto the ocean trying to escape the danger of the waves.
Looking into the water I saw all of a sudden lots of jellyfish. Big ones. Live ones. I can’t remember last seeing them. Obviously, you sometimes see dead ones being swept onto land.
But these were alive. And just as I was looking at one huge jellyfish I heard a big splash just behind me and almost fell off the board. What a freight I got. A seal just jumped in the air and landed right next to me.
It seems to be the day of all the sea life appearing. I’m loving it. | https://medium.com/snap-shots/between-the-dunes-and-the-ocean-41d9231e2b5f | ['Anne Bonfert'] | 2020-12-18 03:31:27.876000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Lifestyle', 'Photography', 'Africa', 'Outdoors'] |
Re-Examining The Matrix 20 Years Later | Warner Bros. Entertainment
When The Matrix released in March 1999, it warped pop culture and the blockbuster film industry around its presence. Its blend of science fiction, technology, and philosophy would go on to have lasting impacts, despite the disappointing attempts of writer/director siblings The Wachowskis to recapture lighting in the subsequent bottles of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
The gravity of the sequels pulls conversations about the series in a very particular direction, which I hope to ignore(as much as possible) to focus on the self-contained narrative of The Matrix, with its dominating themes of reality, self, and technology.
What stands out most after first returning to the world of The Matrix is the amount of attention devoted to its aesthetic. The film clearly wants to convey sleek and cool, even to a fault — characters and relationships take a backseat to special effects and world-building. The mirroring effect on spoons and sunglasses still impresses, but does nothing to enhance the interactions or conflicts. The wire work and fight sequences fundamentally shifted audiences’ expectations for action. Much of the dialogue still feels quotable through its delivery, if a bit anemic in its content. With its intertwined use of meta-settings (the artificial world and the real), The Matrix rightly directs more-than-average attention to its world-building, though often in a way that, itself, feels artificial.
A Tale of Two Systems
Beyond the artificial and real worlds, the story is split into two narrative parts: the cryptic and the revealed. The cryptic shifts between the familiar and the unknown, while the revealed follows straightforward storytelling.
The revealed begins 32 minutes into the film once Neo (Keanu Reeves) first wakes into the real world. Here, his path begins to take the shape of the hero’s journey, with the familiar crossing of the threshold and learning from the mentor. Even as Neo moves in and out of the artificial world, the story remains in the revealed — the curtain has been pulled back. In the revealed, the story finds its stride. Cause-and-effect relationships and the stakes of the conflict come through clearly, all while retaining narrative complexity.
In the revealed, characters are able to have meaningful conversations about The Matrix rather than talk around it (though they still sometimes do). And looking back, it was the narrative and events of the revealed that stuck with me most clearly from previous viewings of The Matrix. What continues to feel strange is the film’s presentation of the cryptic.
In the cryptic, Neo is some kind of hacker on some kind of mission to discover some kind of truth. Even knowing how to story plays out, the cryptic feels no easier to navigate. The film appears to nod to this ambiguity when Neo asks his hacker client, Choi, “You ever have that feeling where you’re not sure if you’re awake or still dreaming?” And in keeping with the symbolic nature of dreams, Neo follows the clue of the white rabbit tattoo to his confusing first encounter with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). The cryptic as a whole feels like a missed opportunity to seed the story with symbols and images that will actually matter later on, to send in Chekhov to bury a few guns.
Instead, ironically, this preface to Neo’s discovery of the real world is as hollow and meaningless as he laments upon first returning to The Matrix and encountering the relics of his former life. Trinity’s flimsy consolation that The Matrix can’t tell Neo who he is (but that The Oracle can) doesn’t even advance their excuse of a romance.
It’s tempting to trace this narrative problem of the cryptic back to the film’s inspiration: Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” Since Plato’s tale depicts people living in constructed, shadowy confusion deep underground, claiming that the cryptic tries to illustrate this confusing life feels like a promising explanation. Except we’re not provided with Neo’s singular perspective for the cryptic (as someone still trapped in the artificial world), and Trinity’s experiences (as someone who has been liberated) are similarly plagued by empty dialogue and showy special effects.
The revealed successfully explores many concepts of reality such as senses and emotions contrasted against the waking world, but if the cryptic is intended to explore the unknown or the preternatural, it misses the mark.
The Undefined Variable
As for the hero himself, Neo also suffers from a mysterious treatment. Compare his character to most other crewmates aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. Mouse is young, impulsive, and eager. Tank is determined yet compassionate. Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) is cynical and jaded. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburn) himself exhibits traditional leadership traits like stoicism and altruism.
And Neo…is also there.
Obviously he’s the most recent addition to the crew, which means his relationships won’t be as developed. But he should still have some kind of personality.
Consider how Cypher’s characteristic snark is only enhanced once we understand that he’s frustrated to be a footsoldier in Morpheus’s crusade rather than the architect of his own agency. Morpheus promised the truth, but Cypher feels he wasn’t freed so much as enlisted. Neo’s interactions feel all the more contrived given the number of times characters flatly tell him they know what he’s thinking or feeling rather than have a genuine interaction. Imagine the power of Neo’s ultimate transformation if Cypher unearthed even the smallest bit of doubt during his communion with Neo.
Morpheus, the mentor figure, offers little more from his own relationship to Neo, revealing that he “believe[s his] search [for The One] is over” after their meeting, but gives no evidence what drew him to Neo in the first place or why Neo stands out from the rest of the crew. More interestingly, Morpheus’s idealism does occasionally put him at odds with Neo. Delivering his tough love approach to mentoring, Morpheus provokes the closest thing to a personality trait that Neo has: a rocky relationship with authority.
Neo’s first interaction with authority is the mysterious meeting with Trinity in the dance club, somewhat disarmed by her womanhood. The scolding from his boss, Rhineheart, the next morning reveals a similarly meek response from Neo. Strangely, Neo decides to grow a backbone and make flippant remarks during his interrogation by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) — where the stakes are significantly higher.
His chest-thumping with Smith also seems to affect his second meeting with Trinity, where Switch ends up pulling a gun on him as a safety measure. This is the closest signal to Neo’s pushback against Morpheus’s training, though he later has no qualms passively accepting The Oracle’s rendering on his fate, despite chafing at the very concept of fate earlier. His inconsistent relationship to authority undermines any narrative that Neo completes his transformation into The One by standing up for what he believes in.
Because Neo never presents a clear picture of who he is, it becomes difficult to appreciate how he has changed by the end of the film. When Morpheus’s life is on the line, the music swells and Neo confidently asserts to Trinity, “I know that’s what it looks like but it’s not; I can’t explain to you why it’s not…I believe I can bring him back.” But it feels like a superficial change when we don’t get a good look at what’s been going on underneath.
More than anything, Neo is defined by his antithesis to Smith as if by default. If Smith represents authoritarian control, then Neo is left to represent individual freedom. Smith represents hatred and ego; Neo, therefore, must represent compassion and love. And while it’s tempting to assume that Neo learns to value relationships through his contact with the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar, no compelling evidence makes it onto the screen.
The film ends up telling us (and Neo) a lot about self knowledge, but unfortunately doesn’t say much in the process.
Digital Footprints
For all its shortcomings, the most lasting impact of the film is, and should be, its opening the door for other stories to step onto the pop culture stage. The film holds up as a solid introduction to deeper science fiction content (including the entire cyberpunk genre) and more complex philosophical material about artificial intelligence and the nature of reality. It also advances several conversations on technology both in its narrative and in its production. While it begins to crumble under scrutiny, it no less presents an entertaining story that continues to engage the imagination.
And the industry at-large took notice.
Even with the amount of hand-holding that Warner Brothers demanded for the script, it was clear that there was an audience for the kind of complex, experimental stories that were able to come along later like James Cameron’s Avatar and Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Ironically, The Matrix anticipated an Orwellian future of control and denial rather than Huxley’s vision of a dystopia dominated by vapid entertainment and input overload.
But as scary as a world dominated by machines operated people farms may be, I shudder to think of a reality without the influences of The Matrix in it. | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/re-examining-the-matrix-20-years-later-7fbcc07f5788 | ['Aaron Meacham'] | 2020-12-14 05:16:47.477000+00:00 | ['Movies', 'Culture', 'Film', 'Media Criticism', 'Philosophy'] |
Customizing Protobuf JSON Serialization in Go | A new version of Protobuf was released in March 2020, See this post for more info. Please ensure that you have the latest version of the protoc-gen-go plugin, or this article may diff from what you see locally.
Let’s start with a toy example:
Generate the code:
protoc --go_out=. todo.proto
Output:
Create and serialize an example Todo:
JSON output:
There are two obvious problems with this: the enum is serialized as an int, and the timestamp is serialized as.. a struct of seconds and nanos?
protocolbuffers/protobuf-go/encoding/protojson
The Golang JSON serializer doesn’t deal well with Protobuf. Instead, you should use protojson:
The output is now:
The timestamp is now in RFC3339 format, and the fields are camelCased.
protojson Marshaler Options
Let’s look at the protojson.Marshal function:
As you can see, proto.Marshal is just a convenience function which initializes MarshalOptions with default settings.
MarshalOptions has a number of dials:
Multiline and Indent — print the message on multiple lines, using the provided indent.
UseProtoNames —Effectively makes the JSON keys snake_cased instead of camelCased.
EmitUnpopulated — Explicitly include unpopulated values in the output (see next section)
UseEnumNumbers — print enums as ints instead of their .String() representations. This is what the regular JSON marshaler gave us earlier.
MarshalOptions.EmitUnpopulated
EmitUnpopulated can be set to include default values in the response. This is very helpful when default values carry meaning and I would advice to let consumers manage default values rather than the API omitting them.
Let’s say we want to keep track of how many times users have viewed a todo. We add a new view_count field to the Protobuf definition:
If ViewCount is unset or set to zero, then the resulting JSON will be just as before:
In this case, it would make sense to include that view count is zero.
To remedy this issue, set EmitUnpopulated and try again:
MarshalOptions.UseProtoNames
UseProtoNames changes the output to use the Proto names, which are snake_cased:
MarshalOptions.Resolver | https://medium.com/@seb-nyberg/customizing-protobuf-json-serialization-in-golang-6c58b5890356 | ['Sebastian Nyberg'] | 2021-03-05 21:57:01.496000+00:00 | ['Go', 'Json', 'Golang', 'Protobuf'] |
The Risks of Traditional Finance Meeting Cryptoassets | The underestimated risks of ICE’s new crypto-asset platform
I usually don’t cover cryptocurrency markets but the announcement that Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), a company that operates many of the world’s largest stock and futures exchanges (including the New York stock exchange), is building a new ecosystem for digital assets is worth pausing on: there are risks I’m suspecting few understand.
Background
ICE’s new company Bakkt is working with Microsoft, Starbucks, BCG, and a number of hedge funds on an “integrated platform that enables consumers and institutions to buy, sell, store and spend digital assets on a seamless global network.”
They’re starting with a physically settled bitcoin futures contract, which unlike other (CBOE & CME) existing bitcoin futures contracts requires delivering the settlement in bitcoin (the underlying asset) vs. settling in cash. This new type of futures contract is known as a “bitcoin-settled” (vs. cash-settled) derivative.
Risks
Up to now bitcoin price speculation claims were made in cash but with Bakkt’s new futures contract these claims will be happening in bitcoin. The challenge is that bitcoin is designed to be scarce and thus hard to borrow. Wall Street however, has a solution: rather than lend the actual asset itself (i.e. bitcoin) create off-chain bitcoin substitutes that aren’t 100% digitally escrowed with real on-chain bitcoins.
“We are about to see “fractionally-reserved bitcoin” en masse for the first time — more paper claims to bitcoin (created off-chain) than there are real bitcoins on-chain — and these paper claims will offset bitcoin’s natural scarcity to some degree.” [Source]
If you’re not in finance and thinking that’s crazy, well not really… Creating financial instruments in excess of the number of underlying assets is a big part of Wall Street’s business model. However, crypto is a more dangerous game than traditional finance. If something goes wrong, then the government can’t help by printing more cash. Issuance of the underlying asset is instead dependent on the protocol’s algorithmic monetary policies.
One way things could go wrong is if a party has a non-hedged position such as a naked short, a hard fork happens, and the new coins (from the new chain) pick up all the value. Since the substitute coins of the old chain are off-chain they don’t get the new coins, leaving those exposed with nothing. This could lead exposed institutions to bankruptcy.
And it doesn’t stop there: due to custodial regulation institutional investors almost never own the underlying asset, which means they’ll never possess the private keys to the coins they “own.” Instead they need to rely on the custodians who today don’t get audited, creating more obscurity in the system.
So it may be encouraging to see big institutions finally embrace this new decentralized technology but with it will come a whole set of concealed financial mechanisms that could lead to another economic melt-down should these become popular.
In conclusion, ICE is essentially laying down the foundations for building fragile financial houses of bitcoin-derived cards and unless regulation institutes a new rule requiring crypto-derivatives to be explicitly tied to an on-chain coin this could all go very wrong.
Want to know more?
Read Caitlin Long’s (Forbes) three-part series here:
Or listen to a summarized version on the Unconfirmed podcast: Why the ICE/Bakkt News Makes Some Crypto Investors Nervous
From around the web
A red ocean for smart contract protocols (Tony Sheng blog) — Strong post that takes a realistic look at the state of protocol developer communities. Sheng argues that crypto-projects should “slow down their ecosystem efforts until they figure out how to reach end-users” by taking an “LTV” approach to growing their community. Otherwise they’re just wasting money on “mercenary developers.”
The Distributed Computing Update (USV blog) by Dani — Excellent summary and some interesting reflections on the state of the ecosystem today.
Mapping The Decentralized Ecosystem (Token Economy) — Great for anyone new or overwhelmed by the number of projects in this space. This long read provides a complete and well explained overview of the ecosystem.
An Overview of Privacy in Cryptocurrencies (Medium) by Richard Chen — Comprehensive and well articulated summary of all the technologies out there.
Money Crypto vs. Tech Crypto (Token Daily) by Erik Torenberg — Looks at the two crypto narratives that exist today: one powered the bitcoin vision and the other by the ethereum vision.
The Bitcoin Second Layer (Medium) by Nick Bhatia — Uses “gold as an analogy to describe why bitcoin will evolve in layers on its way to world reserve currency status.”
Sponsored burning for TCR (Medium) by Alex Van de Sande — Proposes a method to align token holder incentives and ensure better quality content using “an external profit model which doesn’t require token holders to sell or rent their tokens.”
Aggregation Theory, Thin Protocols, and Recentralization: Augur Edition (Multicoin Capital blog) — Takes the reader through a thought experiment: what happens when dapp steals value from the protocol its built on?
Ethereum Is Getting Its First Top Level Domain Name (Coindesk) — The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and MNX, a traditional DNS registrar, are partnering to create “.luxe”; a top-level domain that will resolve on both systems.
Smiley Corner 😄
Weekly newsletter published internally at Google. The views expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer.
If you enjoyed this post follow me on Twitter @clairebelmont. Got feedback or story ideas? DM on Twitter. | https://medium.com/crypto-insights/crypto-insights-the-risks-of-traditional-finance-meeting-cryptoassets-85fc9734b6e8 | ['Claire Belmont'] | 2018-12-12 14:45:49.648000+00:00 | ['Futures Trading', 'Risk Management', 'Institutional Investor', 'Finance', 'Bitcoin'] |
Musings When you try to control someone You have taken first step to lose someone When you try to understand someone You have taken first step to a lifelong friendship. Decision is yours… | Musings
When you try to control someone
You have taken first step to lose someone
When you try to understand someone
You have taken first step to a lifelong friendship.
Decision is yours!
Decide judiciously for a meaningful life .
