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Download an Image Using Python Client From Express.js Server | The objective of this article is to create a python client which will send an HTTP request to the server that is running on express.js framework for downloading an image.
The code for this project is also available in my GitHub repository -
Developing the server
We’ll develop the back-end of this application in Node.js using Express.js framework. For that, let’s create a directory for our server application with the name myServer, which will contain the following files and folders.
We’ll open the terminal and navigate into this directory. We’ll then create a folder with name public and inside that we’ll keep any image with name image.jpg.
After that we’ll run the command npm init and we’ll choose all the default options that will pop up. Then we’ll install express using the following command.
npm install express --save
Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications.
Now we’ll write the code for our server application in the file app.js.
When we run the above code, it will make our server operational and will listen to calls on port 3000. And when somebody tries to access the /image route, the server will send image.jpg file to the client.
Developing the client
Now, we’ll write code for our client application in python.
This application will send an HTTP request to the server and will receive the image as a byte string, which will be decoded and stored in the local system.
Now that we have created our client as well as server application, it’s the time to test it.
Testing the application
First of all, we’ll run the server application in the terminal using the command-
node app.js
It will give the output as
server is listening on port: 3000
Then, we’ll open another terminal window and navigate to the directory where the client.py file is located. Then, we’ll run the command —
python client.py
It will give the following output in the terminal
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Powered-By: Express
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Cache-Control: public, max-age=0
Last-Modified: Mon, 10 Oct 2016 11:18:54 GMT
ETag: W/"290453-157ea522f31"
Content-Type: image/jpeg
Content-Length: 2687827
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:23:20 GMT
Connection: close
and will download the image and store it with the name downloaded_image.jpg in the same directory where client.py is located.
References | https://medium.com/swlh/download-an-image-using-python-client-from-express-js-server-51380f33549a | ['Souvik Paul'] | 2020-11-26 09:20:41.980000+00:00 | ['Python3', 'Nodejs', 'Servers', 'Expressjs', 'Clients'] |
Between A Rock And A Dead Place | A week later, the rain came and it came hard. She whistled in the wind and all of the yellow flyers that had been scattered around the shrine, seem to magically form a mat. She stepped on lightly tapping one foot, flapping her skirt with her hands in a bird-like motion. Thunder came. She danced harder. Lightning hit the old telephone pole. She danced harder and harder. The flyers began to swirl around her. Yellow is the color of Oshun. They tapped her on her arms and flew back. On her forehead and then blew away. On her feet and were whist away by the powerful rains. The raindrops seemed to be ripping at her clothes like hands. As if Oshun herself had rendered her naked. She kept dancing to the rhythm of thunder and lightning. Her eyes were shut tightly. Her body convulsed by instinct. She lost control. The vagrant who’d been sleeping nearby got up and began running.
The power of the rain and the dance forced her to the ground. Swirling around her were the faces of her ancestors and her dead. She reached for Juno and Abuelo, they were out of reach. She reached for Julie’s dead cat, Mrs. Whiskers. That was the last thing she remembered before collapsing.
Awakening from what felt like a year’s long slumber, she stretched her limbs. Something felt different. Opening her eyes with arms stretched out in front of her, she was confounded. Was this her arm? A frail long thing, grey-tinted fur with irregular lighter grey patches — this was strange yet familiar. Mrs. Whiskers! Her spirit was inside of Mrs. Whiskers! The Orishas obviously had a wicked sense of humor, she thought. She screamed in both horror and delight of being alive but as a cat.
The screeching noise she made seem to send other nearby felines into a frenzy. She was not yet ready to associate with other cats. She wondered how many of them had prayed to Oshun for rebirth. Quickly, she gathered herself. Running a paw over her face, then her tail. It was time to test out this new body. She ran far and hid out of sight to lose the gaggle of cats that seem to be investigating where she came from. She was suddenly starving. Where could she get food?
Abuela always fed stray cats — -people too. Her grandparents’ home was not too far from Lennox and fifth. Just a long trek down Lennox to the very last corner before the cemetery. She started walking in that direction. This body was strange. She was suddenly very limber. She found herself running before long. Everything seemed so big, especially Mr. Mendoza’s pit bull, Rosie. They lived on the corner of Juniper and Lennox just before Abuela’s block. She bolted past.
At the bottom of Abuela’s stoop, the aroma of Abuela’s famous black beans wafted beneath the door. Her nose grabbed hold of it and led her right up to the top step. She started to press her face against the door but something — -a strong wind — -picked her up and slammed her onto the sidewalk. She was stunned. Her ears perked up, she unwittingly growled and attempted to shake off the pain. Like a predator stalking its prey, she stepped lightly onto each step. Just as she placed her paw on the first step — Pow! It happened again, this time it was harder. She cried loudly as she looked longingly at the door.
It was then and only then that she noticed the Eshu or Elegba heads decorating Abuela’s door. She couldn’t believe that she’d forgotten how Abuelita had Julie add extra protection around her house after Abuelo passed. She would say a prayer upon entering and leaving every day that Elegba would protect her from any foul energy or wayward spirits. “Wait! A minute!” her mind raced. Was she now a wayward spirit? Is this what Abuela meant when she used to say “ten cuidado por lo que rezas?” It now bandied about her mind “Be careful what you pray for!” Over and over! She wanted to run away but she couldn’t move. She whimpered, sheepishly at first and then loudly. She attempted to move her back legs but Elegba had done a number on her.
She just wanted to be free — to vanish from this world. She licked her wounded body for what seemed like an eternity. Until he showed up. She knew this kid. He was a strange kid that moved into the neighborhood a few years back. They’d never spoken but Abuela was convinced he was a part of some weird cult. He was a few years her senior but he didn’t hang on the block with the other guys. You could hear him chanting in some foreign language loudly if you listened closely from the street. There wasn’t much room for weird in a place like this. The neighborhood had a way of strangling your individuality. That’s probably why she never even tried to talk to him before. Rico and John would have roasted her but she was grateful to see him now.
He picked her up gently and stroked her face. He walked her to the 24-hour vet across the downtown bus line. “Who even does these things for stray cats?” She thought. The irony of the question was not lost on her. None of the other dudes from the neighborhood would ever be caught dead doing something like this. He was different. He waited and stroked her as the vet injected her with painkillers and bandaged her up.
As they walked out of the vet center, the city came alive before them. They walked — -with him still carrying her — -toward the neighborhood. They walked a route she’d never seen before. Right into the bright lights and rides of one of those temporary carnivals. Daddy would always promise to take her and Julie to those things but they never made it. It didn’t seem so impressive from her present vantage point but what did she know. He stopped, bought some tokens, and walked right onto an empty Ferris wheel cart as if it had been waiting for them. She covered her eyes with her paws and cowered in his hands. Apparently, becoming a cat doesn’t cure a fear of heights. He let her sink into his lap. He talked to her. “Look!” he said “we can walk right through the carnival to the back of my house, the garage — -your new home! Maybe we’ll get a slice on the way!” This was the first time she’d heard him speak. His voice was deeper than she imagined. He was way more excited than she was at this prospect but getting off of this contraption would be a relief.
When the ride ended, she was lifted again. The kid slid her body onto a soft pile of clothing among the boxes in the garage. He pulled an old coat over the top, creating a cave that emanated the sweetness of old ladies who frequently powdered themselves — a light rose motif that played ironically well in the deep recesses of Rainbow’s ancestral brain. The pizza kid lifted her head to help her lap water from a hubcap. He broke bits of pepperoni and crust into bite-sized pieces and left them where her tongue could reach them. Much later, she heard him practicing his orations like songs. Like monks chanting in the distance, they were a comfort.
Pizza kid would be what she called him from now on. He always seemed to have bits of it to share. His chanting had started to remind her of Abuela and Mommy’s church — it felt like a piece of home. In the daytime, she would saunter past Abuela’s house to catch a glimpse of her but never get close enough to trigger the protection. Pizza kid had nursed her back to health. She was grateful. His companionship was more gentle and loving than she’d experienced in her sixteen years but she knew she couldn’t stay. Every day she found a reason to stay until the next day, but then one day, on her daily stroll past Abuela’s she saw Julie. | https://medium.com/womans-rant/between-a-rock-and-a-dead-place-8bd76fe39547 | ['Melissa A. Matthews'] | 2020-11-23 12:23:33.036000+00:00 | ['Mysticism', 'Culture', 'Spirituality', 'Fiction', 'Short Story'] |
The (un)surprising cause of the next financial crisis. | The (un)surprising cause of the next financial crisis.
You know that it is coming, you just don’t know how … The next financial crisis.
Most predictions agree on the timing (2019 / 2020) and that it will be one of the deepest crises in the world history (the economy has been growing consistently for 10 years now), but no one can predict how it will happen. Knowing that, of course, would be priceless. Traders and hedge fund managers who took the ‘right side of the trade’ and bet against the 2007 subprime crisis made hundreds of billions over night. Jon Paulson and many others got famous and (even much) richer.
Crises are certain; they are inevitable like death and taxes because the world economy is based on the concept of greed. Human greed is good — it is what drives the economy up … and then gets it going again after it falls over the cliff. It is a necessary substance; a serum and a poison in one.
It was in the U.S. that greed got reinvented as a good thing. That is, it was the new world that injected poor immigrants with the idea of American dream and made money into a universal merit of success. And ever since it has been the U.S. that gave the world market bubbles. Last time it was the subprime mortgages and derivatives that no one understood; this time it is the tech sector.
There are two sides to the tech sector. Facebook and Google are what Standard Oil Co. Inc. was at the beginning of the 20th century—a well tolerated monopoly. Together with Apple, they form the ‘old’ side of the tech sector — the one that actually makes money … and tons of it. But beyond that,there is the utopian tech sector. You know: Silicon Valley, its millennial founder-entrepreneurs, with zen-like smiles, enlightened modesty and open shirts. So very unlike the old world dominated by Wall Street, they and their tiny little start-ups inspired the beginning of the present economic recovery by promising to create an infinitely more efficient and cleaner way of doing things, exchanging factories and steel for smartphones and abstract products.
Three companies — Amazon, UBER and Tesla (ATU) — are a perfect embodiment of this trend. To some extent, ATU are truly revolutionary — making our lifes cheaper (Amazon), more practical (UBER) and exciting (Tesla) — but for the most part, people love them because they are a sensation.
Good enough is just not good enough when it comes to financial markets. People don’t want to be told that they should stick their savings into a 1.5%-yielding super-slow-growing annuity. No, we all want our chance at becoming millionaires, and if that requires us to chase a sensation, then so be it. This is not to say that UBER hasn’t changed the urban transportation for good, that Tesla doesn’t make innovative cars, or that Amazon doesn’t offer convenience and price that others can’t match. No. The problem is that somewhere down the line, ATU have become a religion of future and people forgot to value them on the cold basis of profits & losses. Somewhere down the line, ATU freed themselves from the dryness of discounted cash flow analyses, and they took the whole market with them on a trip to forever.
Amazon — a nightmare of the old-industry CEOs — continues on its path toward the world domination because it can afford to reinvest everything it makes and more*. It is a company doomed to die. For now, the world is still large enough. Amazon can keep on growing, expanding into other sectors and devouring its competitors. That, of course, makes it into an irresistible investment proposition — a company on a path to become the ultimate monopoly; the one place where we buy everything. Inevitably, though, it will reach a point when it will grow too big. It will either have to be cut in pieces by the government labelled as a ‘monopoly’, or it will be re-priced by the market, increasing its cost of capital because the promise of further growth and domination will make no sense anymore (people will begin to ask for a profit eventually).
*Amazon is a life work of an ex-hedge fund manager (who else better to trick investors’ minds) — a company which functions like a perpetuum mobile. Jeff Bezos has once drawn his Amazon flywheel concept on a napkin. Lower prices lead to more customers, which attract more outside sellers to Amazon, who should be OK with smaller profit in order to be able to sell on Amazon. Reinvestment of all profits improves company and reduces cost leading to lower prices again in a vicious endless circle. One arrow is missing — that arrow going out: ‘profits to shareholders’.
UBER — a clever, but first and foremost a cheaper way to do urban transportation. A company that has burned through billions of private money to become the one and only player in the business that it created — intelligent transportation. But, for all its dominance, UBER is facing a ‘Groupon moment’. Its technology is becoming commoditized and re-used by cheaper alternative providers.
Tesla — This one is easy. A tech company on a mission to beat auto industry on its home turf. Tesla burns cash at a breathless pace in a race against time to get its Model 3 production fully running before other giants enter the space with better alternatives. Blessed by what has been until now an inexhaustible level of positive investor sentiment, the company’s plans are truly colossal, but the last estimates show that it will burn through its cash reserves by the end of this financial year. If Musk is forced to go to financial markets asking for money again this year, it could be a make-or-break moment for Tesla.
People always fight the last war. Scarred by 2007, investors are looking for the next big short; the next Collateralized Debt Obligation, or other structured product that could bring the markets down. There might not be one this time round. All financial crises are caused by some sort of a market bubble; a situation when prices overshoot value, which eventually leads to an ‘aha’ moment and a downward spiral. ATU and other utopian tech companies have infected markets with a profound belief that they are about to revolutionise world. This made them into cash-burning giants with a zero cost of capital. And that’s fine for now. But, their eventual (and unavoidable) collapse may prove to be systemic, dragging down the market, not because of their size (which is insignificant), but because investors will reprice the market, taking the promise of infinitely more efficient tomorrow out of the equation.
See you on the other side, | https://medium.com/thatmeaning/the-un-surprising-cause-of-the-next-financial-crisis-dc59eb2379c4 | ['George Salapa'] | 2018-05-05 17:04:13.652000+00:00 | ['Economics', 'Market', 'Amazon', 'Tesla', 'Uber'] |
Hacks for learning a new language | This story has been published on the elocance blog! Check it out!
Learning a new language can be a confidence booster and if you’ve found us, it’s because you’ve either started or are planning to start learning one. Whether it’s a second, third, or fourth language, learning a new skill can be daunting. Finding tricks and hacks for making the process easier and faster, can be helpful.
1. Micro-dose — Studying for even 10–20 minutes daily has been proven to help you integrate a new language in your life. However, studying or learning for long periods of time like you’re binge watching Netflix, doesn’t really cut it.
2. Study before bedtime — Studying before sleeping at night helps you unwind while training your brain to accept information. Of course, if you start dreaming in another language then you may not need these tips afterall.
3. Gamify — Learning something new doesn’t have to be boring or stressful when it feels like a game. It is easier to succeed using an interactive method to learn languages in an enjoyable and engaging way. For example, apps like DuoLingo turn boring lesson plans and make them feel like a video game, boosting your motivation to master a language.
4. Change it up — Trying to employ multiple tools and methods can help you stay engaged. For example, watching YouTube videos, listening to the news in another language and reading children’s books in that language, can all help you get ahead faster. Text-to-speech apps like elocance help by reading written text out loud to you, helping you learn how to pronounce phrases and words properly.
5. Get out there — In addition to learning through media, connecting with natives is an important way to learn and practice speaking. Immersing yourself in a new culture is also one of the most enjoyable ways to get involved. For example, taking a cooking class or joining a Meetup (meetup.com) can be an enjoyable way to meet new people who have similar interests. Another great way to speak to a native is virtually. For example, the app hellotalk connects people from various countries to allows them to chat through video, text and more!
When learning a new language, letting go of fear and diving in are the most important steps. The rest of it should be fun!
Happy learning!
Team elocance
elocance is your audio superpower. Build productive habits and save time by listening. Save articles and PDFs in the app, turn them to audio and listen on the go. | https://medium.com/@elocance/hacks-for-learning-a-new-language-1f919a0e6fb5 | [] | 2020-11-23 21:49:03.692000+00:00 | ['Productivity Tips', 'Learning Hacks', 'Skillup', 'Language Learning', 'Tts'] |
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WEDDING- WEDDING CHECKLIST | Memories get sweeter with time. And the wedding is the most memorable of all. Marriage or the union of two beautiful souls give a partnership for life. Two people who promise to stand by each other in all thick and thins of life.
To plan the perfect celebration, you should know about some key points to plan your big day and make a checklist
Start the guest list:
When it involves making the wedding guest list. Before you begin adding everybody, take into thought the minimum and also the most range of guests that you’re allowed at your wedding venue. You’ll additionally have to be compelled to think about your wedding budget at this point too.
In addition, Below could be a general list of individuals that you just might invite to celebrate with you on your big day. Whether you select them to the day a part of your wedding or simply the evening reception is up to you…
-Immediate family
-Distant family
-Friends
-Work colleagues
-Family Friends/Friends of friends
Book the Cool Venues:
Find the proper venue for your big day. You can hire a skilled venue expert for your event to assist you with a new venue, pricing, designing & execution — all at the press of a button. You’ll be able to Book the proper venue hassle-free at affordable costs.
Hire the Best Wedding Photographer & Videographer:
Wedding Photographer and videographer saves your memories that you will cherish later. The memories of joyful relatives, the brewing romance and much more.
WEDDING INK, The best Wedding Photographer in Lucknow & Allahabad is here to convert your moments of joy into memories of sweetness for the times to come. From Mehendi to Haldi to the big day, they are just a booking away to bring the best memories on photographs and video clips.
Choose the best place and a proficient photographer like Wedding Ink for the best wedding photography in Lucknow and capture every moment of your special days in the lenses.
Book bands, florists, and caterers:
Meet vendors and instruct them on wherever to line up (i.e. band/DJ, florist, baker, and caterer) check that band, DJ or selected person will properly pronounce the marriage party’s names (and within the right order) for the introductions. Assist caterers to verify the food timeline.
Purchase Invitation Cards:
Find your vogue and style, do you love romantic handwriting or fashionable graphic design? offer your guests a style of the celebration to come back. There are several nice samples of wedding invite card vendors on-line, you’ll be able to purchase simply.
Finalize the menu:
There are several details that guests can keep in mind concerning your wedding day: nice music, the happy couple beaming, and, of course, the food. Yes, selecting the menu ought to on the highest of your list of priorities. The Big Fat Indian Wedding is incomplete without delicious food.
Shop your Wedding Dress:
We will all agree that selecting the marriage dress for the bride is doubtless the toughest job out there. The marriage is that the big day for everybody and hence, your selection of the dress must be unique. Wear one thing that bespeaks the importance of the big day. Moreover, Opt for significant floor-length designer … read more … | https://medium.com/@singhania.garima25/things-you-should-know-about-wedding-wedding-checklist-f728e3778fe7 | ['Garima Singhania'] | 2019-09-14 06:35:27.394000+00:00 | ['Wedding Checklist', 'Wedding Dress', 'Wedding Photography', 'Weddings'] |
Starsky’s Approach To Solving Long-Haul Trucking — And Why It Doesn’t Include LIDAR | We’re hyper-focused on automating a highly constrained use case: the operation of rigs on highways. For the tricky parts we rely on tele-operation by human drivers.
The original article was published in IEEE Spectrum
Starsky Robotics driverless truck
Last year a partner at a well-known Silicon Valley venture firm wouldn’t take a meeting with us because our autonomous system didn’t employ a LIDAR. According to him, we should use all the sensors available to us to ensure safety.
I disagree.
However, the issue keeps coming up. Why don’t you use LIDAR, people ask. With this blog I’m going to sketch out Starsky’s approach, and then I want to specifically come back to LIDAR and explain why it doesn’t fit in our strategy.
Like a lot of players in the industry, Starsky Robotics is working to automate the act of driving. However, we’re only focused on solving a very specific problem using automated driving features. We are not trying to automate every bit of driving. For example, we’re not trying to invent a vehicle that can navigate crowded and chaotic urban environments.
Rather, we sidestep that issue entirely. We have focused on a single, individual problem in the logistics and transportation industry — and then we’re employing elegant engineering to solve it.
The problem: Not enough truck drivers exist. Truck driving as a job has some major drawbacks. It requires people to stay on the road for long hours, keeping them away from their family and friends for weeks and sometimes months at a time. Plus it’s tedious. The shortage of truck drivers makes it more difficult to move goods about the country — delaying deliveries and increasing the price of the things Americans want to buy.
To solve the driver shortage, we’re automating the easiest part of that task — highway driving. To get the tractor-trailer onto and off the highway, we employ trained and experienced truck drivers, who operate the rigs remotely (known as tele-operation or teleop). The only part of the driving that is automated is the highway driving. We also have humans in the loop to supervise during tricky highway situations, which amounts to less than one percent of the actual driving.
Take one typical journey: A run that goes from a distribution center in Hayward, California, to another distribution center in Georgia. The warehouse in Hayward is three miles from the highway. Then there’s 2,613 miles of driving along interstate-class highways. And then, in Georgia, the destination distribution center is less than a mile from the highway. So about four miles in total of non-highway driving.
That’s what we’re automating — the 99 per cent of the journey on highways.
(Actually, in the case of the California-to-Georgia journey, that’s 99.85 percent, but you get the idea.)
To solve highway driving, we took a hard look at the sensors that humans use. Highways are designed with long straightaways and gentle curves so that operating them is easy for humans at legal speed limits, using human eyes and human reaction time. So as our primary sensor we used the tool that is closest to the human eye — the camera. The specific cameras we use are automotive-grade, which means they’ve been engineered to work in a variety of conditions that confront an automobile through its life cycle. They also are relatively cheap as well as easily available off-the-shelf.
Another great thing about cameras is that they are highly customizable based on the use-case. Our prototype truck employs seven different cameras. Each one is configured and oriented to monitor a specific field of view, for a full 360 degrees of coverage.
Cameras alone, however are not sufficient. For more reliability in our measurements we need parallel detections using a different set of physics. The argument to use radar is pretty simple and strong. Radar has existed since the Second World War. It is an automotive-grade sensor that exists on the market for a reasonable cost and has well-documented and well-understood limitations. The output that radar provides our software is reliable. Radar is really good at sensing the existence of a potential obstacle, along with its velocity. The limitation is that it doesn’t do a great job of identifying the precise location of the obstacle. It is also prone to creating a lot of false positives. For example, a manhole cover, a plastic bag, or an overpass create returns. To filter out the false positives, we use sensor fusion with the cameras to have more confidence identifying potential obstacles.
Going down the list of sensors with different physics, we also considered LIDAR.
There are things that LIDAR does well. LIDAR is a really good low-level obstacle detector. And it also provides good visibility in low-light conditions. But after a lot of consideration we concluded that LIDAR’s weaknesses outweigh those advantages in the context of our use-case.
First, let’s consider the range of LIDAR. For LIDAR to provide a significant safety benefit it has to provide low-level obstacle detection at the distances we require. For fully loaded trucks, that’s 150 to 200 meters at highway speeds. We require that range so that we have enough time to take appropriate action when obstacles are identified. At such distances, the long-range LIDARs available in the market today have return points that are too spread apart to provide the information required, rendering them useless.
Next, LIDAR doesn’t have the reliability we require. I mentioned before that we use components that are automotive grade, that we’re certain will work over the lifetime of our vehicles, in all the various conditions we require. The current state of LIDAR isn’t there yet. Some of them tend to spin themselves apart. Others are stuck together with glue. Their faulty construction means that many of the sensors will fall apart after three to six months of use.
It is possible that LIDAR would help us to classify obstacles a hundred meters ahead. Whether that obstacle on the road is a mattress, a couch, a person or an alligator. However for us, it is an easier job to classify a “strange object” and ask for help from a human tele-operator, than to rely on software to confidently classify an object and make a decision. Remember, we’re using tele-operators to supervise our system when conditions become tricky. We don’t have to know what that strange object is up ahead. All that we have to know is that there is a strange obstacle. The percentage-point safety improvements that we can get from LIDAR, we can also get by incorporating humans into the decision-making process — without the drawbacks of LIDAR.
We are solving a highly constrained problem. We transport rigs to and from distribution centers. Tele-operators drive the few miles on and off the highway. And then, for the long, boring stretches of highway driving, we use autonomy to maintain the rig at a constant speed on straight-line or gently curved roads. Cameras and radar are all the tools we require to do that.
Why don’t we use LIDAR? Because we don’t need to.
Getting back to that VC I mentioned at the beginning of this blog: Not agreeing to a design approach just because it doesn’t incorporate a tool (LIDAR in this case) is not good engineering. It’s like not using carpenters to build a deck because they don’t have a resistance-welding torch.
We feel the same way about LIDAR in our highly constrained use case. It’s a bad engineering choice to use a certain tool just because it’s available to you. We don’t do science for the sake of science. We want to use existing and well-established technology to solve an urgent problem today.
We believe that engineering is the application of science with real-world constraints. LIDAR technology, applied to autonomous driving, is a good science project that gets in the way of engineering. When you’re only driving on highways, with human tele-operators available to supervise the system in tricky situations, LIDAR isn’t necessary. And at Starsky Robotics, we’re all about engineering solutions to problems in the most efficient way possible. | https://medium.com/starsky-robotics-blog/starskys-approach-to-solving-long-haul-trucking-and-why-it-doesn-t-include-lidar-d1b5bd87616e | ['Kartik Tiwari'] | 2018-12-12 19:10:03.020000+00:00 | ['Safety', 'Lidar', 'Autonomous', 'Self Driving Cars', 'Self Driving Trucks'] |
Data Science — A quick overview. The big data ETL process is the key to… | The big data ETL process is the key to engineering any data pipeline. In general, an end to end big data pipelining consists of four main blocks:
Data preparation and collection Data cleaning, transformation, and loading (ETL) Data analytics (statistics or data mining) Predictive analytics (Machine learning / Artificial Intelligence)
Over the last decade, there has been a massive growth in both data generated and data retained. These data are retained by companies and organization to drive their business, we call this “Big Data”.
Nowadays, the term “Data Science” is gaining a wide recognition. But what does a data scientist do? Data scientists are the people who make sense out of all the big data and determine what can be done with it in order to increase the productivity of a business.
Let’s understand with an example:
Consider, you are eating candy, generally, a person takes those candies that he likes, in contrast, data scientists are the people who will get all the flavors of the candies and analyze them because they really need to know what each one tastes like. In short, the title “Data Scientist” encompasses different flavors of the work. According to me, that is the major difference between a “Data Scientist”, “Statistician”, “Analyst” or an “Engineer”. A data scientist is one who does little of those tasks done by a statistician, analyst, and engineer.
To be more specific, a data scientist is the one who does the following primary tasks:
Data Analysis (Statistics) Predictive analytics (Machine Learning) Visualization
Let’s have a look at each of the tasks in brief:
Data Analysis (Statistics):
In this task, lots of plots of data are made in order to understand the pattern of the data. Through this process, some theories regarding data behavior are crafted in a way that will be easy to communicate and easy to act on. A data scientist develops different models by understanding the data patterns through data analysis and develops some strategies based on understood or developed statistics. But the most challenging aspect of this task is that the models or statistics cannot act as a permanent solution to the defined problem. Therefore, a lot of time is dedicated to this task in which a data scientist may need to evaluate and make some changes in the existing models, as well as going back to the data and bring out new features to help make better models.
Predictive Analytics (Machine Learning)
Another important task of a data scientist can be developing predictive models for forecasting possible outcomes or patterns in the data. Such predictive analytics can help businesses take valuable business decisions. An important challenge for building a predictive model is the reliability of the model. A data scientist must make sure that the model passes several validation tests before it is ready for making business decisions. Some interesting use cases of predictive analytics can be weather forecasting, stock predictions, recommender systems based on buyer purchase patterns, etc.
Visualization:
The above-discussed tasks can just be defined or act as a tip of the iceberg. This is because even if we have state of the art data models for different applications, it doesn’t do anyone much good if the insights are not given to the customers or users and do it consistently. This means building a sort of a data product that can be used by the people who are not data scientists. This can be implemented in many forms like chart visualizations, metrics on a dashboard, or an application. The best examples of such applications are Tableau, Alteryx, etc. which are the market leaders in data dashboarding.
Understanding all the above tasks of a data scientist, in brief, it can also be understood that a long-term life cycle of a data science project may involve going back and re-analyzing the data models if there is always a new source of data coming in and there is a need to incorporate them.
Analyzing such traits and tasks of a data scientist it can be concluded beyond doubt that how great importance the data science and data scientist may have in the growth of any organization in the era of highest competition and the need of constant improvements in the services of the organizations. | https://medium.com/rock-your-data/data-science-a-quick-overview-b34e9772287a | ['Karan Tongay'] | 2019-06-10 05:01:29.159000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Big Data', 'Data Analytics'] |
Hand Sanitizers Market 2021 Growth Analysis, Opportunities, Figures with Sweeping Sales | Hand Sanitizers Market 2021 Growth Analysis, Opportunities, Figures with Sweeping Sales Vamshi Apr 1·2 min read
A recent report published by The Business Research Company on Hand Sanitizers Market provides in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the global as well as regional.
The global hand sanitizers market is expected to grow from $2.59 billion in 2020 to $2.45 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -5.4%. The hand sanitizer market is expected to reach $5.12 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 20%.
View Complete Report: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/hand-sanitizers-market-global-report-2020-30-covid-19-growth-and-change
The hand sanitizers market report provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the global hand sanitizers industry, along with revised market numbers due to the effects of the coronavirus and the expected hand sanitizers market growth numbers 2021–2030.