Pavneet Kaur | https://medium.com/@pavneetkaursuri54/musings-when-you-try-to-control-someone-you-have-taken-first-step-to-lose-5bcd570a2158 | ['Literature Learners'] | 2020-12-25 18:54:35.999000+00:00 | ['Reflections', 'Literature', 'Poetry'] |
The Forgotten Civil Rights Heroes: The Moore Couple | The Moores’ Early Activism: The NAACP
Thurgood Marshall. 1976. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Starting in the 1930s, the Moore couple would begin their civil rights activism. By 1934, Harry T. Moore had organized the Brevard County Branch of the NAACP, becoming its first president.
The organization would soon become Moore’s obsession. He would write letters protesting against the unequal salaries, segregated schools, and the lack of voting rights for blacks.
In 1935, Moore and NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall filed the first lawsuit in the Deep South to equalize black and white teacher salaries. Even though the team lost the court case, they would become the inspiration for numerous federal lawsuits across the state, eventually leading to equalized salaries.
Harry T. Moore. 1950. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Though Moore would continue to fight for freedom, in the early 1930s, it was becoming apparent Moore was growing impatient with civil rights reform, writing that blacks:
Complain bitterly about the injustices that we suffer in this country…but so few of us are willing to take positive action for the alleviation of those conditions. Mere talk will not suffice. If we are to receive proper respect from those who govern us, we must exercise some voice their election.
Regardless, Moore’s ambition would lead him to be the state’s NAACP executive director in 1946.
The Supreme Court. 1935. Source: Wikimedia Commons
With the return of WWII black veterans, social and political demands began to accelerate. As a result, the Supreme Court wrote a landmark decision in Smith v. Allwright: states may not conduct race based on primary elections, allowing blacks to vote.
With the Smith decision, the Moores organized the Progressive Voters League of Florida, mobilizing African-Americans in Brevard County. Moore encouraged African-Americans to vote, using the slogan,
A Voteless Citizen Is a Voiceless Citizen
By 1950, over 50% of the adult African-American population were registered to vote. But even though Moore achieved great success in increasing voter rates, he experienced violence and terror from the KKK. A few days before the July primary, five blacks were murdered in Georgia.
Despite this, Moore continued to openly fight against police brutality and KKK violence, which would lead his fight against the injustices in the Groveland rape case. | https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-forgotten-civil-rights-heroes-the-moore-couple-3a1f2da03d22 | ['Alexander Yung'] | 2020-08-08 22:58:24.648000+00:00 | ['BlackLivesMatter', 'Race', 'Racism', 'History', 'American History'] |
How to make a Comet chart in Tableau | 1. Get Dataset
The comet chart works best when you want to compare some metric between two dimensions. So, I decided to use the Covid-19 Vaccine Willingness data set. You can get it from here.
2. Connect to dataset
The dataset downloaded is an xls format file. It threw error for me when I tried to connect it as a data source. So, you might want to open in excel and save as .xlsx and then try reconnecting.
3. Data Manipulation
The dataset is in wide format as shown below. We need to convert it into long format.
So, once you connect the file as a data source, click on the top of all columns except DateTime, right click and select Pivot.
Image by Author
Your data should look like this now. Rename the Pivot Field Names as Country and Values as Willingness.
Image by Author
Next, we need to create few fields-
Willingness in 2020
Image by Author
Willingness in 2021
Image by Author
Difference between the two
Image by Author
Sign function gives the sign of the calculation. Positive is represented by 1, negative by -1 and zero is represent by 0. This will be used to highlight the positive and negative change in the metric.
4. Drag and drop!
Now, just drag Country to Rows shelf and measure values to column shelf like you would do for a horizontal bar chart.
Add Avg Willingness 2021 and Avg Willingness 2020 to Measure Values card.
Drag Measure Names to Path and Size.
Drag the Sign field(diff in my case) to colour.
Voila! The comet chart is ready. Your output would look something like this.
Image by Author
You can customise it further like add labels, change sheet formatting add more information in tooltips etc.
Here’s my final version. I have added detailed trends for each country in the tooltip along with the %change.
Image by Author
You can find the complete viz here.
I hope you find this information useful! Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments.
Happy Learning! | https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-make-a-comet-chart-in-tableau-b5c23e3dc58b | ['Isha Garg'] | 2021-07-20 19:09:05.900000+00:00 | ['Tableau', 'Data Analysis', 'Charts', 'Comet', 'Data Visualization'] |
Nostalgia for a time that never was: Re-watching Back to the Future | Photo: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
I did not grow up in the 80s. The 50s are as alien to me as they are to Marty McFly. I did not grow up in America, so many of the Pop culture references in the movie just fly by me. But yet, in a way, I look at the zany, colourful world that Director Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale have created, bound to two different eras, and I strangely feel nostalgic.
Hill Valley, the fictional town that Marty McFly lives in, is just another small town. The town and its people have existed in the past, exist now and exist in the future: all in different forms. Enter a DeLorean time machine and now, the possibilities are infinite. Marty meets his parents when they were high-schoolers, and surprise, surprise: they lied quite a bit about who they were when they were young. Marty is stuck there in the 50s, but his friend Doc, is conveniently a constant rather than a variable: he instantly figures out a way to help Marty.
The humour is derived from contrasts: an 80s kid in a 50s setting and it is really fun. But when I first watched the movie, I wondered why the creators limited themselves to Hill Valley & the McFly family. After all, they had an infinite canvas: a device that lets them go to any point in the future or the past. But I realise now, production limitations and costs aside, that there is a certain appeal in telling the stories of a small group of people, across different points in time, from a small town, whether that be Hill Valley, California or Winden, Germany.
Therein lies the answer to my nostalgia. I don’t pine for the world that exists in Back to the Future, I pine for the world I lived in when I watched it for the first time. That world is dramatically diffrent from the 80s or 50s Hollywood interpretation of America, but the magic of movies like this is that it binds all these worlds together and creates something that endures in the minds of the viewer, even 35 years after it was released. | https://medium.com/roger-rabbit-reviews/nostalgia-for-a-time-that-never-was-re-watching-back-to-the-future-c0bb445e9ce5 | ['Roger Rabbit'] | 2020-11-23 19:22:59.715000+00:00 | ['Movie Review', 'Review', 'Film Reviews', 'Back To The Future', 'Movies'] |
Out of sight, out of mind — they think | From Pam Bailey, Rob’s editor/collaborator: In my last blog post, I reported that Rob had suddenly been moved out of his Virginia jail en route to the U.S. penitentiary in Florida where he had formerly been incarcerated. However, we’ve been rudely reminded once again of the Bureau of Prison’s arbitrary, secretive mode of operations. I check the online “inmate tracker” every day, seeking confirmation of Rob’s whereabouts. This week, he popped up in USP Hazelton — a notorious prison in West Virginia nicknamed Misery Mountain. We don’t yet know why he was moved there; he has not been allowed to call anyone. Our only communication so far is one, short, pencilled letter I received today. When we call the prison, we are told only that the institution is on lockdown — if anyone answers the phone at all.
Why is USP Hazelton called Misery Mountain? Read on.
“They are treating us badly. I have been in my cell since I got here, only out for a shower on Monday and Thursday for 10 minutes. I haven’t gotten a change of clothes, wash cloth, nothing. This place has always treated us inhumanely, but COVID has made it worse. I’ve had to put my Vietnam armor back on.”
Those were the words Rob scrawled in his first, necessarily short letter since his arrival at Hazelton — short because he reports that paper is a scarce commodity there without money.
Rob’s friend, Mike Plummer — also incarcerated as a teen, but recently released — explained to me why “Vietnam armor” is needed:
“[Hazelton] has a reputation for extreme violence. I wasn’t there personally, but I heard about it, and stayed in places like it. When you get there, you automatically have to go into gladiator mode. It’s about survival, preservation. It’s one of those places where you’ve got to be vigilant, because at the drop of a dime, shit’s happening. You have to either be on the offense or defense.”
In prison, however, helmets and shields are not provided.
In 2018, CBS-TV reported that long before notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed at the prison, lawmakers, advocates and even prison guards had begun sounding an alarm about dangerous conditions there. Bulger’s killing marked the third murder at the facility in the previous six months. Last year, the pattern continued, with a number of assaults on prison employees.
A toxic mixture
The uninitiated will likely quickly assume this violence is due to the “worst of the worst” who are imprisoned there. But that is far too simplistic a conclusion. As psychiatrist Christine Montross writes in Waiting for an Echo: the Madness of American Incarceration, “Jungle. War zone. Hellhole. Pit of despair. We have created houses of law enforcement that are shot through with lawlessness and a kind of guerrilla warfare. It’s all well and good to hypothesize that you and I would behave differently were we held within this world, but we can’t know that.”
Montross quotes one of the inmates as comparing the prison hierarchy to a marine ecosystem: “You’ve got minnows and you’ve got the killer whale. That’s how it is.” Correctional environments (a misnomer if I ever heard one) exacerbate and foster aggression rather than diminish it, she concludes.
Mike and another friend of Rob’s, Pete Petty (currently in the DC jail, scheduled for an early-release hearing on Monday), identify several factors that contribute to the toxic carceral environment, especially in “the feds” (where all DC residents go, since the District does not have its own prison).
One of those factors is not unique to Hazelton: Every DC person I’ve talked to who is currently or formerly incarcerated says District men are treated harshly by both other residents and COs. And because Hazelton is the closest federal penitentiary to DC, a lot of men from the District are sent there.
“People don’t understand that DC guys have a reputation that follows them everywhere,” says Pete. “Every place you go, there are gangs. But the DC guys, we stick together. So, (the others) seem to want to show you how tough they are.”
Black and incarcerated
Pete adds that another element in the mix is race, since more than 90% of DC inmates are Black.
“(At Hazelton) they call people the N-word on a regular basis. (The COs) look at you as an adversary, somebody to go up against. They’ll do stuff just to agitate you, like put you on bed restriction, when they take your bed at seven in the morning and don’t let you have it back until 10 at night. They take your recreation away, stuff like that. (Worse than that), they’re known for breaking wrists, killing guys. If you get sent to the hole (solitary confinement), there’s a good chance you’re going to die in the hole, because you can’t fight back.”
Sure, you can, at least theoretically, refuse to be provoked and stay away from troublemakers (people who “don’t know how to do time,” as Rob says). Mike explains, “I knew how to control myself and didn’t argue with the COs, even when one had had a bad day and wanted to start something with the inmates or something like that. But that doesn’t always work. Sometimes, you might not have anything to do with an incident, but because you’re from a certain city or state, you’re associated with the pack. So, they take it out on you anyway.”
He gives another example: “I might get into an argument with a staff member at breakfast, and at dinnertime he tells his buddy or his cousin the story. Then they take it upon themselves to strike back. So now I’m in the hole because of this buddy system.”
Mike adds that in Rob’s case, his reputation as someone who can defend himself proceeds him. “But the flip side of that is that because of his reputation, some people may want to try to knock him down…It’s sort of like stealing the crown jewel to get extra points.”
Likewise, reputation is everything — even survival — in prison. “Disrespect is nothing much to a person in society, but there’s so many different rules and cultures in prison,” notes Mike. “It’s kind of hard to navigate not getting a shot (disciplinary ticket).”
Just what is a ‘good’ prisoner?
Yet disciplinary track records are factors in determining who can be released before the end of their sentences. Do judges and parole examiners understand what it means to do time in American prisons?
“Rob has been sent to a place where violence is rampant and breeding rapidly,” observes Pete, who estimates he racked up about 16 shots during his prison tenure. “In a situation like that, you have to do everything possible to take care of yourself.”
Mike, who says that in 23 years of incarceration he got 18 shots, agrees: “Rob is in a pickle right now. The best thing might be to pray that the joint stays on lockdown.”
This is a “corrections” system? Confining people to places and environments that seem designed to provoke aggressive behavior, then punishing them when it’s successful? And all of this goes on invisibly behind walls, fences and sniper-manned watch towers — that is, until the aggression that’s triggered results in someone being killed. And then it’s a headline for a day or two. There seems to be no other oversight, no “bill of rights” to which the souls held inside can turn. Rob instead should be thankful to be restricted to his cell 23 or more hours a day.
I’ll close with these words from Rob’s girlfriend, Monica: “In prison, you have to put your heart in your pocket. The world you’re surrounded by in there is too disturbed, intrusive and dangerous to leave it exposed. Love can get you killed, all because the actions a person displays out of love make you appear weak in prison. What’s left is hate, hate that can seep deep inside and swallow you whole like a snake. Hate is what drives a person to kill. Hate for the guards, the other inmates, lockdown and having to sit and wait — forever. Hate is what you’re surrounded by. (The DC jail) was the first drink of freedom he’d ever had. Now he’s back to being a soldier in a cold world, where racism exists, where hell exists, where torture exists, where rape exists. Only the strong survive and control of your mind is one of God’s greatest gifts.”
Show Rob he is not forgotten. That he is “seen.” That we are all standing with him. Send him a postcard via Flikshop. His inmate number is 08909–007. | https://medium.com/@morethanourcrimes/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-they-think-2819b0a9c3a4 | ['More Than Our Crimes'] | 2020-11-28 11:24:48.900000+00:00 | ['BlackLivesMatter', 'Justice', 'Prison', 'Human Rights', 'Prison Reform'] |
How To Deal With The Anxiety The New Year Brings You | Abandon the cliché New Year's phrases
I don't know about you but I am so tired of hearing the “new year, new me” over and over again. For many people, it sets the standard of creating massive goals and expectations over oneself to achieve within 12 months. I find that setting smaller goals throughout the entirety of the year reduces anxiety as it decreases the amount of fear instilled in you.
Remember, the change you want to see in your personality and in your life happens gradually. It's a marathon, not a sprint. By saying you're going to be a completely new person come January 1st is a tad bit borderline. Just because it's the 1st day of the new year doesn't mean your goals are automatically instilled.
Shift your “idea” of what the New Year means to you
Once I shifted my perception of what the New Year meant to me personally, I found myself in a situation where I set myself up for more favorable results during the year. I encourage you to view the new year as a time for a change, reflection and growth. I find that this decreases my level of New Year anxiety because it fosters a new approach to life and a change in mindset. Because let's face it we will have to get over difficult hurdles throughout the New Year because life is not perfect.
You are in control of how you want to manage your view of the New Year, you don't have to push this overused idea that your year has to be "perfect” by societal standards because that's not real life.
Instead, once January 1st knocks on your door, urge yourself to stay in the present, don't stress yourself about creating a utopian view of the next 365 days.
Set actionable goals
Small, actionable, goals. It's a two-step process having smaller goals will allow you to achieve them more regularly and frequently cross them off. This will leave you feeling accomplished and worthy.
For example, say you want to travel the world you can break that into smaller segments. For instance, saying you want to travel to another neighboring city, then a new state, and then a new country.
Remember, as you cross off those goals, congratulate yourself, and recognize your success. Acknowledging the little things we do on a daily basis can calm our nerves and put us into a better state mentally. This can be accomplished in small stages throughout the year.
Conclusion
The fundamentals of the steps in dealing with your New Year's anxiety can be summarised into; setting smaller goals that are completed gradually, changing what the New Year means to you, and abandoning societal cliché's. Once we reach the first day of 2021, remind yourself to not compare your journey to anyone else's, it's your own lane. Stay in the present and take the steps to achieve those actionable goals. | https://medium.com/live-your-life-on-purpose/how-to-deal-with-the-anxiety-the-new-year-brings-you-4a281640f496 | ['Petiri Ira'] | 2020-12-23 21:03:59.340000+00:00 | ['Society', 'Anxiety', 'Change', 'Self', 'Goals'] |
Why We’re Doing School All Wrong | Image by Wokandapix on Pixabay
The world has changed greatly ever since the school system first came to be. Although we’ve modernized the tools we teach with and the environment we teach in, we’ve neglected to re-design the overall structure and outcome of the typical school day. As a high school teacher, I believe we’re doing school all wrong.
There are days, for example, when I hate myself for what I’m teaching — such as drilling verb conjugations — because I know that it doesn’t correlate with any real-world skill that my students will use in the future. Memorizing content is the not the way of the future, so why do we still focus so much school time on rote learning?
All the while, I hear from students every day about how stressed they are when it comes to memorizing so much information for upcoming tests. They constantly check their grades and stress about their GPA, when right after the test is over they can’t remember half of what they were “taught.” And don’t even get me started on the stress that standardized tests contribute to this mix.
Take Advanced Placement (AP) classes as an example. I remember taking them when I was in high school and now my anxiety-ridden students confirm that nothing has changed about the “rigor” of these courses —cover as much content as possible, but in no real meaningful way. I couldn’t agree more with this opinion piece from the Washington Post on why some schools are eliminating AP courses, because “the truth is that college courses, which demand critical thinking and rigorous analysis, look nothing like AP courses, which stress breadth over depth.” We’re failing as a society if we think that forcing students to take copious notes and prove they can memorize them is good education.
Moreover, all of these pressure-based educational measures have created unproductive learning attitudes in our students. Students care far more about how many points an assignment is worth or knowing what format the test will be (let’s all remind ourselves that multiple choice tests don’t exist in real life!) instead of focusing their attention on the material.
They spend more time hacking the system, such as finding CliffsNotes or, in my class, using Google Translate, rather than spending that time to learn a new skill or produce original work. Research Professor of Psychology Peter Gray talks about this epidemic in his TEDTalk entitled “How Our Schools Thwart Passions”. He has studied how the increased focus on college admissions in high school has made students overly stressed and at the same time diluted creative thinking and problem-solving.
And I would argue that many teachers don’t alleviate this situation either. I’ve repeatedly heard colleagues complain about student apathy and disinterest. They blame students’ poor performance on these traits, absolving themselves of student failure, saying the students simply didn’t study hard enough. Some teachers even enjoy having a reputation that immediately strikes fear in students (which is bizarrely sadistic, if you ask me). This reputation, by the way, stems from testing way too much content that the teacher cannot effectively teach in a given class period.
Whenever a teacher begins a complaint with the phrase “Kids these days…”, I shudder knowing that these teachers are themselves a product of the unchanging educational system. They just want class to look exactly as it did when they were in school, even since replacing textbooks with computers or chalkboards with interactive whiteboards. They fail to think outside of the traditional curriculum and what modern-day, deep learning means.
Recently, I was in my classroom teaching when all of these problems with school came to the forefront.
A student was telling me how excited she was about purchasing a new iPad so that she could create digital art and potentially sell it for commission. Now, this student creates art all the time in class while she’s taking notes and when she’s finished with her work and she’s quite good at it. But when she mentioned that she would start making art as a side hustle — and she’s only eighteen years old — it got me thinking that this entrepreneurial spirit is something that we should be teaching in school.
Students need to learn content knowledge, yes, but what about giving students time to not only hone their skills but also connect it to the real world?To accomplish this, I immediately thought that some parts of school have to change.
The first thing to go should be studying subjects in isolation of each other.
In the real world, math is not something you do in isolation of science, history, language, art, cooking or woodworking. Instead, let’s teach fractions to students as they bake a cake. You could even make them learn unit conversion by using a metric recipe and maybe in a foreign language at the same time. Let’s not forget the chemistry of baking as well as the nutritional guidelines. And we could even compare different cake recipes from around the world to demonstrate cultural differences and influences on cuisine. The end “test” could require the student to write his own recipe through trial and error or maybe based off a set of surprise ingredients, much like a cooking competition tests competitors’ skills. It’s not a timed event, nor is it only offered one time.
My second major change with school would be this: let’s stop grading rote memorization and instead assess soft skills.
Soft skills are personality and emotional intelligence traits that help people interact well with others — such as collaboration, communication, punctuality, and leadership.
In fact, LinkedIn released a report recently titled “2019 Global Talent Trends”, which captured the soft skills that employers are desperately seeking in new hires. The report highlights the shift in hiring trends as automation and artificial intelligence take over the work place and soft skills are now what differentiate job seekers more than their technical ability. In addition, the World Economic Forum concluded that by next year,
“Overall social skills — such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others — will be in higher demand across industries than narrow technical skills.”
Currently in school, the “smartest” students are the ones who are good at memorizing information. Meanwhile, school ignores other soft skills that some students have and that these supposedly “smart” students actually need to develop — such as creativity, problem-solving, and presentation skills — which are far more valuable than recalling the Pythagorean theorem. In the real world, soft skills matter way more important than how much knowledge you have memorized — which is why the old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” exists — so why shouldn’t school reflect this reality?
Unfortunately, if someone did an audit of the American education system I guarantee that test after test after test that students take focus chiefly on memorized content knowledge and neglect to include measures that assess soft skills.
That’s why in recent years I’ve shifted more of my own focus to performance assessments, in which students must not only apply what they’ve learned in my class, but also demonstrate soft skills. And although I’m new to this and admit I’m no expert, by putting soft skills on my rubrics I have seen success in helping students gain real-world skills. Unfortunately, current time and curriculum constraints together with traditional grades make doing these types difficult.
Which brings me to my last problem with school: it’s time to throw out the American grading system altogether.
There is nothing useful about giving students letter grades, because it reduces learning to getting the “right” answer and moving on. Teachers have known this for years, yet nothing has fundamentally changed about how we evaluate our students. Sure, there has been a positive movement toward standards-based grading. But ultimately, when I use this system in my classroom I still have to convert the feedback into traditional letter grades, which devalues the meaningfulness of such feedback.
So now let’s imagine how ridding the school system of these antiquated practices could help my gifted art student who inspired this post. Imagine if she were allowed to pursue her passion for art as a continuous project of learning in school?
In order to become a successful freelance artist she would need to learn about art history and modern trends, business and marketing, finance and math, and computer science and technology skills all through creating art on her iPad, marketing herself as a freelancer, and tracking her business expenses. Such a project is highly involved and requires a lot of trial and error as well as feedback and adjustment. Of course, she would also need soft skills such as communication, time management, creativity and flexibility. Instead of using grades to determine her success in this endeavor, a teacher could evaluate her growth in developing these soft skills and how well she achieved her initial project goal.
Every student has a passion to learn in this way. Adults learn like this in their jobs and in their own personal hobbies. It’s what engaged, deep-learning looks like, yet school in its current state does not resemble this type of learning at all. Sure, there are examples of schools out there that foster experiential learning for students as I’ve described here, but these are often very small charter or independent schools, instead of mainstream educational institutions.
Imagine also what such a system would do for teacher retention and burnout? Instead of focusing so much on teacher effectiveness via test scores, teachers could again become purveyors of learning with the freedom to act more as mentors who guide students in achieving their learning goals while also challenging them to grow in their learning deficits. As soon as I thought about my art student’s passion project, I got excited to think I could help her in pursuing such an eduction.
Now, I’m not saying that my ideas are a simple fix to the current education system. Obviously, if it were so easy it would have been done already and the U.S. would have some of the best education in the world. Unfortunately, as a high school teacher, I also know there are other everyday realities that make implementing bold and innovative education reforms very difficult — poverty, education funding, teacher education and evaluation, statewide testing and education policy, just to name a few.
I cannot say, for example, what will happen to schools if they adopted such a different approach to learning. My guess is that it’s precisely this fear of the unknown that prevents parents, educational leaders and education policymakers from enacting such sweeping change.
And I’ll admit that I had this same fear in my first few years as a teacher. I used traditional methods and held a traditional view of my role in the classroom. But the longer I teach, the more I realize that I’m doing my students a huge disservice if I’m not inspiring their passions in my subject as well as others all the while connecting this to skills they will need in the real world after they graduate. That’s why I care so much about this one student and her passion for art — even though I know nothing about art and I myself am a terrible artist.
What I do know, however, is that her idea aligns perfectly with what employers demand from high school graduates and job seekers. If I want the best opportunities in life for my students, then I want to try something new so that I don’t ever feel as though the day’s lesson I planned is a waste of time. After all, no one in the future will ask my students to list the conjugations of the verb “tener”. That’s not how language in the real world works.
So it’s time to re-think the way we do school and put students’ future back to the forefront of learning. | https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/why-were-doing-school-all-wrong-14e6a29d36bf | ['Steven Hopper'] | 2019-03-25 19:19:50.086000+00:00 | ['Future', 'Education', 'Life', 'Schools', 'Students'] |
Um, Like, You Just Need to Be Smarter With Money | Given the times we’re living through it’s difficult to comprehend why a songwriter would choose to effectively add to the divisiveness. Why wouldn’t they ask themselves the question I pose at the outset of this article? And if they did, how in the world did they decide it was still a good idea to release the music they released — in 2020?
With such a massive platform, you’d think you’d choose empowerment over heaping more anxiety on an already stressed-out audience. Maybe they had good intentions. Either way, the result was neither helpful or productive.
Words matter. Timing matters. Emotions matter. Self-awareness matters. Tact, grace, empathy, and compassion matter.
These things matter beyond songwriting and interpersonal communication. They matter when you’re talking about money, whether it’s in the present forum or one-on-one with a friend.
I read articles about money. I hear people say stuff to people who are experiencing money trouble. I marvel at how unhelpful and unproductive some of these things — even if stated with good intentions — can be.
For example, inflation. It’s a concept lots of personal finance types like to latch onto. Most people don’t think much about it. Others have a difficult time wrapping their head around the idea. With so much apathy and ignorance, it’s the ideal subject matter for the money guru:
It’s even more difficult to talk a friend down when they’re freaked out about having enough money to pay their bills. You can help your friend better situate their finances. However, if the first thing you explain to your friend is inflation, you’re a bleeping know-it-all who is ultimately doing them a disservice.
A manifesto about inflation — it’s the go-to line for so many people whenever the conversation turns to money. The classic, hey, look what I know!
Fantastic, except schooling somebody who’s trying to create a personal financial plan, particularly when they’re hurting, does little, if any good. Riffing about the purchasing power of money (“in twenty years, it will cost you $1.20 to buy what you can buy today with $1.00”) is the stuff of blowhards.
Inflation is simply one more thing we need to adapt to. We have no control over it. So you’re stating the obvious when you say you want the money you save and invest to outpace inflation. Or at least some of it. Because if you freak out about inflation, you’re bound to allocate your money too aggressively, leaving you potentially screwed.
You need pots of money. Some that don’t stand a chance against inflation. Others that will beat it (even though you can’t comfortably predict the exact number you have to beat and when you have to beat it). I’d go so far as to say you’re just fine to ignore inflation.
Why introduce a potentially complicated (and ultimately meaningless) concept to somebody who has essentially told you they don’t have an emergency fund because they don’t even know what one is?
Explain and empower them on the basics. This will result in a well thought out and offensively defensive budgeting, saving, and investing plan that will weather every unknown (even a global pandemic, even inflation!) without stressing over things we can’t predict and have little control over even if we could.
By the opposite token, don’t tell your friend expressing money problems that “um, like, you just need to be smarter with money.” Also, not helpful.
In fact, next time a friend stresses out to you about money, don’t say anything. Let it breathe. Let them get it out. Then buy them a drink. Change the subject. Proceed to make them have a good time.
Then, on day two, give them a call or shoot them a text. Remind them of the conversation. Lead with similar money tumult you’ve experienced. Include what you did to better situate yourself and adopt sound personal finance habits. Provide a resource or two to lead your friend in the right direction.
Obviously, they need to be smarter with money. | https://medium.com/makingofamillionaire/um-like-you-just-need-to-be-smarter-with-money-80274c7eb093 | ['Rocco Pendola'] | 2020-12-24 14:02:27.880000+00:00 | ['Personal Finance', 'Self-awareness', 'Self', 'Money', 'Life Lessons'] |
BUILDING A TECH BUSINESS AND INVESTING IN A BLOCKCHAIN FUTURE WITH MICHAEL HYATT | Michael Hyatt on the Speaking of Crypto podcast
“The companies I will suggest in the next 2 to 3 years that are going to make it are ones that have a real blockchain product with real utility that people really need and they’re getting real quality advantage out of, like any other company. And 2017 was the year of FOMO which is ‘I’m going to miss out so I better buy it’ 2018 is like ‘woah what happened here, hold on here I think we have to go find something real’ and 2019 I think is going to be the year of prove it. ‘Prove you’ve got something. Oh, you’re going to raise a coin? I’ve heard that story. OK what is it really that you’re doing?”.
Michael Hyatt, Co-Founder of BlueCat and Blockchain Advisor to Polymath
Michael Hyatt has built incredibly successful tech business and he’s been in business since before the days of the internet. He’s got first-hand knowledge of where the internet and computer technology came from and educated and experienced insight as to where blockchain tech is going.
https://twitter.com/mhyattspeaker
Michael Hyatt, keynote speaker
So where is it going? Michael talked about a creative destruction phase or a nuclear winter, much like we’re seeing now. But he believes that the future is bright. He thinks “the Facebook of cryptocurrency hasn’t been born” but that we’ll see real businesses with important use cases coming to the forefront after the fallout from the hype around cryptos and all the betting on the promises of ICOs that have never delivered, and won’t.
He talks about the crypto space mirroring the real world. People talk about there being a new paradigm, but Michael doesn’t buy it, not were businesses and investments are concerned. He says it all comes down to the fundamentals. Is there a viable business? Are these the people who can deliver what they’re promising? And is there something backing the crypto or blockchain investment that has real value.
“If you’re starting a company, whether it’s a crypto company or any kind of company, I don’t think it matters. I think what matters is that you have to be in it for 10 or 15 years and build to win not build to sell or build to flip.”
He says when you’re buying part of an ICO, you’re buying a Kick Starter, that really, you’re buying a promise that it’s going to be useful, but that very few companies have delivered on their promises.
With Ethereum, he says that something big has to happen. When Ethereum can be used as part of some revolutionary tool, an app that changes the way things are done in the financial world or the medical world, if it can change the way were doing things now then the value will really go up. But, whether it’s Ethereum or some other blockchain technology that transforms the way we’re doing things now, there needs to be broad based adoption and a global understanding of the new technology’s value. Then and only then will there be the Crypto or Blockchain Facebook or Google or Apple.
Michael mentions the collapse of the condo market in Miami as a historic example that may be similar to what we’re seeing the crypto right now. Condos that were overpriced, plummeted in cost, but there was a point when buyers and investors saw that condos still held a certain value. So, while he doesn’t believe Bitcoin is digital gold. He does believe there is a value and that the public will figure out what it is.
I ask Michael about his affiliation with Rotman’s Creative Destruction lab, which he is completely impressed by, saying that he’s in a place where he’s surrounded by big thinkers and intelligent innovators.
https://www.creativedestructionlab.com/
Michael talks about being an advisor to Polymath. He’s excited about security tokens and believes in Trevor Koverko. https://twitter.com/trevorkoverko
He also believes in the idea of tokenizing securities like art, paintings, wine, or buildings that have a that have an inherent value and supports the idea of these securities, that aren’t big enough to go public, can also draw in non-accredited investors who would like to put their money into something, but maybe don’t have the financial wealth to be able to pour in large amounts of money in order to be able to see a return on their investment.
One of the other topics we hit on is regulation. His point of view is that regulation makes the market real. It’s there to stop companies from lying and cheating people and that regulation entering the picture is a healthy thing. Essentially the regulators will sort and sift through what’s being offered and cut out the crap.
Michael is also a regular contributor to The Pitch Podcast.
https://player.fm/series/series-1451959 | https://medium.com/speaking-of-crypto/029-building-a-tech-business-and-investing-in-a-blockchain-future-with-michael-hyatt-cbe56f47fcc1 | ['Shannon Grinnell'] | 2018-11-11 21:08:33.734000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Token Economy', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Investing'] |
Imputing Missing Values Smartly with DataWig | Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
Data, and especially high quality data (alongside other things), plays a key role in the success of a machine learning model. Unfortunately, real world datasets are far from perfect and are often stained with noise and missing values. Missing values, in particular, can be problematic. Dropping them altogether results in a smaller dataset — not the ideal situation when your dataset is small. And even if you try to fill those annoying ‘NaNs’, the imputed data might not be representative of the missing data.