Hand Sanitizers Global Market Report 2021 is the most comprehensive report available on this market and will help gain a truly global perspective as it covers 60 geographies. The chapter on the impact of COVID-19 gives valuable insights on supply chain disruptions, logistical challenges, and other economic implications of the virus on the market. The chapter also covers markets which have been positively affected by the pandemic.
Request For The Sample Now: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/sample.aspx?id=3119&type=smp
The report covers the hand sanitizer market segments-
1) By Type: Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Based, Alcohol Based, Tridosan Based, Others.
2) By Product: Gel, Foam, Liquid, Others.
3) By Distribution Channel: Online Store, Pharmacy Store, Departmental Store, Others.
4) By End Use: Hospitals, Restaurants, Schools, Household Purpose, Others.
The Hand Sanitizers Global Market Report 2020–30 by The Business Research Company describes and explains the global hand sanitizers market and covers 2015 to 2020, termed the historic period, and 2020 to 2025, termed the forecast period, along with further forecasts for the period 2025–2030. The report evaluates the market across each region and for the major economies within each region.
About The Business Research Company:
The Business Research Company is a market research and intelligence firm that excels in company, market, and consumer research. It has over 200 research professionals at its offices in India, the UK and the US, as well a network of trained researchers globally. It has specialist consultants in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, financial services and technology. TBRC excels in company, market, and consumer research.
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Email: [email protected] | https://medium.com/@vamshitbrc1/hand-sanitizers-market-2021-growth-analysis-opportunities-figures-with-sweeping-sales-496f64af36e1 | [] | 2021-04-01 11:09:20.425000+00:00 | ['Hand Sanitizer', 'Hand Sanitizer Gel', 'Hand Sanitizer Suppliers', 'Restaurant', 'Market Research Reports'] |
SAMENA Trends — January 2019 by SAMENA Telecommunications Council | Potential of Bubbletone Blockchain in Telecom for Further Development of eSIM Technology
By Alexander Yakovenko, Project Director at Bubbletone Blockchain in Telecom, pages 73–75:
About SAMENA Trends
SAMENA Trends is SAMENA’s monthly newsletter. This newsletter incorporates news, analysis, data and research on Telecommunications and ICT industries in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and reports on recent regulatory, and commercial and technical developments in the sector.
https://www.samenacouncil.org/samena-trends | https://medium.com/bubbletone-blockchain-in-telecom/samena-trends-january-2019-by-samena-telecommunications-council-256a72c917a8 | ['Bubbletone Blockchain In Telecom'] | 2019-03-05 10:27:29.519000+00:00 | ['Blockchain Development', 'Blockchain', 'Telecommunication', 'Middle East', 'Blockchain Technology'] |
Don’t Justify Being Bullied As Being Loved | “Hi,” I whispered.
I felt dizzy with apprehension. My chest felt more constricted than ever. I fidgeted with my fingers while I looked at the blue shoe on my left leg, missing the silver bow it’s other pair proudly boasted. No matter how hard I tried, I could not meet her eyes.
When I received no response from her, I turned around and looked at my dad, standing further away from the porch. He smiled and showed his right thumb — a small gesture symbolizing that he has my back no matter how bad it goes. Looking at his tough smile, I took a deep breath and felt the knot in my stomach untie a little.
“Why are you here?”
Finally, she said something.
“I am sorry,” I said, this time looking straight in her eyes. It just hurt looking at her green eyes piercing my brown. I waited for the guilt, sadness, anger or any other burdensome emotion that had been gnawing on me for the last six weeks.
At that moment, I felt no other emotion — except intense hurt. I fisted my palm tight, to avoid any catfight to follow. I was never the kind to hit, but at that moment, I was not sure who I was.
Taking a deep breath, I said, “I just wanted to apologize one last time. You should know that you have got it all wrong. I don't want to justify myself for what happened because no matter what I say, you won’t believe me.” I paused. She shifted her weight from one leg to the next when she noted the bloody nail marks on my palm when I opened my fist. I almost thought she would say something. Even if she wanted to say something, her face revealed no emotion.
I felt the resignation in my voice and continued, “Thank you for demeaning me in front of everybody and jumping to conclusions without coming to me first. Thank you for repeatedly believing everybody else but me. Thank you for teaching me that not everybody I am friends with, are friends with me. If anything, you have just lost one of the best people you could ever have in your life.”
I released the breath I held. I wanted to tell her so much more, but words would never do justice to what felt. I continued, “You should also know that I forgive you. But I know that I deserve better.” I wasn't sure who I was reassuring. I said everything exactly how I had memorized — word to word from dad.
However, I didn’t bring myself to utter ‘Goodbye’ — not just yet.
A sense of selfishness temporarily loomed over me. I failed to understand why that feeling washed over me each time I replayed that conversation in my head. I should have felt relieved of letting go of the bully friend who was weighing me down. I should have been satisfied with telling her what I always wanted to say. I should have been fearless because I had my dad standing behind me.
As though hearing my thoughts, I felt a pair of strong, heavy hands on my shoulders.
Dad.
“Let’s go, sweety. Your mum is waiting for us to have lunch together,” he said, pressing my shoulders — letting me know that I did a good job at the confrontation. That little assurance is all I needed to find the courage in me to utter the two-syllable word.
“Good-bye.”
One last time I looked at my friend-turned-bully’s face, searching for my friend of seven years. Nothing showed. Nothing at all. Moments passed by, I felt rejected. Again.
Hearing feet shuffle behind me, I slowly turned around and followed my real best friend back to the black Toyota Camry parked ten feet away. I dragged my feet slower than before, hoping that I would get to hear something from the other end, wishing everything would go back to the way things once were. Seconds turned into minutes, and before I realized I found myself seated inside the car, beside my dad. | https://medium.com/age-of-empathy/dont-justify-being-bullied-as-being-loved-f56e9a5afacc | ['Fareeha Arshad'] | 2020-12-29 16:12:30.592000+00:00 | ['Bullying', 'Family', 'Friendship', 'Love', 'Self'] |
Top Five Books that can be used for learning Django from Scratch : | Top Five Books that can be used for learning Django from Scratch :
Django is one among the foremost popular Python frameworks for web development. Django provides a lot of libraries and solutions for common tasks, which makes it easier and faster for developers to create even complex web applications. Learning
Django is important if you’re into web development and Python programming. Books and learning go hand in hand, and this text will tell you about 5 best Django books for all levels of learners. But before that, let’s do a fast recap of what Django is.
1. Django Design Patterns and Best Practices:
Though a design patterns book, it covers a good amount of basics about Django starting with why Django came into existence. The author discusses at length how simple and sophisticated problems that are quite common , especially once we want faster development, are often solved by making simple design changes. Knowing about various patterns can greatly reduce the coding time and enhance code performance.
2. Beginning Django E-Commerce :
This book is for beginners, who may or might not have a Django background. However, you ought to have a good understanding of HTML, CSS, XML, SQL aside from Python. Some topics that this book covers (like deployment, testing, performance tuning) aren’t covered adequately in other books. it’s a step by step guide to making an e-comm website, however, the author doesn’t spoon-feed you at the most places.
3. Lightweight Django 1st Edition :
The author takes a posh project, breaks it into smaller components and goes on to elucidate each component, making it easy for readers to know the low-level details also because the overall picture. Every line of code is explained well, there’s a reasoning for everything that the author does — the detailing is simply amazing.
4.Practical Django 2 and Channels 2 :
The author covers an excellent amount of data and makes some boring topics interesting through examples. The author seems to understand a developer’s mindset perfectly — while reading if you seem to possess a doubt, it’ll be cleared because the next thing within the book! The author touches upon all the domains — e-commerce, finance, banking by giving use cases from each of those enabling developers to use the techniques and guidance in their projects.
5.Django Unleashed :
The book may be a detailed guide and starts with scratch to create applications in Django. It explains various ways of solving an equivalent problem then explains which one is best too. The author takes it slowly from basics to complex topics and though some advanced topics could also be a touch difficult to follow initially, once you practice them, you’ll appreciate the trouble the author has put to elucidate them. | https://medium.com/@anuingale34/top-five-books-that-can-be-used-for-learning-django-from-scratch-98d6b136ba2 | [] | 2020-12-25 09:45:25.902000+00:00 | ['Médium', 'Django', 'Django Rest Framework'] |
Audeze LCD-1 planar-magnetic headphone review: The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth | Audeze LCD-1 planar-magnetic headphone review: The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth Mark Jan 15·9 min read
Audeze is one of the only headphone makers devoted exclusively to using planar-magnetic (PM) drivers in its products. The company offers a wide range of models, from reference over-ear designs to gaming-specific cans to in-ear monitors, all of which are based on PM technology.
I have little experience with planar-magnetic headphones. Many years ago, I reviewed the Stax SR-007 MK2 electrostatic headphones, which use a somewhat similar technology, but they require a special amplifier and are extremely expensive. But I’ve never spent any quality time with PM headphones. So, when I got the opportunity to review the Audeze LCD-1, I jumped at the chance—and now that I’ve given them a good listen, I’m very glad I did.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best headphones, where you’ll find reviews of the competition’s offerings, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.Planar-magnetic technologyMost headphones use dynamic drivers to generate sound waves. In these drivers, an electrical audio signal is sent through a coil of wire—the voice coil—which creates a magnetic field around the coil that oscillates according to the waveform in the signal. The oscillating magnetic field interacts with the static field of a permanent magnet mounted nearby, which pushes and pulls on the voice coil, causing it to vibrate in response. The voice coil is attached to a diaphragm, which vibrates along with it, sending sound waves into the listener’s ear.
Vendor-provided art. Audeze wraps the headband and earcups of its LCD-1 planar-magnetic headphones in super soft lambskin.
Planar-magnetic drivers are similar in principle but different in implementation. Instead of a voice coil, the diaphragm in a PM driver is directly embedded with a flat conductor that snakes back and forth across its entire surface (see Fig. 1). That conductor carries the audio signal, and the oscillating magnetic field interacts with the static field of permanent magnets mounted very close to the diaphragm. That causes the diaphragm to vibrate according to the audio signal, generating sound waves that enter the listener’s ear.
Vendor-provided art. In this rendering, you can see the “voice coil” (labeled “circuit trace pattern”) on the ultra-thin substrate of the diaphragm. You can also see a magnet and Fazor on both sides of the diaphragm, but the LCD-1 has a magnet and Fazor only on the inner side of the diaphragm.
In this “exploded” rendering of an Audeze earcup, you can see the circuit-trace pattern (aka, “voice coil”) on the diaphragm. You can also see the magnet and Fazor structures, which are discussed in the next section.
Mentioned in this article iFi Audio hip-dac Read TechHive's reviewSee it The main difference is that a PM driver has no separate voice coil per se; the “voice coil” and diaphragm are a single component. As a result, the entire diaphragm vibrates more uniformly than a dynamic diaphragm, which is pushed and pulled at its center by the voice coil.
Also, the magnets in a PM driver are generally larger than those used in dynamic drivers, because they must be roughly the same size as the diaphragm. That makes planar-magnetic headphones generally larger and heavier than dynamic designs.
So, what are the advantages of PM headphones over dynamic cans? Generally speaking, planar-magnetic headphones tend to have tighter, more accurate bass response. And because the entire diaphragm moves uniformly, the planar soundwave creates a better soundstage with a more immersive quality, and there tends to be less distortion at high levels. For these reasons, PM headphones are often preferred by critical listeners such as recording engineers and audiophiles.
Audeze Audeze planar-magnetic headphones are well known among recording engineers for their neutral, revealing sound quality, a legacy that the LCD-1 easily upholds.
Audeze LCD-1 featuresThe LCD-1 is an open-back, circumaural (over-ear) headphone. It’s more compact than many PM headphones and weighs just 8.8 ounces. It sports memory-foam earpads and headband covered in lambskin leather and comes with a nice carrying case into which the headphones fold. The included premium braided cable terminates with a 3.5mm connector, and a 1/4-inch adapter is included.
[ Further reading: The best high-res digital audio players ]Interestingly, the plugs for each earcup are TRS (tip-ring-sleeve), which I thought might mean that the drivers are wired for balanced operation. But I was informed that they are not balanced; instead, the three-conductor connectors are used to automatically determine which signal is left and right, so it doesn’t matter which one is connected to each earcup. Clever!
Audeze An ingenious design means you can plug either cable into each earcup, and the left signal will be played by the left earcup and vice versa.
With an impedance of 16 ohms, sensitivity of 99 dB/mW (calculated at the eardrum), and a power-handling capacity of 5W RMS, the maximum sound output is rated over 120dB SPL with THD less than 0.1% at 100dB SPL. The frequency response is specified from 10Hz to 50kHz (no tolerance given).
Audeze designs and builds its headphones in the United States and touts several enhancements it has made to planar-magnetic technology. One of them is its ultra-thin Uniforce diaphragms, which are very lightweight, presenting very little resistance to movement for improved transient response. And its large size of 90mm in diameter facilitates deep bass reproduction.
The company makes all its drivers in its Southern California facility, using a vacuum-deposition process to coat the diaphragm film with conductive metal that is then etched to form the “voice coil” on the surface. To achieve a uniform magnetic force across the entire surface area of the diaphragm, Audeze actually varies the width of the voice-coil tracing depending on the strength of the magnetic field at different locations.
Vendor-provided art. The LCD-1 earcups fold so the headphone fits in a small, hard-shell travel case.
According to the company’s website, “Audeze uses ‘a genetic algorithm-based heuristic optimization technique together with magnetic simulations to optimize trace widths to achieve Uniforce.’ For those of us who don’t speak Martian: we use advanced computing techniques to get the most uniform distribution of force possible on the diaphragm.”
Another Audeze innovation is its Fluxor magnets. The description on the company’s website gets pretty technical, which I won’t go into here; if you want to dig deeper, click here. Suffice to say that Fluxor neodymium magnets increase the magnetic field strength at the diaphragm without adding more weight to the assembly.
In the company’s flagship headphones, each diaphragm is suspended between two Fluxor magnet structures, as seen in Fig. 1. But in the LCD-1, there is only one magnet in each earcup, located between the ear and the diaphragm. This is less efficient than a double-sided design, requiring more amp power, but it allows the headphones to be lighter. And the Fluxor magnet is more efficient than a conventional magnet, focusing more of the magnetic field toward the diaphragm.
Why place the magnet between the ear and diaphragm rather than the other way around? Two reasons—to protect the diaphragm and to allow damping material to be placed on the other side.
In most planar-magnetic headphones, including those from Audeze, the magnet is a slotted structure that allows sound to pass through the slots. As you might recall from basic physics, when waves pass through parallel slots, they cause interference patterns (see Fig. 2), which can degrade the sound quality. Audeze solves this problem with its Fazor waveguide attached to the magnet structure. According to the company, this eliminates the interference patterns, corrects the phase response, and improves the acoustic impedance. For more on Fazor technology, click here.
Audeze As the diaphragm vibrates, it sends sound waves through the slots of the magnet structure, causing interference patterns as they emerge. Audeze’s Fazor waveguides eliminate this interference. In this generic diagram, there are magnets and Fazors on both sides of the diaphragm, but in the LCD-1, they are on only one side of the diaphragm.
Without the Fazor waveguides, sound waves emerge from the slots and interfere with each other, degrading the sound quality. The Fazor waveguides eliminate this interference. In this diagram, there are magnets and Fazors on both sides of the diaphragm, but in the LCD-1, they are only on one side.
PerformanceThe LCD-1 is quite lightweight, and the earpads are very comfortable; my ears fit nicely in them, and they are super-soft. The earcups provide a surprising sense of isolation, despite being their open-back design. My only complaint here is that the headphone feels a bit flimsy.
As usual, I played high-res audio files from the Tidal Master library on my iPhone XS, using the iFi hip-dac (reviewed here) as the DAC/amplifier. First up was “In Too Deep” by Jacob Collier from his most recent album Djesse Vol. 3. The vocals are accompanied mostly by synths with some super-low bass, all of which was rendered beautifully by the LCD-1—clean and clear with an open soundstage and natural, present vocals. The deep bass was exceptionally well represented without bloat or congestion, and it balanced the rest of the spectrum perfectly.
I haven’t seen Pixar’s latest movie Soul yet, but the soundtrack album is now streaming from the Tidal Master library. I listened to “Collard Greens and Cornbread Strut,” a very short but hard-bopping piece played by a jazz combo of piano, bass, drums, and horns, including a smokin’ tuba. It sounded clean and open on the LCD-1; I could hear each instrument clearly within a unified whole.
This year, composer Max Richter wrote and recorded a haunting musical backdrop entitled All Human Beings meant to accompany the reading of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On his album Voices, the piece begins with Eleanor Roosevelt reading the Preamble in a 1949 recording, after which many other modern voices continue reading the Declaration in a wide variety of languages. It’s a lovely tribute to basic human rights that are all too often ignored in today’s world.
In addition to Voices, Richter also released a related album called All Human Beings, which includes a six-minute version of the piece played five times. Each one starts with the Eleanor Roosevelt recording that morphs into a modern voice reading Article 1 in one of five different languages—English, Spanish, German, French, and Dutch. (I wish he had included some languages from places other than western Europe.) I listened to the English version on the LCD-1, which sounded gorgeous, with a wide soundstage for the orchestra and choir, and the voiceover sounded completely natural and present.
Vendor-provided art. The Audeze LCD-1 planar magnetic headphones are quite transparent in their audio reproduction.
Next up was “Starlight” by guitar legend Lee Ritenour from his album Dreamcatcher. Most of the album is simple solo guitar—in this case, an acoustic guitar tuned quite a bit lower than normal. The folky, fingerpicked piece sounded clean, open, and well-balanced on the LCD-1, with a wonderful low end and no hint of congestion.
For some throwback fun, I listened to “Money For Nothing” from Dire Straits’ 1985 album Brothers in Arms, which was just released in MQA format. The LCD-1 presented a big, open soundstage in which the stereo drums really bounced around. Once again, the sound was clean, and I could hear each instrument and voice clearly, including Sting’s unmistakable guest vocals.
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of The Manhattan Transfer, one of my favorite vocal groups, so I cued up “Cantaloop (Flip Out!)” from The Junction. The music is based on the classic Herbie Hancock tune “Cantaloupe Island” with lyrics by Us3. It’s a richly produced track and a wonderful mix with deep bass and an infectious groove. As I had come to expect, the LCD-1 did it full justice with a clean, open sound. The deep bass was perfectly balanced with the rest of the ensemble without becoming overbearing.
I always include some classical music in my review listening. This time, I started with the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for String Orchestra in C Major, Op. 48, from the album Serenades by the Zürcher Kammerorchester under the direction of Daniel Hope. Once again, the sound of the LCD-1 was clean, open, and well-balanced. The strings sounded vibrant, and I could clearly delineate each section within a cohesive whole.
Finally, I listened to the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, as recorded by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Lahav Shani. The LCD-1 had a nice, open, wide sound with excellent balance.
Vendor-provided art. Most people will use the 3.5mm cable, but Audeze provides a 1/4-inch adapter in the box as well. | https://medium.com/@Mark38958323/audeze-lcd-1-planar-magnetic-headphone-review-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-8f6215f93ac1 | [] | 2021-01-15 07:10:16.486000+00:00 | ['Lighting', 'Connected Home', 'Home Tech', 'Entertainment'] |
Perks of Outsourcing Services to the Philippines | On a previous article, we tackled about the reasons why Philippines is the ideal outsourcing destination. Today, we will learn about the benefits of outsourcing services to the Philippines.
Of the numerous outsourcing countries in the world, the Philippines truly stand out. In fact, the country’s BPO industry remains one of the biggest factors that help its economy.
As a result, a massive number of BPO call centres was built in the country. Meanwhile, the same amount of small and medium business enterprises started outsourcing their services.
Aside from lower labour costs, quality staff, infrastructure, and equipment, there are other advantageous perks that you can enjoy when you choose to offshore your services. Listed below is:
Employee flexibility
Filipinos are known for their neutral accents and they can easily learn others if needed. In addition to that, most of those talents are college graduates, and that makes it easier to be taught. Now, establishing your own offshore team in the Philippines creates a greater possibility of employing diversified talents. From several back-office services to other outsourcing services, they sure can handle them all.
Round-the-clock business hours
For your business that never sleeps, running it 24/7 is the solution. When you choose to outsource your services, you won’t have to worry about who will look out for your processes. Even if you’re sleeping or on holiday, your Filipino offshore team can surely take over. Aside from the round-the-clock work, this benefit also improves productivity as it operates overnight.
Fewer management headaches
One of the busiest department in a business is probably the HR, as they handle people from recruiting up to its everyday performance. Your offshore HR people will be the one to sweat buckets and assure that your team remains well-managed. They will be in charge of your staff benefits, salary, leave credits, and especially legal matters.
Professional work ethics
Filipinos take pride in having one of the best work ethics in the professional industry. They are widely known as hardworking, friendly, hospitable, and sympathetic people who always impress employers. They are also easy to get along with which makes the whole office environment vibe livelier. This impeccable trait is why Filipinos are suitable for jobs that require a lot of customer interaction and coordination.
Now all that’s left is to choose a trustworthy offshore staffing Manila-based company who specialises on your most prized services.
For quality and cost-efficient offshore services, call DBOS today! | https://medium.com/@dbosmarketing/perks-of-outsourcing-services-to-the-philippines-e3e094168a0 | ['Dbos Au'] | 2019-07-10 02:01:01.066000+00:00 | ['Offshoring', 'Philippines', 'Outsourcing', 'Business'] |
Dictatorship | Dictatorship
Democracy
Democracy, a utopian scheme, to uphold the value of Humanity and decent live is in peril for many years not only in India but also in other parts of the world where cruel despotors reign the power and to expand it over every individual are leaving no stone unturned .
As World is under threat of Dictatorship and the people are confuse which one is better between Dictatorship and Democracy because both have some positive and negative implications which directly and indirectly impact our life througly .
Let us enjoy small and meaningful conversation between Democracy and Dictatorship.
Dictatorship -People all over the world are running for Power or ultimate Power and I am the one which satiate this need and as the world is divided into different sects and culture so it is not feasible to control everyone or satisfying by giving them the right to take decision according to their circumstances because it creates chaos in the society. It is once again an impossible task to design polices which can fulfill everyone’s desires or needs and without dictionary, it becomes troublesome task for any country to implement the laws which are made for a bigger goal.
Democracy attracts chaos and Dictatorship attracts peace in a society in a larger extent.
Democracy -It is right, sometimes Democracy attracts chaos but only when the ruler who comes with a promise that the well being of citizens will be a paramount for it but when citizens feels, the promise was just a fake allurment and the ultimate aim of ruler is only well being of him then that chaos is far better than peace or disciplined citizens.
Although, it is a fact every country of the world is divided in many sects and cultures and to design one law for all is not feasible but it is also impossible to make one law with the vision of well being of a particular class so Democracy doesn’t attracts chaos, it attracts healthy discussion and healthy discussion also reflects the well being of citizens.
Dictatorship -Every Democracy completes only when it has strong opposition and without strong opposition, democracy is vain but how can we expect opposition allow ruling government to run the government without opposition because only creates hindrance in every matter just to strong its position?
Democracy -It is right it is opposition job to create hindrance in government work but hindrance only succeed when there is absence of good will in government.
Dictatorship verses Democracy
To read further conversation kindly started following RaGu Politics | https://medium.com/@rahul8791gupta/dictatorship-801255d0842f | ['Ragu Politics'] | 2020-12-14 09:59:56.265000+00:00 | ['India Govt', 'Dictatorship', 'Consitution', 'Democracy', 'Civil Rights'] |
1 Year Ago We Became Digital Nomads —and It Changed Everything | 8.) When you know you won’t be somewhere for a long time, it’s easier to love it for what it is
For most of my life until I was in high school, my family moved every 6–12 months…I hated it. Then we stopped moving and I was bored out of my mind and practically grew to hate it there until I left for college. There wasn’t enough to do, and the people didn’t seem to grow or change. I felt suffocated.
In our new life on the road it pays for us to move every 2–3 weeks, and that’s actually made me love every place that we’ve been to.
As we drive into our new spot the views are novel, and there are plenty of places to explore, experience, and eat at. It all feels so adventurous. As you begin to settle in and get cozy, it’s time to move again — and we always feel a little sad to be leaving. Although that might sound a bit depressing, I think it’s a great indicator that we’ve been moving at the right pace.
My theory here? When you know you’ll only be somewhere new for a small chunk of time, you can prioritize finding the things to love about it rather than worrying about whether it can meet all of your needs forever (a tall order).
The requirements for the place to be entertaining for a few weeks vs. a few years are drastically different, so moving often allows you to enjoy a place for what it has to offer rather than growing to hate it for what it doesn’t have. | https://medium.com/curious/1-year-ago-we-became-nomads-and-it-changed-everything-15c76da69b26 | ['Breana Wallace'] | 2020-12-01 19:51:41.531000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Lifestyle', 'Remote Working', 'Rv Life', 'Digital Nomads'] |
by Martino Pietropoli | First thing in the morning: a glass of water and a cartoon by The Fluxus.
Follow | https://medium.com/the-fluxus/saturday-san-martino-giglio-castello-giglio-island-1bc0ba28c7d1 | ['Martino Pietropoli'] | 2018-07-07 00:48:38.698000+00:00 | ['Drawing', 'Illustration', 'Italy', 'Watercolor', 'Saturday'] |
Как насчет хоровой музыки? Барочной, а? | (оглядывается) Детей нет поблизости? А то тут PG17…
(Spoken:) Maid Mary having broke the handle of her hair broom and hearing that (Manservant John) had a long stick that would fit it, desired him to put it in for her.
1. My man John had a thing that was long,
My maid Mary had a thing that was hairy,
My man John put his thing that was long,
Into my maid Mary’s thing that was hairy.
2. My maid Mary then stirr’d it about,
till with stirring and stirring at length it came out,
but then my man John, thrust it in once again,
and knock’d it most stoutly to make it remain.
3. But John with much knocking so widen’d the hole,
that his long thing slip’d out still in spight of his soul,
till weary’d and vex’d and with knocking grown sore,
cry’d a Pox take the Hole for I’ll knock it no more.
Послушать
Тут вот
Чего, переводить надо? :)
Композитор Джон Экклз, XVII век, Англия | https://medium.com/livejournal-archives/%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BA-%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%82-%D1%85%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%B0-2a495fb17c93 | ['Orion Nebula'] | 2017-07-02 21:18:13.390000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Pieces'] |
Neural Network vs Random Forest vs Gaussian NB —What Should You Choose? | In an attempt to “predict the future”, we gather and analyze data, finding trends and patterns in it. There are tons of classifiers to choose from, for example, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector Machine, and many more. Every classifier has its own unique characteristic, performing well in certain datasets but not in others. Hence, it is always a quest to seek out the best classifier to use for a certain data set.
In this article, we will be looking at three classifiers, namely Neural Network, Random Forest and Gaussian Naive Bayes to see how well they perform against a Breast Cancer data set from Kaggle [1].
Analyzing the data set
The data set has a total of 11 columns, stating the various attributes of a tumor and whether the tumor is benign or malignant.
The first column is the ID number of the sample taken and every row can be uniquely identified based on it.
Sample Code Number: ID Number
There are 9 attributes that will be useful in classifying the tumor.
Clump Thickness: 1–10
Uniformity of Cell Size: 1–10
Uniformity of Cell Shape: 1–10
Marginal Adhesion: 1–10
Single Epithelial Cell Size: 1–10
Bare Nuclei: 1–10
Bland Chromatin: 1–10
Normal Nucleoli: 1–10
Mitoses: 1–10
The classification of a tumor is determined by the Class column, with a 2 for benign and 4 for malignant.
Class: 2 (benign), 4 (malignant)
Preparing the data
First, we import the .csv file from Kaggle, and remove rows with null values and duplicated rows. Note that this might not work with other datasets where there are no way to uniquely identify each row, or if there are a lot of rows with null values in them.
import pandas as pd data = pd.read_csv("Breast Cancer Prediction.csv") data = data.drop_duplicates()
data = data.dropna(how='any',axis=0) # Changing the output to zeros and ones
# where benign = 0 and malignant = 1
for index, row in data.iterrows():
if row['Class'] == 2:
data.loc[index, 'Class'] = 0
else:
data.loc[index, 'Class'] = 1
We can proceed to visualize the correlation matrix between all the attributes to find out which attributes have a higher correlation with the Class attribute.
import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt correlation_matrix = data.corr() # Setting the dimensions of the heatmap
plt.subplots(figsize=(15, 15)) # Generate a custom diverging colormap
cmap = sns.diverging_palette(230, 20, as_cmap=True) # Draw the heatmap
sns.heatmap(correlation_matrix, cmap=cmap, center=0, fmt=".2f", annot=True, square=True, linewidths=.5, cbar_kws={"shrink": .5})
Correlation Matrix for the Breast Cancer Dataset
From the correlation matrix we can see that Uniformity of Cell Size, Uniformity of Cell Shape and Bare Nuclei have the highest correlation with Class. This means that they are crucial in classifying the tumor.
We will be using these three attributes and Bland Chromatin, the next best attribute, as inputs for the classifiers. This method of filtering out the attributes will be useful for larger datasets to reduce the chances of misclassification due to noise.