This is where DataWig comes in. As you might have guessed by the name, it is a wig for bald patches in your data. And look, while there are many methods to impute your data, DataWig belongs right at the top.
We’ll first see what DataWig is and how it works and then we will compare it against some most popular methods to see how well it performs.
DataWig was developed by AWS Labs around 3 years back. It tries to understand your data and uses that learning to do the imputation. So if you have 3 columns — ‘X’, ‘Y’ & ‘Z’ — and we want to impute ‘Z’, DataWig learns the contents of the other two columns to do its magic.
DataWig supports imputation of both categorical and numerical columns. A lot of imputation approaches are only catered towards numerical imputation, while those that cater to categorical aren’t so good or scalable in production. So this becomes extremely useful when you want to impute categorical columns.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into how DataWig works under the hood. This is based on its research paper, so if you don’t want to get into the technicalities, feel free to skip to the next section on how to use it. Though I’d recommend you read this part, its super interesting in my opinion.
The image shows several columns, with the column ‘Color’ to be imputed. DataWig first determines the type of each column. After that, each column is converted into a numeric representation (so that the machine understands it). Categorical columns are one hot encoded while sequential (text) columns are converted into a sequence based on the length and the characters in the string. Next comes the most important step — Featurizing. One-hot encoded data is passed through an embedding layer while sequential data is passed either via an LSTM layer or n-gram hashing is done on it. Finally, all the features are merged and passed through a logistic layer (since ‘Color’ is categorical) for the imputation.
Well that’s the theory, let’s see how you can use DataWig. It can be installed as a Python package.
pip install datawig
Note: When I last tried, there was an installation issue regarding the dependencies. Look at this link and replace ‘==’ with ‘>=’ for the dependencies.
Using DataWig is pretty straightforward as well. It provides you with two types of imputers — SimpleImputer & Imputer. Use the SimpleImputer when you don’t care how DataWig does the work underneath. But if you want to customize the working according to your requirements, use Imputer. For example, you can select if you want to use the LSTM or n-gram hashing for featurizing. Both imputers come with the easy to use fit() and predict() methods (similar to sklearn). Below we’ll do some coding where you’ll get to know more about these functionalities. But if you want to become a DataWig geek, refer to their documentation. | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/imputing-missing-values-smartly-with-datawig-f2f6b4a07c27 | ['Ansh Bordia'] | 2021-04-06 15:26:06.966000+00:00 | ['Missing Values', 'Feature Engineering', 'Data Science', 'Python', 'Machine Learning'] |
How to Build Smart Contract Based MLM Software | Multi-level marketing (MLM), also known as network marketing or referral marketing, has been a mainstay for companies running MLM programs and people participating in these programs to earn money. Companies incentivize participants for promoting their products and services by referring them to their family, friends, or others in their network. It creates a win-win situation for both companies and participants.
However, the traditional MLM model is beset with inefficiencies, such as lack of transparency, distrust, mutability, and delayed transactions. These pain points hold back the best of MLM projects.
To overcome these inefficiencies, companies are shifting to smart contract based MLM software.
What is Smart Contract Based MLM Software?
Before understanding smart contract based MLM software, let’s gain an insight into a smart contract in the first place. A smart contract is a computer program intended to automatically execute, control, or document legally relevant actions according to the terms of a contract or an agreement. Smart contracts drive trusted transactions while enabling two parties to transact without any third party involvement.
When an MLM platform is underpinned by a smart contract, it automates processes performed on the platform and reduces human involvement significantly. The smart contract performs immutable calculations and enables P2P (peer-to-peer) transactions between platform users. Furthermore, since the smart contract is completely encrypted and automated, it reinforces the security of the MLM platform and builds trust among platform users.
What are the benefits of Smart Contract Based MLM Software?
A smart contract has served as a great solution to overcome the drawbacks of the traditional MLM model. Smart contract based MLM software development forges the path for a reliable platform that offers the following benefits:
Transparency
Blockchain brings everything on a distributed ledger that is accessible to everyone on the network, thereby promoting transparency. It is one of the reasons smart contract based MLM software is gaining traction among MLM participants.
Traceability
Blockchain offers better traceability of funds between platform users. Traceability is the ability to identify, track, and trace the transactions performed on the MLM platform.
Immutability
The smart contract brings immutability to the MLM platform. It means that once a smart contract has been created for a platform, it cannot be changed, even by the Admin. For example, suppose an MLM platform uses a smart contract to calculate funds earned by platform users. Once the smart contract has been created with all the conditions and formulas for calculation, the contract cannot be altered by anyone at any time.
Accelerated Transactions
Blockchain based MLM software fortified with a smart contract drives quick transactions between platform users. The smart contract automatically calculates funds earned by users and transfers them to users’ wallets with minimum latency.
How to Start an MLM platform with a Smart Contract?
Building and launching an MLM platform is a complex process. Developing the platform from scratch requires considerable development time and cost. However, using a smart contract MLM script (or a white label solution) can reduce the development time and cost significantly.
Schedule a Free Demo of our Smart Contract based MLM software
SCHEDULE A FREE DEMO
Why Smart Contract MLM Script?
Businesses are leveraging smart contract MLM script to build their MLM platform due to the following reasons:
Faster deployment
Cost-efficient solution
The white label MLM script is a ready-made solution that can be easily customized as per your business requirements and quickly launched into the market while saving the development cost.
Why Antier Solutions for Smart Contract Based MLM Software Development?
Antier Solutions is a leading blockchain development company backed by seasoned blockchain developers and subject matter experts. We provide completely decentralized and transparent white label smart contract based MLM software built on Ethereum blockchain.
The backbone of our white label MLM platform is an ecosystem comprising the following:
Multi-currency crypto wallet: The integration of a multi-currency wallet facilitates secure storage and transfer of cryptocurrency. Users can send or receive crypto assets easily through the chat. In addition, the chat functionality makes it easier for users to share the referral link and invite their friends, family, or colleagues to join the MLM platform.
The integration of a multi-currency wallet facilitates secure storage and transfer of cryptocurrency. Users can send or receive crypto assets easily through the chat. In addition, the chat functionality makes it easier for users to share the referral link and invite their friends, family, or colleagues to join the MLM platform. API to external exchange: A secure API connection to the leading cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance, Huobi, and more ensures that the users can quickly buy or sell their sought after cryptocurrency to participate in the MLM process, without the need to leave the platform.
A secure API connection to the leading cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance, Huobi, and more ensures that the users can quickly buy or sell their sought after cryptocurrency to participate in the MLM process, without the need to leave the platform. Investment module: Our blockchain based MLM software is fortified with an intuitive investment module that allows users to seamlessly participate in the MLM process and grow their funds.
Our white label MLM solution can help you save your development time and cost while enabling you to disrupt the MLM market with a platform that users seek.
Schedule a free demo of our white label smart contract based MLM software or connect with our subject matter experts to share your business needs. | https://medium.com/@antiersolutions/how-to-build-smart-contract-based-mlm-software-bfa1cbe1b946 | ['Antier Solutions'] | 2020-07-03 14:49:43.082000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Mlm Software', 'Mlm Software Development', 'Smart Contracts', 'Blockchain'] |
How I managed to install [X]Ubuntu alongside Windows 10 on my new XPS 15 | After almost 4 years of using my Dell Latitude E5540, I was due for an upgrade. Well I must say, this laptop has served it’s purpose and I enjoyed every minute of it apart from the battery life and the failing disk which causes my system to just freeze time to time, as I digress.
Anyways, I decided to place an order for a Dell XPS 15 9570. It is an amazing laptop to say the least from the 16Gb memory to the 512Gb SSD not forgetting the Intel Core i7 CPU. I just had to get my filthy hands on it.
The thing with new laptops is that getting Ubuntu installed alongside Windows is a bit trickier due to the high level of security on EUFI mode instead of BIOS, and Windows Bitlocker/secureboot related issues.
I have seen numerous online/YouTube tutorials on installing different versions of Ubuntu on different XPS’s along side Windows 10, however not all work, It is either you Wipe Windows completely and then install Ubuntu or risk corrupting Windows installation — which sucks!!!
Long story short, the last time I used Microsoft Windows was when Windows Vista came out, I have been a Linux heavy user since then and the only reason why I opted to dual boot instead of a complete system-wide Linux installation is the Video editing tools and Gaming on Windows — So I was like…
Enough about the chit-chat let me get down to business.
Preparation
First, you need to download an Ubuntu ISO and burn it to your USB stick. You can find the list of Ubuntu flavors here, I rather prefer XUbuntu and the instructions for burning the ISO to USB are here using etcher.
In your Windows 10:
Partition storage drive
Click the start menu .
. Type disk management and open Disk Management .
and open . Select the Windows partition (most likely to be the largest one).
(most likely to be the largest one). Right click on it and select "Shrink Volume" .
. Shrink to desired amount. (I shrank 200GB for Ubuntu)
See if a partition of "Unallocated space" is shown.
Enable AHCI mode
In order to install Ubuntu or any Linux distro, you need to set the storage drive to AHCI mode.
Click the start menu , search and run Command Prompt as an admin .
, search and run Command Prompt as an . Run: bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal
Reboot.
Tap F2 when you see the Dell logo, until it loads the BIOS/UEFI setup.
when you see the Dell logo, until it loads the BIOS/UEFI setup. Under Settings , select System Configuration then SATA Operation and enable AHCI mode.
, select then and enable mode. Press “Apply”, “Save as Custom User Settings?” and then “Exit”.
Windows will boot into Safemode and will require you to login.
and will require you to login. Open the Command Prompt as an admin again ( Windows + R , type in cmd and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter )
again ( , type in and press ) Run: bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
Reboot.
Installing Ubuntu
If you followed all the instruction, we are now ready for the installation of Ubuntu.
Insert the Ubuntu USB into the XPS obviously and Reboot.
into the XPS obviously and Reboot. Tap F12 when you see the Dell logo.
when you see the Dell logo. Select the one with the words “UEFI: Vendor blablabla” in it and hit enter.
Select “Try Ubuntu without installing” option [DO NOT HIT ENTER YET!]
YET!] Press e
Find the line with quiet splash and add nomodeset just after it in.
Press F10 to save.
to save. Locate the Ubuntu installer on the desktop and launch it.
on the desktop and launch it. Select "Enable Insecure Boot mode" during the installation and remember the password for it.
during the installation and for it. Complete the installation and Reboot
After the reboot, you will be greeted by a blue screen "Perform MOK management" , press any keys and,
Select Change Secure Boot State
Enter your password and then Continue Boot .
After that, the computer will reboot and you will be greeted by the Grub screen with booting options.
Hover over the option "Ubuntu"
Press e
After the words quiet splash , add nouveau.modeset=0 .
, add . Detailed instructions can be found here
Press F10 to save.
Boot into Ubuntu, and open your terminal and add the parameter nouveau.modeset=0 to the Linux kernel command in grub . To make it permanent.
echo 'GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="nouveau.modeset=0' | sudo tee -a /etc/default/grub sudo update-grub2
Post Ubuntu Installation
After a successful Ubuntu installation, you will need to update the packages as well as install some drivers for your machine, however this can be very tedious. So over time I got irritated about installing packages after a fresh install and then I wrote script to automate my installations.
Check it out on GitHub and read the README.md
The script will install various packages as well as XPS 15 tweaks.
To run the installation enter, command and follow the prompts.
bash -c "$(curl -L https://git.io/runme)"
Conclusion
Dual booting Windows and Linux can be a challenge on it’s own, It took me some time to get everything to working and at the end of it all — It was worth it. The Dell XPS 15 is a great laptop to work on, It will take me sometime to adjust from from using the Latitude. I hope this post was helpful.
Further Reading & Reference | https://medium.com/@mmphego/how-i-managed-to-install-x-ubuntu-alongside-windows-10-on-my-new-xps-15-37089b923ef1 | ['Mpho Mphego'] | 2019-02-25 12:22:53.411000+00:00 | ['Dell', 'Windows 10', 'Xps15', 'Linux', 'Ubuntu'] |
Smart Contracts: Threat or opportunity? | A “smart contract” is simply a program that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. It’s a collection of code (its functions) and data (its state) that resides at a specific address on the Ethereum blockchain.
Photo by vjkombajn from pixabay
A. Terminology
smart contract: is a computer program or a transaction protocol which is intended to automatically execute, control or document legally relevant events and actions according to the terms of a contract or an agreement. The objectives of smart contracts are the reduction of need in trusted intermediators, arbitrations and enforcement costs, fraud losses, as well as the reduction of malicious and accidental exceptions.
White paper: is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body’s philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.
Blockchain: is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked together using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. The timestamp proves that the transaction data existed when the block was published in order to get into its hash. As blocks each contain information about the block previous to it, they form a chain, with each additional block reinforcing the ones before it. Therefore, blockchains are resistant to modification of their data because once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without altering all subsequent block
Ethereum: is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. Ether is the native cryptocurrency of the platform; among cryptocurrencies, it is second only to Bitcoin in market capitalization.
B. What is Smart Contracts?
The phrase and concept of “smart contracts” was developed by Szabo (computer scientist, lawyer and cryptographer) with the goal of bringing what he calls the “highly evolved” practices of contract law and practice to the design of electronic commerce protocols between strangers on the Internet
Smart contracts are a type of Ethereum account (if you want to know more you can read their white paper here. This means they have a balance and they can send transactions over the network. However they’re not controlled by a user, instead they are deployed to the network and run as programmed. User accounts can then interact with a smart contract by submitting transactions that execute a function defined on the smart contract. Smart contracts can define rules, like a regular contract, and automatically enforce them via the code. Smart contracts cannot be deleted by default, and interactions with them are irreversible.
C. Smart Contract Architecture
Within a smart contract, there can be as many stipulations as needed to satisfy the participants that the task will be completed satisfactorily. To establish the terms, participants must determine how transactions and their data are represented on the blockchain, agree on the if/when…then…” rules that govern those transactions, explore all possible exceptions, and define a framework for resolving disputes.
Smart Contract Schematic
Then the smart contract can be programmed by a developer — although increasingly, organizations that use blockchain for business provide templates, web interfaces, and other online tools to simplify structuring smart contracts. The basic architecture of the EVM (ethereum virtual machine) that runs smart contracts is that all calls to the contract are executed as a transaction where the ether required for a contract method executed is transferred from the calling account address to the contract account address. The contract code resides on the contract address on the blockchain and expects the calls to come in as transactions carrying the method parameter data along with the transaction as “input”. To enable a standard format for all clients, the method name, and parameters need to be marshaled in a recommended format.
D. Pros and Cons
Why we should use smart contracts?
1-Speed, efficiency and accuracy
Once a condition is met, the contract is executed immediately. Because smart contracts are digital and automated, there’s no paperwork to process and no time spent reconciling errors that often result from manually filling in documents.
2- Trust and transparency
Because there’s no third party involved, and because encrypted records of transactions are shared across participants, there’s no need to question whether information has been altered for personal benefit.
3- Security
Blockchain transaction records are encrypted, which makes them very hard to hack. Moreover, because each record is connected to the previous and subsequent records on a distributed ledger, hackers would have to alter the entire chain to change a single record.
4-Savings
Smart contracts remove the need for intermediaries to handle transactions and, by extension, their associated time delays and fees.
Why we should AVOID using smart contract?!!!
Smart contracts introduce an additional risk that does not exist in most text-based contractual relationships — the possibility that the contract will be hacked or that the code or protocol simply contains an unintended programming error. Given the relative security of blockchains, these concepts are closely aligned; namely, most “hacks” associated with blockchain technology are really exploitation of an unintended coding error. As with many bugs in computer code, these errors are not glaring, but rather become obvious only once they have been exploited. For example, in 2017 an attacker was able to drain several multi-signature wallets offered by Parity of $31 million in ether. Multi-signature wallets add a layer of security because they require more than one private key to access the wallet. However, in the Parity attack, the attacker was able to exploit a flaw in the Parity code by re-initializing the smart contract and making himself or herself the sole owner of the multi-signature wallets. Parties to a smart contract will need to consider how risk and liability for unintended coding errors and resulting exploitation are allocated between the parties, and possibly with any third party developers or insurers of the smart contract.
A blockchain-based smart contract is visible to all users of said blockchain. However, this leads to a situation where bugs, including security holes, are visible to all yet may not be quickly fixed. Such an attack, difficult to fix quickly, was successfully executed on The DAO in June 2016, draining approximately US$50 million worth of Ether at the time, while developers attempted to come to a solution that would gain consensus. The DAO program had a time delay in place before the hacker could remove the funds; a hard fork of the Ethereum software was done to claw back the funds from the attacker before the time limit expired. Other high-profile attacks include the Parity multi-signature wallet attacks, and an integer underflow/overflow attack (2018), totaling over US$184 million. Issues in Ethereum smart contracts, in particular, include ambiguities and easy-but-insecure constructs in its contract language Solidity, compiler bugs, Ethereum Virtual Machine bugs, attacks on the blockchain network, the immutability of bugs and that there is no central source documenting known vulnerabilities, attacks and problematic constructs.
References:
https://www.ibm.com/topics/smart-contracts
https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2018/05/26/an-introduction-to-smart-contracts-and-their-potential-and-inherent-limitations/
https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_contract
https://blockgeeks.com/ethereum-smart-contract-clients/
https://web.archive.org/web/20170730133911/http://iqdupont.com/assets/documents/DUPONT%2D2017%2DPreprint%2DAlgorithmic%2DGovernance.pdf
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/a-hacker-stole-31m-of-ether-how-it-happened-and-what-it-means-for-ethereum-9e5dc29e33ce/ | https://medium.com/@omid-haghighatgoo/smart-contracts-threat-or-opportunity-ffa6396a981e | ['Omid Haghighatgoo'] | 2021-09-08 08:44:16.543000+00:00 | ['Blockchain Technology', 'Blockchain', 'Smart Contracts', 'Bitcoin', 'Ethereum'] |
Streaming services shouldn’t be an evil option for big studios and blockbusters. | Streaming services shouldn’t be an evil option for big studios and blockbusters. Going forward they need to find a way to make movies profitable and provide an option for audiences of how they want to watch them.
I agree with your points here. Like, right now, Tom Hanks’ latest movie plays only in theaters. Which ones? Because almost every cinema is closed right now, and people sit at home eating delicious and unhealthy food watching a loooot of Netflix, HBO, etc. They would stream the hell out of a new Tom Hanks movie. But, they have to wait.
Even the first WW was just okay and kind of fun, but it seems that WW84 couldn’t even live up to that. Thanks for the short review, I’m going to skip it. | https://medium.com/@akospeterbencze/streaming-services-shouldnt-be-an-evil-option-for-big-studios-and-blockbusters-d06ef9b75f | ['Akos Peterbencze'] | 2020-12-26 11:10:24.689000+00:00 | ['Movies', 'Cinéma', 'Television', 'Streaming', 'Culture'] |
Endothelium Dysfunction and Role of Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Endothelium Dysfunction | Introduction
Endothelium Dysfunction is a condition in which the Endothelium adverse effects are seen and there is disruption of balanced homeostasis due to Endothelium on vascular tree leading to severe vasoconstriction due to increased presence of vasoconstrictive autacoids (F. Ribeiro, et al. (2009).. Various diseased condition and pathological conditions are responsible for Endothelium Dysfunction such as Smoking, Obesity, and Cardiovascular Diseases and cardiovascular events. Depending on the site of vascular tree, the disruption of function of Endothelium shows respective effects. Like in large vessels of heart if endothelium dysfunction is observed it leads to high chest pain condition which is mainly a non-blockage of vessels chest pain condition (R. G. Dias, et al. 2011). As of now various markers in form of progenitor cells can be used in order to detect Endothelium Dysfunction in the body or at the site of pathophysiological conditions.
Endothelium Dysfunction is mainly a condition where there is imbalance in vasodilation and vasoconstriction actions of Endothelium itself. In Endothelium Dysfunction more of Vasoconstriction is observed due to increased presence of vasoconstrictive autacoids at the site of pathophysiological event (R. J. Gryglewski (2008).
It has been widely studied and understood the role of Endothelium in maintaining the homeostasis of whole vascular system in the body. It releases various molecules which perform either vasodilation or vasoconstriction on blood vessels in the body. Endothelium is basically a barrier between the blood and tissue and smooth muscle system in the whole body. Endothelium releases various molecules such as, Nitric oxide, agents increasing secretion of NO, agents responsible s anticoagulants, anti-adhesion agents, agents decreasing the molecules responsible for increased NO degradation inside the vascular system of the body. Upon Endothelium Dysfunction all these actions becomes opposite and there happens decreased secretion or level of Nitric oxide in the body, increased coagulation of blood vessels in the body, increased degradation of nitric oxide in the body. From the study of Endothelium Dysfunction it has been observed and studied the importance of Nitric Oxide in the body. Nitric oxide is highly important for the maintenance of homeostasis of the whole vascular tree in the body. Even Anticoagulant autacoids are also important agents responsible for balanced homeostasis in the whole body. They maintain free flow of blood in the vascular system of the whole body, and helps in avoiding coagulation at the site of injury or mascular stress, and reverses the coagulation of blood in order to bring back the homeostasis in the body (L. Grbović, M. (2001).
It has been observed that various diseases affects the endothelium and cause endothelium dysfunction in the body. Diseases such as Cardiovascular diseases, Diabetes, Smoking, Stress, Insulin resistance, etc. cause more or severe condition of Endothelium Dysfunction in the body. Important thing to be understood is that it is non-obstructive condition of vascular system leading to higher rate of vasoconstriction due to increased express of vasoconstrictive autacoids inside the vascular system of the body (M. Radenković, et al. (2012).
Endothelium Dysfunction can be reversed by using various drugs used for cardiovascular diseases, and role mainly the statins has been observed significantly in reversing the diseased condition of Endothelium Dysfunction in the body (Y. Hirata, et al. (2010)
Role of Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Endothelium Dysfunction
TNF-α is pro-inhibitory cytokine which has been studied widely responsible for the pathogenesis of Endothelium Dysfunction. It has been observed that TNF-α receptor 1 and TNF-α receptor 2, where majorly TNF-α receptor 1 is responsible for major expression of TNF-α induced Endothelium Dysfunction. TNF-α causes Endothelium dysfunction by decreasing the levels of Nitric oxide in the vascular system along with increased degradation of Nitric oxide with inducing oxidative stress in the whole body (Picchi et al. (2006). It has been observed and widely studied that TNF-α is mainly responsible for increasing Free radicle generation in the body and also increasing the inflammatory responses across the whole vascular infrastructure of the body. Various research’s have been carried out where it has been observed and tested the role of TNF-α in increasing the pathophysiological reason for Endothelium Dysfunction. As has been already written that in Endothelium Dysfunction there is mainly imbalance of vasodilation and vasoconstriction in the vascular structure of the body, the TNF-α here leads to increasing the risk factors associated with the Endothelium Dysfunction and also increasing the other pathophysiological events responsible for the over expression of stress, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, damage to the anticoagulation and coagulation balance in the body and damage to the increased expression of Nitric oxide in the body. It has been observed and widely tested that TNF-α leads to increased vasoconstrictive autacoids expression in the body leading to over expression of Endothelium Dysfunction along with its associated pharmacological as well as pathophysiological events in the whole vascular infrastructure of the body. Not only this it has been also widely studied and observed that TNF-α leads to increased neurodegenerative processes in the body, also increasing the risks of causing cancer in the whole body (Iwasima, T, et al. 2019). Ever since the importance of TNF-α has been discovered in the pathophysiology of wide variety of diseases, it has been widely studied and its relationship has been understood in relation to not only Endothelium Dysfunction, but also Neuro-Degenerative diseases, Nervous system disorder, Obesity, Diabetes, Insulin resistance, Inflammatory responses across the body and increased expression of cancer at various sites in and around the whole body (Gao, X. et al. 2007). TNF-α is mainly involved in the homeostasis of various systems in the body. And on its over expression due to mechanical stresss or internal and external factors it leads to imbalance cascade of reactions across the body. This is mainly responsible for the expression of wide variety of diseases in various systems of the body and leading to plethora of diseases to the human body. There it has been selected for the purpose of study, as TNF-α is very important cytokine to be studied and its role in the pathogenesis of various diseases.
TNF-α increases the risks factors associated with factors responsible for the occurrence of Endothelium Dysfunction in the body, as it leads to high rate of vasoconstriction by increasing the oxidative stress, and decreasing the expression of Nitric oxide in the vascular infrastructure of the body. Thus it has been observed that TNF-α plays a degenerative role in the pathophysiology of Endothelium Dysfunction (Gao, X. et al. 2008).
Literature Review
1. (Picchi, A. et al. 2006) studied the overexpression of TNF-α in the pathophysiology of Endothelium Dysfunction in Zucker observed Diabetic rats. The ZOB rats were tested by injecting various chemicals including TNF-α agent and were tested using vararious markers for testing the role TNF-α in the pathophysiology of Endothelium Dysfunction. From the study by the researcher, it was confirmed that TNF-α plays a significant role in increasing the risks factors associated for causing Endothelium Dysfunction in the body.
2. (Iwasima, T, et al. 2019) studied the attenuation activity of the plant Aronia meranocalpa in the TNF-α induced human endothelial cell lines. From the experiment, it was observed that the Aronia berry the plant increased the attenuation of cytokines induced inflammatory responses in the body. And it has also been observed that the plant Aronia berry helps in attenuation of TNF-α induced Endothelium Dysfunction in the body.
3. (Gao, X. et al. 2008) studied the role played by TNF — α in increasing the oxidative stress in the body leading to the causation of endothelium dysfunction in the body. From the experiment carried out by the researcher, it was clearly observed that chemicals which were responsible for decreased expression of TNF-α in the body helped in lowering the risk factor associated with Endothelium Dysfunction.
4. (Gao, X. et al. 2007) studied whether TNF-α increases the risks of causing Endothelium Dysfunction via increasing oxidative stress. From the experiment carried out by the researcher it was clearly observed that TNF-α plays significant role in increasing the risks of causing Endothelium Dysfunction via increasing the oxygen free radicals in the vascular infrastructure of the body.
References
1. F. Ribeiro, A. J. Alves, M. Teixeira, V. Ribeiro, J. A. Duarte, and J. Oliveira (2009). “Endothelial function and atherosclerosis: circulatory markers with clinical usefulness,” Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia, vol. 28, no. 10, pp. 1121–1151.
2. R. G. Dias, C. E. Negrão, and M. H. Krieger (2011). “Nitric oxide and the cardiovascular system: cell activation, vascular reactivity and genetic variant,” Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia, vol. 96, no. 1, pp. 68–75.
3. R. J. Gryglewski (2008). “Prostacyclin among prostanoids,” Pharmacological Reports, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 3–11.
4. M. Radenković (2012). “Endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor and pregnancy: possible contribution in regulation of vascular signaling mechanisms in normotensive and hypertensive settings,” in Pregnancy: Risk Factors, Management and Recovery, T. Altamirano Frias and M. J. Cano, Eds., pp. 205–220, NOVA Publishers, New York, NY, USA.
5. L. Grbović, M. Radenković, M. Prostran, and S. Pešić (2001). “Characterization of adenosine action in isolated rat renal artery. Possible role of adenosine A(2A) receptors,” General Pharmacology, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 29–36.
6. M. Radenković, M. Stojanović, R. Janković, M. Topalović, and M. Stojiljković(2012). “Combined contribution of endothelial relaxing autacoides in the rat femoral artery response to CPCA: anadenosine A2 receptor agonist,” e Scientic World Journal, vol. 2012, Article ID 143818, 7 pages.
7. M. Radenković, L. Grbović, N. Radunović, and P. Momčilov (2007). “Pharmacological evaluation of bradykinin effect on human umbilical artery in normal, hypertensive and diabetic pregnancy,” Pharmacological Reports, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 64–73.
8. M. Radenković, M. Stojanović, and M. Topalović (2010).“Contribution of thromboxane A2 in rat common carotid artery response to serotonin,” Scientia Pharmaceutica, vol. 78, no. 3, pp. 435–443, 2010.
9. Y. Hirata, D. Nagata, E. Suzuki, H. Nishimatsu, J. I. Suzuki, and R. Nagai(2010). “Diagnosis and treatment of endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease: a review,” International Heart Journal, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1–6.
10. D. Versari, E. Daghini, A. Virdis, L. Ghiadoni, and S. Taddei (2009). “Endothelium-dependent contractions and endothelial dysfunction in human hypertension,” British Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 157, no. 4, pp. 527–536.
11. J. Flammer and T. F. Lüscher (2010). “Three decades of endothelium research: from the detection of nitric oxide to the everyday implementation of endothelial function measurements in cardiovascular diseases,” Swiss Medical Weekly, vol. 140, Article ID w13122, 2010.
12. S. Taddei, D. Versari, A. Cipriano et al. (2006). “Identification of a cytochrome P450 2C9-derived endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor in essential hypertensive patients,” Journal of the American College of Cardiology, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 508–515.
13. I. A. M. van den Oever, H. G. Raterman, M. T. Nurmohamed, and S. Simsek (2010). “Endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and apoptosis in diabetes mellitus,” Mediators of Inammation, vol. 2010, Article ID 792393, 15 pages.
14. Picchi et al. (2006). Tumour Necrosis Factor- α induces Endothelium Dysfunction in the prediabetic metabolic syndrome. American Heart Association.inc.
15. Iwashima, T. et al. (2019). Aronia berry extract inhibits TNF-α-induced vascular endothelial inflammation through regulation of STAT3. Food and nutrition research, page: 1–8.
16. Gao X, Zhang H, Belmadani S, Wu J, Xu X, Elford H, Potter BJ,Zhang C. (2008). Role of TNF-_-induced reactive oxygen species in endothelial dysfunction during reperfusion injury. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 295: H2242–H2249.
17. Gao X, et al. (2007). TNF-α contributes to Endothelial Dysfunction by upregulating arginase in Ischemia/ Reperfusion injury. Vascular Biology; 27:1269–1275. | https://medium.com/@authormehta-devanssh84/endothelium-dysfunction-and-role-of-tumour-necrosis-factor-alpha-in-endothelium-dysfunction-aea320e5301f | ['Author Devanssh Mehta'] | 2021-01-21 01:40:53.359000+00:00 | ['Dysfunction', 'Endothelium', 'Heart', 'Ailment'] |
(Un)expected Visitors 6: Compendium of Earth and Life Histories | Compendium of Earth and Life Histories
“If you take the entire living biosphere, that’s the assemblage of 20 million species or so that constitute all the living creatures on the planet, and you have a genome for every species the total is still about one petabyte, that’s a million gigabytes… And somehow mother nature manages to create this incredible biosphere, to create this incredibly rich environment of animals and plants with this amazingly small amount of data.” - Freeman Dyson
If genes are a reflection of the environment of a cell or organism, then what do we make of an entire genome? An entire record of the environments where the cell or organism moves around and interacts with — that is what it is! Let us review: Pif gene indicates the availability of calcium ions in the marine environment of bivalves. Hemoglobin genes HBA or HBB signify the presence of oxygen in the air that the gene-bearer breathes. The gene for amylase, AMY1, hints at the presence of starchy plants in the vicinity of the organism. These are just three genes but if they are found in one organism, they would reveal a lot about that organism’s probable habitat. Imagine the different genes present in each bacterium, alga or fungus. The genomes of these organisms could provide snapshots of their environment. If one gene represents one photograph, then a single organism would generate an entire mosaic describing the organism’s habitat. Now, if we post on a continuous, circular wall all the mosaics that each earthling has produced, placing those from the same type of habitat or location together with the help of an algorithm, then we can create a rough representation of Earth using all of the genes that ever existed.