We split the dataset into training and test sets, with 80% for the training set, and 20% for the test set. Stratification is also used to ensure a similar distribution of Class for both the training and test sets.
data = data[["Uniformity of Cell Size", "Uniformity of Cell Shape", "Bare Nuclei", "Bland Chromatin", "Class"]].copy() training_set, test_set = train_test_split(data, test_size=0.2, shuffle=True, stratify=data['Class']) training_outputs = training_set['Class'].values
test_outputs = test_set['Class'].values training_set = training_set.drop(labels=['Class'], axis=1)
test_set = test_set.drop(labels=['Class'], axis=1)
With this, we are left with 65% benign samples and 35% malignant samples in each set. We can attempt to balance out the data by performing oversampling. Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) will be used.
from imblearn.over_sampling import SMOTE sm = SMOTE() training_set, training_outputs = sm.fit_resample(training_set, training_outputs)
This method will generate synthetic samples for the minority class, that is the malignant class. New instances are generated with the help of interpolation between the positive instances that lie together on the feature space.
Class distribution after oversampling
If we count the unique values in training_outputs using numpy.unique before and after resampling the data, we can see that the data has been balanced out.
# Converting to arrays
X = training_set.values[:,0:4]
X_test = test_set.values[:,0:4]
Y = np.array(training_outputs)
Y_test = np.array(test_outputs) # Standardize the features
sc = StandardScaler()
X = sc.fit_transform(X)
X_test = sc.fit_transform(X_test)
The dataframes are converted to arrays. The features are also standardized with StandardScaler to increase the convergence rate of the Neural Network. With this we are ready to carry out the experiment. | https://medium.com/swlh/neural-network-vs-random-forest-vs-gaussian-nb-what-should-you-choose-69d5c2d405b5 | ['Hong Yong'] | 2020-12-16 23:56:44.992000+00:00 | ['Information Technology', 'Technology', 'Data Analysis', 'Data Science', 'Data'] |
I was an underemployed professional with a 4-year degree. | I was an underemployed professional with a 4-year degree. I was working for the man but I wanted to be the wo(man). I was mentally drained and exhausted when I came home from work. At the time I was working for a Vocational Expert but didn’t feel like I was using my full potential. I knew I could do more. I knew I could use the skills learned from that experience, take them somewhere else, and be a leader. A decision-maker. I wanted to find a career that allowed me to not only take care of my family and provide some sort of financial freedom but also valued work/life balance, happiness, and my sanity. I wanted that feel good of knowing achieving professional happiness. That was just as important if not more important than money.
My biggest struggle was coming home from work mentally drained and physically exhausted and not wanting to be a mom to my own children. It was that bad. That meant I needed to make some big changes.
I felt less of a woman. How do I have a 4-year degree and an abundance of experience but stuck? I was my own worst enemy. I hated my job, my boss was annoying, my health began to deteriorate, I had migraines every day. The job was literally making me sick.
Through thoughtful planning and just having that gut feeling that I needed to pursue a job that was fulfilling, I decided to take that leap. The problem was I didn’t know where to start. I hadn’t written a resume in forever. Brush up on interview skills? Haha! There was no turning back at this point. It was all or nothing, so I dove in head first.
What better way to get experience than real life trial and error? After numerous attempts sending emails and applications, rejection after rejection, phone interviews and random call backs, I finally landed a job! As a Job Coach creating resumes, teaching career development courses, and coaching my clients on how to go from no job, no degree, and minimal skills to landing some of the highest paying careers in management and various trades. The irony.
I was able to find a job that I loved and learn the ends and outs of how to help people find gainful employment. The reward from that was enough. I even landed a part-time resume writing gig to gain even more experience. From there things just started to take off. I began receiving referrals from all types of people looking to make career changes, move up, get a head in life in general. Everyone from entry-level to c-suite. I found my niche in the mid-level to senior-level management professionals looking to advance or make a move. This is my sweet spot. This is my specialty.
When all is said and done I was able to identify the best methods for getting past ATS systems. I was able to create career documents that landed $10K+ promotions. Many of my clients have went from 60+ hour work weeks to 40 hour work weeks with the same pay. This has allowed the freedom to enjoy their freedom. Take vacations. Achieve work-life balance. Some people just want to succeed. | https://medium.com/@resumewritingformanagers/i-was-an-underemployed-professional-with-a-4-year-degree-bf2090040b9e | ['Leah Braswell'] | 2020-12-21 17:53:28.833000+00:00 | ['Careers', 'Resume', 'Jobs', 'Career Change', 'Management'] |
Enterprise Architecture | We can define Enterprise architecture as to how the large structure determines your business, shape the steps to capture values throughout the production process, to offer the greatest possible perceived value to the end customer.
It helps an organization to align strategy to business process without losing speed, the board of director can count on (EA) which promote: Alignment between the company and IT convenience by allowing fast response to market development and business needs.
Reducing the risks in any transformation and the benefits of (EA) on achieving goals.
In many organizations, the information system has become an integral part of the business strategy.
(TOGAF) The Open Group Architecture Framework is the business-centric, it has seven parts. It is a method to develop the (EA), by using a set of tools, is an approach to fast architectural development and effective governance, it guides process during the creation of architecture, it can be used for government or big organization.
(NAF) NATO Architecture Framework is a structure that helps the military to make a decision and support the share of information between NATO and its partners.
(UML) Unified Modeling Language is a tool of (EA) for modeling language, analyzing, and visualize the way the system has been designed for.
(SABSA) The Sherwood Applied Business Security Architecture is a structure that helps an organization for managing and developing risk enterprise, information security architecture, and management.
It offers solutions that help support critical business initiatives and governance in IT management infrastructure.
(FEAF) Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework is a tool (CRM) the agency uses to apply strategy, technology management and facilitate shared information.
It can be fragmented into domains example: Data, Application, Strategy, Business, Infrastructure and Security.
From my standpoint (TOGAF) is the most efficient or propose many options, it helps to build and develop the architecture of a framework, it can be useful to guide the organization when they are building a structure and is a fast process to develop governance.
It gives business vision-driven and capability through the process on how to reach your goals and objectives.
The advantages of applying EA framework, offer strategies developed to meet the overall goals, and succeed with the minimum cost and it is more productive and flexible.
Helps you to analyze the business model and understand enterprise architecture and that leads to a better approach to meet the organization’s expectations. | https://medium.com/@belhassentatar/enterprise-architecture-34b4ae2fcde1 | [] | 2020-12-27 20:43:25.953000+00:00 | ['Governance', 'Cybersecurity'] |
The Anywhere Economy Series | Shanghai Principles
It’s distances that bring workers together.
At 24 million people, Shanghai accommodates for flexible work arrangements. Image Credit; Denys Nevozhai
Shanghai, Spring 2017; my daily commute took a full hour each way. I’d travel metro lines 4, and 2 from Cao Yang Rd to Zhanjiang Hi-Tech Park, via Century Avenue. It was noisy, pushy, and in a Chinese rush hour — animalistic. Two things kept me going; the street breakfasts and working from my phone.
The trains were crowded — but negotiating a space along the wall meant having two free hands to type on my phone and make use of these 2 free hours a day. It’s how I made some valuable Yuan on the side — writing out major projects for DJs, assessing Biographies for Artists, even making important conference calls. In all, a good 20 per-cent of my income came from this otherwise exhausting journey.
Mobile devices are adaptable for work in real-time, turning commutes into valuable working opportunities. Image Credit; Matheus Bertelli
My superiors too became enthusiastic, allowing me to conduct final edit jobs via Smartphone upon my commute home — it cost the company nothing, of course, as versatile cloud computing meant documents and presentations could be completed across devices. In fact, it soon became apparent that for many tasks, writers didn’t always crave a desk, and with the advent of smartphone office apps and ultrabooks, a final product could be completed from miles away. It’s not a setup to suit the entire world’s white-collar population, but it’s a foundation stone in the argument for remote work.
The open office is dead, or just dying — we think. At least, this buzzword has made several enemies throughout the years. Fuelled by fuming office employees from across creative, journalistic, and sales-focused industries — the ‘open-plan movement’ is slammed for being counterproductive, strangling companies’ bottom lines.
They were the next solution to ‘cubicle offices’ promising collaboration and freedom of information exchange. Instead, an Oxford Economics study, reported by Forbes in 2016, highlighted peoples’ dissatisfactions — with tendencies to ‘box-in’ referring to communicating via messaging services, social media, thereby ultimately hindering the intended flow of constructive discussion.
The open & ‘collaborative’ nature of open offices is in-fact detrimental to focus and productivity. Image Credit; Helena Lopes
Such studies are still in their infancy, and have a margin for error regarding irrational factors, namely company size, global work cultures, and geographical factors. But they do share a common denominator. It’s that different departments are often squeezed under the same roof and to ill-effect both management and employee-side. This too is echoed by separate studies listed in both Inc., and Economist Intelligence Unit.
The question therefore is; if the intention is to keep productivity at its peak, and office space remains at a premium, then why not shrink the roof entirely, and nudge people outside?
Jianbing Pancake cart, China — some businesses are at their best, when on the road. Image Credit; Wanderlust Explorers
Back in Shanghai, I’d ponder this over my still-beloved daily breakfast. Served from a giant hot plate atop a bike cart, between 5:00am and 10:00am, the Jianbing street food pancake contained some parsley, red beans, 2 eggs, and chili sauce, should you dare so. It was my unequivocal favourite, and virtually unobtainable beyond the mid-morning.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Shanghai streets, a setting for culinary and business success. Image Credit; Joshua Earle
It’s exclusively street food, not usually served from kitchens of brick & mortar restaurants. And the reason; its equipment is only needed a certain time of day, and being too large, doesn’t make sense to be kept in-view. In all, the Jianbing business model is a strictly mobile one — appearing only when demanded, thereby keeping overheads at a minimum — freeing up its ‘real estate’ for late night noodle woks or barbeque grills. In all, it’s a Minimum Viable product at its greatest, and most delicious.
Working remotely is a solution revered by the worker in-particular. It is of course, demotivating to some, and a potential ‘trust’ worry for the employer. But ultimately, adopting a hybrid approach, of scheduled office appearances and periodical meetings combines a growing comfort to IT, Media, and Creative supports embracing ‘gigs’ as a sizable portion of their incomes.
The groundwork is already being laid out, literally. In select major UK cities, such as London and Manchester, as well as in Seoul, South Korea and across Poland — 5G networks are enabling bandwidths capable of realising large-scale real-time collaborations in design, and data projects between users. The capabilities also enable stable live work sessions, and large data transfers — further streamlining projects.
London, United Kingdom, next-gen Internet across major cities increases bandwidth, enabling more prompt large-scale data transfers. Image Credit; Joao Barboso
This will of course have the drawback of enabling better connectivity to some of the internet’s greatest distractions. And whilst YouTube will continue to thorn manager’s sides — the world has no shortage of motivated workers, a click away and verifiable via online tests, and plagiarism detection software.
Today’s CTOs, and budding entrepreneurs seek Lean. The ability to erase 4 walls is a start — but take a step further towards greater autonomy — and the costs might certainly fall. Systems in-place such as metrics, communications scheduling, and of course, project management schemes can be shared online — without bulky infrastructure. Traditionally, coffee shops already provide most of the infrastructure required to keep a meeting at full alertness, hence their continued popularity. For those still loving printers (and paper jams), there’s a solution to that too.
At the end of the day, the bottom-line states deadlines will be a given — but reaching and beating project and delivery targets can always feel easier by granting freedom and responsibility to remote workers. If an employer seeks to provide the ‘tools’ for championing and enabling the worker — then allowing them to work on their own terms appears like the next logical step.
Empowering individuals with necessary tools, can and will likewise enable their success. Image Credit; Startup
Whilst these are speculative experiments in workplace allocation — granting existing employees or offering remote-work to new workers can prove a productive step, as niche roles and responsibilities will be allotted more appropriately proportional overheads.
People will need motivation, and enabling systems is a new challenge that’d have to be mastered, but if you build it — they will come. Remote work enables people freedom to roam the fields, yes. But so long as a disciplined structure is in-place, as well as the occasional infrastructure — the relationship will remain fully productive.
This of course will be explained in broader detail; as we explain the world of remote work, and how flexible arrangements can work for the Manager and Employee alike! It’s a changing world, with more flexibility — it’s time to master it.
Shanghai, China, unprecedented expansions of cities worldwide render traditional working arrangements redundant. Image Credit; Zhao Chen
Meanwhile, Jianbing pancakes continue to be a hit, and whilst they’re a warm breakfast memory I’d gladly revisit — I can’t from where I am. A quick Google search reveals that although these pancakes exist outside of China — and despite their popularity abroad, the restaurants selling them are scarce. We won’t conclude as to why, but costs are always a gremlin.
We invest in a strategy often much in the same way we invest in foods. Eggs can be eggs, but for some reason — both rational and irrational; free-range feels a whole lot better than caged.
Discover more, with our new Anywhere Economy Series. | https://medium.com/sowa-marketing/the-anywhere-economy-series-5b52c9fa54dc | ['Max Kruk'] | 2019-03-18 00:29:01.692000+00:00 | ['Working Remotely', 'Freelancing', 'Digital Nomads', 'Remote Working', 'Nómadas Digitales'] |
[re:con]versations :: OF SOUND MIND :: Process and Practice with Everybody’s Automat’s Mark Gurarie | Who are you?
I’m a poet, writer, teacher, editor and rock “musician.”
Why are you a poet?
I’m a poet because I enjoy exploring what is possible in language, and the multifarious ways in which it can work. I like sort of chewing on words and collections of words; I savor the often disordered progression of thought that comes from an active mind, or is imprinted in it from the surrounding environment, or might suddenly appear as a means to memory. Especially in this day and age, we live surrounded by a constant influx of language — be it from reading books, from broadcasts, from the endless texts of the internet or just the chaos of the every day — so poetry becomes a way of tuning into specific frequencies within this array. It might also be a means to come into dialogue with disorder, while speaking to those parts of the psyche that create order; it’s something that is always in that liminal zone between sense and nonsense. I’m a poet because I appreciate the musical qualities of language as much as I appreciate the ways in which language might be able to convey ideas that do not fit into prose. In a sense, then, poetry is what I feel to be the most natural expression of my thoughts; I feel comfortable within its simultaneously freeing and restrictive idiom.
When did you decide you were a poet (and/or: do you feel comfortable calling yourself a poet, what other titles or affiliations do you prefer/feel are more accurate)?
I know that by the time I was in late high school, perhaps around the age of 17, I knew that I wanted to be a writer of some sort; up to that point, I focused primarily on visual art while playing bass in a band. It was not until I was 20 that I realized that poetry was to be my focus; I can’t quite pinpoint it, but I began writing stream-of-consciousness inflected prose poems in the manner of the beats, whom, of course, as a young white dude in college, I came to admire. I appreciated the lawlessness of it all — the radical spirit in the poems and the way that their form challenged convention — so I decided at that time to take it on by, well, writing poems.
What’s a “poet”, anyway? What is the role of the poet today?
This is a tough question because in the US, poetry is relegated to the margins of cultural and social production; whereas in many
other countries and cultures, poetry is more central. Here, outside of exciting popular developments like the emergence of slam and spoken word — and I actually think you might be able to include the vibrancy of hip-hop here — poetry is famously ignored by non-poets. That said, American poets have a special position as being the voice of the exterior, the underbelly, even if their exhile from whatever the “mainstream” might largely be self-imposed. In this sense, then, poets are able to use their craft to move in a freeer way than many of their artistic peers who are more closely attuned to the market, and furthermore, the relationship between poet and broader American society is always evolving.
As much as can be said about the disengagement of say, modernist poets in the early 20th century, from political or social discourse, you have strains that speak for under-represented voices, that lift the mirror to society at large, like those of the Harlem Rennaissance, for instance. In a similar way, the poet today has the opportunity to employ the craft to explore and challenge the status quo, and in that, to bear witness. To me, it’s incredibly exciting that Claudia Rankine’s Citizen was actually on the NYT’s best-sellers list (two different times, I believe), or that Patricia Lockwood’s “Rape Joke” went viral.
In its own way, and occasionally, the culture at large looks to the poets and lets them in; the onus is on the poets to use their craft and their perspective to make work that is meaningful, challenging and makes a genuine attempt to capture an underlying truth.
What do you see as your cultural and social role (in the poetry community and beyond)?
The poetry community is a sprawling and often dysfunctional family, but at the core of it, anyone that reads it or that goes to a reading becomes a member. As much as there are genuine and heated debates about how it functions, what it does and what it should do, it’s important to remember that poetry can only live when it is written and when it is read and when it is loved. In this sense, I view my position as a poet as one of a facilitator and champion for the voices I see as doing good work. This is why I was for a long time involved in curating a reading series, and it’s why I write reviews and work (well, volunteer) as an editor of them. In this, I like to think that I am helping create some more space for the art in the wider sphere, while letting it continue to grow and develop. Furthermore, every poem out there is in dialogue with the poetry that preceded it; in this sense, too, my own work serves the function of furthuring this important conversation.
Talk about the process or instinct to move these poems (or your work in general) as independent entities into a body of work. How and why did this happen? Have you had this intention for a while? What encouraged and/or confounded this (or a book, in general) coming together? Was it a struggle?
While the manuscript as a whole wasn’t in my mind, as such, when these poems were written, it should be noted that the sections within it represent discrete, if in many ways related, entities. The first and last sections — the two most directly concerned with exploring music — existed previously as a chapbook, Pop :: Song and were conceived to sort of counterbalance each other. The first is an exploration of experiment in musical forms through an ekphrastic response to 20th Century composer/troublemakers, Erik Satie and John Cage, and the latter is composed in the form of a pop song and looks at the ways popular music can be equal parts provocative, evocative and sentimental. The other two sections also hang together tightly. One is a series of poems in the voice of an alien who has mislearned the language through broken 20th century broadcasts, and in the other the urban contemporary and the natural is exposed as a mutually idealizing false binary.
I found, though, in looking at the poems over the years that they resonated with each other; they had similar investment in musical approaches, fractured lexicons and indirect approaches to shared, cultural memory as well as the personal. It should be noted, too, that these come from a two to three year historical period for me; though not my original intention to have them be some sort of “recording” of my life and my art, they became just that. Over the course of piecing together the manuscript, I did encounter struggles and doubts; particularly, it took me a while to accept that the sections really should be in their own “rooms.” It was jarring for me that this was not looking like a more traditional collection of poems, but a kind of nesting doll or some sort of toy composed of differently shaped pieces. Eventually, though, I relaxed, and, as the old trope goes, let the work guide me. I had to have faith in the original vision(s).
Did you envision this collection as a collection or understand your process as writing specifically around a theme while the poems themselves were being written? How or how not?
As mentioned above, it was easier to conceptualize each of the sections as thier own “collections,” and I think that it was really in retrospect that I realized that they broached similar thematic territory, if from different angles and approaches. Ultimately, these poems reflect the concerns I had at the time — and probably to a great extent still do — and the types of things I was doing in them mirrored each other. If anything really binds them, come to think of it, it is that they are all sort of top-down in construction. I developed a concept or idea, most likely after a few were written, and used that to guide the generation of the rest of them. It is very often a way that I work; I’ll land on an idiom, structure or form, and try to work it out in as many ways as I can without losing my mind.
Speaking of monikers, what does your title represent? How was it generated? Talk about the way you titled the book, and how your process of naming (poems, sections, etc) influences you and/or colors your work specifically.
A big “theme” that I hope to convey in Everybody’s Automat is that of the strange utopianism, the resoluteness and ultimate failure of the 20th century; the book both idealizes and reels in horror of the cold war, capitalism and industrial process, as well as the ways in which the monochromatic aesthetic of the previous century — its hopes and dreams — fell to pieces and brought us here. Since the work is composed of discrete entities, I imagined them as sort of like slots in an abandoned automat lunch joint. The machinery is rusty and far removed from its original glossy and futuristic facade, but the plastic-wrapped Wonderbread sandwiches, chock-full of preservatives, might still be edible 60 some years on. Each section costs approximately 5 cents.
I do love titles, and, since, as mentioned above, many of these poems were generated with a ruling concept in mind, the titles have a massive influence on the works themselves. This isn’t always how I work, but what is nice about working in this way is that it allows the poems in question to develop a life of their own and to surprise me. When that is happening, in my view, you are doing something right.
Of course, also, the title Everybody’s Automat is a riff off of Stein’s Everybody’s Autobiography, and must therefore be in dialogue with her fractured, self-conscious-without-a-self approach to memoir. As much as, at the time, I would’ve told you that these poems are not autobiographical in any sense, there was indeed a “there there” because my own history as the child of Ukrainian immigrants, as a kid invested in punk music and modern art, as an urbanite in fake deer skin, as a budding artist, is in there. It took some years for me realize that; as much as I tried not to be a self-referential, self-absorbed artist, I of course was.
What does this particular collection of poems represent to you
…as indicative of your method/creative practice?
…as indicative of your history?
…as indicative of your mission/intentions/hopes/plans?
These poems certainly encapsulate a particular period in my creative practice, one during which I was invested in formal experiment as a means to indirectly present autobiography, history, social critique and linguistic play. I was excited, at the time, by the possibilities that collage, translation, mistranslation and a focus on the musical aspects of language can bring to the lyric form. This is perhaps best seen in the “Resistant Is Futile” section, in which, in keeping with the imagined lexicon of an alien and how it might develop a concept of Earthly life through broadcasts, lines repeat or are slightly distorted. To create this effect, I sometimes used translation engines to fracture the meaning of some phrases, and I got to pun with abandon. Eventually, the persona of this possibly malignant being overtook, though it is likely also, in many respects, a reflection of the russian accented English of my parents. In crafting them, as well as the other sections, I became excited by the possibilities of experimental approaches to writing practice, and I exhuberantly took these on. I learned a great deal in working with these poems, especially in the editing process, and many of the methodologies still crop up in my current practice.
What formal structures or other constrictive practices (if any) do you use in the creation of your work? Have certain teachers or instructive environments, or readings/writings of other creative people (poets or others) informed the way you work/write?
The poems here are certainly indebted to both received and invented forms and practices. At the core of it, they, and I think much of my work, play with notions of translation as this concept is taken on by writers like Anne Carson and Caroline Bergvall. Carson’s Nox, in particular, was influential; I was struck by the way that the act of translating a Catullus poem became her means of coping with the loss of her estranged brother to create a book that, in many respects, is so much more than “just” poetry. I got enamored with the idea that every creative act is, in essence, a form of translation; the translation of feeling and thoughts into certain forms; the translation of real-time musical moments into texts, and the extent to which mistranslations and mistakes are as integral as anything else. Everyone, it might be said, has their own personal language; therefore, every piece of writing or music is an attempt to translate this to something for the broader world.
The first and last sections are in direct dialogue with musical approaches; I was reading a great deal of John Cage, for instance, and became invested in his ideas about aleotoric and experimental practice. In some sections of “Pop : Poem Manufactured in the Furniture Music,” Cage’s lines intermingle with mine and provide shape to the poems. It should be noted, too, that the concept of “Furniture Music,” comes from Satie, who invisaged some of his pieces as being more ambient, something specifically to be background music. I tried to echo the sense of experiment that guided these composers, translating what I learned from them into the serial poem. Similarly, in the final section, “: Song: Poem to be read in 3:18,” I adopted the rigid structure of the pop song: intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, coda. Here I was essentially translating the panoply of emotional and visceral reactions to the rock and punk songs I love (and hate).
The second section, “Sentimental Animals,” I view as musical in its approach; there is no rigid form to speak of, but I wanted it to have its own lexicon, and, in particular, to play off the ways that meaning and “sentiment” can be influenced by context. Certainly, also, these poems are intended to interrogate notions of urbanity and contemporary existence, at least in certain circles, as both separate from and idealizing the natural. Because of a variety of factors, we live in an era in which urban spaces like Brooklyn have been colonized by those enamored with a close connection to the land — you know, “farm-to-table,” and “rustic” in aesthetic looks — while being part of a demographic ecology that preys on and pushes out what the borough traditionally was. The nostalgia for authenticity, in the end, is what both drives development and preys on the local.
Perhaps most conspicuously, the “Resistant Is Futile” section is indebted to the exploded notion of the sonnet a la Ted Berrigan. Here texts are mixed and remixed: starting from material that comes from corporate speech, advertising and popular entertainment, I freely distorted, collaged and ran lines through translation engines to give it all that “extra-terrestrial” feel. I like the notion that all of our telecasts and broadcasts radiate endlessly into space and are being received by others that are out there, and further, that these frequencies are how extraterrestrials might form an understanding of the human race. The work certainly has roots in my reading of LANGUAGE poetry; they play with the inherently ideological and political sense of language as seen in corporate speech and pop culture. They are also my approach to both persona, a la David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, and the kind of surrealistic cosmology you find in Sun Ra or Parliament Funkadelic albums. | https://medium.com/the-operating-system/re-con-versations-of-sound-mind-process-and-practice-with-everybodys-automat-s-mark-gurarie-cfe595e9d9e9 | ['The Operating System'] | 2018-01-16 21:03:07.170000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Music', 'Interview', 'Art', 'Writing'] |
スイスの金融局FINMAからノーアクション・レターを受け取りました | in Both Sides of the Table | https://medium.com/icovo/%E3%82%B9%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B9%E3%81%AE%E9%87%91%E8%9E%8D%E5%B1%80finma%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89non-action-letter%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E5%8F%96%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F-4ee0bd8c4d62 | ['Icovo Ag'] | 2019-02-10 09:11:01.483000+00:00 | ['ICO', 'Finance', 'Japanese', 'Switzerland'] |
Technology helped win WWII (and it wasn’t radar or the atomic bomb) | This WWII technology breakthrough saved thousands of lives
Holmes’ book brings to the fore the role of the proximity fuse in defeating the first of the Nazi superweapons to surface: the V-1 “buzz bomb.” But the device had far broader applications and played a pivotal role in turning back the German advance in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) and the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945) as well. Here’s why the fuse was needed and how it worked:
“In the early weeks of the Blitz, the ratio of fired [artillery] shells to downed aircraft — a metric described in RPB, or rounds per bird — was twenty thousand to one.” In other words, antiaircraft guns brought down Nazi planes only by the sheerest luck.
The challenge, then, was to design and produce a gadget that would detonate an artillery shell only within striking distance of an attacking aircraft — not by hitting it directly but by exploding just closely enough for shrapnel to tear the plane apart. American and British scientists and engineers approached this challenge by testing a wide range of options. And the Americans found the one technological fix that proved to work.
A micro-transmitter in the proximity fuse within the shell uses the shell’s body as an antenna and emits a continuous radio wave. As the shell approaches a reflecting object, the wave bouncing back triggers the detonation when it signals having reached an optimal distance from the target.
Bureaucratic hurdles and brickbats blocked this WWII technology breakthrough
The proximity fuse resulted from the work of a team of American scientists and engineers known as “Section T” led by physicist Merle Tuve. Holmes vividly relates the bureaucratic hurdles and brickbats that Tuve and his lieutenants suffered throughout the development of the fuse. The frustrations were constant amid the chaos of the American military establishment during the war and distractions from an unsuccessful parallel effort undertaken by the British. But the resistance didn’t end even after the fuse had been battle-tested and proven to be a godsend. When Section T delivered fuses to the Navy in the Pacific, “[s]ome gunners flatly refused to use the new ammunition,” and it took weeks for the new technology to be widely adopted.
The same happened on the other side of the world. “To the British, the American device remained an unproven technology” reflecting what might be characterized as the “not-invented-here” syndrome. And “[E]ven if the British had wanted to use Section T fuses [to defend London], they couldn’t” because they were prohibited from using it over land. The device was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the war, and military officials feared a downed fuse might somehow make its way to the Nazis. The resistance broke only when Winston Churchill personally intervened to order the gadget’s deployment in the battle against the V-1.
Astonishing results once the military fully deployed the new technology
Once British artillery was rushed to England’s southern coast and the ammunition equipped with the fuses, the impact was dramatic. The following table conveys a vivid sense of how dramatically the proximity fuse heightened the effectiveness of the artillery defending London against the V-1 during the two-and-a-half month period when the buzz bombs fell.
During most of the time since World War II, articles and books written about the proximity fuse — and there’ve been many — have claimed that British technicians invented the device and passed it along to the Americans for production. That’s simply not true, and 12 Seconds of Silence corrects the record based on exhaustive historical research. Section T was a group of American scientists and engineers in one department of the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development, and it was they who were truly responsible for designing and building the gadget.