Of course, not all of the genes in an organism code for the physical or chemical attributes of the environment where it lives. There are genes that are involved in various other internal processes like reproduction and homeostasis. So, let us take a look at the organism with the smallest genome ever known — the bacterium Carsonella ruddii [1]. C. ruddii’s genome is so small it is only made up of only 160,000 base pairs. Compare that to the human genome which has 3 billion base pairs. This small size of the C. ruddii’s genome has led some scientists to say that it is not enough for survival since according to estimates, 400,000 base pairs is the minimum genome size for survival. But, guess what — this bacteria is alive. The interesting part is that C. ruddii has managed to reduce its genome to the bare essentials by designing around 90% of its genes to overlap with each other. Talk about efficiency! The downside, however, is that C. ruddii cannot survive on its own. Just like viruses, C. ruddii needs a host to provide it energy for its survival. Nonetheless, half of its genome is allocated for basic cellular processes such as handling and building amino acids into proteins — a function that is lacking among viruses. So what happened to C. ruddii? According to research, bacteria like C. ruddii can afford to shuttle its own genetic material over to its host given that it can survive just by feeding off of its host. Thus, these bacteria could have considered genes required for autonomous living as excess genetic baggage and thus expendable. In the case of C. ruddii, million years of evolution and gene transfer has led to an organism that gave away many of its genes and is therefore left with a very small genome that is unable to support survival outside a host.
The abovementioned findings mean that we can have 80,000 base pairs from the most basic bacteria and still be able to build genes for detecting and exploiting its environment. For bacteria, exploring the environment entails having sensors instead of eyes, ears, nose, hands and feet that we and other animals have. So how do bacteria “sense” their environment? Bacteria use two-component systems to detect light and chemical signals around them. The system is very basic or crude [2]. First, a bacterium employs a sensor kinase to detect signals from the outside world. Once a signal is detected, a process called phosphorylation is initiated, activating a response regulator that causes a gene to turn on or off, and viola! — the bacterium can now see its world.
Now, imagine more complex organisms: algae, protists, fungi, plants, worms, insects and higher animals. Their sensors have certainly become highly sophisticated through billions of years of evolution. If bacterial organic cameras started from being able to detect dark and bright, along the way the cameras of other species evolved into black and white analogue units until humans came along with high definition, Technicolor, digital cameras. That is just for the eyes. Animal ears evolved from very primitive airborne sound-detecting organs of our terrestrial vertebrate ancestors that lived 100 mya during the Triassic period [3]. So did the highly discriminating noses of dogs, boasting 300 million olfactory receptors that could be traced back to our common ancestors with fish-like chordates called lancelets that existed approximately 700 mya [4]. Our skin’s sensory cells and nervous system that we use to determine the presence, texture and temperature of things around us have its origin in the primitive nervous systems of Cnidarians such as corals, jellyfish, sea anemones and other aquatic animals [5]. In other words, the current set of genes that enable the functioning of our different sensory organs have a rich evolutionary history spanning millions to billions of years.
The genes that make our eyes, ears, nose and skin work have been changing through the years, all the while being improved, overhauled and polished by the different organisms that had or still have them. Through sequence analysis, we can determine which genes are the oldest and which ones are newer. We can also pinpoint the last common ancestor that had the earliest form of these genes. A phylogenetic tree or an evolutionary tree can show the evolutionary relationships among different organisms based on these genes.
The evolutionary history of life is also the history of Earth itself because of the association between genes and the environments as just discussed. Therefore, if an advanced extraterrestrial observer gets ahold of an evolutionary tree, that being could likely generate a picture or an idea about how Earth looked like in the past or how it has been changing as time passes by. So, the alien scientist only needs the information about our genetic material and everything about genetic materials to deduce what Earth looked like or looks like, from afar (millions or billions of lightyears away).
The most fascinating part is, even without a phylogenetic tree on hand, an alien scientist can still discover facts about Earth based on one highly-evolved, modern extant species — say for example, humans. The human genome can tell a lot not just about our species and our relationship with other organisms on Earth. Our genome can also serve as a standalone historical record of our planet. How did this happen? The clues are in the different genetic or evolutionary processes already described on the previous pages of this book.
One of these clues is horizontal gene transfer. As has been mentioned, bacteria and viruses regularly facilitate HGT between them and with their respective hosts. We may recall that HGT has been implicated in the production of orphan genes. HGT has also been suggested as one of the probable mechanisms behind the acceleration of evolution rates among early prokaryotes (discussed in Part Three, Chapter 1).
Now, it appears that HGT is a significant contributor not only to the evolution of microorganisms but also of many animal species. In humans alone, 128 genes from foreign species’ genes have been identified. Many of these introduced genes were involved in metabolism and originated from bacteria and protists according to University of Cambridge’s Alastair Crisp. Crisp’s study added to the 17 already-reported genes integrated to the human genome by way of HGT. Aside from genes involved in metabolism, Crisp also found genes playing roles in immune responses, antimicrobial defense, antioxidant functions and protein modification. In addition to bacteria and protists, other groups like viruses and fungi have also been reported to contribute to the human genome through HGT that occurred along a time-span starting from the appearance of the common ancestor of Chordata up to the emergence of the common ancestor of primates [6].
Humans have not been spared from HGT. For instance, the human immune system’s origin has been associated with a horizontal gene transfer insertion event around 400 mya. However, HGT as a hallmark of the human genome has been refuted by some scientists. Steven Salzberg of Johns Hopkins University has claimed that the extraordinary conclusions made by Crisp and colleagues provided no extraordinary supporting evidence. Salzberg re-analyzed the various genes implicated in HGT into the human genome and arrived at a conclusion that not a single gene has been transferred in this manner. According to Salzberg, more mundane mechanisms are more likely to be behind the phenomenon observed by Crisp, noting that inheritance of genes by vertical descent has been established as the explanation for the presence of the vast majority of genes in the human genome [7]. It remains to be seen whether Crisp’s assertions can be confirmed by more recent research and with the availability of newer tools and additional DNA sequence information. Nonetheless, HGT in metazoans is a probability given the prevalence of this process among viruses and bacteria. Are metazoans a special group of organisms such that they are exempted from HGT? It is quite difficult to think of any reason to support this.
We already know that virus genes are present in the human genome. As mentioned in the previous chapters, viral DNA makes up 8% of our genome. Ancient viruses were able to introduce their DNA into the genome of our ancestors around 100 mya and one of the evidences of these events is the presence of a protein called HEMO in the human fetus and placenta. A research group from Gustave Roussy Institute in France led by Thierry Heidmann has reported that the mysterious protein is expressed in pregnant women for no apparent reason [8]. What makes HEMO unusual is that it is produced by the fetus and in the placenta, not by the mother. Even more unusual is the source of the gene that encodes for this protein — a virus that infected the mammalian ancestors of humans. Heidmann suggested that HEMO proteins are some kind of signal for the mother from the fetus which tells the mother’s immune system not to attack the fetus.
Other scientists offer more disturbing explanations. One such claim is that viral proteins are expressed in fetuses to help keep stem cells from losing their pluripotency or the cells’ ability to turn into any tissue in the human body. As stem cells divide, they lose their pluripotency since they have to commit to becoming one of the potential cell types. Once they have managed to become a particular cell type, these cells usually turn off any viral genes they carry. By preventing stem cells from losing their pluripotency, viruses were able to coax the embryos to make more copies of the viruses and distribute these foreign invaders into the various parts of the human body. Viruses, however, could target eggs and sperm cells in particular because doing so increases the chances that the viruses are passed down as well to the next generation.
One of the viruses that has been regularly inherited in a small percentage of the human population is the human herpesvirus 6 or HHV-6. HHV-6 is the only human DNA herpesvirus that is capable of inserting its own genes into the human genome, allowing the virus to be routinely inherited by its host. According to a study by Alex Greninger and Louis Flamand from the Laval University in Quebec, the integration of the HHV-6’s DNA into the human genome could have been accidental given the presence of repetitive DNA sequences in the virus genome just like what is observed in human chromosomes [9]. The research group has found that several of the HHV-6 genes were being actively expressed in a few human individuals, albeit with a low and sporadic expression. Nonetheless, the expression of selected genes was identified to be occurring in the brain, esophagus, adrenal gland and testes of some human hosts. The researchers also found that the HHV-6 genes inherited in the human genome help the body mount a stronger immune response against new invading viral proteins.
Another clue supporting the observation that the human genome can be used as a reference for genomes in other organisms is the existence of genes in some species of fish with human counterparts. This is only natural because humans and fish share a common ancestor that lived approximately 450 mya. The fact that humans and fish possess many similar genes is really not surprising since this is exactly how evolution works. However, what is remarkable is that most of these genes did not change dramatically since and are still performing the same roles in vertebrate anatomy and physiological development. Equally interesting is that there are still new genes in the human genomes being discovered through the analysis of fish genomes.
Take for example the case of pufferfish Fugu rubripes. An international team of researchers have reported the existence of 961 novel human genes matching those in the Fugu genome [10]. The human genome is approximately eight times larger than the Fugu genome although this discrepancy is attributed to the abundance of repetitive DNA in the former. However, 75% of the 31,000 genes in Fugu have been found to have equivalents in humans. It appears that the pufferfish has contributed a lot of its genome to ours! This also shows how much anatomical and physiological characteristics we humans share with other vertebrates. So, Neil Shubin was indeed spot-on when he said that we have an inner fish in our body. Shubin has shown in his book Your Inner Fish that our hands and heads somehow take after the fins and heads of ancient fish. It is really hard to deny the evidences when it comes to our evolutionary origin.
If our hands and head organization came from fish, then the chamber of our hearts can be traced back to turtles, lizards and other reptiles. That is according to researchers from the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, California. Benoit Bruneau’s team has revealed the common genetic factor involved in the development of reptilian hearts. Their study has shown that the gene Tbx5 holds the key to how evolution led to four-chambered hearts and warm-bloodedness. Bruneau has claimed that reptiles served as the link between the three-chambered hearts of amphibians and the four-chambered hearts of mammals, including ours. By studying mutations in the Tbx5 gene, his team has found the protein it codes for is a transcription factor that, when disrupted, causes defects in the development of the ventricular septum or the wall of muscle between sections of a ventricle [11]. Knowing this, we can therefore say that we are partly reptilian deep within our hearts.
These are just some of the examples how humans share genes and morphological characteristics with other organisms on Earth, implying the common environments that all earthlings experienced during the billions of years of evolution of life. We can find more of such genes, organelles and organs that are present in humans but were actually from ancestral life forms, often with different original functions.
Another example are our cells’ mitochondria which have been hypothesized to have descended from non-sulfur bacteria, incorporated into the prokaryotic or eukaryotic cytoplasm after surviving endocytosis. However, recent genomic studies are challenging these previously widely-acknowledged assumptions [12]. Nevertheless, no matter how tortuous the path that mitochondria took to reach us, the fact remains that this organelle is nothing but an important addition to human cells. We humans also have with us remnants of reptilian brain in the form of the basal ganglia. This primal brain has been known to control the self-preservation behavior of humans such as those related to eating, fighting, fleeing and reproducing [13]. In addition to the reptilian brain, we also have the paleomammalian (limbic system) brain and the neomammalian brain to complete the Triune Brain model developed by Paul D. Maclean [14]. For those not familiar with this information might find it highly interesting that our brain has a very intriguing history, too. The human lungs can likewise be traced back to our primitive ancestors. It has been reported that lungs did not really evolve from fish swim bladders, as Charles Darwin had suggested. Darwin recognized the homology between the two organs and suggested in his On the Origin of Species that the lungs of respiratory vertebrates could have been derived from a more primitive bladder. However, the lungs of humans and other land vertebrates are now being considered to have evolved from the primitive lung of a common ancestor — prehistoric Polypterus — we share with swim bladder-bearing fish [15].
If we continue with the enumeration of the genes, organelles and organs that we share with or co-opted from our ancestors, we would be confronted with the undeniable fact that humans have virtually no original body part to speak of. This is to be expected because this is exactly how evolution works. It would not be surprising to find almost all of the genes in our genome to have duplicates in several other species. We can make new ones in the form of de novo genes and other mechanisms but the fate of these genes is a bit uncertain and their number is likely insignificant.
In other words, we humans are nothing but a living record of duplicated — albeit improved — genes of our ancestors. This is good news for the alien scientists because if they are able to obtain a single human specimen, they would be able to reverse engineer our body, study its modular parts, tease out all the relevant genes and generate a picture about the evolution of life and extrapolate this with Earth’s geologic history.
Even if the human space explorers decide not to divulge the location of our home planet upon realizing that the alien civilization is not a friendly one (or even if the aliens found the whole human exploration crew deceased), these extraterrestrial sleuths would still be able to find Earth based on the evidences the human body would offer.
The first clue that could point to where the human explorers came from would be through the analysis of our circadian rhythm genes such as BMAL1, NR1D1, BHLHE40, et cetera. These are just a few of the major canonical clock genes that have been found to have circadian rhythmicity in their expression in peripheral human tissues and brains [16]. These can hypothetically lead alien scientists to the occurrence of day and night in the home planet of the human explorers. More importantly, they would likely find out about the existence of the 24-hour cycle of the human circadian rhythm.
They now have information about the amount of time that Earth takes to rotate with respect to the Sun. Next the alien scientists would probably have an idea about seasons and that these correspond to a planet’s axial tilt or — possibly — revolution around its star (for planets with pronounced elliptical orbits). If they look close enough, then they would find seasonal genes in the human genome. Researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute have reported that expression of some genes involved in immune function have a 12-month seasonal cycle. The genes the research team found to have seasonality are those regulating blood cell count levels that involve red blood cells, neutrophils, monocytes and platelets [17]. This information could potentially provide alien scientists a rough estimate of the tilt of Earth’s axis with respect to the Sun. In other planets with extreme orbits, seasonal genes could help aliens estimate the duration of a planet’s orbit around its star.
So, they now have two important clues about Earth: that it rotates on its own axis and orbits a star (as expected) and that these take 24 hours and 12 months to complete, respectively. The alien scientists then would only need to search their databases for planets that rotate for 24 hours on their own axis and revolve around their stars for 12 months.
If the above information are not enough, they could narrow down their search further based on the probable size and mass of Earth. And how do they determine this? By looking at the density of bones of the human skeleton, researchers have found that we can stand gravity that is three to four times that of Earth [18]. This means that a bigger and denser planet could spell trouble for our bones, although it is also difficult to estimate the density of planets from afar. Nevertheless, alien scientists would probably be able to do the calculations and come up with a narrow range that covers Earth’s radius which is 3,963 miles. Using these three educated guesses, the alien scientists would be able to obtain a few candidate planets for further cross-referencing or validation.
Having seeded Earth with the starting materials of life and/or accelerants of evolution, the alien scientists would likely have basic data about our planet and also know where to find us. If an entirely different advanced civilization happened to make contact with the human explorers or came upon their bodies, then their search for Earth would likely be less straightforward.
References:
1. NASA (2017). Got calcium? NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Educator’s Corner. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/calcium/got_calcium_litho.html
2. Nakabachi, A., Yamashita, A., Toh, H., Ishikawa, H., Dunbar, H.E., Moran, N.A., Hattori, M. (2006). The 160-Kilobase genome of the bacterial endosymbiont Carsonella. Science 314(5797): 267–267
3. Sebastian, R. Schmidl, F., Ekness, K., Sofjan, K. et al. (2019). Rewiring bacterial two-component systems by modular DNA-binding domain swapping. Nature Chemical Biology DOI: 10.1038/s41589–019–0286–6
4. Christensen, C. B., Lauridsen, H., Christensen-Dalsgaard, J. Pedersen, M. and P.T. Madsen (2015). Better than fish on land? Hearing across metamorphosis in salamanders. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1802): 20141943
5. Niimura, Y. (2012). Olfactory receptor multigene family in vertebrates: from the viewpoint of evolutionary genomics. Current Genomics 13(2): 103–114.
6. Watanabe, H., Fujisawa, T. and T.W. Holstein (2009). Cnidarians and the evolutionary origin of the nervous system. Development, Growth & Differentiation 51: 167–183
7. Crisp, A., Boschetti, C., Perry, M., Tunnacliffe, A., and G. Micklem (2015). Expression of multiple horizontally acquired genes is a hallmark of both vertebrate and invertebrate genomes. Genome Biology 16(1): 50
8. Salzberg, S. L. (2017). Horizontal gene transfer is not a hallmark of the human genome. Genome Biology 18(1), 85
9. Heidmann, O., Béguin, A., Paternina, J., Berthier, R., Deloger, M., Bawa, O. and T. Heidmann (2017). HEMO, an ancestral endogenous retroviral envelope protein shed in the blood of pregnant women and expressed in pluripotent stem cells and tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 114(32): E6642-E6651
10. Peddu, V., Dubuc, I., Gravel, A., Xie, H., Huang, M.-L., Tenenbaum, D., Jerome, K.R. et al. (2019). Inherited chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus 6 demonstrates tissue-specific RNA expression in vivo that correlates with an increased antibody immune response. Journal of Virology 94(1): e01418–19
11. Aparicio, S., Chapman, J., Stupka, E., Putnam, N., Chia, J.M. et al. (2002). Whole-genome shotgun assembly and analysis of the genome of Fugu rubripes. Science 297(5585): 1301–1310
12. Koshiba-Takeuchi, K., Mori, A. D., Kaynak, B. L., Cebra-Thomas, J., Sukonnik, T., Georges, R. O., Latham, S., Beck, L., Henkelman, R. M., Black, B. L., Olson, E. N., Wade, J., Takeuchi, J. K., Nemer, M., Gilbert, S. F. and B.G. Bruneau (2009). Reptilian heart development and the molecular basis of cardiac chamber evolution. Nature 461(7260): 95–98
13. Roger, A.J., Muñoz-Gómez, S.A., Kamikawa, R. (2017). The origin and diversification of mitochondria. Current Biology 27(21): R1177-R1192
14. Naumann, R. K., Ondracek, J. M., Reiter, S., Shein-Idelson, M., Tosches, M. A., Yamawaki, T. M., and G. Laurent (2015). The reptilian brain. Current Biology 25(8): R317–R321
15. Reiner, A. (1990). The triune brain in evolution. Role in paleocerebral functions. Paul D. MacLean. Plenum, New York, 1990. xxiv, 672 pp., illus. $75. Science 250(4978): 303–305
16. Tatsumi, N., Kobayashi, R., Yano, T., Noda, M., Fujimura, K., Okada, N. and M. Okabe. (2016). Molecular developmental mechanism in polypterid fish provides insight into the origin of vertebrate lungs. Scientific Reports 6: 30580
17. Li, J.Z., Bunney, B.G., Meng, F., Hagenauer, M.H., Walsh, D.M. et al. (2013). Circadian patterns of gene expression in the human brain and disruption in major depressive disorder. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110 (24) 9950–9955
18. Goldinger, A., Shakhbazov, K., Henders, A. K., McRae, A. F., Montgomery, G. W., and J.E. Powell (2015). Seasonal effects on gene expression. PloS One 10(5): e0126995 | https://medium.com/evolution-by-elvira/un-expected-visitors-6-compendium-of-earth-and-life-histories-9c58f3d7b821 | ['Paul Rommel Elvira'] | 2021-03-05 11:40:33.789000+00:00 | ['Evolution', 'History', 'Organic Database', 'Human Genome', 'Earth'] |
Nanotechnology — a world of possibilities | But first, what is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is science, engineering and technology at the molecular or subatomic level. It involves developing materials or devices smaller than 100 nanometres (one nanometre is one-billionth of a metre). [1]
It’s difficult to imagine just how small that is, but here are some examples to put it into perspective
How can it be used in health sciences?
Nanotechnology is currently being applied to a range of studies to fight cancer and to diagnose — and even treat — Alzheimer’s. Because nanoparticles are so small, they can get into and target areas that previously couldn’t be reached with drugs or other treatments.
Nanotech’s applications in the human body could be endless.
However, many challenges still stand in its way, such as reliability (can we trust it?), cost (how can we make it affordable), large-scale production and shelf-life. [2]
Current applications
Sunscreen: nanotechnology is already present in your sunscreens. Nanoparticles like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide exist in many modern sunscreen products, due to their high protection against UV radiation and their lightweight feeling on the skin.
Textiles/Clothing: Nanoparticles are increasingly used as coatings on clothing to make them waterproof, microbicidal (microbe-killing) or UV-blocking e.g. silica or silver.
Wound dressings: Antimicrobial nanoparticles in wound dressings contain silver nanoparticles, which continuously release a low level of silver ions to provide protection against bacteria.
Future applications
Theranostic nanoparticles: enter the body and help diagnose the disease, report the location, identify the stage of the disease, and provide information about the treatment response. For example the ‘SmartCap’ (image below)
Drug delivery nanoparticles: deliver drugs, heat, light or other therapeutics to specific sites of a disease (such as a tumor cell). This reduces the side effects in other parts of the body.
Cell repair nano robots (nanobots): Tiny robots that can repair or replace DNA in sick cells e.g. Chromosome Replacement Therapy. They could also use lasers to remove infected cells to fight infection, cancer cells to fight cancer or dead cells to “clean up” the body.
Wearable nanotech: can sense an external stimulus like strain, pressure or temperature and relay the information to a monitoring device for monitoring health parameters. These wearable sensors can be placed on or embedded in clothes or accessories, or attached to parts of the body like the wrist, and can be monitored by the person and even by the medical staff wirelessly. [3]
Temporary tattoos or electronic stickers: could measure insulin levels for diabetics, monitor temperature and heart rate for patients and could even monitor the level of protection from the sunscreen on your skin. How?
Carson Bruns, a pioneer in nanotechnology tattoos, has developed a tattoo that responds to UV light. So, as long as your sunscreen is on, you cannot see the tattoo, but the moment your sunscreen wears off, the tattoo lights up.
Watch the short video below for a fascinating TEDtalk on Nanotech tattoos by Carson Bruns
There are many more potential applications — so stay tuned! | https://medium.com/@kadani/nanotechnology-a-world-of-possibilities-de09ee33e22d | ['Kadani Health Science'] | 2020-12-08 13:49:51.696000+00:00 | ['Science Communication', 'Science', 'Biotechnology', 'Nanotechnology'] |
Do Paying Users Stay Longer? | 2.5. Evaluate results — to determine the best model
F1 score is the harmonic mean of precision and recall therefore it enables us to optimize for the precision and the robustness of a model at once. While precision tells us the proportion of users being correctly predicted as churners recall tells us the proportion of true churners successfully found.
Confusion matrix for the churn label prediction — image by author
Although F1 score was the preferable metric for so an imbalanced dataset (remember that only 23% of the users were churners) I calculated all the below evaluators for the models:
Recall (or sensitivity) = TP / (TP + FN)
Precision = TP / (TP + FP)
F1 score = 2 * Precision * Recall / (Precision + Recall)
Accuracy = (TP + TN) / All
From a business perspective, it is recall that is critical in churn prediction cases as the business might want to find as many of the potential churners as possible — even if some false positive findings might end up in the pool of predicted churners.
Model evaluation results turned out to be different for different runs of the code as I did not fix the seed either for the train-test split or the random forest models.
Evaluation of model performance (first running)
At a first running of the script, the Logistic Regression and the first Random Forest models performed equally good although none of these performed objectively very well (62% for recall and 73% for F1). The exactly same performance might be explained by the very narrow test dataset (0.2 x 225 = 4.5 records) while the poor model performance by the sample size and the simple models applied.
Evaluation of model performance (second running)
At the second running of the above script, the model performance results were somewhat different (as to be seen above in the printed results). Given that it is crucial for a streaming business to identify probable churners and act against their future churn I recommend choosing model based on its recall metrics. As a comprehensive metrics, using F1 score is more reasonable than using accuracy as the label is not balanced in our case (only 23% churners in the dataset). Based on this, Logistic Regression seems to be the best (least worse in this case) model to predict customer churn.
Evaluation of model performance (third running)
At a third run, when I also added hypertuned models I again received different results for the primary three models. As the above table summarizes, hypertuning the parameters of the model did not improve the performance of the Logistic Regression models with respect to the primary metric, F1 score (80% compared to the previously achieved 84% in case of Logistic Regression). These differences in metrics might be within the maximum tolerance for statistical error given the randomity in splitting the data, training the models and the modest sample size.
Evaluating which features played a key role in predicting the churn label according to the above models:
Chart 6: Feature importance based on the Random Forest model — top features (first run)
Some of the formally most important features do not help better understand customer behavior such as:
timestamp_registration
timestamp_last .
While a more detailed analysis - only on a significantly larger sample - could explore patterns in the behavior of earlier vs. later adopters of the platform, in our case, the associated feature importance is probably just a bias due to the extent of available data (certainly, non-churners seem to stay longer in a given timeframe). This could be balanced if the churner and non-churner user base would be matching regarding the date of registration.
The top important features that seem reasonable are the following:
visit_frequency (how often a user uses Sparkify) — Who uses Sparkify rarely is probably more prone to churn.
(how often a user uses Sparkify) — Who uses Sparkify rarely is probably more prone to churn. event_length_min and session_length_max (what the minimum length of an event is for the user) — While we can assume that users who are listening to music for a very long time are more satisfied with the music streaming experience therefore the maximum length of sessions might be an indicator for their willingness to stay with Sparkify. The minimum length of an event, on the other hand, is less self-evident. E.g. it could mean that the user was dissatisfied that is why she jumped to another screen but it also could mean that the user can easily navigate through the application.
and (what the minimum length of an event is for the user) — While we can assume that users who are listening to music for a very long time are more satisfied with the music streaming experience therefore the maximum length of sessions might be an indicator for their willingness to stay with Sparkify. The minimum length of an event, on the other hand, is less self-evident. E.g. it could mean that the user was dissatisfied that is why she jumped to another screen but it also could mean that the user can easily navigate through the application. Save Settings (proportion of going to the Save Settings page among the sum of page visits) — Probably, who invested time to explore the taylorization of the app liked it more and was less prone to churn.
(proportion of going to the Save Settings page among the sum of page visits) — Probably, who invested time to explore the taylorization of the app liked it more and was less prone to churn. max_gap_days (maximum number of days between two subsequent visits of Sparkify) and session_count (how many times a user used Sparkify) — These attributes reveal how often a user uses Sparkify. Maybe, who uses it less frequently is tend to churn more probably.
To better understand the probable direction of the impact a feature might have on the label outcome one can take a hint from the evaluation of the feature coefficients from the Logistic Regression model:
Chart 7: Top positive feature coefficients (from the Logistic Regression)
I case of features with a positive coefficient, the larger is the value of that feature for a user the more probable is that the user is a churner.
Chart 7: Top negative feature coefficients (from the Logistic Regression)
In case of features with a negative coefficient, the larger the absolute value of a feature is the less probable is that the user is a churner. | https://medium.com/@eszterrr/do-paying-users-stay-longer-86737ead01b1 | ['Eszter Rékasi'] | 2021-09-16 22:14:01.304000+00:00 | ['Pyspark', 'Spark', 'Music Streaming App', 'Predictive Modeling', 'Churn Prediction'] |
Other People Can’t Make You Happy | I wonder how many times a well-meaning parent has turned to their grown child and asked, “Do they make you happy?” Because good parents only want their kids to be happy.
How many times do we tell young people to grow up and love whomever “makes” them happy? It’s what we think we’re supposed to say, and we say it as if it’s all that matters.
The words love and happy are so often intertwined just because we can’t resist mixing them together. We say, “I love this or that” when what we really mean is “I feel happy.”
That little lingual slip reinforces this notion that other people can turn on some switch to make us happy regardless of whatever else is going on. But if we actually want to “be happy?”
Then we’ve got to get real about our personal happiness. Because, that’s the thing. It’s personal.
In fact, happiness is not so much a feeling as it is an individual disposition. Even when we say that we feel happy, or that so-and-so makes us happy, what we’re really talking about is joy.
Other people might bring us joy, but they cannot make us happy.
To say that other people bring us joy is perfectly valid, reasonable, and even healthy. My daughter, for example, brings me abundant joy.
That doesn’t mean my child cannot also bring me enormous stress. She might even try my patience. It is perfectly natural to have a range of emotions when it comes to the people we love, because love isn’t easy.
It is never easy, not really.
“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like 'struggle.' To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now – and to go on caring even through times that may bring us pain." - Fred Rogers
Mister Rogers understood that love makes demands of our time and energy. Love is active work. He was right to bring up the word “struggle,” because there are some parts of love that will always be difficult.
As long as we think other people can make us happy, we’ll be shitty at love.
When people say that another person makes them happy, it suggests that love is easy. Or, that you’ll always feel like loving that person if it’s the real deal.
And it insinuates that a good reason to end any relationship is because they no longer make you happy. Yet that’s a terribly irresponsible way to go through life.
If you really believe that it’s somebody else’s job to make you happy, that connection is doomed from the start. It’s self-focused and misleading.
Love is not about making yourself happy, and those who look at it that way will be unable to offer a healthy love at all.
Happiness is an inside job that only we can do.
In a world that often conflates happiness with love, it can be difficult to admit that we are responsible for choosing happiness for ourselves. True happiness is a disposition rather than a fleeting feeling.
That’s why genuinely happy people can keep smiling through some of life’s worst circumstances. They recognize that other people cannot do their self-work. Other people can’t make their problems go away.
It’s up to you to choose your attitude in life. And one of the easiest things in the world that you can do is make yourself unhappy but blame that unhappiness on other people.
We would be better off to focus on fostering healthy relationships rather than leaning on them to fulfill us.
Healthy means setting and respecting various boundaries. It includes not getting everything we want. And treating the people we care about like valuable human beings with their veryown wants and needs.
In healthy relationships, we recognize that the other people aren’t there to serve us. They’re not there to make our dreams come true. In healthy relationships, we journey together, but give each other plenty of space and encouragement to grow.
It is an unfortunate reality, but people leave. They die, they change their minds, and we go our separate ways. The number one relationship that you need to get right is the relationship with yourself because you’ll ultimately always need to handle being alone with you.
You’ve got to be able to have a sense of self and purpose even away from those you love.
If you want to be happy, you’ve got to learn how to untangle your expectations from other people and instead begin choosing happiness that is dependent upon nothing but your own attitude.
So, let’s quit spreading the myth that other people can make us happy. And let’s start asking our kids what they’re doing to foster their own happiness.
If we just want our kids to be happy, it would help to give them the proper tools. | https://medium.com/honestly-yours/other-people-cant-make-you-happy-424e5ea83e4f | ['Shannon Ashley'] | 2019-10-19 13:16:17.892000+00:00 | ['Happiness', 'Personal Development', 'Love', 'Life Lessons', 'Relationships'] |
Why Are People Getting Married? | When the lady is the baller
Most of my girlfriends somehow earn more than their spouse, by quite a bit. These girls usually work in finance and professional services and met their spouse through dating apps, or friend’s house parties, or the gym (so hot).
Whilst this is a massive generalisation, with finance people, lawyers, marketers, the dating story sometimes goes like this:
They work in the metropolitan, where they get to dress up and sip cocktails at pop-up bars. Their work is demanding but somehow people still have time to gossip. So the singletons don’t fuck in the office, but meet their dates online, and these men can be working in any fields as long as they are charming and dreamy. They also dress up and sip cocktails at pop-up bars.