If the word fuse conjures up an image of one of those little things you plug into the fuse box in your home, guess again. The proximity fuse was an immensely complicated piece of technology. Image credit: Wikipedia
A large cast of colorful characters
There’s a large cast of compelling characters in this book, including several of the scientists and inventors in Section T whose later careers highlighted their brilliance. But Holmes’ story centers on just a handful of individuals:
Merle Tuve (1901–82), the brilliant and short-tempered physicist who gave his name to Section T, driving a team that ultimately numbered more than a thousand scientists, engineers, and support staff
Vannevar (sounds like achiever) Bush (1890–1974), who headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), the massive American military R&D enterprise in World War II that developed over two hundred new weapons and devices
Col. Max Wachtel, the German army officer who managed the Nazis’ dreaded V-1 Vengeance-Weapon program
R. V. Jones (1911–97), who spearheaded scientific espionage for the British and (sometimes) reported directly to Winston Churchill
Private Edward (Ed) Hatch, an American soldier in the 130th Chemical Processing Company who was on the receiving end of the V-1 explosion in London that took the lives of 74 US soldiers; Hatch’s unit had been rushed to London because the British military leadership feared that the expected onslaught of V-1 rockets would carry chemical or biological warheads
Jeannie Rousseau (1919–2017), the beautiful young French spy who gathered extensive knowledge about the German superweapon development program at Peenemünde and sent it through Resistance channels to MI6 in London
A book that’s about a lot more than a WWII technology breakthrough
I’ve referred to this book as idiosyncratic. That’s because Holmes’ account wanders over a wide swath of World War II history. It’s crammed with digressions — many of them fascinating, to be sure, but largely peripheral to the story of the proximity fuse and its deployment against the V-1. If Holmes had stuck to the story, he would not have provided such rich detail about the French Resistance, the Normandy landings, and the training of the 130th Chemical Processing Company in the US and their experience in London. This book would have been both shorter . . . and much less entertaining.
For additional reading
Check out:
And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, plus a guide to this whole site, on the Home Page of Mal Warwick on Books. | https://medium.com/@malwarwick-98471/technology-helped-win-wwii-and-it-wasnt-radar-or-the-atomic-bomb-fe61dd600c7c | ['Mal Warwick'] | 2020-12-09 15:08:14.274000+00:00 | ['History Of Technology', 'World War II', 'Book Review', 'Technological Innovation', 'Military History'] |
Violence against women intensified since coronavirus outbreak: UN | Women around the world on Wednesday marked International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, highlighting how lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic have left many trapped with their abusers and exposed to greater danger.
The United Nations said since the outbreak of COVID-19, all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, had intensified, with shelters at capacity and helplines in some places seeing a five-fold increase in calls.
KEEP READING
https://www.vec.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/filefield_paths/macys-thanks-giving-day-parade-20-20-livestream-tv101.pdf
https://www.vec.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/filefield_paths/macys-20-20-livestream-tv1010101.pdf
https://www.vec.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/filefield_paths/macys-jaig.pdf
https://www.vec.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/filefield_paths/kochu-thanksgiving-parade.pdf
https://www.vec.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/filefield_paths/livestream-macys-thanks-giving-day-parade-20-20-tv1010.pdf
UK report calls out Saudi Arabia over women’s rights abusesForgotten women: The overlooked victims of serial killersWomen journalists are facing a growing threat online and offline
“Men’s violence against women is also a pandemic — one that pre-dates the virus and will outlive it. It too needs our global, coordinated response and enforceable protocols. It too affects vast populations of all ages,” said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in a statement.
Last year, 243 million women and girls experienced sexual or physical violence from their partner. This year, reports of increased domestic violence, cyberbullying, child marriages, sexual harassment and sexual violence have flooded in, she added.
In the Turkish city of Istanbul, several hundred people gathered to protest against domestic violence against women.
One woman taking part, who declined to give her name, said: “The law does not protect women as it should. We are here to make our voice heard. There are femicides happening almost every day in this country but people who are committing the crime are walking free.”
In Italy, protesters gathered outside Parliament bearing banners reading “If they touch one [of us], they touch all” and “Women are not toys”.
Italy went through one of the world’s strictest lockdowns between March and May and last month introduced new restrictions.
Its quarantine is creating conditions for increased murders of women by family members in the same home, according to a study by the Italian Economic and Social Research Institute.
“We have witnessed an increase in domestic violence during confinement measures,” said protester Serena Freddi. “This shows the home is still a place of conflict and violence for women.”
Spain held a minute’s silence for murdered women on Wednesday and in Portugal, the OMA observatory, which monitors femicide, said so far in 2020 30 women had been murdered, half of them victims of domestic violence.
The country’s Interior Minister Eduardo Cabrita said there was a 6 percent drop in the number of complaints about violence in the first 10 months of 2020 from a year ago, which he said was a worrying sign that women were struggled to access help during lockdown.
The government launched a video campaign called #ISurvived, which warns of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and hopes to spread the word about the support available to victims of domestic violence.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her weekly podcast, “statistically, every 45 minutes a woman in our country is attacked by her current or former partner. These are the cruel facts. Every single case tells a horrible story…We must never look the other way when girls or women are threatened with violence or attacked.” | https://medium.com/@me-chudon/violence-against-women-intensified-since-coronavirus-outbreak-un-ae088b78af8b | ['Khali Vakka'] | 2020-11-26 13:25:02.496000+00:00 | ['News', 'Politics', 'Violence', 'Coronavirus', 'UN'] |
Saul Sugarman’s Nerdy Fabulous Masks Offer Something for Everyone | I live in “mid” Sunset now (near 18th and Irving) and currently like a good book — up to my eyeballs right now in David Sedaris and Roger Ebert — and long walks. Pre-Covid, I loved throwing fabulous dinner parties and equally loved taking myself to a movie. And up until the pandemic, I threw events at Castro neighborhood bars. In addition to apparel, I currently write about cocktails for SF Examiner. I recently profiled Drollinger for them.
How did you start Sugarman Apparel?
My apparel really began as disco attire, and not so ironically: I wanted to be a disco ball for my birthday in 2015. D’Arcy Drollinger threw a Sexitude event in mine and one other dancer’s honor at SF Oasis. I couldn’t find a disco helmet for purchase online except for this Instructable by another local designer, Natalie Walsh. After wearing it that night, my friend encouraged me to open an Etsy. So Sugarman Apparel began as an Etsy and Facebook page called “Sparkles by Saul.”
Photo courtesy of Saul Sugarman
On a whim, I took out a $20 Facebook ad, which reached the costuming people for Miley Cyrus. She wore it on tour as her finale piece for six months, you can see it here in this New York Times article, and elsewhere. I personally think it inspired the current army of disco helmets for sale on Etsy now, and it was also essentially the beginning of my apparel brand as it exists today.
I made the disco mask sort of as a funny and fierce social media offshoot, and people relentlessly asked if they could buy one as a stand-alone piece. These hand-pieced masks are tricky to make, so I’ve declined thus far to sell it without a helmet.
What do you mean by “hand-pieced”?
It means I make them by hand, with my own fingers, hand stitching, or placing and gluing pieces. My orchid mask, disco mask, and jeweled mask are examples of this. The latter piece is an estimated 50 acrylic jewels with metal backings. A lot of shiny apparel is glued, but these pieces had to be sewn because the mask sits on the face, where one breathes, so I didn’t want customers inhaling fumes all day. I haven’t properly timed it, but it takes at least a solid 16 hours stitching in all the jewels, not to mention a reasonably elaborate wiring system I designed so the mask maintains that shape.
Photo courtesy of Saul Sugarman
Can you tell us about your collaborations with other artists?
The jeweled mask is part of a collaboration with artist Kate Tova, who did amazing, beautiful murals this summer that commented on the Black Lives Matter movement. She is among 14 artists and muralists I’ve collaborated with to put their work on masks, each with licensing agreements that have paid them thousands of dollars. The most popular among them is this mask (photographed outside Beaux) by artist Elliott C Nathan.
Photo courtesy of Saul Sugarman
It’s worth noting those printed pieces and colorful masks are made by several local seamstresses, some from Knobs at 432 Castro Street, a current collaborator of mine. Another seamstress I recruited out of CCSF, where I’d just started taking some fashion classes before the pandemic. I also machine sew a lot of pieces in my home studio.
A lot of your masks are video game or pop culture inspired. Is there anything or anywhere you draw particular inspiration from?
I’m not sure which ones are pop culture inspired, except the Marvel, DC Comics, and Pokemon masks, which I’d all group under “nerd” inspired. The inspiration is from the “Gaymer” community, a local collective of geeks in the Bay Area with whom I’ve made a name for myself through branding and throwing events, most recently at Midnight Sun and Detour. | https://thebolditalic.com/saul-sugarmans-nerdy-fabulous-masks-have-something-for-everyone-b70a282752ad | ['Sophia Smith'] | 2020-12-14 21:15:40.098000+00:00 | ['Style', 'Mask Envy', 'San Francisco', 'Clothes', 'Bay Area'] |
Federalism and the challenge of a swift public response to COVID-19 | Like many residents in California, I am living through the COVID-19 epidemic, learning as we go along on how to best protect ourselves and our communities. We are also concerned about how to protect strangers, outside our friends and neighbors, whom we may be putting at risk by spreading the disease. My University took swift action, moving to an online learning model, avoiding travel, promoting simple guidelines of personal hygiene, and practicing social distancing. Our School District, instead, followed CDC and County protocols, keeping our children attending school for two weeks, on the grounds that they were not susceptible to the same risks as other members of our community. My public schools have only announced today their closing for a month. The rationale is compelling: Santa Clara County currently has 66 confirmed cases and one death, and the epidemic is growing at an exponential rate. Shouldn’t there be a more unified response to the crisis, shared by Universities, Schools and other social spaces of potential contagion?
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 follow an exponential curve as noted by the blue dots denoting a hypothetical doubling of cases every 4 days after February 27.
More broadly, what is the proper response to a new epidemic in a democratic nation? Measures taken in China are probably not a good guide to how the US or other democratic countries should respond to this crisis. But the way things are going, at least in California, we unfortunately might heading towards a scenario like Italy’s, where COVID-19 has overrun the capacity of highly sophisticated and developed health system.
The problem with making a case for aggressive measures that may arrest contagion is that there are still many unknowns regarding the future of the disease, notwithstanding the sophisticated models simulated by epidemiologists. We do not know how or why children are less susceptible to the disease. We are barely beginning to understand whether warm weather may reduce the rate of infection in the coming months. It is still quite unclear what the actual death rate is. But in addition to the crucial evidence that science is providing to chart a course of action, the US has a structural challenge in facing this epidemic, emerging from its form of government, namely federalism.
Federal systems of government have the peculiarity of being less capable of acting in unison for a threat such as a pandemic. Federalism protects diverse interests creating veto points that empower local actors. But in so doing, it is also less able to transmit centralized decisions to subnational levels of government. There is quite a bit of evidence suggesting that for those same reasons, countries organized along federal lines are more unequal than unitary systems. The national State in federal regimes has less capacity to compensate and equalize when local and state actors block efforts at redistribution. Of course some federal systems are more unequal than others, with the US and the Latin American federations being more unequal than the European ones. But the general point is that in federal systems it is harder to shift resources to where they are most needed or to create solidarity among various territorial units, because of an in built feature in the arrangement that leads towards uncoordinated decision making.
Therefore, one of the complications in the response to COVID-19 in the US, and presumably in other federal systems, is that national strategic responses are harder to put together. This may be one of the elements that explains why Italy, though not strictly federal but characterized by a highly decentralized system of government, could not react in the same way as Taiwan or Japan did. The Italian regions are analogous to the US in their response to the COVID-19 crisis, because they initially were characterized by uncoordinated responses, particularly in what regarded aggressive testing. The Veneto region, as seen below, tested almost 5 per 1000 inhabitants, while Emilia Romagna only a third of that rate. Positive confirmed cases depended on the prevalence of testing, but there might have been an important insight in the authorities of some regions that may have been more able to prevent deaths by slowing down the spread in their jurisdictions.
Prevalence of testing by Italian region. Information from Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (March 12, 2020)
Provincial level data from Italy provide some additional insight, although it is very important to clarify that any claims regarding causal chains or an explanation are invalid with the information we have thus far. There is, however, a greater prevalence of cases in places where there is more jurisdictional fragmentation. The scatterplot is by no means a “smoking gun”, in the sense of providing definitive evidence, but it is suggestive, and a cross sectional regression model shows that the positive correlation is a statistically significant (a slope different from zero) positive one. The provinces in Italy also show what may be a climatic North — South gradient, although it is too soon to know whether this might be a consequence of temperature (we do not yet know how susceptible the virus is to those environmental conditions) or simply a confounding factor related to the way contagion progressed over the Italian territory. | https://adiazcayeros.medium.com/federalism-and-the-challenge-of-a-swift-public-response-to-covid-19-c0889a2296d | ['Alberto Diaz-Cayeros'] | 2020-03-13 19:55:11.506000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Mexico', 'Federalism', 'Italy', 'Public Health'] |
Time to say Goodbye | It’s time to move on.
Time to move forward.
Time to say goodbye to all the pieces I’ve lost- pieces that were taken from me.
Goodbye to the three-year-old me’s innocence. You didn’t deserve to be hurt and destroyed. You deserved to be protected. You deserved to be loved and cherished.
Goodbye to my 15-year-old youth. I don’t know what he did to you but I am sorry it happened. I’m sorry you had to deal with it alone. I’m sorry no one noticed. You deserved someone to have seen your pain. You deserve the protection.
Goodbye to the 28-year-old woman who so desperately wanted to be seen and chosen that she settled for the wolves in sheep‘s clothing. You deserved your No’s to be respected. You deserved a partner who loved you, who respected you, someone to take care of you.
Goodbye to the 43-year-old woman who carries unspeakable pain. A woman carrying the pains of lifetimes. A woman whose courage knows no bounds but is tired of fighting, of being on guard. Waiting for the next trauma.
Goodbye to all the me’s that believe this is what we deserved. That we couldn’t ask for more. Goodbye to the weight of disgusting. Goodbye to a body abused and burdened. Goodbye to the terror and the horror we hold in our bones.
Time to say hello
It is time to say hello to new possibilities. It is time to move forward with love and joy.
It is time to live like a woman whose courage knows no bounds.
It is time to seek joy pleasure and connection.
It is time to breathe new life into the container of possibilities.
It is time to be seen and to see myself through the eyes of others until I can see myself.
It is time to pursue life with a thirst and hunger that lives deep inside.
You know more now. You can do hard things. And you can allow goodness in your life.
You are blessed with connections that adore you and you can lean on them. You can turn to them.
You are capable of big things.
You are a force to be reckoned with.
Your heart is the answer. Your heart will protect you.
You are not stuck. Look around and see you survived. You got out.
Breathe into the fear and look around.
I promise it will be OK.
Go on now. It is time to live. | https://medium.com/@sharonmslate/time-to-say-goodbye-2273e989b51b | ['Sharon M. Slate'] | 2020-11-21 14:41:10.553000+00:00 | ['Rape', 'Healing From Trauma', 'Survivor', 'Childhood Trauma'] |
Passive Incomes That Have Been Proven Most Effective | Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
“If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die” — Warren Buffet
Do you know what the number one problem is with having a job? —
It’s the fact that you’re only able to earn money for those 8 hours per day, 5 days a week in most cases.
But for the other 128 hours in a given week — you’re not able to make any money at all, and this is essentially the definition of active income where you’re exchanging your time for money.
Most people — if they’re looking to make more money, they think they have to work more hours, and while that is a way to make more money, it’s kind of a lousy solution to this problem.
Sure, you could go out there and get another part-time job on top of your full-time job, or you can work crazy overtime.
But the question at the end of the day here is, do you really want to be working 50, 60, or even 70 hours per week?
I would say most people would answer that with a no.
Now, I personally became obsessed with this idea of earning passive income in my early 20s, and I’ve built up a couple of different passive income streams.
You’re in a bit of a unique situation here because you generally have a lot of time on your hands if you don’t have kids or a family yet — but you probably don’t have a lot of money, and when it comes to earning passive income, you either have to invest your time or invest your money.
These are different passive income streams that work well for people in their 20s. | https://medium.com/@murielwood8492/passive-incomes-that-have-been-proven-most-effective-ba0c87934589 | ['Muriel Wood'] | 2020-11-24 18:00:32.910000+00:00 | ['Financial Planning', 'Money', 'Saving', 'Passive Income', 'Finance'] |
AWS EKS(Integration of kubernetes and AWS Cloud). | What is AWS EKS?
EKS stands for Elastic Kubernetes Service, which is an Amazon offering that helps in running the Kubernetes on AWS without requiring the user to maintain their own Kubernetes control plane. It is a fully managed service by Amazon.
Amazon EKS helps run Kubernetes control plane instances over multiple Availability Zones which makes sure that they are highly available and it also can be integrated with other Amazon service in order to provide scalability and security for user applications.
EKS creates master and slave nodes and set up entire Kubernetes cluster.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is a open-source,extensible and portable platform for container-orchestration system that is used for automating the process of deploying, scaling, and managing computer applications.It has a large, rapidly growing ecosystem. It keeps on monitoring the containers, if any container goes down, behind the scenes it requests docker to create another container with the same data.
what is AWS?
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides
On-Demand Cloud Computing Platform and APIs to individuals, companies and goverments on a Pay-as-you-go basis.AWS services provides a real CPUs, GPUs, RAM, HDD/SDD(unlimited storage), Operating System image , databases and many more services. AWS is a platform that offers flexible, reliable, scalable, easy-to-use and cost-effective cloud computing solutions.The platform is developed with a combination of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and packaged software as a service (SaaS) offerings.
How does AWS EKS work?🤔
First, create an Amazon EKS cluster in the AWS Management Console or with the AWS CLI or one of the AWS SDKs. Then, launch worker nodes that register with the Amazon EKS cluster. We provide you with an AWS CloudFormation template that automatically configures your nodes. When your cluster is ready, you can configure your favorite Kubernetes tools (such as kubectl) to communicate with your cluster. Deploy and manage applications on your Amazon EKS cluster the same way that you would with any other Kubernetes environment.
What is eksctl?
Eksctl is a weave community slack command. It launch the cluster for us and lot’s of customisation we can do with this command.It is a simple cli tool for creating clusters on EKS. For setup click on this
Our Aim:
To Create a Kubernetes cluster using AWS EKS and integrate with EC2 , ELB , EBS , EFS. Then launch two pods on that cluster, one containing WordPress image and other containing MYSQL image for database, connecting this pod to a Load Balancer provided by the ELB service of AWS to expose this pod and provide these pods persistent volume through EFS storage.
Practical Time:
Step 1: Create an IAM user with administration Access.
If you want to login with CLI then use the aws configure command and give the access key, secret key from credential file and region name.
Step 2: Create EKS Cluster
I am creating cluster having 2 node groups. First node group have the 2 nodes and second have the 1 node with the help of yaml code.
apiVersion: eksctl.io/v1alpha5
kind: ClusterConfig metadata:
name: anish-cluster
region: ap-south-1 nodeGroups:
- name: ng-1
desiredCapacity: 2
instanceType: t2.micro
ssh:
publicKeyName: key-eks
- name: ng-2
desiredCapacity: 1
instanceType: t2.small
ssh:
publicKeyName: key-eks
Now, Run this command to create cluster
eksctl create cluster -f cluster.yml
Now, you can see 3 nodes are deployed in aws
Now , we need to update our kubeconfig file so that kubectl command can work and we can connect to cluster from outside world.
aws eks update-kubeconfig --name anish-cluster
Step 3: Create a storage using EFS(Elastic File Storage)
EFS is a service of AWS which is used for providing persistent storage to our pods. For using aws EFS as storage we have to just install amazon-efs-utils on all worker nodes.While creating the EFS storage we have to create it in same VPC in which our nodes has been created so that they can connect to the EFS storage.
sudo yum install amazon-efs-utils
Now, we are creating a provisioner for EFS, so that kubectl can connect to the EFS storage that is running on the cloud. So, we are writing a yaml for it.
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: efs-provisioner
spec:
selector:
matchLabels:
app: efs-provisioner
replicas: 1
strategy:
type: Recreate
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: efs-provisioner
spec:
containers:
- name: efs-provisioner
image: quay.io/external_storage/efs-provisioner:v0.1.0
env:
- name: FILE_SYSTEM_ID
value: fs-747cf6a5
- name: AWS_REGION
value: ap-south-1
- name: PROVISIONER_NAME
value: eks-prov/aws-efs
volumeMounts:
- name: pv-volume
mountPath: /persistentvolumes
volumes:
- name: pv-volume
nfs:
server: fs-747cf6a5.efs.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com
path: /
Now create a namespace and set name space as default
kubectl create ns wp-mysql # To create ns kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=wp-mysql
Now create a RBAC file:
Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method of regulating access to a computer or network resources based on the roles of individual users within your organization.
RBAC authorization uses the rbac.authorization.k8s.io API group to drive authorization decisions, allowing you to dynamically configure policies through the Kubernetes API.
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
name: nfs-prov-role-binding
subjects:
- kind: ServiceAccount
name: default
namespace: wp-mysql
roleRef:
kind: ClusterRole
name: cluster-admin
apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
Now, we need PVC as storage class. But why?
If we write anything in our pod , and restart the pod, we will lose entire data . so if we attach PVC then, we can retrieve our data even if we delete or restart the pods.
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
kind: StorageClass
metadata:
name: aws-efs
provisioner: eks-prov/aws-efs
Step 4: Create MYSQL Deployment
Now, we are launching a MYSQL database which will be connected to WordPress. For this, I have launched a pod using MYSQL version 5.7 image. I have picked the environment variables form the pre-created secret and I have also created a service type- ClusterIP which would be connected to this pod.
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
name: wordpress-mysql
labels:
app: wordpress
spec:
ports:
- port: 3306
selector:
app: wordpress
tier: mysql
clusterIP: None
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
name: efs-mysql
annotations:
volume.beta.kubernetes.io/storage-class: "aws-efs"
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteMany
resources:
requests:
storage: 20Gi
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: wordpress-mysql
labels:
app: wordpress
spec:
selector:
matchLabels:
app: wordpress
tier: mysql
strategy:
type: Recreate
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: wordpress
tier: mysql
spec:
containers:
- image: mysql:5.6
name: mysql
env:
- name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD
valueFrom:
secretKeyRef:
name: mysql-pass
key: password
ports:
- containerPort: 3306
name: mysql
volumeMounts:
- name: mysql-persistent-storage
mountPath: /var/lib/mysql
volumes:
- name: mysql-persistent-storage
persistentVolumeClaim:
claimName: efs-mysql
Now I have launched a pod using WordPress version 4.8-apache image and provided the environment variables and I have created a service type-Load Balancer which would help us to expose this pod to the outside world so that we could connect to the WordPress.
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
name: wordpress
labels:
app: wordpress
spec:
ports:
- port: 80
selector:
app: wordpress
tier: frontend
type: LoadBalancer
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
name: efs-wordpress
annotations:
volume.beta.kubernetes.io/storage-class: "aws-efs"
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteMany
resources:
requests:
storage: 20Gi
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: wordpress
labels:
app: wordpress
spec:
selector:
matchLabels:
app: wordpress
tier: frontend
strategy:
type: Recreate
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: wordpress
tier: frontend
spec:
containers:
- image: wordpress:4.8-apache
name: wordpress
env:
- name: WORDPRESS_DB_HOST
value: wordpress-mysql
- name: WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD
valueFrom:
secretKeyRef:
name: mysql-pass
key: password
ports:
- containerPort: 80
name: wordpress
volumeMounts:
- name: wordpress-persistent-storage
mountPath: /var/www/html
volumes:
- name: wordpress-persistent-storage
persistentVolumeClaim:
claimName: efs-wordpress
Create Kustomization file:
Kustomization file declares the customization provided by the kustomize program.
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
secretGenerator:
- name: mysql-pass
literals:
- password=redhat
resources:
- mysql-deployment.yaml
- wordpress-deployment.yaml
Now, apply your kustomization:
kubectl apply -k
After creating this file we can check using WebUI that a Load balancer is created. Now we can use the DNS provided by the ELB to connect to the WordPress.
This is the how my Web-UI look of my WordPress site and now we can login into the WordPress and create some websites or posts
First WordPress Page
Give Your details here
Yeahhh, our Wordpress is successfully launched.🥳🎉
It’s Done😎. Thanks For Reading🙏.
Any Suggestions and queries are most welcome .Feel free to comment below for any query or suggestions !!! | https://medium.com/@anishgarg970/aws-eks-integration-of-kubernetes-and-aws-cloud-87347bd88a44 | ['Knowledge Hub'] | 2020-07-12 09:58:14.172000+00:00 | ['Kubernetes', 'Aws Eks', 'Clustering', 'AWS', 'Vimal Daga'] |
Why Agile | Product organizations are going through significant transformation. Business/commercial expectations of the Product organizations are changing; customer (buyer) behaviors are changing; how software gets priced; distributed and implemented is changing; People/employee expectation within an organization is changing; etc. All of this has led to the Product organizations transforming their inner-working and organizing things differently.
As someone who has been introducing Lean/Agile at large, distributed, global organization and preaching, evangelizing Agile for several years now — I have found organizations that have adopted Agile find themselves well situated to be able to transform successfully. Over the years, I have seen my fair share of successes and challenges in its adoption across several large R&D organizations globally. Good news is that Agile is now well understood and accepted as a practice. It is more common now for me to meet Agile converts then Agile detractors so-as-to-speak. It help promoting Agile discussion now then what it was several years back.
These days, it is more common where someone will engage me on “How” to achieve agile. It is a healthy sign as an organization should continue to retrospect/improve or implement Agile practice. I also encourage organization to engage right agile coach to provide refresher on lean/agile practices. However, for the agile transformation to be successful in an organization — it is vital that people are remaining true to “Why” an organization is pursuing Agile as it help with the “How” of agile.
Here are some of the key transformation happening in the product organizations to pursue Agile:
1. Customer Experience: Know thy market/customers extremely well and build innovations that will succeed in the marketplace. Can’t emphasize enough around this point otherwise much of R&D $s end up delivering stuff that no one wants or don’t delight customers. Key here is to focus on the right few that matter by being grounded on sound customer-connected approach in an agile way.
2. Continuous Delivery: Increasing the pace of delivery as focus shift from longer and bulkier delivery cycle to shorter (& continuous) delivery cycle of the right things that customer want (enabled by automation). Learn by delivering software sooner and adjust based on customer feedback early in the cycle.
3. From Product Development to Service Delivery organization: As businesses move from Perpetual to Subscription — it is not just about developing/shipping a feature. Customers should be able to successfully consume those features at the pace of delivery and continue to remain delighted as a paid subscriber.
4. Adaptable organization: Pace of industry transformation hasn’t been any faster and organization ability to keep up with the change and transform adopting new skills/methods. Either an organization fight the change and worry about when the next shoe will drop or become an organization that understand the continuous nature of change and lead/participate keeping things relevant by driving changes.
5. Continuous improvement: Agile organization culture where teams are empowered (decision-making at appropriate level) that hold itself accountable and has a culture of continuous improvement.
It is equally important to also understand what Agile is NOT about as there are common myths that I hear based on individual interpretation of “How” agile.
1. Agile is NOT about sliding schedule where things get done when they get done. Sense of urgency around schedule remains. Predictability around delivery of things and Planning is still how organizations, customers, businesses plan and works.
2. Agile is NOT about developing and delivering code quickly over Quality. There has never been much higher premium on the Quality and Customer experience in our industry than ever before. In a Subscription and social media connected “word of mouth” world where loyalty is hard earned — it is easily destroyed by a poor quality incident.
3. Agile is NOT about less importance to people managers over team collaboration. People/Talent development is critical to succeed in the current competitive environment to develop a world-class organization. It is very complementary to agile team inner-working.
Interested to hear others perspective on their Agile journey. | https://medium.com/aloktyagi/why-agile-40d1a7ba4591 | ['Alok Tyagi'] | 2017-03-08 21:02:22.564000+00:00 | ['Product Organizations', 'Software Development', 'Agile', 'Organizations', 'Organization Development'] |
A 1,890% localization ROI in six months and other secrets of the mobile RPG-games market | When we started mobile games localization in 2009, it was hard to imagine that the mobile gaming sector would grow to USD 35–37 billion in 2016 and overtake the desktop and console gaming markets. For a while, small teams of mobile game developers could succeed independently and compete with large and experienced companies.
Such teams didn’t have an analytics department or even a marketing specialist. They would often ask us, as localizers: “Which country is the most suitable for my game? Will localization pay off? Can a game be published in this country without localization?”
Starting in 2015, we sought answers to all these questions. We found out how players rate localization quality in Russia and China and we conducted research on the profitability of the mobile gaming market in different countries.
In 2017, tltGames approached us with a question: “In which market would an RPG game about surviving a post-apocalyptic USSR be popular?” We realized we didn’t have a good answer.
According to our research, the markets in the US, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, and other countries are quite large. These would undoubtedly be profitable markets, but would they be interested in a post-apocalyptic USSR game? Will localization pay off?
To find the answer, we began a new study of localization ROI in the mobile RPG-games market.
For our analysis, we chose the mobile RPG-games market and used information from Priori Data that covered 55 markets. We sampled the top 250 games, ranked by profit size, from among 3,200 games.
In the diagram, we’ve identified two areas of games released in the most countries. The size of the bubbles corresponds to the size of the profits. It was interesting to us that gaming revenue was concentrated in these two areas, so we researched them in detail. Our sample consisted of 134 games that were released in the most countries (in 45–54 countries). We also attempted to discover whether there was a link between the number of countries in which a game was released and localization into the language of these countries. We want to mention separately that the country in which a game was released isn’t necessarily connected with localization: 28 was the maximum number of languages that a game was translated into in our sample.
As you can see, there’s a direct connection between the number of localized languages and how much a game earns (more languages equal bigger earnings). It’s true, of course, that the Russian market has its own peculiarities. :-)
More details on methods and results are available in our LocWorld report in English and in our LocKit report in Russian. Thanks to this data, we were able to create a formula for calculating localization ROI.
With the help of the results, we were able to calculate the average yearly ROI of localization in several countries.
We introduced the idea of “added localization value” in the formula. This is the difference between the average profit of a localized vs unlocalized game. We tried to allow for marketing costs (calculated as the cost of the average number of installations for a given type of game) and, of course, included the cost of localization.
Earlier in this article, we wrote about tltGames and the questions they had for us. We didn’t yet have the results of our localization ROI research at that time, but we did give them some advice: correct their English translation and add localization into Korean, Spanish, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Indonesian. Below are the ROI calculations as of November 2017.
Below is a representation of profit trends (by how much profit increased) with the dates of added localization into different languages.
We call this a “bad good case” for two reasons:
Now we would recommend different languages (English, both forms of written Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French) and a release in different countries (all English-speaking countries, especially the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia; China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, France). There’s a slight chance that game localization into Indonesian will pay off within a year. By the way, Sergey Klimov and Gremlins company got similar results for countries and languages. They have a premium-class game and they didn’t invest in marketing, i.e. they didn’t buy traffic or promote the game in countries of localization.
Feedback from Aleksey Shurokhov, the cofounder of tltGames:
“I personally recommend localization to those who haven’t done it yet. Beginning developers should start by translating the game into English and other European languages (German, French) as well as into Korean, depending on the game. You should pay attention to places that require localization and places that pay the most overall. Localization in these markets is a step toward increasing revenue without marketing. Any developer will be able to expand their audience. I’m completely satisfied with Allcorrect. We’re still working with them. As a result, downloads have almost doubled, and revenue has increased fivefold.”
We believe that our methodology allows us to calculate localization returns for not only mobile and desktop games but also for mobile entertainment apps. At the current moment, we’re working on widening our sample and increasing the coverage of the results. We need volunteer developers to improve the formula and models for predicting market ROI.
We would love to work with you. Please write us at [email protected]. | https://medium.com/software-and-games-localization/a-1-890-localization-roi-in-six-months-and-other-secrets-of-the-mobile-rpg-games-market-d52a337db517 | ['Allcorrect Blog'] | 2019-11-26 13:38:59.549000+00:00 | ['Mobile Marketing', 'Gamedev', 'Indie Game', 'Mobile Games', 'Localization'] |
Is your company encouraging psychological diversity? An Introvert’s Manifesto | We live in a society that has never been more technologically advanced. We have AI, Internet of things, private space travel, nano robots performing life saving surgeries, etc.
At the same time, from a psychological, social and political point of view it seems to me we have never been more ignorant and oblivious. We are so caught up in our small daily lives and quite frankly spend so much time lost in our jobs, our mobile devices and our exaggerated and most of the time imaginary dramas that we forgot basic truths about human nature and living in peace together as brothers and sisters from the same human race.
Do you think I am exaggerating? I’ll just name a few of the stark realities we have to deal with:
Increased xenophobia across the Globe, with the heartbreaking violence emerging from it
Increased religious fanatism and discrimination
We still have to fight against gender and sexual orientation discrimination
On top of all this, we have levels of discrimination we are not even aware of:
Financial discrimination: the world is more and more divided between the richest of the richest and the people who do not have access to food or water on a daily basis
Ageism or age discrimination: if past societies recognized their elders as the wisest of the group, cherished and respected them, in today’s society tens of industries make billions of dollars encouraging fear and hatred of getting old
And last but not least and certainly one that has a special place in my heart: psychological discrimination.
No, psychological discrimination is not just a new buzzword, and the latest trend in political correctness.
Psychological discrimination is the continuous and as-old-as-time discrimination of people who have not thought, acted nor felt the same as the majority, in line with the “standards”.
If you have a background in psychology, you are aware of how problematic and dangerous it is to define normalcy based on statistical prevalence. It is the reason why in the past women who were beaten at home, oppressed by society and husbands, living lives they hated and were angry for good reason were diagnosed with “hysteria” by none other than Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology.
Papa Freud, those women were not psychologically ill, they were made crazy by the injust, violent and soul crushing lives they led! And they certainly did not need to be treated with shock therapy or masturbation — they just needed some damn basic human decency and respect :)
And this is the simplest of examples, although quite a resonating one.
In today’s world, the most common psychological discrimination is against people who are different than the extroverted type: the loud, buzzing, always hyped, always happy, always seeking attention person.
Again, billions of dollars being spent by people in seminars, workshops, trainings, coaches and therapy to “overcome their introversion and shyness”, “make themselves heard”, “become more extroverted”, etc.
My response to this is: | https://medium.com/@alexandraserediuc/is-your-company-encouraging-psychological-diversity-a-manifest-for-introverts-6aa9cf4d362f | ['Alexandra Serediuc - Founder Of Light Insight'] | 2020-12-11 10:21:02.976000+00:00 | ['Diversity And Inclusion', 'Organizational Culture', 'Alexandra Serediuc', 'Leadership', 'Introvert'] |
How to Include an asynchronous third party library in Angular | We use Drip for Marketing Automation as a part of our Content Marketing service and we use Angular2 for our Front-Ends as a part of our Development service.
Drip has a very simple JavaScript API for adding email subscribers to their database.
The Problem this post offers a solution to is “How do I integrate Drip with an Angular 2 project?”
Problem 1: Where do I include the Drip provided <script> tag?
Drip provides a <script> tag to include in every page. Drip recommends putting it at the end of the <body> tag, however that doesn’t play nicely with Angular. So I included this script in my index.html in the <head> tag.
Problem 2: Where do I invoke the API?
I recommend invoking the API in a service so that you can re-use code in multiple places in your app.
However, since this is Angular 2 and Angular 2 uses TypeScript, you’ve got to jump through a hoop. At the top of your service include this line:
Adding the declare statement will stop TypeScript from complaining in your editor like it did in mine:
TypeScript complaining that _dcq is not found
Now with the declare statement in place, we can create a simple service that returns the response or the error from the Drip API. In the code below I use a Promise to handle the async. It’s a simple method but its not the Angular 2 way.
The Angular 2 way involves Observables and Subjects. Of course, you already know what Observables are all about, but your friend doesn’t. So for your friend, a Promise.
Problem 3: How do I display the returned data in my component template?
I know that Drip will have a success response with an email property.
However, that email property will only exist when the Promise resolves. So our template must account for that. As well, the Promise resolves asynchronously so we must use the Angular async pipe.
The result looks like the below:
I’ll break down the critical line:
{{ (response | async)?.email }}
We pipe the response to async so that its value will update when the Promise resolves. And we’ll optionally display the e-mail from the response. Thats what the question mark is about, optionally displaying a value.
Done! | https://medium.com/upstate-interactive/how-to-include-an-asynchronous-third-party-library-in-angular2-82bc24f4e633 | ['Peter B Smith'] | 2018-05-22 02:07:46.534000+00:00 | ['Software Engineering', 'JavaScript', 'Typescript', 'Angular', 'Drip'] |
Tips for successful Email Marketing | We are Providing freelancing digital marketing services at best prices. We are expert in SEO and social media. | https://medium.com/@digitalmarketerslife/tips-for-successful-email-marketing-592c9699570e | [] | 2020-12-27 09:03:30.331000+00:00 | ['Email Marketing', 'SEO', 'Seo Services', 'Digital Marketing', 'Social Media'] |
FocusNode in Flutter | Introduction :
FocusNode basically focuses on the keyboard event. Let’s suppose you want to control the TextFormField widget as soon as the user taps on it, then you use FocusNode . So, FocusNode class is basically an object that can be used to obtain keyboard focus and to handle keyboard events.
Before starting our blog lets quickly access what you will load on your memory after reading this blog
Demo Module
Table of Content
:: Implementing FocusNode in Forms :: Creating of FocusNode :: Usage of FocusNode in a TextFormField :: Focus a text field when a button is tapped :: Focus a text field as soon as an application starts :: Passage of focus on next TextFormField after tapping
Implementing FocusNode in Forms
What is the use of FocusNode?
As we all know that there are many input type TextFormField in our form filling process, we have to input many details in different text area according to its requirement.
When our application has many TextFormField and the one which is selected and accepting an input from the user is said to have in a “focus” state. After providing an input to a focused TextFormField our focus now moves to another or says to the next TextFormField area. Here to implement such processes on focusing our selected TextFormField we use FocusNode.
How to focus on a TextFormField when a button is tapped?
Following steps to be performed to focus on a TextFormField
Create a FocusNode .
2. Pass the FocusNode .
3. Give focus to the next TextFormField when the button is tapped.
How to create a FocusNode?
As you can see above image use the following steps to create a FocusNode instance inside a initState() method of a state class, and clean it up in a dispose() method.
Here we have created a five focus node instance for a different focus area.
How to pass FocusNode to a TextFormField ?
TextFormField(
autofocus: true,
focusNode: fname,
keyboardType: TextInputType.text,
enabled: true,
textInputAction: TextInputAction.next,
decoration: InputDecoration(
labelText: 'First Name',
hintText: 'Enter your first name',
border: OutlineInputBorder(
borderSide: BorderSide(color: Colors.teal),
),
),
onFieldSubmitted: (term) {
fname.unfocus();
FocusScope.of(context).requestFocus(lname);
},
)
Here we have used an instance fname of FocusNode in the focusNode property to get focus as soon as the user taps on this Textfield.
How to enable focus on the first TextFormField as an application starts or gets visible ?
We will set the autofocus property as true on that input area or TextFormField area as you can see in the above example. For better understanding look down at an image.
To show the keyboard action when the TextFormField is focused we use textInputAction property in the TextFormFeild widget.
Example:
How to pass focus to the next TextFormField when the button is tapped ?
We will use the onFieldSubmitted property inside the TextFormField widget to get unfocus from the current focus TextFormField and get focus on the next TextFormField as soon as the button is pressed or when the keyboard next or done input type is pressed.
In the above example, we have used fname.unfocus() method to get unfocus from the first TextFormField area of an instance named fname as soon as the button is tapped.
As soon as the button is tapped we have successfully unfocused from the current TextFormField but now we have to move our focus to the next TextFormField if available we will use:
FocusScope.of(context).requestFocus(lname)
so as to request our focus on the next TextFormField . We will move to the next TextFormField with the help of the instance, we have created for the next TextFormField i.e lname in the above example.
main.dart file :
Resources : | https://medium.com/flutterdevs/focusnode-in-flutter-4a8613d7e4f6 | ['Suraj Gupta'] | 2020-10-19 12:06:38.474000+00:00 | ['Focus Node', 'Flutter Widgets', 'Forms', 'Flutter', 'Dart'] |
Walking with Jesus this Christmas | By Hannah Rich
We are approaching such a special time of year, and to all of us, this Christmas season comes with a vast array of challenges: expectation, hope, fear, doubt, loneliness, anger and everything else in between. How do we prepare for the unknown? How do we keep our faith steady in the fog? How do we balance the everyday battle mixed with all the new and different that leads to soul exhaustion?
I’d love to journey through Christmas with capacity ever-increasing to meet the needs of those around me. I’d love to know that everything I do would be marked with love and grace and I’d float through this season with ease and positivity. It’d be so wonderful to have picture perfect food, be surrounded by perfectly loving family and that my children want to sponsor a tree or give their gifts to the homeless. But. I’ve been through times of depression. I’ve been hurt by words said in the heat of lockdown life. I’ve seen pain and injustice and ached with those who are broken. I’ve parented in a pandemic. Trying to teach my kids about patience and struggling myself to find patience for the toll I have in my own home. I’ve worried about work or lack thereof. Felt the panic and pinch of financial needs. I know life is messy and have come to learn that life is very real.
I can’t promise that Christmas this year will be full of perfect cheer for us all. I will probably shout at an inanimate object at some point. I may or may not have time to write my Christmas cards, pray for my children every night or bring peace, love and harmony to the moments that truly matter. I might be loving and sobbing and living and praying and surrendering through it all. I’ll be inviting others into the awkward — because this sacred place is what connects us to one another, and it’s what He has asked. And the journey, is our story.
It’s the leg work along the way. He promised to be beside me… and I found Him there. He promised to go before me… and I’ve know His closeness. He held up His end and then some. He went further. He loved deeper. He held harder. He pursued more. He allowed it all so that I could find rest in the knowing of Him.
And that is where the truth of it is — His promises lie in the rest of our KNOWING Him. Who He is. Who He (always) has been. Who He will continue to be. Because His promises still stand. His strength is dependable. And the hope I have in them hasn’t flickered or faded. It’s me that understands them differently now. Me that’s grown. Me that’s changed. Me that’s found His grace anew. And me… who gets to tell the story.
Steffany Gretzinger’s beautiful song No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus perfectly sums up my heart for all of us walking into this season:
‘If my heart could tell a story. If my life would sing a song. If I have a testimony. If I have anything at all. His faithful hand has held me all this way. Let it be known, in You alone, my joy was found.
Let my children tell their children. Let this be their memory. That all my treasure was in heaven. That You are everything to me.’
May the peace and deep rest of Jesus surround and sustain and surprise you as you walk in His strength. The story you tell, good, bad and ugly, can be wrapped up in the beautiful gift of Jesus if we allow that still small voice to whisper truth and hope daily. Invite him again to your story this Christmas. | https://medium.com/@christchurchlondon/walking-with-jesus-this-christmas-74c913bbac6b | ['Christ Church London'] | 2020-12-15 17:26:38.896000+00:00 | ['Christmas', 'Jesus', 'Christ Church London', 'Worship', 'Christian'] |
Light More Light, UVa — 10110. Try it yourself on UVa. It’s Fun! | Try it yourself on UVa. It’s Fun!
This problem has also been part of the programming challenges on the Algorithm Design Manual’s chapter 2.
The Premise
The premise of the problem can be chalked out like this way:
A guy goes along corridor N times which have N bulbs
Every time he goes along the corridor he toggles the switch of certain bulbs based on certain condition
We have to determine the state of the last bulb i.e. Nth bulb.
The Conditions
The conditions are as follows:
The bulbs have serial numbers starting from 1 to N i.e. the first bulb = 1, second = 2 and Nth bulb’s serial is N
At each iteration, we only consider one go, not the return journey by that guy.
At the ith iteration, he only toggles the switch of the bulb whose serial number is divisible by i. Or in other words, any bulb with serial number N, will be toggled exactly Z number of times , where Z = the number of positive factors of N
iteration, he only toggles the switch of the bulb whose serial number is divisible by Or in other words, any bulb with serial number will be toggled exactly number of times where We have to output, YES => the Nth bulb is ON, NO => the Nth bulb is OFF
Initially, all the bulbs are turned OFF
The Idea
The idea to solve the problem is in grasping the notion that, we are essentially trying to find the number of positive factors of the Nth number.
number. Observe that we ONLY need to know the state of the Nth number. So, we can ignore what happens to the rest of the bulb.
The Naive Approach
The naive approach consists of a loop which runs up to sqrt(N), and finds all the positive factors, and keeps a counter to hold their count.
It works with a small N, but on a significantly large N, this becomes a nightmare!
We have to do better than O(n)
The Trick
Now comes the TRICK!
Notice the pattern when finding the factors of a Number.
4 => 1, 2, 4
6 => 1, 2, 3, 6
5 => 1, 5
9 => 1, 3, 9
Notice that, the factors are ALWAYS in pairs. Cause it takes 2 numbers to multiply and come up with another number.
Observe, the peculiar case of 4 and 9:
these two numbers are perfect square
they have odd number of factors, since we are only considering distinct numbers in our set of factors
Now, let’s recognize the second pattern:
For any number N, if it’s number of factors is even => the last state will be OFF, otherwise => ON
For example,
9 has 3 factors =>
1st toggle -> ON
2nd toggle -> OFF
3rd toggle -> OFF
Similarly, we can find for any other N.
Thus, we can come to the final conclusion that:
When, N == Perfect Square => bulb state = OFF
When, N == NOT perfect square => bulb state = ON
The Code: O(1) | https://medium.com/consol/light-more-light-uva-10110-8adfbe86a68f | ['Abrar Shariar'] | 2020-03-31 11:39:18.924000+00:00 | ['Factoring', 'Number Theory', 'Algorithms', 'Code', 'Uva'] |
Why more people are switching to be a nurse | Why more people are switching to be a nurse
Do nurses really get paid as much as doctors?
The short answer is no. The average salary for nurses and doctors in the United States are as follows:
Data from Glassdoor
“So if doctors make anywhere between 3 to 4 times as much as a nurse would in a given year, why even talk about it? That’s that. Doctors make more money. Doctors > nurses. Right?” To that I say maybe.
Sure, doctors seem to make more money on paper, but is that the full story? Before we start jumping into conclusions about which job brings out the most moolah, let’s check the facts.
The purpose is to see which career path would give you the most bang for your buck while taking into consideration future expenditures.
Education Differences
Becoming either a doctor or nurse would require some level of education. But that doesn’t mean that whoever spends the most years having a formal education comes out on top. If that were the case, doctors would win by a lot. However, with great education comes great expenses.
As my parents would often say,
“Education is an investment!”
This couldn’t be more true. I hope we can all agree that spending money for one’s education is guaranteed to make you more money in the future — or at least that’s what they tell us it’s supposed to do. If I spend $1 now, I’ll get $5 back in 4+ years. The general idea is that if I spend a lot of money to send my kid off to college, he or she will graduate and land a job, making more money than I ever did.
To become a doctor and enter medical school you must:
Have a bachelor’s degree before entry (4 years) Have above the average GPA and MCAT score
And then:
Earn a medical degree (4 years) Complete a residency program on a chosen specialty (3–7 years)
To pursue a nursing career, there are a total of 3 paths to do so. You can either:
Obtain a bachelor’s degree in Nursing — B.S.N. (4 years) Obtain an associate’s degree in Nursing — A.D.N. (2 or 3 years) Obtain a diploma from a hospital-run program (3 years)
Nurses also have the option to become Nurse Practitioners (NP) by:
Obtaining a master’s degree in Nursing — M.S.N. (2 years)
As you can see, becoming a physician requires anywhere between 11–15 years of education, whereas becoming a nurse only takes 4–6 years of education.
Costs Differences
As foreshadowed earlier, the cost of education in the U.S. has increased by 12% in the last 30 years. That’s 1,120% of what it used to be in 1978! Someone who became a doctor years prior obtained their degree without any debt, but that is no longer the case in 2016.
For doctors:
The median cost of medical school in 2013 was $278,455 (private schools) and $207,866 (public schools). Even after scholarships and loans, the average debt of new doctors can amount to $170,000. Assuming that interest accrues while completing residency up to 25% of the total and a modest 10% increase of debt, doctor’s can have almost half a million dollars in debt, aka $500,000 (the average debt of a college graduate is $27,000).
All of this debt can make it difficult for a physician who is trying to open up his/her own small care practice. The cost of rent, payroll, malpractice insurance, furniture, and regular living expenses for the first few months can total an additional $100,000. This is not to mention the cost of a management computer system at $25,000. One would hope to be able to take out loans to be able to stay in practice, but that would just increase the total amount of money you owe. Not to mention there may be interest.
For nurses:
The tuition rates for nurses pursuing a B.S.N. are similar to that of any undergraduate institution (anywhere from $40,000-$100,000 each year). Nurses pursuing an A.D.N. can do so at a community college at a much lower cost. After scholarships and loans, the average debt for a nursing student fresh out of college is $30,000. Even with increasing interest rates, that amount is far more manageable than that of a physician. As a nurse, it is likely that you’ll be working under a medical establishment like a dialysis center or hospital and wouldn’t have to worry about having to pay to practice. Once you land a job, you should be able to pay that debt with ease, thanks to the $50k-$70k starting salary.
Role Differences
Being a doctor or nurse comes with different responsibilities. Choosing which career is right for you has a lot to do with the kind of person you are.
Doctor’s responsibilities include being a leader by examining the big picture for a diagnosis and guiding a team of healthcare professionals toward a treatment plan for a patient. Due to the number of patients you have, time spent with any one patient is limited. Also, as a doctor, you are ultimately responsible for the outcome of a patient.
Nurses, on the other hand, have a role in assessing each patient for their condition while implementing a course of action and educating patients and their families about their illnesses. Nurses spend the most time with a given individual and are responsible for providing a patient with wholesome care in administering IVs, medications, or even with having someone to talk to. Nurses follow the orders of doctors and the hospital’s policies.
Conclusion
I personally chose the path to becoming a nurse because I wanted to be able to live a normal life. That’s not to say doctors don’t have a life; doctors just spend a good portion of their lives in school or at a hospital learning. Both careers are of high regard and would make any family or friend proud.
No matter what you plan to work as in the future — doctor, nurse, engineer, lawyer — you have to take into consideration every aspect of that career path (only some aspects and jobs were discussed here). After doing so, decide which one fits you the most, not what others say you should be. Only you (not even your parents) know what’s best for yourself. Just make sure that whatever it is you set your mind on, you can see yourself doing that for the rest of your life.
Thank you for reading. Last piece of advice: | https://medium.com/between-the-scrubs/why-more-people-are-switching-to-be-a-nurse-566f82e15fed | ['John Lag'] | 2016-05-13 20:17:27.535000+00:00 | ['Money', 'Education', 'Advice'] |
8 Things to Consider Before Your Commercial Solar Project | 8 Things to Consider Before Your Commercial Solar Project
8 Things to Consider Before Your Commercial Solar Project
There is a rising demand for commercial solar in California and all around the world. Government agencies, new home residential developments, multi-family properties, retail stores, warehouses, large-scale businesses, and utilities are fantastic candidates for taking advantage of the clean energy that can be harnessed from the sun. Apart from providing electricity at a decreased cost, installing a solar panel system can reduce their carbon footprint and take full advantage of tax incentives offered to businesses taking part in the solar power trend.
Several commercial clients back away from solar power installation because they lack the knowledge and resources required to manage multifaceted projects like solar power installation. Installing a solar energy system can require multiple different parts. A roof-mounted solar energy system on a warehouse will be very different compared to solar carports.
Some commercial properties also consider adding EV Chargers alongside the solar energy system. Additional electrical components can increase the project’s scope and complexity of what may be required in terms of parts, wiring, permits, and plans. One of the first steps towards a successful commercial solar project is that a site assessment will be conducted to evaluate and measure the site carefully. Then, design and engineer the solar energy system according to his findings. After permits are issued, a commercial solar company will manage onsite construction and offer quality assurance all through the way.
Maximize Commercial Solar Costs
You have to consider seven key areas when selecting a solar contractor for your installation; turnkey or DIY operations, integrated or third-party financing, installation company, subcontractors, and maintenance services.
1. Look for the License. Bonded and Insured?
One of the first things you should consider before hiring a solar company is whether they are licensed, certified, and insured by their state. This is likely the most basic rule for getting a solar installation company. Ensure that the solar company has the proper credentials and carries full insurance to guard you just in case some sort of disaster occurs. An uninsured solar installer can charge you if they get hurt while working a job at your home.
2. Plan for Unexpected Power Outages
Sooner or later, the power will go out in your area due to a strong storm, grid repair, fire, or preventative maintenance. Having a backup source of electricity will ensure that your business can ride out the situation without damage to your company’s operations. Adding a battery or generator with your solar battery will allow you to rely less upon the utility companies and have backup power just in case. Make sure that the solar company you are working with has a strong understanding of commercial battery backup solutions and microgrids.
3. Commercial Solar Warranties
When choosing a solar company to install commercial solar systems it is important to know what warranties you will receive. A commercial solar energy system isn’t cheap, and if that solar panel system breaks or stops working, solar warranties can provide insurance on your investment. That is why your solar panel warranties should play a factor in the overall cost of your system, and which commercial solar installer you use.
4. Commercial Solar Maintenance Expertise
When choosing your solar installer, it’s also essential that you know their maintenance service policy. If your commercial building is leaking or your inverter breaks, you need the assurance that they offer solar repair services and will be able to come out promptly. Their response time can be the deciding factor when choosing your commercial solar installer. Imagine paying off your solar loan while also getting billing from Southern California Edison because your system isn’t correctly working. You do not want to have to wait one month for your commercial solar installation company to arrive if your inverter fails from a power outage.
5. Background Checks. Solar Reviews Matter!
If you read over a few of their solar reviews and there are more positive reviews than negative, this can be a good sign that they are a reliable solar company. Some negative reviews are to be expected, but as long as the majority are positive, they are likely to be a reliable solar company. Check also online resources like Yelp, Better Business Bureau (BBB) to ensure that others have had good experiences with the company you are looking to hire.
6. Commercial Friendly Financing
Financing the purchase, installation, and maintenance of a big solar project can be challenging. If your establishment is undertaking this kind of project, it’s wise to select a vendor that features integrative versus third-party financing options. With third-party solar financing, the commercial client is expected to find the funding for his installations independently. This means you have to conduct your research to determine tax credits, rebates, and get the best rates possible. Installers that offer their financing usually partner with financial institutions to create financing plans that prevent upfront costs and keep clients’ capital free to utilize other investments and projects.
7. Solar Monitoring Capabilities Matter
Continuously monitoring and maintaining the system into the future to ensure that your commercial solar installation continues to function at maximum efficiency.
8. Accurate Cost of Going Solar Breakdown
A professional solar company should be able to provide an accurate estimate before any work is done. The company should also be able to apply fees for quoting a job to the work’s actual cost once the work is completed. Everything should be up-front so that you can avoid nasty surprises during your commercial solar panel installation project.
Sample Cost Breakdown Analysis: Cost of Going Solar for Commercial Property
Work with the Best Commercial Solar Company, Forme Solar
Not sure what commercial solar option works for your commercial building? The next time you’re considering the commercial solar cost for your business, school, warehouse, or church, do not be too quick in choosing a solar company. Just remember the tips above to guarantee that the job is done right the first time. Identifying what you need to look for in a solar installer can make dealing with any issues or delays much less stressful. Forme Solar Electric gives you all of these benefits and more. Call our team at (714) 694–2262 for an accurate estimate, reliable work, and excellent service any time you need commercial solar installation or repair. | https://medium.com/@formesolar/8-things-to-consider-before-your-commercial-solar-project-daf673b18810 | ['Forme Solar'] | 2020-11-14 07:24:04.817000+00:00 | ['Solar Loan Program', 'Solar Installers', 'Commercial Solar', 'Solar Energy', 'Solar Cost'] |
How I Survived Early Sobriety | How I Survived Early Sobriety
Photo by Alex Knight from Pexels
After I broke up with alcohol, I felt like an alien species visiting Earth for the first time. It was like waking up during the season finale of a show I’d never seen, only to find out I was the main character. Oof.
Looking back on my early days of recovery, I was able to stay sober because I went out of my way to do things that made me uncomfortable. A wise, sober friend told me: you can’t change your life without changing your life.
I had three main fears about getting sober, aside from giving up my beloved liquor: telling my friends, losing my friends, and looking like a loser at parties.
In case it’s helpful to someone else, I put together this little toolkit based on what helped me get and stay sober during my first year without booze.
I asked for help
At first, I felt ashamed about getting sober. I didn’t want people to think I was a party pooper or that they couldn’t drink around me. I didn’t want to be judged, or even worse, to appear as though I was judging others.
I needed people on my team.
After I had been sober for about a week, I told a few of my close family and friends. I did this for two reasons:
Accountability
Since I told my best friend that I seriously wanted to stop drinking, I knew she would say something if she caught me drunk in a week. If no one in my life knew I wanted to stop drinking, then no one could hold me accountable.
Support
This one was a little bit tougher. Telling people I wanted to stop drinking was one thing, but directly asking for their support felt like a stretch. I didn’t want to burden anyone with my problems.
In hindsight, I realize that the people who truly loved me wanted to be there for me, even if they didn’t fully understand my decision. I was a closet drinker. Most of my friends and family had no idea how much I was actually drinking. But once I talked to them, they respected my choice.
For me, asking for support went something like this:
“This is hard for me to talk about, but I trust you won’t judge me. I’ve decided that I need to stop drinking because alcohol is negatively affecting my life. Can I count on you to be supportive by not offering me alcohol or encouraging me to drink?”
Were there heavy-drinking friends who told me to shove it? Yes. But that’s how I figured out who had my best interest at heart. If I kept hanging around with people who didn’t support me, I don’t believe I would have stayed sober. | https://medium.com/beautiful-hangover/how-i-survived-early-sobriety-ce5e6dfb4709 | ['Never Sugarcoated'] | 2020-12-15 12:49:19.638000+00:00 | ['Addiction', 'Recovery', 'Alcoholism', 'Mental Health', 'Sobriety'] |
I Breathe Deeply & Slowly (30 Positive Affirmations to Get Centered) | I write Positive Affirmations on a different theme every Thursday. You can also listen to a reading of these affirmations on my IGTV @ artingdarling.
I Breathe Deeply & Slowly
Breathing deeply and slowly,
I ask myself:
Who do I choose to be?
What can I do to become that person?