With money, these women are autonomous. Whilst some may dream of getting married, but most know they have choices, so they are less desperate (usually until their maternal instinct suddenly kicks in). Their number-one goal is not always to find the richest dork in the crowd, but someone who is mentally healthy, cherish them, and not work like a rat (unlike themselves).
What they want is a man that’s physically and emotionally available, someone who can have dinner with you properly rather than checking their work emails.
Very much like law firm partner Miranda Hobbes and her bar-owner husband Steve Brady in Sex and the City.
Sadly, available and successful men are hard to find. Between money and availability, wise girls choose the latter. Make your own money, let the beau loves you. So you will have it all.
Lady ballers are pragmatic
Many over-30 lady ballers question the need to get married. Whilst a fancy wedding sounds nice, looks good on social media and satisfies their parents’ insecurities, many of us by now have questioned (and hopefully answered) the pressure our society, family and peer have imposed on us.
A few years ago, a work acquaintance showed us her new engagement ring. We were complimenting how big the rock was and she shared with pride about how her beau and his pals had this joke going around that one ring has to bigger than the previous ring and she’s the last to get proposed in that group so her ring is “forced” to be a big carat.
We laughed and knew this was absolute bullshit. I practically lost my respect for her, so pathetic.
She lives for marriage, for this ring, for this praise from everyone around her. There’s no proper sense of self in this woman, she’s a product from female collective pain and hasn’t evolved from history.
So no, despite being a senior-ish person at this fancy-ish firm, she is no lady baller. A true lady baller is pragmatic. Here are what she is, and under what circumstances she will think about getting married:
1. She has done self-discovery, she accepts and loves herself and she has clarity
It takes a lot of pain, guts and rationality to go through childhood trauma and rise above that. A true lady baller has this courage to turn pain to self-acceptance and carves out time to know what their values are and what they truly want.
2. She knows how to protect herself
The world has truly changed. In the past, a woman was tagged to their husband, even on things like getting a credit card. But thanks to our forebearers, we now have the rights to be an individual. It should’ve been agreed sooner, but nevertheless, we are here.
Now, if a lady baller chooses to get married, she chooses it from a position of power, not from a position of dependence.
As a stoic, she knows there’s a statistical risk of a marriage ending up in a divorce. She questions whether the legal title is worth this risk. In fact, she thinks through the pros and cons and the probability, and make a calculated decision. The key is not to be overly hopeful and emotional about this, but to assess the risk with honesty.
3. She knows how to handle loneliness
Loneliness is often overlooked but it’s a big deal. Everyone in the metropolitan (or not) experiences it at one point and most of us sweep it aside. Our loneliness leads us to do crazy things, from regretful one-night-stands to marrying the wrong person. A lady baller is vulnerable with loneliness, she knows how to cultivate a meaningful social life, carve out time to self-care and be a good friend through reciprocity.
For the above reasons, she doesn’t get married for the wrong reasons.
4. Insurance, visa, health and sickness, inheritance
The Minimalist Joshua Field Milburn talked about signing a life insurance policy instead of having a wedding when he was married to his now-wife. If it is for security reasons that two are pairing up, then nothing is safer than an insurance policy actually. In fact, that’s probably more secure than a marriage certificate.
There are also other situations where marriage is practical, for a visa, for access to confidential patient information of your spouse, etc. But inheritance and wealth might not be one, because we can always write up a will.
What does this say about marriage? This suggests that marriage for wealth and security is a pretty outdated idea, marriage for love and care seems to hold much more waters in today’s much more equal environment. If it is stability you want, sign a will and get a life insurance policy. | https://byrslf.co/why-are-people-getting-married-af2a2d8b0cb4 | ['Midori The Sea'] | 2020-12-21 05:03:04.559000+00:00 | ['Gender Equality', 'Marriage', 'Financial Stability', 'Relationships', 'Beyourself'] |
ACXT Token Burn | ACXT Token Burn
Burned Amount
We burned the unsold tokens in the cACXT convertible sale as promised to our community. The total number of tokens burned was 280,198 ACXT.
The contract address of ACXT:
https://etherscan.io/token/0x7bE00ed6796B21656732E8f739Fc1b8F1C53DA0D
Andy promised the community that the unsold cACXT will be burned.
Future Buyback & Burn
While this is the first token burn for ACXT, this is not the last. Every quarter, we use 50% of the maker fees received to buy back ACXT from our secondary spot market and burn the tokens.
ACXT Applications
Other than token burn to balance the ACXT supply, we provide a few ACXT applications to help expand the token’s utility value.
Firstly, we have the Liquidity Farming Program where market makers can earn ACXT by providing liquidity to ACDX.
Secondly, we grant ACXT holders the right to involve in exchange governance.
Thirdly, we offer ACXT holders exclusive trading privileges.
Lastly, we empower ACXT holders to earn additional ACXT by staking ACXT.
From token burn to ACXT staking, all of these helps to broaden ACXT’s utility value. Unlike typical tokens, we hope that our exchange token can bring true values to the holders. Functional, understanding, and trader-friendly! | https://medium.com/acdx/acxt-token-burn-22449ee1907e | ['Jesper Cheng'] | 2020-12-04 09:04:58.114000+00:00 | ['Acxt', 'Tokenburn', 'Ieo', 'Token Sale'] |
Religious Leaders Call For Global Ban on LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy | Hundreds of religious leaders around the world are taking a stand against LGBTQ+ conversion therapy.
More than 370 international faith leaders from 35 countries signed a declaration on Wednesday calling for a global ban on the harmful practice. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop Emeritus of South Africa, was among the signatories of the declaration.
Led by the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, the declaration marked the launch of the commission, which aims to “provide a strong and authoritative voice from religious leaders across the global faith community who wish to affirm and celebrate the dignity of all.”
The declaration acknowledges and affirms all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions and calls for an end to violence against LGBTQ+ people, expressing regret for any and all religious teachings that have helped to contribute to the marginalization, rejection, and alienation of queer and trans people around the world. The declaration also calls on all nations to help bring an end to the criminalization of LGBTQ+ people.
“We recognize that certain religious teachings have, throughout the ages, been misused to cause deep pain and offense to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex,” the commission said in a statement. “This must change.”
Conversion therapy is a harmful and ineffective practice that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Not only has conversion therapy been widely debunked and discredited, but it can also cause severe physical and psychological harm and places many LGBTQ+ people at an increased risk of depression and suicide.
Some “treatments” of conversion therapy include hypnosis, prayer, electric shock treatments, and physically painful stimuli. While the practice has been condemned by a number of major medical associations in the US and abroad, it is still legal in many countries and states.
Only five countries — Germany, Malta, Ecuador, Brazil, and Taiwan — have banned conversion therapy, thus far. In the US, 20 states and a number of cities have outlawed the practice for minors.
“It is incredible to see hundreds of religious leaders from all different backgrounds and denominations join together and come out against the discredited practice of conversion therapy. We hope this bold effort will send a message to LGBTQ youth in diverse communities of faith that they are deserving of love and respect and should be proud of exactly who they are,” Sam Brinton, the Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project, said in a statement.
“We must all come together to protect LGBTQ youth in every city, state, and country around the globe from these dangerous conversion efforts and all forms of anti-LGBTQ violence.”
While bans on conversion therapy have gained momentum in recent years, most state and citywide bans in the US only target licensed therapists who engage in the harmful practice. Religious leaders remain exempt. So although these laws are necessary, they still fail to protect LGBTQ+ youth from religious leaders and faith-based institutions that seek to change them and subject them to what can only be classified as torture.
Out of 40,000 respondents, 14% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that a religious leader tried to persuade them to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, according The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.
“There are many LGBT+ people who suffer emotional hurt and physical violence to the point of death in countries across the world,” Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth, daughter of Desmond Tutu, said in the commission’s press release. “For this reason, we are joining forces as faith leaders to say that we are all beloved children of God.” | https://medium.com/an-injustice/religious-leaders-call-for-global-ban-on-lgbtq-conversion-therapy-6b95740d60da | ['Catherine Caruso'] | 2020-12-18 17:43:32.185000+00:00 | ['LGBTQ', 'Equality', 'Society', 'Politics', 'Religion'] |
Introducing ViteConnect | Note: This feature is currently only supported on the iOS Vite wallet. Support for Android will be ready soon!
If you’re a crypto trader, you will know that logging into exchanges can be a very tedious task. For centralized exchanges, you need to enter your account name & password and then go through some sort of two factor authentication through your phone or Google authenticator app. For decentralized exchanges, you have the added complexity of importing seed phrase files and finding private key addresses. As we all know, keeping your private key safe is of utmost importance. If your device gets infected, it is easy for the hacker to steal your private key and with it, your hard-earned assets.
In order to help you protect your assets, Vite Labs has launched the ViteConnect feature and integrated it with the ViteX exchange login. Now, if you want to access your ViteX account all you will need to do is scan the QR code using the code scanner in the Vite mobile wallet.
How to Use ViteConnect
Step 1. Head on over to ViteX
You should be presented with a QR code.
Step 2. Open up your Vite wallet.
See that QR code scanner icon in the upper r ight hand corner? (It looks like a flat line with a small box around it) Click on it. | https://medium.com/vitelabs/introducing-viteconnect-14f0c44fe4d8 | ['Vite Editor'] | 2019-07-25 19:39:18.945000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Resources', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
Budget Custom Desk Build | My desk has long been my refuge. It’s where I relax, research, study, create, and much more. I was lucky enough to get a large desk for free from a local office. However, as a college student who moved often, having a large desk was often a burden. The frame was large, heavy, oddly shaped, and always had a mess of wire accompanying it. Below, you can see the back of the desk before the modifications. (It’s the only picture I have showing the metal base.) As shown, I tried to keep the wires tidy but removing them for moving was time-consuming and messy. The metal base also prevented ideal wire routing and added unnecessary bulk to the desk.
After a few years of usage, it was obvious I needed to replace to the desk but searching for an affordable, quality desk proved difficult. Therefore, I decided to build my own! The tabletop from the desk I wanted to replace was large and sturdy so my goal was to remove the metal frame and modify the tabletop to make the desk more portable, functional, and organized while keeping the cost as low as possible.
The metal frame was only held on by six screws so I removed it and started making modifications. I found some cheap metal legs and traced their mounting brackets onto the corner of the desk. Once I knew where the brackets would sit, I began mounting my keyboard tray and wire baskets. The keyboard tray sat upon four small pieces of wood I cut to size to give my hands some extra clearance. A wire basket mounted directly behind my keyboard would hold a USB hub and extra wire length. The second wire basket would hold my audio mixer and headphones. In the back, I mounted Panduit for routing my cables. I squared the Panduit to be parallel to the edges of the desk, marked the holes, pre-drilled all the mounting holes, and then screwed the Panduit pieces into place. I wanted an outlet on the side to easily plug in a laptop or phone charger and a switch on the front to turn off my speakers. I bought the supplies at my local hardware store and carefully followed the wiring diagrams to make the proper connections. I tested all the connections with my multimeter to make sure everything was properly connected.
Above was the final product of the first round of work. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that the weight of the desk caused it to sag in the center (seen below) so I bought to reinforcing legs to support the middle.
Before Reinforcement
After Reinforcement
Build Reflection:
Going back, I probably would not have used the Panduit. Since the covers face straight down, it is very difficult to route wires without securing them with wire ties. However, wire ties are difficult to remove if a new wire needs to be run or the desk is being moved. In the future, I plan on replacing it with smaller, simpler trays for wire routing. This will help to make it easier to remove/add wires and move the desk.
Additionally, the basket holding my audio mixer was cubersome during transit and did not hold my mixer very well. I eventually replaced it with a mountable mixer as seen below.
Lastly, if interested here are more build pictures! | https://medium.com/build-more/budget-custom-desk-build-9218b983ca7f | ['Nathaniel Todd'] | 2019-09-24 20:38:32.845000+00:00 | ['DIY'] |
Home Depot Digital Gift Cards Now Available — Coincards.com | Hey “Doers”, it’s almost Spring! Are you planning any Home Improvement projects?
We have just the thing you need — Home Depot Digital Gift Cards are now available on Coincards.com in both the USA and Canada!
Available in your choice of denomination ($5-$2000) and delivered automatically to your inbox after just 2 confirmations on the blockchain (or instantly with the Bitcoin Lightning Network). This is your fastest, cheapest & most convenient way to exchange your bitcoin, litecoin, dash, dogecoin, ethereum, monero (and more) for Home Depot gift cards in North America. | https://medium.com/coincards/home-depot-digital-gift-cards-now-available-coincards-com-92229fcc64b2 | ['Mike Olthoff'] | 2020-02-19 04:58:24.081000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Coincards', 'Blockchain', 'Ethereum'] |
What do you Check-in White Box Testing? | What is White Box Testing?
One of the most important testing types in the software testing process, white box testing is performed to verify the flow of input-output by testing the internal structure, design, and code of the desired software. It is mainly concerned with improving the design, usability, and security of software.
White box testing is also known as clear box testing or glass box testing as the software code is visible to testers here. It is largely based on the inner workings of an application and revolves around internal testing.
For efficient white box testing, you can avail of our quality services and increase the speed of your software to the market. We, at Sapizon Technologies, are one of the best software testing companies.
By actively providing our services in this domain, we have helped our clients deliver defect-free software applications and increase their up-sales as a successful result. Our team of software testers possesses the skills and experience to carry out various testing methods with precision.
Through the implementation of vigilant testing strategies, we identify defects in the internal part of a software application and fix them in minimal time. This has enabled us to gain the trust and loyalty of our clients.
What do you Check-in White Box Testing?
Here are a few pointers that explain the key aspects of testing in white box testing:
· Testing the code for internal security holes.
· Identifying broken or poorly structured paths in the coding process and fixing them.
· Checking the flow of certain inputs through code.
· Verifying the expected output.
· Testing the functionality of conditional loops.
· Testing each function on an individual basis.
This type of testing can be performed at system and integration levels of software development. One of the main purposes of white-box testing is to verify the workflow for the desired application.
This involves verifying the output you get as a result of running a function with a predefined input. If the result you get is expected, you can conclude there are no bugs.
Implementing White Box Testing:
White box testing is implemented by following the below process:
Understanding the Source Code:
As white box testing involves testing of the internal part of an application, the testers must be familiar with programming languages that are used in the applications they are testing.
Along with this testers person must also be aware that they need to implement secure coding practices. Security is one of the most important features in a software app and it is imperative to ensure the security requirements of your application are met.
Here, testers should be able to find security loopholes and prevent attacks from hackers and cyber-criminals that can compromise the security of your application either with the intent to do so or without.
Create Test Cases:
Once the testers have understood the source code of the application, they can move on to the next time that is creating test cases. Developing test cases involves writing test scripts for testing each fundamental feature of software applications with respect to different test scenarios.
Execution of Test Cases:
Once the test cases are compiled and the test environment is ready, software testers can begin the process of execution. Execution of test cases is carried out based on the priority of each. Test cases that are highly prioritized are performed early followed by the remaining.
The key to the successful execution of test cases is that the software testers must possess intricate knowledge about the application and its code. More often than not, collaboration with developers is very helpful.
To Conclude:
White box testing basically involves testing the internal components of an application that are not visible. Unit testing, penetration testing, and mutation testing are some of the white box testing types. These tests are prominent and concern some of the important features of an application.
As one of the leading software testing companies, we offer our services to clients across various industrial domains. | https://medium.com/@sapnasapusapzion/what-do-you-check-in-white-box-testing-8f4615d32ebd | ['Sapna Sapu'] | 2020-12-11 08:00:52.634000+00:00 | ['Performance', 'Software Testing', 'Black Box Testing', 'Automation Testing', 'Testing'] |
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