I choose to be healthy.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I feel healthy when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I choose to be kind.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I feel how easy it is to be kind
when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I choose to be in control of myself.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I control myself when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
With everyone and everything beyond my control,
I choose to be fully accepting.
I accept all things, as I breathe them in
deeply,
and slowly.
When challenges arise, I choose to remain calm.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
Tensions melt away, and
I feel calm when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I choose to be a mature adult.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I demonstrate my maturity when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
When negative thoughts arise,
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I feel the exhale of my breath
dissolve those thoughts to nothingness
When I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I choose to believe that I am enough.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I fill myself up fully when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I choose to be at peace.
I breathe deeply and slowly.
I feel peace when I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I choose to be myself.
I breathe
deeply,
and slowly.
I am. | https://medium.com/@cassandrapereira/i-breathe-deeply-slowly-30-positive-affirmations-to-get-centered-5aa394607ff | ['Cassandra Pereira'] | 2020-12-26 18:04:36.508000+00:00 | ['Positive Thinking', 'Breathing', 'Positive Psychology', 'Positive Affirmations', 'Positive Attitude'] |
Song for the Beija-Flor, Hummingbird | Dear Mother, let me be a vessel for a higher consciousness, for love,
show me what they look like in their highest and purest forms.
Dear Mother, pray for my lover, my family, friends and guardians,
pray for humanity, that we may all rise so we may do right by you.
Oh Mother, there’s a darkness darker than the dark I knew,
it is our collective pain, our collective suffering, our collective sins.
It transcends time, passing from generation to generation.
Each of us carries it within,
in our creaking bones and aching muscles,
the darkness divided amongst us.
Some carry a heavier load than others,
they are the ones with the most pain, they are the ones who need the most help.
Oh Mother, there’s a silence more silent than the silence I knew,
it is where darkness resides, it is its energy source, its womb.
It transcends dimensions, passing from plane to plane.
It lives within us,
in the spaces, cavities and voids of our bodies,
the silence disguises itself as peace.
For some, the stillness is too much to take,
they are the ones who make music, the builders of a bridge to the other side.
Oh Mother, there’s a light lighter than the light I knew,
it is brighter than the sun, softer than a feather, sweeter than a baby’s laughter.
It transcends boundaries, passing from cell to cell, atom to atom, string to string.
This is what we’re made of,
in body, mind, heart and spirit,
this light is what brought us into existence.
For many, the pull of darkness threatens to extinguish them,
they are the ones fighting the toughest battles, they are the ones who can swing the war.
Oh Mother, there’s a love lovelier than the love I knew,
it is kinder than Mother Teresa, more compassionate than Gandhi and wiser than Buddha.
It transcends consciousness, passing from him to her, to they, to you, to me.
This love is everywhere,
in the seen and unseen, tasted and untasted, in the felt and unfelt, heard and unheard, touched and untouched, thought and unthought,
love is what will save us.
Each of us have the choice to forge our own weapons of war,
but let us choose love, because John was right, all we need is love — unconditional, expansive, love.
Dear Mother, thank you for showing me the way,
thank you for helping me know what I previously only understood. | https://medium.com/sumofourparts/song-of-the-beija-flor-hummingbird-4225c003ff29 | ['Renee Chen'] | 2019-05-14 01:01:03.113000+00:00 | ['Creative Writing', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Spirituality', 'Writing', 'Poetry'] |
From “Empowerment of Women” to People-Centered Development | By Diana Skelton (France)
Indigenous women in South America have ideas for preventing domestic violence.
Too often ignored, the intelligence of people living in extreme poverty, and the way their experience shapes their understanding of the world, can be invaluable tools for social change. To give just one example of this, I am very struck by the way our members in South America look at the question of gender and poverty. They are among two thousand people in a dozen countries who took part in ATD Fourth World’s creating the conditions for people living in extreme poverty to contribute to evaluating the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
In looking at the ten Millennium Development Goals, one of those people living in poverty in South America chose to address was the third: “Promote gender equality and empower women.” But the analysis they brought to this question suggests that “empowerment of women” is too simplistic and narrow a goal.
In many places, no birth certificate will be given if the birth does not take place in a maternity ward. But many women living in extreme poverty spoke of their dread of hospitals and clinics where they are spoken to with stunning disrespect. Doctors tell them: “Why are you having so many children, like a rabbit?” or “You must wash yourself, you pig” or “You know how to open your legs to a man, just do the same to push the baby out.” At the same time, when fathers try to accompany the mothers into a maternity ward, they are often told, “The room is too small, you should wait outside.” Mothers in these situations ask that their male partners be empowered and allowed to stay with them. They point out not only that fathers can defend them from being treated badly in the hospital, but that a father who has the chance to be present for his baby’s birth will be given strength and inspiration for the challenges ahead in protecting and providing for the family.
The group also gave thoughtful consideration to the tragedy of domestic violence. One of the participants summed up their conclusions by speaking about the enormous stress of living in extreme poverty. She said, “We all have these feelings of despair and anger. But as girls and women, when life is too hard, we can cry sometimes. Our sons cannot. We teach them not to express their feelings by crying. So what can they do with their despair? As they grow up, some of them may turn to drink when they are very upset. And as they drink, some of them may become violent. How can we give our sons the chance to express their feelings in other ways?”
One person listening to this wondered, “Is she just giving an excuse for violence against women?” But to me the most important part of what she said had nothing to do with excusing anyone’s act of violence. It is an approach for preventing violence that I had never heard said in that way before. When I was growing up in the United States, there was actually a movement telling boys, “It’s alright to cry.” (Who else remembers Rosey Grier’s rendition of the “Free to Be You and Me” song?) But I never heard anyone say in such a clear strong way why this matters, and how we can create better situations for both women and men by addressing the despair and anger that destroys lives.
While gender inequality exists in both rich and low-income communities, we must realize that the crushing realities of extreme poverty have been created not by poor men, but by the economic oppression and discrimination of society as a whole. Women living in extreme poverty often remind us of the ways these realities affect their brothers and sons, as well as their sisters and daughters. While gender affects many aspects of life, they tell us that fighting poverty is not a zero-sum game where empowering women will be enough to effect change. What they call for is empowerment for their whole families: in maternity wards; in access to schools where both girls and boys deserve teachers who respect them and believe in their hidden potential; or in the labor market where both women and men need to be protected from exploitation as much as they need equality.
People living in extreme poverty can help to inform the world’s agenda for development and community building, shaping a new approach to people-centered development. By listening to people living in extreme poverty, our societies will discover that they do not want to be the beneficiaries of anti-poverty programs. Rather, they aspire to play an active role in a model of development for society as a whole that is based on human dignity and designed to promote human rights and peace for all. | https://medium.com/together-in-dignity/from-empowerment-of-women-to-people-centered-development-f86b596a5b78 | ['Atd Fourth World'] | 2018-02-13 13:19:06.546000+00:00 | ['Machismo', 'Domestic Violence', 'Diana Skelton', 'Women', 'Atd Fourth World'] |
Five Ways to Take Action From Home This Earth Day | This week marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the largest global celebration of our natural environment. Earth Day is a time to reflect on the delicate balance of our society’s interactions with planet Earth, and also is a time to advocate for progressive climate change policies that will keep Earth healthy for centuries to come.
While Earth Day has to be celebrated virtually this year, there are still many opportunities to engage in climate-forward activism. Here are five ways to do your part this Earth Day from the comfort of your own home.
Join the Earth Day Live virtual event . Earth Day Live is a three-day livestream organized by The US Climate Strike Coalition and Stop The Money Pipeline Coalition, which represent over 500 pro-climate organizations from youth climate strikers to Indigenous rights groups. Earth Day Live runs through Friday, April 22, with a central theme for each day’s event: Strike, Divest, and Vote. Outvote is proud to partner with Future Coalition and March On to facilitate friend-to-friend texting as part of Friday’s Vote livestream. Tune in to Earth Day Live here.
. Earth Day Live is a three-day livestream organized by The US Climate Strike Coalition and Stop The Money Pipeline Coalition, which represent over 500 pro-climate organizations from youth climate strikers to Indigenous rights groups. Earth Day Live runs through Friday, April 22, with a central theme for each day’s event: Strike, Divest, and Vote. Outvote is proud to partner with Future Coalition and March On to facilitate friend-to-friend texting as part of Friday’s Vote livestream. Tune in to Earth Day Live here. Download the Earth Challenge 2020 app . Earth Challenge 2020, organized by the Earth Day Network, is the world’s largest citizen science effort. Download the app to contribute scientific data on air quality and plastic pollution and help to build a massive grassroots database to support research on climate change. Learn more and download the app here.
. Earth Challenge 2020, organized by the Earth Day Network, is the world’s largest citizen science effort. Download the app to contribute scientific data on air quality and plastic pollution and help to build a massive grassroots database to support research on climate change. Learn more and download the app here. Phonebank for candidates who support the Green New Deal . Sunrise Movement, a leading youth-driven climate change advocacy organization, phone banks weekly in support of candidates who pledge to stand up for the Green New Deal. Phone banking nights happen almost every day, and training is available for those who want it. Sign up for a shift here.
. Sunrise Movement, a leading youth-driven climate change advocacy organization, phone banks weekly in support of candidates who pledge to stand up for the Green New Deal. Phone banking nights happen almost every day, and training is available for those who want it. Sign up for a shift here. Calculate your carbon footprint and take steps to offset it . Wren, an official partner of Rainforest Foundation US, allows activists to calculate their carbon footprint and commit to offsetting it by contributing to a project that prevents or reverses carbon emissions. Take the first step of calculating your footprint on the Wren website.
. Wren, an official partner of Rainforest Foundation US, allows activists to calculate their carbon footprint and commit to offsetting it by contributing to a project that prevents or reverses carbon emissions. Take the first step of calculating your footprint on the Wren website. Get educated and inspired by a documentary on climate change. There are many excellent documentaries that address various angles of the climate change crisis and what activists are doing to help, but here are a few of our favorites: Mission Blue (Netflix), Plastic China (Prime Video), Ice on Fire (Hulu/HBO), This Changes Everything (rent/buy), and the classic, An Inconvenient Truth (rent/buy).
While this week is full of Earth Day events and advocacy opportunities, climate change activism does not end here: download Outvote to stay engaged year-round with volunteer opportunities for a wide range of pro-climate campaigns and organizations. Happy Earth Day, everyone! | https://medium.com/@joinoutvote/five-ways-to-take-action-from-home-this-earth-day-3a2ac134d35a | [] | 2020-04-23 18:23:26.125000+00:00 | ['Earth Day', 'Activism', 'Advocacy', 'Volunteering', 'Politics'] |
The Best Places To Celebrate New Year’s Eve This Year | On a toilet
Just sitting there. Not even peeing, or pooping. You did, but that was 20 minutes ago, and even though you forgot to wipe, everything has dried. Now you’re just deep in the comments of a tweet posted by a celebrity you don’t even like but follow for some reason.
In your shower
Well actually, sitting on the floor of your shower, drink in hand, with a burning sensation in your right shoulder because you’ve been holding your arm at full extension protecting said drink in hand from the spray of water slapping off your stomach, so not to dilute your drink.
Standing up in your least furnished room
Like a suburban dad on a spring day, coffee in hand staring out the window of the back sliding door mapping out the route he and his Honda Variable Speed 4-in-1 will unleash on the grass today, you are standing in a room that’s been unfurnished for the last 8 months planning what might look good, knowing you don’t have the funds, nor will-power to design another room in this thin-walled apartment.
Staring in the mirror repeating positive affirmations because that’s how manifestation works
You watched Jupiter and Saturn’s great conjunction, arranged crystals, got a new set of tarot cards, and hand wrote what you want 100 times in your journal. This year is yours. That’s how manifestation works. It’s so great. Yay!
Filling up your car with gas
There’s nothing like waking up on January 1st with a full tank of gas, ready for an adventure. New Year’s Eve is a great time to avoid traffic and lines at the gas station.
Stuck in the middle crack of your couch
If you have two cushion crevices in your couch stop reading, as we are not here to humor your woe is me fetish, you’re the elite. We must eat you. For the rest of us, tuck your sweatpants into your socks, grab your weighted blanket, the heavier the better, and sink into the middle and only crack on your couch. Sink so deep that when you rise in an hour for a bathroom break, you leave a dent that does not fill in your absence.
Reading missed Updates to our Terms of Service emails
Our days can just get so busy that when these lengthy emails arrive in our inbox, we don’t always have time to thoroughly read them. The good news is that New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to sit in silence and make sure you’re educated on all the updates from your favorite services and subscriptions.
Howling at the moon from your roof
Whether by ladder, fire escape, staircase, or window, find your way onto your roof, kneel due south of the moon and release a howl. Your neighbors may even think, “Wow, a wolf in the neighborhood howling at the moon on New Year’s Eve, this must be a good omen!” only to then realize that nope, it’s just you, howling at the moon.
In bed with your head resting on a dull, deflated, overused pillow
Close your eyes tight and fall asleep before the fireworks are set off in a few hours so that you can wake up energized and say “Rabbit Rabbit” as if these words mean anything. Then after reciting this voodoo, stay in bed and begin a doomscroll of stories from “Friends” who celebrated midnight at maskless gatherings large and small, sharing champagne and kissing strangers during a global pandemic.
On a group Zoom call
That could have been an email, or a text, or nothing, nothing at all. Exhaust us no more Zoom!
In a sad reality
Scrolling through TikTok, the app your cousin downloaded for you during holiday dessert, and at one point commenting how creative these young kids are, only then to realize that referring to others as “young kids” excludes yourself from being young. So, you commit to learning the latest dance. Maybe Shakira’s Girl Like Me, or even Rockstar, but if you choose Rockstar your cousin will publicly comment within minutes that this trend was “So 6 months ago.” You close the app, return to the middle crack on your couch, take a sip of your drink only to taste it’s dilution, realizing that you didn’t extend your arm when sitting on the shower floor, turn on the television because you’ve binge-streamed every possible show with a rating above 6 and dare not visit the cellar of streaming, to find the New Year’s Eve special and are met with such deep disappointment that both Ryan Seacrest and James Corden are still platformed and hosting this national event that you turn off the TV, shuffle to bed, and lie down, and just before you drift into a twisted REM cycle are reminded that we are only at the threshold of the darkest days of a global pandemic.
But fuck it, let’s go kill some birds, I’m psyched.
Happy New Year.
-Please excuse any typos as this was sent with frosted fingers from a Double Black Diamond in the Swiss Alps. See you next year!
The difference between Seth Godin, The Morning Brew, and me? I respect your inbox, curating only one newsletter per month — Join my behind-the-words monthly newsletter to feel what it’s like to receive a respectful newsletter. | https://medium.com/@rickieticklez/the-best-places-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-this-year-7c36cfbff1a1 | ['Richie Crowley'] | 2020-12-27 15:55:06.978000+00:00 | ['Satire', 'Creativity', 'Travel', 'Comedy', 'Humor'] |
Re-boot + Continuation Plan: Redemption Room | As you’re creating your reopen and continuation of business plan, consider the extra measure you want to take to keep customers safe in your redemption room.
As states and cities begin to lift restrictions and the public begins to venture back into entertainment centers, we have been asking ourselves what redemption may look like in the “new normal.” We’ve compiled some recommendations for your business and are continuing to rethink the redemption component so your customers feel safe and have a great experience.
Cleaning surfaces is not enough. You must also include disinfecting protocols in your cleaning routines. This includes counters, POS systems, etc. Here is a list of disinfectants that can be used against Coronavirus from the EPA. Cleaning is also something that should be normalized during business hours, in front of your customers. Not only does this reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19, it also provides psychological safety for your customers while in the facility.
The most important thing to remember about your redemption area is the less products can be touched, the better. However, you’ll want to make sure you are creating the safest environment possible while still delivering a good guest experience.
Complete redemption room access is not recommended because kids and parents could be touching multiple items. Cleaning each item isn’t feasible because of the quantity and packaging on most items so you must resort to limiting touch. However, it will still be important that customers still be able to see the prizes that are available.
Here are some suggestions on how to manage re-opening the redemption space:
Utilize stanchions two or three feet away from the redemption walls to prevent touching of the products. Using signage and employee assistance. Keep lower numbers in terms of traffic in the redemption store. Have employees pull the items from the wall. Ensure employees are regularly washing their hands as to limit cross-contamination.
If the point of sale counter is not at the entrance of your store, create a temporary counter at the entrance. Far enough into the store that all items can be seen, but not far enough that allows for people to have free roam of the store. Utilize signage and employees to help customers choose items, bring it to the customer instead of the customer bringing it to the counter.
👉 The use of plexiglass or acrylic borders is recommended as well. Redemption Plus can create affordable barriers that are see-through but will allow employees to retrieve the prizes for the customers.
For bin items, if possible, move acrylic bins behind the counter or stanchions to prevent children from reaching into them. Depending on the style of your bins, you can also turn the bins around so the openings are not public-facing. In this instance, you will have staff pull products from plastic storage bins behind the counter instead of from the bins themselves. This will also keep your bins looking full without the need to replenish them daily. Small, lidded, plastic totes are affordable and can be purchased from most retail stores.
Consider other ways to redeem prizes. Create a paper or online catalog where customers can shop what’s available. From there they will make their selections, hand the order to an employee who will then pick the prizes, similar to a grocery pickup process or Girl Scout Cookie order form.
Be sure to have plenty of signage and other forms of communication so that guests know what is expected of them. Have front-desk team members explain how the redemption process will work to each guest who buys game room credits. Place instruction signs in a visible spot for guests to reference when they’re ready to redeem tickets.
While we don’t know exactly what to expect as people come back to your locations, we do want to help you establish good protocols within the redemption area so the rewarding experience of cashing out points or tickets remains a constant in the arcade ecosystem. If you have ideas you’d like us to share with others, feel free to drop us an email >[email protected].
Was this helpful?
Stay in the know about industry trends and best practices for your business in the post-COVID world. Subscribe below 👇 | https://medium.com/insights-empower/re-boot-continuation-plan-redemption-room-edec175a9d79 | ['Mike Tipton'] | 2020-04-23 18:44:49.101000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Reopen', 'Redemption Plus', 'Entertainment Center'] |
9 Quotes by Nikola Tesla That Will Inspire You to Invent Your Own Destiny | 9 Quotes by Nikola Tesla That Will Inspire You to Invent Your Own Destiny
marymarkevich on freepik
I have hero-worshiped Tesla all my life. In fact, he was the Justin Timberlake to my nerdy teenaged-girl and I’m still not ashamed of it.
Nikola Tesla was really a Serbian-American engineer, inventor and futurist whose name mostly comes up with respect to his contributions in the modern electric supply. But before he was any of these things, he was a boy whose father was an orthodox christian priest and wanted him to adopt the same profession.
At 17, Tesla suddenly fell severely sick with barely any hopes of recovering. Tesla’s father promised him that if he got better, he would no longer have to become a priest. Instead, he would be sent to the best institute to pursue his passion for scientific learning. The rest worked out as we already know.
There was no linear climb to success for Tesla though.
One moment he had the highest grades at the Austrian Polytech, the next he lost his scholarship and all his money because he became addicted to gambling. One day he was working for Edison as one of his most trusted men and the next day, they became the worst adversaries. At his lowest point he was even digging ditches for $2/day. But beyond it all, he devoted his life to a purpose of his choosing and that let him pave his own destiny till the end.
Tesla has inspired millions to decide their own destiny, work hard for the pursuits that give life purpose and always, always bounce-back from the setbacks.
“Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more.”
Due to the early influence of his father, Tesla was a religious man but above all he was a man of science. His deep introspection led him to come at peace and embrace the good and the bad in himself.
Minor setbacks or grossly falling short of expectations. Mistakes or colossal fuck-ups. They can all define how we view ourselves. But sometimes, they can lead people to build a prison of self-identity based on only their least spectacular moments.
In reality, no man is without flaw because that’s what being human means. If we embrace our virtues, we should also embrace the flaws that make us human. It is only after we accept them without feeling defeat that we can put in the work and undo our pathologies.
“All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle.”
A diamond is only a piece of charcoal that could handle pressure well. But diamonds also spend 25% of the earth’s age buried in extreme temperatures and pressures. The fact that even a world-class inventor faced ridicule and condemn says a lot about how much attention you should pay to what the world thinks of your ideas then.
Yet people have a sense of urgency when they invest in their dreams. They don’t think about how time is relative to every single person, and there’s absolutely no need to peak by a certain age. When you see new ideas get ridiculed or shot down — it’s natural to lose heart and want to abandon everything.
But great men commit to the struggle. They pay no heed to the criticism or bashing. They are too invested in their mad genius inventories, building something people have never seen before. It takes a lot of belief in oneself, tears, sweat and blood to identify and work for the life you want to have. If it was any easier, a lot more people would be happier by the end.
“Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.”
If you’re too vested in your own life sometimes it can seem as though other factors don’t influence your growth. But Tesla is onto something when he says we are all like cogs in the machine of a clock. Every slight movement on our part, starts a ripple effect in a grand scheme of things we don’t necessarily have a foresight to appreciate.
The people you surround yourself with matter. The ideas, books, movies and other content you consume matters — like the input effects the output. If you’re wondering why you’re not able to achieve your goals or produce excellence despite laboring over your desk for hours at a time — ask yourself what you do when you’re not at your desk?
Whether or not you’re consciously keeping it in check, your surroundings dictate your destiny. They limit or expand your opportunities. Your world-view and belief in yourself leans against much more than the people immediately beside you (truer than ever in this day and age) and this begs you to be more conscious of who you allow to become your influence.
“But instinct is something which transcends knowledge. We have, undoubtedly, certain finer fibers that enable us to perceive truths when logical deduction, or any other willful effort of the brain, is futile.”
Instincts lead to lucky guesses. Luck floods us with happy chemicals. Happy chemicals are addicting. And addiction leads to curiosity to pursue what we have a great instinctual sense of already.
A formal education might enable you for success. A theoretical knowledge of the world in any field will put you ahead of the multitudes of people. But many of us only have an innate instinct for something we are passionate about. And lacking the first two might make us timid or dwarf in front of the experts.
Tesla says to look for this “instinct” because it may be the fuel that drives you to the purpose of your life. Ask yourself what are you curious about? What can you spend hours learning? These qualities can put you ahead of many others who might not have the same passion despite being in the field.
It’s never too late to seek education. And answering these questions honestly is pivotal in designing your destiny despite your current circumstances. (pun intended)
“Most persons are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves.”
Before you look outwards, look within. Before you start seeking things from the world, ask yourself and define what it is that you truly need that might fulfill you.
Coming to terms with however much or however little we need makes the path to what we want streamlined. Many times, we struggle with external things and it keeps us banging our heads on dead-ends looking for the answer to what’s missing. Simply taking time off and asking yourself why you’re not aligned to progress in the world can be so much easier.
Something I read a while back really stuck with me. “You have little control over the world around you, but full control over the world within you.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo. If you want to start excelling in life, you have to start allocating time to writing, talking to yourself and understanding the inner workings of your mind. Find out what is the inner dialogue on which your actions and interactions with the outside world sprout. Resolve that dialogue or concentrate it according to your life.
Knowing where the on and off button is can help you control who you become with the experiences life throws at you.
“Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment and merging of races, and we are still far from this blissful realization.”
It’s 2020 but we are still full of prejudice and unwilling to move on from it. We tear through layers of peoples’ complex personalities, lifetime worth of experiences, and assign them an identity just for our own ease of comprehension.
But it stagnates our own growth. It regresses the world around us to an intolerant one. We never know when someone we love dearly might be in the line of fire because what color they are, what their belief-system is or who they identify as. And what will we do then?
What Tesla says makes it obvious we are still stuck in 18th century mentally. Peace is the first step in order for societies and nations to progress. We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves, open our minds and make our spaces more accepting so we can progress to the bigger things in life.
“As I review the events of my past life I realize how subtle are the influences that shape our destinies.”
Human beings are fragile. We project our trauma, happiness and even growth on each other. Every interaction has the potential to leave a lasting mark on the next person.
Despite being so malleable — we pay the least regard to saying yes to things instead of taking a moment to think. Every decision we take has the potential to ruin our life or raise us to the level of our heroes. Every time you say yes to an opportunity, you block out a part of your life to indulge in it. You block it out so that it’s not open to all the other things you could be doing. Time is a resource that runs smaller and smaller as we enter the end of life.
The general attitude of your parents could have defined how you interact with the world around you today. The smallest habits you build today could be writing what your future looks like tomorrow. Only a few moments of focus could give you a taste of what you would love to do for the rest of your life. A few days on a vacation could make it clear to you a person is meant for you. They say 20/20 hindsight, but you could PAUSE and reflect right now. And it could make all the difference to your life in the future.
“The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter — for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way. He lives and labors and hopes.”
2 words. Compounding Effect.
In his book, The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy talks about how you can jump-start your life, your income and your success only by taking small, seemingly ineffective actions as they compound over time. Think of it like all the small jobs you do that build your CV for the day when that’s the perfect resume for your dream job.
Everything in life is built on the same principles. Looking for instant gratifications or the one moment immediately after starting something when your life takes off — is futile. It will make you lose interest and chase a mirage rather than committing to the journey. When your hard-work is finally recognized at some point, all your life’s success would become a launching pad and verify your success is sustainable.
“The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”
Intimidating as it might seem when you first start at the bottom of the class — you’re already ahead of so many others who are never brave enough to let themselves suck at something. Tesla’s quote should be your motto in such times.
When we people succeeding or making it big in the present, it can distract you from your progress, frustrate you or even fill you with envy. We go deep-diving into their methods, techniques and their biographies that have zero relevance to our own life.
We have limited time, and this is not what you’re put on the planet to do. Your time is better spent vested into your own work. Pave your own path even if it seems like you’re stuck in a forest full of uncertainty and brain fog. The only way is forward and through once you build up the courage. The present might belong to a different set of leaders, but it not set in stone. There’s always room at the top for more people. And if you give yourself a boost by putting in the work, you might be where your heroes stand today. | https://medium.com/curious/9-quotes-by-nikola-tesla-that-will-inspire-you-to-invent-your-own-destiny-bc3ec59a2012 | ['Aamna I. Rizvi'] | 2020-12-16 18:33:52.134000+00:00 | ['Growth', 'Science', 'Self Improvement', 'Wisdom', 'Self Development'] |
Getting To Know-Forgiveness (II) | The first step in this very important and courageous journey of Forgiveness is-’Realization’. As I’m typing, my mind is recreating some visuals for me and I can again feel how important the clarity of this first step of realization is to embark on this journey.
Before I go any further, I would really like to share a beautiful statement I read somewhere a while ago, but not sure of it’s origin— -
“ Forgiveness is a hug you give to your soul.”
Remember this and it will make your journey a lot easier :)
The second step to forgiveness is — ‘ Forgiving yourself’.
It is a wonderful start to knowing yourself. You forgive yourself by acceptance.
Acceptance of:
- your past behaviors or choices
- your regrets
- the seeds that planted negative feelings in heart
All irrespective of who or what triggered them.
Once you accept, it’s time to hug and express love to your inner self by showing all the compassion you can give. This compassion reflects your acceptance of whatever was in the past and an approval to move forward in this journey.
The approval signifies your willingness to work on yourself to heal your inner self and liberate from the powerful clutches of the past.
It’s not easy, but it’s definitely possible with the right attitude.
Remember, to always try your best to stay empathetic towards others during this journey. It’s a very important aspect for your inner self as their healing journey begins !
You can never change your past in any way, unless of-course you have a time machine 😃. Whether it’s how you behaved in the past or how anyone else treated you back then, changing the past is not in your hands.
But, the good news is, you can always work on yourself to achieve that inner piece you’ve been longing for , after your two milestones of forgiveness in this journey-
1) The First step to Forgiveness- ‘Realization’ and
2) The Second step to Forgiveness - ‘ Forgiving Yourself’
So, my dear friends,
Relax- Close your eyes-Take a few deep breaths- Begin your liberating journey to Forgiveness.
©Neha Sandhir. All Rights Reserved | https://medium.com/@90.serendipity/getting-to-know-forgiveness-ii-82e6f4aa8eee | ['Neha Sandhir S'] | 2020-12-09 08:09:59.012000+00:00 | ['Self', 'Creativity', 'Healing', 'Energy', 'Forgiveness'] |
The toddler started daycare today, so I get my life back… right? | I have an article due, a script to work on, laundry to wash, and books to read. I have a bedroom wall to paint, and weeds to pull. I have groceries to buy, and recipes to experiment with. I have boxes to unpack and a syllabus to write. I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO DO…
Which is why, when we decide to start our son in daycare a few weeks before starting our new teaching jobs, I was flooded with an exhilarating combination of elation and optimism. It was going to be the beginning of a Productivity PARTAAAYYYYY!!!!
I mean, after 2.5 years of basically being a SAHM while also being a part-time professor, while ALSO being a working artist, I was going to have an entire day off from parenting!
Which means, being the super task-master I am, I was SUPER pumped about the sheer number of tasks I was going to check off my to-do list!
But… something… went… sideways.
It’s like, I walked out of the daycare and suddenly the extra appendage I was excited to take a wee break from was ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT.
We had a breakfast meeting that took my mind off the little person not poking me in the ribs as I ate my bagel for a little while… but not long enough. We tried to run some errands, but all I could think about was “Is Finn having fun? Is he eating his lunch? Will he sleep alright without me there to snuggle him? IS ME REAL WITHOUT BAB-AAAAAY AT MY SIDE?”
You guys.
You guys…
I was not prepared.
I got nothing done.
I watched the clock and obsessively counted the minutes until I felt a reasonably non-obsessive amount of time had passed so I could suggest, with unconvincing casualness, “Maybe we should pick him up?” to my husband.
My husband, smart human that he is, knew that I was really saying “Let’s go get the baby NOW because I am LOSING MY SHIT!”
And that little moppet was having so much fun, so much FUN… he immediately asked when he would get to come back.
Which is the moment I was finally, thankfully, able to breathe.
Photo by Fabian Møller on Unsplash
It’s also the moment I realized that I had been holding my breath all day long…
But it’s the moment I realized I can indeed get started on that to-do list, without guilt and anxiety, tomorrow. Because my little dude is so ready for daycare.
Even if I’m emotionally a little less than ready myself. | https://medium.com/lifes-a-mother/the-toddler-started-daycare-today-so-i-get-my-life-back-right-31b17714b276 | ['Tiffany Antone'] | 2018-07-20 02:47:34.823000+00:00 | ['Humor', 'Motherhood', 'Productivity', 'Anxiety', 'Parenting'] |
How to start a keto diet plan? | (Quick Weight Loss)
We left off with my last article of “Find How a Quick Weight Loss Can Be a Healthy Weight Loss — Phase I”. As a recap, you figured out how you ought to change your eating routine to guarantee that your solid weight reduction is likewise a speedy weight reduction. Presently, we are on to Phase II of your solid weight reduction and speedy weight reduction venture. Anyway, what is the following wellness tuning way that I should seek after later you have embraced a total and solid eating regimen?
Stage II of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction venture is work out. Since you have embraced a total and solid eating routine, and your body has each of the nutrients, minerals, sugars and proteins that it should, the time has come to put all of that great work to utilize! Practice is the following key fixing to the astounding formula of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction. Not exclusively should you work out, however you should do as such shrewdly. There is no requirement for you to attempt to commit suicide before all else. All things being equal, it is better for you to make child strides and to stir yourself up to cutting edge exercise schedules. The way to a sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction may be just about as uneven as you decide to make it!
Start you solid weight reduction and fast weight reduction exercises gradually. That implies that you should stir yourself up to doing progressed exercises. My working out began with cardiovascular movement, and body preparing. I would recommend that you do likewise. Body preparing will comprise of utilizing your own body weight to prepare your muscles. This implies that you do push-ups, sit-ups and crunches, pull-ups, squats, rushes, plunges, switch crunches, calf-raises, and vacillate kicks. These are great activities to begin Phase II of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction, and develops your muscles’ perseverance. Do as numerous minutes of cardiovascular exercise that you can, following the finishing of your body preparing works out. Start yourself at ten minutes and move gradually as long as thirty minutes. This is the planning step fundamental for a fruitful Phase II of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction.
The subsequent stage of your solid weight reduction and speedy weight reduction is to move your wellness tuning endeavors into the rec center. When you can siphon out your body preparing practices like an expert, then, at that point, you are prepared for weight and opposition preparing. Contingent on your body type and longing for body type, the technique for exercise center preparing for your solid weight reduction and speedy weight reduction venture contrasts. To evidently put it, to put on muscle size and increment strength, you will utilize more weight with less redundancies; assuming you are exclusively worried about center strength and conditioning your body, then, at that point, you will utilize not so much weight but rather more reiterations. Choosing what body type you need is the least demanding piece of a solid weight reduction and speedy weight reduction venture. With one or the other strategy, utilize the pyramid set design. This means to expand your weight with each set of the activity, and complete 3 sets for every activity. Allude to my wellness tuning site, recorded underneath, on the off chance that additional data is required with respect to sound weight reduction and speedy weight reduction activities or exercise methods.
During Phase II of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction venture, make sure to think carefully. At the point when you are beginning another activity interestingly, utilize an amazingly light weight. Not exclusively will this guarantee that you don’t harm yourself doing the activity, yet it will likewise permit you to involve appropriate structure for the activity from the earliest starting point. Accomplishing a sound weight reduction and speedy weight reduction is unimaginable on the off chance that you harm yourself in the exercise center. Truth be told, a rec center injury can set your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction practice program back weeks, even months. Keep in mind, assuming you can’t complete ten redundancies of your third arrangement of an activity, that is OK also. However long you can complete ten reiterations of the initial two arrangements of the activity, then, at that point, at last your solidarity will construct enough for you to complete ten redundancies of the third exercise. This is the wellness tuning technique for Phase II of your solid weight reduction and a fast weight reduction, and has been working for wellness devotees for a really long time.
The rec center piece of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction is straightforward. You complete three activities for every muscle bunch, and do two muscle bunches each day. This implies you can do chest and rear arm muscles the main day, back and biceps the subsequent day, and legs and shoulders the third day. Polish your activity schedules off on those three days with twenty or thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise. On the fourth day, do just stomach works out, except if you are working your abs on the other three days alongside the other muscle gatherings. If so, then, at that point, the fourth day is a finished day off. To be totally effective in your sound weight reduction and speedy weight reduction venture, you should give your body time to recover. You are giving your body the supplements that it needs to recover from your solid weight reduction and speedy weight reduction endeavors, yet the last fixing is rest.
By using these activity strategies and methods, you will guarantee accomplishment in Phase II of your sound weight reduction and fast weight reduction venture. Whenever you have dominated the exercise center schedules recorded above, then, at that point, you are prepared for further developed preparing techniques. You can discover more data on all of the wellness tuning preparing strategies for a solid weight reduction and speedy get-healthy plan recorded in this article, just as further developed preparing techniques, by tapping on my site’s connection beneath. You can join my free enrollment site, and get sufficiently close to the entirety of the nourishment, eating less junk food, and wellness data that I ship off my individuals in general. You can likewise assemble the exercise schedule that is best for you, and guarantee your accomplishment in Phase II of your solid weight reduction and fast weight reduction venture today! | https://medium.com/@omit.hassan545/how-to-start-a-keto-diet-plan-9349753fcbd1 | ['Omit Hassan'] | 2021-12-24 19:49:10.566000+00:00 | ['Ketogenic Diet', 'Diet', 'Keto', 'Ketosis', 'Keto Diet Plan'] |
Manipulating Data With Django Migrations | What’s Under the Hood?
Django migrations are Python files that help you add and change things in your database tables to reflect changes in your Django models. To understand how Django migrations help you work with data, it may be helpful to understand the underlying structures we’re working with.
What’s a database table?
If you’ve laid eyes on a spreadsheet before, you’re already most of the way to understanding a database table. In a relational database — for example, a PostgreSQL database — you can expect to see data organized into columns and rows. A relational database table may have a set number of columns and any number of rows.
In Django, each model is its own table. For example, here’s a Django model:
from django.db import models
class Lunch(models.Model):
left_side = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
center = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
right_side = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
Each field is a column, and each row is a Django object instance of that model. Here’s a representation of a database table for the Django model, Lunch , above. In the database, its name would be lunch_table .
A table representing lunch_table.
The model Lunch has three fields: left_side , center , and right-side . One instance of a Lunch object would have Fork for the left_side , Plate for the center , and Spoon for the right_side . Django automatically adds an id field if you don’t specify a primary key.
If you wanted to change the name of your Lunch model, you’d do so in your models.py code. For example, change Lunch to Dinner , and then run python manage.py makemigrations . You’ll see:
python manage.py makemigrations
Did you rename the backend.Lunch model to Dinner? [y/N] y
Migrations for 'backend':
backend/migrations/0003_auto_20200922_2331.py
- Rename model Lunch to Dinner
Django automatically generates the appropriate migration files. The relevant line of the generated migrations file in this case would look like:
migrations.RenameModel(old_name="Lunch", new_name="Dinner"),
This operation would rename our Lunch model to Dinner while keeping everything else the same. But what if you also wanted to change the structure of the database table itself and its schema? Maybe you’d also like to make sure that existing data ends up in the right place on your Dinner table.
Let’s explore how to turn our Lunch model into a Dinner model that looks like this:
from django.db import models
class Dinner(models.Model):
top_left = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
top_center = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
top_right = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
bottom_left = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
bottom_center = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
bottom_right = models.CharField(max_length=100, null=True)
It’s database table would look like this: | https://medium.com/better-programming/manipulating-data-with-django-migrations-93833b69e9c | ['Victoria Drake'] | 2020-09-18 22:08:59.291000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Software Development', 'Data Science', 'Technology', 'Learning To Code'] |
An Inspiration to Have Positive Emotions | An Inspiration to Have Positive Emotions
Not letting go of your negative emotions is like putting a burden in your bag. Learn to understand everything that you feel.
You don’t have to forcibly inherit in you the positive thoughts but you have to transform the negative thoughts into something healthier so that you can feel positive and better. | https://medium.com/illumination/an-inspiration-to-have-positive-emotions-35f966c77950 | ['G.Lodhia M. Edu'] | 2020-09-21 13:15:34.259000+00:00 | ['Inspiration', 'Mental Health', 'Lifestyle', 'Advice', 'Shortstory'] |
OB1 Raises $5 million Series A Financing to Grow World’s Largest Decentralized Marketplace | OMERS Leads Group of Top-Tier Investors Expressing Confidence in Direction of Peer-to-Peer Platform
Washington, D.C. — March 13, 2018 — OB1, the company building OpenBazaar, today announced a series A round of $5 million. The funds will help capitalize on the explosive growth that OpenBazaar has seen as blockchain and cryptocurrencies have become mainstream. OpenBazaar is the only e-commerce marketplace that offers secure, commission-free trade for both buyers and sellers.
Since the launch of the updated 2.0 platform near the end of 2017, over 40,000 nodes globally have joined the OpenBazaar network. In early 2018 OpenBazaar enhanced its value to buyers and sellers by enabling purchases with Bitcoin Cash and Zcash.
The round represents a strong validation of OB1’s stewardship of the OpenBazaar network and is led by OMERS Ventures, the venture capital arm of the OMERS pension fund. Bitmain is also contributing to this round and joins existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, BlueYard Capital, Digital Currency Group, and angel investor William Mougayar.
“OB1 allows individuals, living anywhere, to buy and sell as part of a truly global marketplace” said Jim Orlando, Managing Partner, OMERS Ventures. “We are excited about the potential represented by OpenBazaar’s decentralized peer-to-peer protocol, and are thrilled about the various implementation paths that Brian and the rest of his team are pursuing.”
OB1 will continue to lead development of OpenBazaar to give users more flexibility and control over how they buy and sell goods and services online. Their plans for this year include releasing web and mobile versions of the application as well as giving users new ways to trade with each other, such as making requests and buying and selling cryptocurrencies. OB1 is also expanding the services it offers to users on OpenBazaar, such as the Verified Moderators program, released this week.
OB1 CEO Brian Hoffman said, “We are pleased to be partnering with both OMERS Ventures and Bitmain, adding them to a powerhouse international team of investors that are helping our team continue to build the future of free trade on the Internet worldwide. Our goal is to see the OpenBazaar protocol and software empower business owners and consumers alike to shift away from the corporate-controlled legacy systems and engage in ecommerce in a free, fair and independent way.”
Users and fans can follow the progress of this open source project and join their community onSlack, Twitter, and Reddit and download the desktop application at OpenBazaar.org ### | https://medium.com/omers-ventures/ob1-raises-5-million-series-a-financing-to-grow-worlds-largest-decentralized-marketplace-87ab8fe7cc48 | ['Omers Ventures'] | 2018-03-13 14:38:19.190000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Decentralization', 'Ovinvestmentnews', 'Ob1', 'Fundraising'] |
Life Minus Narrative | Pretty much all I do here is sit and look at what humanity’s overall problems seem to be and find different ways to point at those problems and talk about them.
The longer I do this, the clearer it becomes that there isn’t actually any separation between the struggle of our species to find a sane way of operating on this planet, and the struggle of the individual to find inner peace. It’s all one unified network of delusion, with threads tracing all the way up to the largest power structures in the world and all the way down into the innermost psyche of every individual.
The deluded psychological fixations of identification, fear and insecurity which drive our personal sufferings are also used by the powerful to manipulate the masses into believing establishment-generated narratives, creating a kind of fractal pattern in which the unhealthiness of the whole resembles in shape and movement the unhealthiness of the individuals who comprise it.
Because this fractal delusion network is a unified whole stretching from the innermost recesses of the individual mind to the outermost reaches of transnational power, any attempt to heal it on any level is also part of an indivisible whole as well. In the same way you can’t separate the action of an individual antibody attacking an individual pathogen from the overall recovery of the entire immune system from a sickness in the body, you can’t separate any personal endeavor to free oneself of any kind of interior misunderstanding from the overall struggle of our species to find a healthy way of relating to each other and to our ecosystem.
For this reason, a humanity that has achieved full mental health will have the same quality as an individual who has achieved full mental health: life minus narrative.
I touched on life minus narrative a bit in my last article, talking about how you can gain a lot of clarity into what’s really going on in the world by “muting” the narrative soundtrack about what’s happening and just looking at what’s actually happening. The narratives we’re being fed across the political spectrum tell us the US needs a military presence in Syria because of humanitarian concerns, because of ISIS, because of Kurds, because of chemical weapons, because of Iran, because of Russia, because of oil, but without all those “because” narratives there’s just the US having a military presence in Syria; this tells you what it’s really about. The narratives we’re fed about Julian Assange’s imprisonment and pending extradition tell us Assange needs to be locked up because he’s a hacker, because he’s a Russian agent, because he’s a rapist, because he’s a fascist, but without all those “because” narratives there’s just a leak publisher being locked in prison; this tells you what it’s really about.
By life minus narrative I mean the ability to look at life without all the stories about life. Your life minus narrative right in this instant, for example, consists of little more than a pair of eyes gliding over this text, the feel of whatever surface upon which you are sitting, standing or lying, the feeling of whatever device you’re holding, and the sensation of air going in and out of your respiratory system. Everything else, from your name to your personal history to your belief system to how you got to the room you’re in right now, consists of mental narrative.
Full psychological health means having the ability to be in the present moment without any mental narratives. It doesn’t mean you lose the ability to have mental narratives, it just means they don’t babble incessantly without your permission and suck you into belief in the stories they each tell. Narrative becomes a tool you can pick up when it’s useful and set back down when you’re done, so if someone asks you your name and date of birth you can instantly tell them, and if they ask how to get to the supermarket you can easily give them directions, and then when you’re done you go right back into the present moment without any mental narrative arising unbidden to control your experience.
Humanity’s movement into full psychological health, if we ever get there, will look very much the same: as a collective we’ll stop buying into the narratives we’re being fed, and we’ll start seeing things as they are without the narrative overlay. And from there we can use the power of our numbers to force a change into a wholesome relationship with each other and our environment.
You can catch a glimpse of what this will look like for yourself right now. Ignore all the narratives about why things need to be as they are, and you simply see things as they are: resources disappearing from the hands of the many into the hands of the few, weapons of war being spread around the globe, journalists locked in cages for telling the truth, increasing surveillance, increasing police militarization, increasing imprisonment, increasing censorship. That’s world minus narrative. That’s what’s real.
This is what we’re collectively striving to open our eyes to. I don’t know if we’ll make it or not, but if humanity exists on the other side of the drastic changes that are coming in the near future, it will be because we managed to open our eyes in this way.
_________________________
Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for my website, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following my antics on Twitter, checking out my podcast on either Youtube, soundcloud, Apple podcasts or Spotify, following me on Steemit, throwing some money into my hat on Patreon or Paypal, purchasing some of my sweet merchandise, buying my new book Rogue Nation: Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone, or my previous book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish or use any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge.
Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2 | https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/life-minus-narrative-6f1be2687913 | ['Caitlin Johnstone'] | 2019-11-08 02:26:54.622000+00:00 | ['Psychology', 'Politics', 'Enlightenment', 'Revolution', 'Awakening'] |
When Polyamorous People Go Back to Monogamy | When my husband James and I were monogamously married, we didn’t hide things from each other, but there were things that we never really talked about because we’d gotten social messaging that it wasn’t appropriate for married people to do so. We didn’t discuss the other people that we found attractive, and we certainly didn’t talk about any of the above-board but still potent subtext that might have been going on with anyone else.
As we started to plan for inviting other people into our lives, James told me about the strong pull he’d once felt for a co-worker, a pull that was reciprocated by her although neither of them ever acted on it in any way. I told him about the subtle flirtation I’d been having with one of his friends. Again, neither of us had done anything inappropriate, but we also had never felt that it was OK to share those things. Once it was deemed alright to not have to pretend that our mate was the only person who ever interested us, James and I got even closer than we already were. There’s really nothing that is off the table to talk about at this point.
I suspect that this is why things are going so well for Mary and her partner. They have the stability of a steady commitment but also all of the communication skills and openness of people who have practice with co-creating a relationship without just relying on preconceived notions about what it’s supposed to be like. I think the divorce rate would probably be a lot lower if more people would do this.
We have the comfort of a long-standing commitment to each other, but also the novelty and enjoyment of spending time with other people.
I feel like James and I have the best of both worlds as well. We have the comfort of a long-standing commitment to each other, but also the novelty and enjoyment of spending time with other people. He and I only see people together, which isn’t necessarily a common way to go about polyamory but it’s one that works for us and makes us happy. That’s one of the relationship parameters that he and I have co-created. We have chosen to keep our relationship primary but to still have intimate connections with others.
There’s no one-size-fits-all polyamory. Some people have multi-person group relationships, some people don’t live with any of their partners, some give equal weight to all relationships, and some people prioritize them. The list of variables goes on and on. Assuming that the other person/people you are involved with will want or expect the same things as you is a recipe for heartache. So is trying to overlay the dynamics of monogamy to a very different relationship style.
At least some of these unhappy people decide that polyamory creates too many problems, and go back to monogamy or monogamy infused with infidelity, where they at least know what to expect. Polyamory isn’t the right fit for everyone, and it can be complicated at times, but as Mary’s relationship demonstrates, the most important thing in any relationship is making your way together. I think that any relationship benefits from making the effort to be really honest and vulnerable with each other.
© Copyright, Elle Beau 2020
Elle Beau writes on Medium about sex, life, relationships, society, anthropology, spirituality, and love. If this story appears anywhere but Medium.com it has been stolen. | https://medium.com/polyamory-today/when-polyamorous-people-go-back-to-monogamy-eceb4b4b1b09 | ['Elle Beau'] | 2020-11-13 22:15:27.969000+00:00 | ['Relationships Love Dating', 'Polyamory', 'Love', 'Personal Development', 'Relationships'] |
Einstein Analytics Tips & Tricks: Comparing Sales YTD vs Sales PYTD | But what if we wanted to compare to last year during the same time frame? There is no “Last Year to this day last year” filter available.
Sure, this can be done with SAQL fairly easily by doing something like:
date in [\”1 years ago\”..\”current day — 1 year\”]
But, what if we don’t want to convert our whole lens into an SAQL step just for this one comparison? The answer is actually fairly simple, just use the “Previous year to date” filter and we can adjust it in the dashboard JSON.
Once we’ve gotten the data we need into the chart and added it to our dashboard, open up the dashboard JSON (CTRL+E or CMD+E) and find our step. We will see the filter section for our PYTD column which looks like this:
This is basically a full years worth of data plus the current year to today. If we want to look at the previous year to the same day in the previous year we just need to change “day”,0 to “day”,-365 and that will give us the same time period for the previous year.
Now we can compare our sales YTD vs our sales PYTD! | https://medium.com/@atriumai/einstein-analytics-tips-tricks-comparing-sales-ytd-vs-sales-pytd-1955dc47c73e | [] | 2020-12-02 10:39:35.895000+00:00 | ['Einstein', 'Einstein Analytics', 'Tableau', 'Salesforce', 'Tips And Tricks'] |
ESG Development in Mexican Financials | November 5th, 2020
This week, we are sharing our ESG Development Heatmap for the last sector we were missing in the Mexican market: Financials (split into Banks and Non-Bank Financials). As in the past, we only focused on (1) companies listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange and (2) publicly disclosed materials.
Banks
Non-Bank Financials
What can we read from this heatmap?
62.5% of banks and 33.3% of non-bank financials have done a materiality analysis. Four banks disclose some KPIs for some of their material topics, but no company in either group discloses KPIs for all material topics together with goals for these KPIs. 62.5% of banks and 50% of non-bank financials have a dedicated team or committee for ESG. 75% of banks and 50% of non-bank financials are aligned with UN’s SDGs. 62.5% of banks and 50% of non-bank financials are signatories of the UN Global Compact. Only 1 bank is aligned with both TCFD and Science Based Targets, while no non-bank financials are. 3 banks (37.5%) are aligned with CDP, and no non-bank financials are. 75% of banks and 66% of non-bank financials published an integrated or sustainability report in 2019. 60% of these reports had external verification. 80% of these reports were done under GRI’s methodology. No company reports SASB’s indicators.
The Financials sector seems to be one of the early adopters of ESG in Mexico, at least as far as ESG communication goes. Banks, in particular, seem to be ahead of the curve with one of the most active companies in terms of ESG in Mexico (Banorte) leading by example. Non-bank Financials still have a lot to do in terms of going through a formal process of materiality and KPIs definition. We would also expect the adoption of SASB indicators to start permeating into this sector as soon as in the next reporting season given the push from investors for this.
I hope you found this interesting. As usual, if there is anything we can help you with, please reach out.
Best,
Marimar
Partner, Miranda ESG | https://medium.com/@marimartorreblanca/esg-development-in-mexican-financials-ee0a4bcb2259 | ['Marimar Torreblanca'] | 2020-12-24 16:21:10.207000+00:00 | ['Consulting', 'Esg Investing', 'Financial', 'Esg', 'Environment'] |
A Bestselling Author Has Been Accused of Stealing the Work of a Black Feminist | A Bestselling Author Has Been Accused of Stealing the Work of a Black Feminist
The Chidera Eggerue vs Florence Given drama
Image from Canva
Florence Given, author of the bestselling book, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty, somehow became the face of intersectional feminism this year — a fact that was always problematic, because she is white and thin, and conventionally beautiful, and therefore not the ideal spokesperson for intersectionality.
Her success story — based on a book that is shallow in content and far from revolutionary — shows what sort of feminism is acceptable today. A feminism that is basic, not too disruptive, and served by someone none threatening — aka, white, and pretty. A feminism that can be easily packaged up and marketed in the form of merchandise. A feminism that is self-centred and capitalism-friendly.
On her Instagram, Florence bragged about “the Floss effect”: after reading her work, women wrote in saying they, too, had cut their hair, dumped their boyfriend, and started dating women. I was always vaguely uncomfortable at how Given managed to take credit for these women’s brave and surely difficult life decisions. And, in all honestly, I couldn’t help but think that the real “Floss effect” is privileged women buying a tote bag with a pseudo-inclusive statement and feeling good about themselves.
Florence had already faced a lot of criticism for her work being superficial — little more than a pink-and-orange collection of Pinterest quotes and 2012 Tumblr feminism with flowery illustrations — but it turned out she might have committed greater evils than just being shallow. In an Instagram post, Florence’s fellow influencer and former friend, Chidera Eggerue alias the Slumflower, accused her of copying her work, saying that Women Don’t Owe You Pretty was basically an amalgam of Chidera’s own books — What a Time to be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy, published respectively in 2018 and 2020.
The social activist described it as a sign of white supremacy, and a shocking example of black people’s activism being used by white people for their own personal gain. “It speaks for itself. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty is essentially an amalgamation of What A Time to Be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy. The only difference is Florence’s book goes into queerness which is not my experience, I don’t touch on that. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty would not exist without What A Time to Be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy,” Chidera wrote on her Instagram stories. “This book is generating wealth. Black women’s ideas generate wealth for white people. But that wealth doesn’t go to our community.”
Florence and Chidera were previously represented by the same management company, Diving Bell, until Chidera broke ties with them a couple of months ago. After she went public in the media, they brought the date for ending the contract forward, from January to last week.
Chidera’s endorsement had appeared on the front cover of an earlier print run of Florence’s book. Chidera said she hadn’t read the book when she had agreed to the endorsement and had asked it for to be removed on the later prints. Chidera also said in a statement that she had informed Florence’s team before publication that she was uncomfortable with the extent to which Women Don’t Owe You Pretty looked like her own book — but had apparently been ignored. A few months ago, the Slumflower contacted Florence to say some of the phrases printed on her merch were copied, leading Florence to pull the products.
I cannot comment on the extent to which Florence willfully copied Chidera’s work, but the debate does raise some valid points about White privilege in the publishing industry. When you Google “Chidera book”, Given’s work appears top of the results. When you google “black feminism book”, it also appears close to the top. Algorithms are pushing Given’s work — a fact that may be linked to ad money from Florence’s team. And while Chidera’s work was popular, the white-washed version was a much bigger phenomenon, both in traditional media coverage and on social media — even though it contains nothing revolutionary.
So I get Chidera’s anger — whether Florence was “inspired” by her or directly copied her is irrelevant — the fact is, she could benefit from an entire white-dominated system that promoted her work more than it ever did Chidera’s, leading her to make money off the work done before her. And even if Florence does recognise her privilege in her book, she is still benefiting from it. This is a fact that can not be forgotten. | https://medium.com/an-injustice/a-bestselling-author-has-been-accused-of-stealing-the-work-of-a-black-feminist-4d2b2a31d37 | ['Stark Raving'] | 2020-12-15 21:56:26.121000+00:00 | ['Privilege', 'Feminism', 'Equality', 'Women', 'Racism'] |
BROTHERHOOD | Photo by the two brothers and edited by Blessing Njodzi
It was sunny that day, as per usual, unlike the country I am currently located in. Step by step, with thighs as large as life itself and as thick as the pillars of the Pantheon, I marched home at a slow pace. My primary school was approximately 1.5 km from home and my parents gave me the liberty to walk to and fro on most days. My mind was racing from topic to topic, theme to theme, like a movie trailer. I was bored and I missed my brother too, who was currently in Bulawayo, studying Accounting at Solusi University.
‘So, what can I do to pass time,’ I thought to myself. I leaned down and picked up a few stones. Now I pretended to be Malinga or Morkel or whoever and bowled out some few people. I actually got 5 wickets and this was a good day. With each wicket, I would shout “Howzii,” at least that’s what I used to hear Ricky Ponting or Bret Lee shout.
In no time I was home. I greeted the maid, bid her a fair afternoon and proceeded to my room. I changed into appropriate home gear and rushed to the refrigerator or stove, whichever place had the best dish
Mum usually cooked something in the morning before she left such as liver or eggs, and the like. On this particular day, I saw a dark, murky meal staring back at me from the pot. It had been portioned so I disportioned it and then apportioned it once more. I was 3 pieces of meat ahead and I was not feeling guilty. 5 pieces of Proton sliced bread accompanied it and down it went into my oesophagus. never again to see the light of day, or at least upon departure from my body, it would have a glimpse.
As I ate, I tuned into Cartoon Network on DSTV and was met by a dog called Courage, who I thought should have been should have been called Cowardly, the courageously coward dog. 10 minutes into the episode, I heard the chain which bound one of the bars on the gate rattle. I ran to the window in a bid to check who it was.
A tall figure it was. Muscular with broad shoulders accompanied by two heavy bags, one in each hand. They were well balanced in his hands as did the Lady of Justice the scales. At this point, his head was pointed downwards so I didn’t know who it was. Then suddenly the face lifted and dopamine rushed through my body faster than a bullet from the movie Wanted.
It was Godwin, my big brother. He had never told me he was coming back today, but rather, how could I have known? I had almost forgotten that I had no cell-phone then, just the landline which I mostly used to call my parents or brothers or their girlfriends in case they weren’t answering. Back in the day, you had to know numbers by heart and Sheron’s, for example was 0772 72… Of course, I will not continue lest the audience indulgeth itself or trieth to snatch the diamond I and my brother found together.
Back to the living room and I am staring out of the window. Without thinking, I left the cartoon episode at its climax and food, my second-best thing, in order to rush and greet him. With bare feet, a bare back, slightly protruding belly and a piece of liver meat on the angle of my mouth, I ran towards him and jumped on him to top it all off. I was quite a handful of kilograms but nevertheless, he was a Hercules so it was a win-win situation. He let down the luggage from both hands and hugged me back.
“I didn’t know you were coming back today. Mom never told,” I said.
“Well, we finished earlier this semester and I had to come back, was I supposed to buy a house there?” Godwin said sarcastically.
For that time and the next few years, sarcasm was a foreign subject to me and even during comedy shows, I would laugh because my brothers were laughing, which by the way, irritated them. So, in response I just smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
I continued, “How was uni?” genuinely asking and climbing off of him.
“It was good, as usual. I am just tired, the journey drained me. Bulawayo kure chaiko.”
“So, in short you want to sleep hantii?”
“Yes, correct baba.”
My face still glistened with joy from seeing him. I just knew that he studied in that city but no idea where and how far it was from our place. Ignorance or poor in geography, I don’t remember.
“Yo, my guy, you have gained weight. You never stop eating, do you?” A laugh came with this remark. His laugh was one of his trademarks, meaning to say if he planned to rob any of his friends with a skii mask on but laughed whilst at it, he would be caught there and then. His laugh was, and still is one of the major signs of my brother’s craziness. It is a mixture of gargling and giggling as if trying to force something out of your throat, with a show of teeth and rain from mouth-land.
I laughed back, took no offence, pulled my stomach in and in self-defence answered, “It’s genetics boss.”
I helped him carry the bags into the house, as heavy as they were. The highlight of my day as it were.
“WELCOME TO BROTHERHOOD, WHERE BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.” | https://medium.com/@docbulozi/brotherhood-cc8fbaf45601 | ['Blessing Njodzi'] | 2020-12-20 05:26:37.629000+00:00 | ['Basketball', 'Life', 'Brotherhood', 'Youth', 'Love'] |
Reflection on Amal totkay | The five important totkay for developing a growth mindset that AMAL shared with us were as follows:
Self-talk Get out of your comfort zone Create new habits Ask people for help Fake it till you make it
The most interesting tip out of all these was FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT!
I loved this idea as I implement it in my daily life activities too. It is really helpful and very beneficial totka to follow up in order to develop a growth mindset. All the tips shared are interesting and engaging. Creating a new habit is also a new thing for me.
I thought of it that when was the last time when I had made a new habit intentionally? and the answer was crystal clear to me. I did not do it since long time, unfortunately. I felt so bad for it.
But this is the moment when I can make it and do it right away!
And that’s what I did!
I made a new habit of waking up early in the mornings for the Fajar prayer and I do not sleep after it. | https://medium.com/@urooj-fatima169/reflection-on-amal-totkay-d681636290c1 | ['Urooj Fatima'] | 2020-12-25 20:02:18.854000+00:00 | ['Amal Academy'] |
CBD for Pets | Apotheca| Hemp and CBD Products for dogs and cats | Sure, you’re already popping hemp extract gummies and putting a couple drops of CBD tincture in your morning coffee, but what about your four-legged companion? CBD pet products are a rapidly growing industry. Pet CBD products made up $32 million in sales in 2018 and are estimated to hit $1.6 billion in the United States by 2022.
So why are CBD pet products so popular? Many people say hemp extract helps their dog or cat with conditions ranging from anxiety to soreness to arthritis and seizures. A quick search through reviews will show dozens of people claiming a couple drops from a CBD tincture made their old dog spring up with newfound puppy energy.
Studying CBD
Since CBD for dogs and cats is such a new market, there are very few scientific studies that back up the anecdotal evidence.
The first clinical study on the benefits of cannabidiol for dogs with osteoarthritis was conducted in 2018. In the study, dogs were given doses of CBD (or a placebo) for 4 weeks in a veterinarian and owner-blind study. The study found that 2 mg/kg twice daily could help increase activity and comfort in dogs with arthritis, with no side effects reported by the pet owners.
More recently, the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation sponsored a small study through Colorado State University focused on canine epilepsy. In the study a group of 16 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy were studied to see if CBD reduced the frequency of seizures over a short period of time. The study found 89% of dogs who were given a hemp-derived CBD tincture saw a reduced frequency of seizures.
Both of these studies are small and haven’t been replicated by other researchers, so there is more work to be done before we can say these are definitive results. However, it is a promising start that should inspire more interest in the topic.
If you’re a cat owner reading along, you’re probably noticing a bit of a canine bias-and that’s not on us, we promise! We couldn’t find any studies on feline CBD use and effects online. If you know of any, please email us-we’ll update this article and write a more in-depth summary of any new studies we come across in the future.
Your Pet’s Endocannabinoid System
The endocannabinoid system is the reason cannabinoids have any effect on people’s bodies. But we aren’t the only ones who have this intricate network of receptors making sure we are at equilibrium-all sophisticated animals have an endocannabinoid system, including your dog and cat. This is likely why hemp products have the effects reported by the aforementioned studies.
In fact, CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis says dogs have a higher concentration of endocannabinoid receptors in their brainstem and cerebellum than any other species. The endocannabinoid receptors in the cerebellum are responsible for muscle control and coordination, while those in the brain stem regulate a wide range of functions including vomiting reflex, blood pressure, pain sensation, and muscle tone.
Why Use Hemp Extract?
Medicinal cannabis may provide relief for a number of conditions in dogs, but canines also have a heightened sensitivity to THC thanks to their increased endocannabinoid receptors and smaller size relative to humans. When dogs ingest large amounts of THC, they often lose control of their muscles and have difficulty balancing. They could also be unable to eat or drink for hours or days, depending on the amount of THC ingested and the size of the dog.
CBD, however, does not have negative effects on dogs. Since hemp plants by law have 0.3% THC content by dry weight, hemp extract products are much safer to give to pets without the risk of side effects associated with high-THC cannabis products. While hemp products are the only legal option for large parts of the country, hemp-derived CBD products are a much safer bet for dogs, even in states with legal marijuana laws on the books.
CBD Dosing Methods for Pets
The vast majority of CBD products for pets are administered orally, either in an oil or treats. Oils and treats make measuring proper doses a simple process and also allows for easy administration. Oils can be added to your pet’s food or given directly from the dropper included with most CBD products. Dosing 0.25 mg CBD for every pound your pet weighs per day is a good rule of thumb, but most products come with a dosing guide specific to its unique formula that will give you more precise guidelines.
While your pet could take the same CBD products you use, there is always a risk of ingredients like essential oils and other extracts that can be perfectly safe for humans, but cause an allergic or toxic reaction in your dog or cat. That’s why a number of brands produce specialty lines specifically formulated for cats and dogs. Lazarus Naturals makes their Calming CBD Pet Tincture from hemp grown at their own farm, using non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan ingredients. Their pet tincture is also less potent per milligram than the standard human line of products to accommodate small dogs and cats.
If you have difficulty getting your pet to take oils, whether due to taste or difficulty administering a tincture orally, treats like those made by Queen Hemp are a good bet. Their treats are made with natural, pet-safe ingredients including oat flour, peanut butter, and honey so they are nutritious and tasty.
Topical CBD products can prove difficult to use with pets, due to their hair or fur and tendency to lick themselves. Some topicals may be beneficial when applied to your pet’s coat, but If a topical is meant to aid a pet’s deep-tissue conditions you may have to shave the area you want to apply CBD ointment directly to the skin.
It’s important to avoid blowing smoke or vapor into your pet’s face as a method of administering CBD doses. Dogs and cats have extremely sensitive respiratory systems that aren’t meant to process smoke and vapor. It’s also impossible to measure an accurate dose this way.
Buying CBD For Pets
In our last post, we went over some of these same concerns as they apply to CBD for humans. There are, unfortunately, less reputable brands that are selling fake products or misrepresenting what they’re selling on their product labels and online descriptions. This is a serious problem, but one that has an easy solution that doesn’t involve abandoning hemp-based products altogether.
If you search for CBD pet products, you’re sure to come across dozens of news stories pointing to risks associated with buying hemp extracts designed for pets. The thing is, the vast majority of critics aren’t pointing to some inherent risk with giving your dog or cat CBD oil. Instead, they’re concerned with the proliferation of fake, mislabeled, or poorly manufactured products on the market.
Just like with CBD products meant for humans, we strongly recommend doing research, checking lab results, and making sure the product you’re buying doesn’t contain pesticides or potentially toxic solvents. If a product is sold at a significantly lower price point than others in the same size/category, is from a brand you can’t find any information on, or third-party test results aren’t available, it’s best to avoid that product.
Shop for Your Pets at Apotheca
We did a lot of the heavy lifting for you already when it comes to finding safe, reliable brands and CBD products for pets. All of our manufacturers submit their products to third-party testing, and many of them use hemp that is grown on sustainable, non-GMO, or organic farms.
To browse our CBD products for dogs and cats, visit the Apotheca store, or come see us in person at our Greensboro and Asheville locations. | https://medium.com/@hello_8386/cbd-for-pets-apotheca-hemp-and-cbd-products-for-dogs-and-cats-3bfcfb397d80 | ['Apotheca Health'] | 2020-10-14 00:51:44.257000+00:00 | ['Hemp', 'Hempnc', 'Cbdnc', 'Petcbd', 'Cbd'] |
The Importance of Privacy: Sexual Fetishes, Salaries, and Other Things We Know About You | The Importance of Privacy: Sexual Fetishes, Salaries, and Other Things We Know About You
It’s time to stop pretending that you can be anonymous on the Internet.
In a data breach, unauthorized users obtain access to databases of user information that are stored by companies. While most people assume it’s harmless, the types of data that are obtained assist in blackmail, identity theft, and fraudulent financial activity, among others. Worse, chances are, there’s much more unauthorized data collected about you than you imagine.
A Dose of Reality
Troy Hunt’s Internet security website, Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), which was launched on December 4, 2013, has published 8,418,474,549 recorded breaches (over 397 total events) of customer accounts as of August 18, 2019 (this list does not include the 2017 Equifax data breach, which exposed the private data of up to 143 million consumers in the US) — a number that exceeds the current population of Earth. To put it into a different perspective, Facebook’s 2018 10-K reports 2.32 billion monthly active users on its platform; mathematically, the amount of compromised accounts reported by HIBP is 3.6x that of the number of Facebook users.
Click on the image to view the full spreadsheet of data.
Within those 8.42 billion recorded breaches, over 80 different types of identifiable data have been illicitly harvested. Chart 1 illustrates the most common types of harvested data include emails (21%), passwords (18%), usernames (13%), IP addresses (10%), names (7%). Almost one third (31%) of the total harvested data, though, comes in the “other” category, which alarmingly includes information on sexual preferences, sexual orientation, sexual fetishes, credit status information, family structure, smoking habits, nationalities, income levels, and government-issued IDs. This type of information can be used in blackmailing users, discriminating against job applicants, or other targeted activities.
HIBP records the highest number of breaches in 2016: 86 breaches (see Chart 2). Each breach is an event where a database containing personal records was accessed and exposed in an unauthorized manner. The number of breaches before 2016 rose year by year, and the number of breaches after 2016 has fallen. For example, in 2017, the number of breaches fell by more than half that of the previous year. At first glance, this data seems to indicate a positive future for data privacy, but cross-examining with the number of accounts hacked per year cautions against that narrative.
Chart 3 illustrates the number of compromised accounts per year. In each breach event, the accounts that are exposed are considered compromised accounts. In 2019, while Chart 2 shows only 24 breach events occurring, Chart 3 shows a record number of compromised accounts: almost 1.80 billion (Chart 3’s units are labeled in millions), compared to 1.57 billion in 2016. On average, every breach event in 2016 resulted in an average of 18,283,820 compromised accounts; on the other hand, every breach event in 2019 resulted in an average of 74,889,726 compromised accounts.
Those numbers represent a 4.10x difference in the average number of compromised accounts an unauthorized attacker has access to when breaching a database in 2019 compared to in 2016. While the number of breaches has been going down, attackers may be looking for higher-profile targets, which provide larger datasets of user information.
A notable candidate from the HIBP list of breaches representing a high-profile 2019 data breach is the former company Verifications IO, which HIBP reported at 763,117,241 compromised accounts. The information from those compromised accounts included genders, employers, job titles, names, usernames, phone numbers, physical addresses, IP addresses, geographic locations, email addresses, and dates of birth. Following the breach, the website went down and has not come up at the time of publishing this paper. The breach did not only compromise user data but impacted business activity as well.
Examples of Notable Account Breaches
Adobe (2013) — 153 million accounts were compromised. Data collected included Adobe’s internal ID for customers, usernames, emails, encrypted passwords (that could be easily deciphered), and password hints.
Ashley Madison (2015) — Ashley Madison is a website that promotes extramarital affairs. The data breach in 2015 was leaked after the website refused to shut down. Over 25GB of data (30.8 million) was subsequently released including sexual orientation, physical addresses, phone numbers, names, passwords, and emails.
LinkedIn (2012) — 165 million emails and passwords were stolen.
MySpace (2008) — 360 million email addresses, passwords, and usernames were compromised.
Verifications.io (2019) — an email marketing firm few have heard of, Verifications.io had almost 800 million compromised accounts containing personal data: emails, employers, genders, locations, IP addresses, job titles, names, phone numbers, and physical addresses.
Mate1 (2016) — a smaller dating site that boasts 46 million users, Mate1’s hack resulted in over 27 million accounts compromised with information on astrological signs, dates of birth, drinking habits, drug habits, education levels, emails, ethnicities, fitness levels, genders, locations, income levels, job titles, names, parenting plans, passwords, personal descriptions, physical attributes, political views, relationship status, religion, sexual fetishes, travel habits, usernames, web activity, and work habits.
The Illusion of Compliance
After data is recorded by a central authority, the user has no guaranteed control over it, only perceived control. Ashley Madison, for example, charged $19 to its users to delete their data from the Ashley Madison database. Even after paying, it was never fully deleted.
The Impact Team claimed that Ashley Madison’s parent company, Avid Life Media, received $1.7 million between 2014–2015 for its account removal service. Unfortunately, after accessing the Ashley Madison user database, the Impact Team was able to retrieve the supposedly deleted user data.
It’s Worse Than What I’ve Described
HIBP provides a list of 397 breach events that have occurred since 2007, but the list is by no means exhaustive. Other sources such as KrebsOnSecurity offer additional data points that include other types of breaches as well, such as ones that contain data that is not (yet) publicly available. For example, in 2019, a hacker downloaded 30GB of Capital One credit application data and was subsequently arrested by the FBI. “That data included approximately 140,000 social security numbers and 80,000 bank account numbers on US consumers and roughly 1 million Social Insurance Numbers (SINs) for Canadian credit card customers” who applied for a Capital One credit card product between 2005 and 2019. Other data included customer status data (e.g., credit scores, credit limits, balances, payment history, contact information) and transaction data from a total of 23 days between 2016 and 2018, according to the official Capital One statement on the breach.
In the digital realm, centralized data storage has become a game of cat and mouse between cybersecurity and hackers. User data must be protected, and security professionals take on the complicated task of maintaining patches, identifying vulnerabilities, and properly implementing a secure architecture in all aspects of the centralized system. On the other hand, hackers need only discover a single point of entry to gain the upper hand. Ultimately, the cost of the entire game is paid for by the user. The cost of a company’s cybersecurity is packaged into the price of a product or subscription paid for by the user, and the profit a hacker makes from selling data is earned at the expense of the user.
What This Means for You
You’re probably looking for actionable steps to take to prevent this type of data collection from happening to you. The answer isn’t very clear, especially because data about you is being shared or accessed by organizations without your conscious consent (such as the case with Cambridge Analytica, which pulled Facebook user data directly from Facebook).
The first answer that comes to mind seems impractical: just don’t put any of your information on the Internet. Unfortunately, your data is an entry ticket to the Internet these days — services want to track you with cookies, forms require your email address, etc. without giving up some privacy, you are unable to reap the full benefits, and ultimately the decision to give up information comes down a personal level (whether providing data and risking that privacy infringement is worth the information you will receive).
Another option takes heavier lifting and requires a restructuring of the Internet. Financial incentives must move away from advertising, which is the primary way that people make money on the Internet today. Startups like Worthyt are reimagining this by shifting the financial incentive away from advertising to quality audience interaction. On a structural level, blockchain solutions can serve to decentralize data, which isolates attacks.
The smallest step you can take is to simply be more conscious about your activity on the Internet. Giving away your email to one website can be used to link your activity in the future if that website is compromised. One thing I like to use is a website called Sharklasers. It’s a website that gives you a randomly generated email (or one you can specify) temporarily. You can use this free service to sign up for things anonymously. Because you can access the email’s inbox, you can receive activation links as well. | https://towardsdatascience.com/the-importance-of-privacy-sexual-fetishes-salaries-and-other-things-we-know-about-you-165fb48327f2 | ['Kenny L.'] | 2020-01-03 05:00:51.900000+00:00 | ['Hacking', 'Security', 'Cambridge Analytica', 'Privacy', 'Data Breach'] |
What’s the Deal With Pulse Oximeters? | What’s the Deal With Pulse Oximeters?
Here’s what to know about devices that can measure blood oxygen saturation
Pulse oximeters measure the percentage of your red blood cells that are carrying oxygen by beaming different wavelengths of light into your finger after it’s clipped on. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
People showing up at the ER with suspected Covid-19 tend to have an especially concerning symptom, explained emergency room physician Dr. Richard Levitan in the New York Times this month: Pneumonia caused by Covid-19 comes with dangerously low oxygen levels that sometimes go unnoticed. This symptom is known as “silent hypoxia,” wrote Levitan, “‘silent’ because of its insidious, hard-to-detect nature.”
The silence is worrying because it means people might be suffering from Covid-19 pneumonia without even knowing it. To detect silent hypoxia early enough to get treated for Covid-19 pneumonia, Levitan said people could use a home pulse oximeter, a small device for measuring blood oxygen saturation that can be purchased at a pharmacy.
That’s not to say that you should go out and buy one immediately. As one San Francisco physician noted in The Guardian, they “aren’t necessary” for people who are healthy and don’t have other Covid-19 symptoms. In Quartz, an interventional pulmonologist said there “is no good role” for a pulse oximeter if you’re a person who is healthy and doesn’t have supplemental oxygen on hand. Pulse oximeters are normally recommended for people with chronic lung disease who have to monitor their fluctuating oxygen levels; these people usually have devices for delivering extra oxygen into their lungs.
However, a pulse oximeter could be helpful for people who suspect they have Covid-19 but are not sure whether they should go to the hospital, or for those who have tested positive for Covid-19 but felt their symptoms were otherwise mild. A low oxygen reading would suggest silent hypoxia caused by Covid-19 pneumonia, a symptom that requires hospital treatment. This very useful New York Times Q&A on pulse oximeters described the story of one Philadelphia emergency room physician who had stayed home after testing positive for Covid-19 but checked herself into the hospital after she got a pulse oximeter reading of 88% blood oxygen saturation, which fell below the “healthy” cutoff of 92%.
Should you decide to buy one — and there’s no dearth of reviews from sites like the The Strategist and Wirecutter — it helps to know the basics. A pulse oximeter, which looks a bit like a plastic clothespin, measures the percentage of your red blood cells that are carrying oxygen by beaming different wavelengths of light into your finger after it’s clipped on. According to the American Lung Association, a “good number” for your blood oxygen saturation would be over 90% to 92%.
Some key caveats: The accuracy of pulse oximeters varies, readings can differ depending on what finger you use (and if you’re wearing dark nail polish), and, perhaps most critically, it’s not a single reading that matters but the trend — if there is one. If you do use a pulse oximeter, it can be helpful to take multiple readings per day to establish a baseline and take note of any downward trends.
Most importantly, pulse oximeter readings shouldn’t distract you from the established symptoms of Covid-19, listed in full in this handy chart from Elemental. Even if you get a “good” oxygen saturation reading, severe symptoms like chest pain, high fever, or severe shortness of breath warrant a call to your health care provider. | https://coronavirus.medium.com/whats-the-deal-with-pulse-oximeters-b3feea3dfe2b | ['Yasmin Tayag'] | 2020-04-30 19:16:16.015000+00:00 | ['Health', 'Quick Q And A', 'Pulse Oximeter', 'Coronavirus', 'Covid 19'] |
Reinventing Financial Systems — Henrique Dubugras, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Brex | Miguel Armaza sits down with Henrique Dubugras, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Brex, a financial operating system for startups and growing companies, with services including a corporate card, cash management, and controls in a single account.
Originally from Brazil, Henrique built Pagar.me, a payments company, when he was only sixteen and in just three years grew it to process over $1.5 billion in processed transactions. Shortly thereafter, he co-founded Brex along with Pedro Franceschi.
Listen to the full interview → Spotify | Soundcloud | Apple
In this interview, we talk about
How he met his co-founder, Pedro, and their inspiration to launch Brex
“On my last year of high school, I met my co-founder Pedro over Twitter, and we decided to start our first business that actually worked, in Brazil, called Pagar.me, which was like Stripe in Brazil. So online payment processing in Brazil. And then from that point on, we ran that company for three and a half years, grew it to 150 employees, pretty profitable, and then sold it to a larger merchant acquirer called Stone.”
Henrique’s story from entrepreneur, to Stanford student, to Stanford dropout and Brex co-founder
“Since our first business, Pagar.me, we kind of always wanted to help businesses grow. And we saw in Brazil that a lot of businesses had a lot of trouble accepting payments and getting into the online economy. And at the same time, when reconciling they lost a lot of time and sales. So we always kind of had this affinity to help merchants and then when we got to Brex we kind of wanted to keep working on that mission. At Brex we say that our mission is to reinvent financial systems so every growing company can realize its full potential. And what that means for us is basically doing everything we can to build the best product to help companies succeed.”
Their significant decision to move Brex into a remote-first company and what that means for them
“We’re just going to assume that everyone at Brex is not in an office and all of our communication processes are going to be built for that (…) and assume everyone is seeing from their own computer. And it was a really tough decision, right? Because even though a few companies like Square, Twitter, and Shopify had announced they were going to do that, it’s still quite risky and no huge companies were built entirely remote in the past, and maybe that’s changing for the future. But it’s still TBD. And then there’s a lot of things that haven’t adapted and a lot of ways people interact and create a sense of belonging that are not remote. And we’ve made a bet that all those things will improve and we will find ways of solving all the issues remotely, and that the pros will outweigh the cons. And the biggest pro is basically access to global talent.”
The importance of company culture and some key lessons for fintech founders
“People say the first 10 hires are gonna multiply for the next 10 people and set the culture of the company. I would amend that statement and say it’s probably your first 10 leadership hires (…) And those leaders, they create the processes, the culture, and structure that years later, should they ever leave, it stays. So it’s incredibly important.”
And a whole lot more!
Listen to the full interview → Spotify | Soundcloud | Apple
Henrique Dubugras
Henrique Dubugras is Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Brex — the smartest corporate card in the room. A Brazilian entrepreneur, Henrique built payments company Pagar.me — the Stripe of Brazil — when he was sixteen years old. In just three years, Pagar.me grew to US$1.5 billion in volume of transactions processed. In the fall of 2016, Henrique sold Pagar.me and enrolled at Stanford University. After eight months, he left school and founded Brex.
About Brex
Brex is reimagining financial systems so every growing company can realize its full potential. By rebuilding from scratch the entire technology stack for credit card issuing, storing and transferring money, Brex has designed financial software that avoids previously painful banking problems. Traditional banking systems are broken; previously neither founders nor their businesses had access to great financial perks and benefits that their corporate counterparts enjoyed. Brex created products for fast moving companies that are intuitive, well designed, and have more powerful functionality than anything on the market. At its core, Brex exists to empower every growing company to dream bigger.
In June 2018 Brex launched the first corporate card and rewards program designed for Startups. Brex reimagined every aspect of corporate cards, including 10–20x higher limits than traditional cards, tailored rewards with points on every purchase, and no personal guarantee for founders. This is a radically better experience for customers. In Fall 2019, Brex introduced its second product, Brex Cash. A first-of-its-kind cash management account that enables companies to simplify financial operations, pay for expenses and grow their business, all with zero fees. As a unified platform, Brex brings together the ability to store money and pay bills in a single, elegant dashboard replete with integrations to other financial software — a new vision for the autonomous finance function.
Having started as part of the Y Combinator accelerator program in 2017, the team has grown to over 400 people. Based in San Francisco, Brex has raised over US$465 million in venture capital, with support from Kleiner Perkins Growth, YC Continuity Fund, Greenoaks Capital, Ribbit Capital, IVP, DST, as well as fintech insiders like Peter Thiel and Max Levchin. Brex has also raised over $510 million in debt funding from Barclays. As of writing it is worth $3 billion.
Previous Episodes You May Enjoy:
From Poker Star to Unicorn Founder — Nima Ghamsari, CEO/Co-Founder of Blend
Building a Customer-Centric Culture with David Vélez, Founder and CEO of Nubank
Leading Russia’s Fintech Innovation with Oliver Hughes, Tinkoff CEO
Building a Global Payments Powerhouse — Kamran Zaki, COO of Adyen
Creating Pathways to Better Financial Health — Anu Shultes, CEO of LendUp
Building Unicorns and Redefining Online Banking — Renaud Laplanche, Upgrade CEO/Co-Founder
Creating an African Fintech Giant — Olugbenga Agboola, Co-Founder & CEO of Flutterwave
For more FinTech insights, follow us below:
Wharton Fintech
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Miguel Armaza
Twitter | LinkedIn | https://medium.com/wharton-fintech/reinventing-financial-systems-henrique-dubugras-co-founder-co-ceo-of-brex-8dc7ab820765 | ['Miguel Armaza'] | 2020-12-11 14:46:40.698000+00:00 | ['Payments', 'Startup', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Fintech', 'Technology'] |
Black Swan | Out of sight, out of might
Amidst our brief stay in the surface of this spheric stone that spins around an energy agglomerate of relatively dismal mass, many phenomena are revealed to our perception.
Some things are more frequent than others and, as our mind loves regularities, those more rarified immediately receive more attention and become objects of obsession, fear or both.
That is why we coat such events with a layer of mythology that seeks to cover the apparent irrationality their inherent unpredictability brings to our lives. We usually call it superstition and it involves several habits — of thought or action — organised around rituals.
Hence our will to address a phenomenon so rare that it was named Black Swan, an occurrence so outlandish within the normality of our daily affairs that it becomes an anomaly worthy of special consideration.
This term was updated by bully-statistician and makeshift historian of philosophy Nassim Nichoals Taleb to designate:
“The disproportionate role of high-profile, hard-to-predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations in history, science, finance, and technology.
The non-computability of the probability of the consequential rare events using scientific methods (owing to the very nature of small probabilities).
The psychological biases that blind people, both individually and collectively, to uncertainty and to a rare event’s massive role in historical affairs.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory
The Black Swan metaphor refers to an unexpected, remarkable event that is rationalised in a hamfisted manner a posteriori. It takes inspiration from an old say in which one assumes that such animals did not exist and, after discovering them in reality, is reinterpreted to illustrate something completely alien to its original meaning.
In nuce, an accident made up of so many improbabilities that it far surpasses both our cognitive and technological capacities to predict it. And, as we all know, predict (or foresee) is one of mankind’s dearest activities in society, especially when the means to its survival and greed are at stake.
Say “triskaidekaphobia” 13 times
The number 13 itself has a very curious — and recurring, mind you — place in that repertoire that aims to handle symbolically our brief misadventure in this spinning rock covered in water, especially if we focus on that great mishap we like to call “Western History”.
It reappears with impressive consistency in innumerable moments, from the Last Supper to Tupac’s murder all the way through the Original Sin, but it is its very persistence as superstiosion that fascinates us.
We even arrive at the mindless idea of removing the thirteenth floors that carry the stigma of being numbered with such a nefarious compound of algarisms or ignore their existence in the configuration of airplane seats in commercial flights, all of that in the hopes of avoiding the probable evils — some of them quite lethal — its presence might bring about.
https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2973/do-hotels-omit-the-13th-floor
However, far from being a number that would “mark” the Black Swans that dwell in the tragedy of humans’ trajectory in the world, it betokens our obsession with regularities and our vain hopes in trying to control variables, as disparate as they can be and, as cuah, avoid the unavoidable or even to be prepared to deal with it.
There are people who believe Bitcoin is one of such rare and enthralling creatures, fulfilling all prerequisites that allow it to be deemed as a phenomenon that fits that theory:
“The event is a surprise: The release of Bitcoin in the global market, to the observer, was a complete surprise. Because until Bitcoin came about, nobody thought that such a currency could exist, let alone flourish. So, yes, it was a surprise.
The event has a major effect: Bitcoin, in ten years has become the largest and first cryptocurrency in the market. The cryptocurrency has also amassed quite a following and a huge tight-knit community worldwide. Bitcoin, alone, has been the subject of many a debate in parliaments and governments across the world. With that being said, Bitcoin has also spawned a market with over 2000 individual cryptocurrencies and also has a side startup industry based on the blockchain. So, yes, it did and does have a major effect.
After the first recorded instance of the event, it is rationalized by hindsight, as if it could have been expected: If we were to take under consideration the timing of Bitcoin’s introduction into the world and how it has become almost a threat to the financial structures of the world, it can be rationalised by hindsight.
Because people were extremely disgusted by the financial structure failing them and leading the world into a financial crisis, Bitcoin (a government free, trustless currency) managed to do so well. So with that in mind, it seems as though the invention of a currency that is free of the government and required no middleman was bound to happen.”
Source: https://hackernoon.com/is-bitcoin-a-black-swan-event-ea0e05f0c52a
This inference can be deemed plausible to a certain extent, even if greatly imbued with that amount of wishful thinking that is the quintessence of the kind of magical thinking informing any form of rationalisation that ends up being superstitious. And maybe this is what made us use this space to talk about such a peculiar phenomenon in such a picturesque day… maybe not. After all, Bitcoin itself is very close to us for what it is, but also quite distante for what it does.
Anyhow, it is only natural that many hopes are placed upon blockchain and the virtualities it brings forth at each new application made possible within its innovative architecture or even the daily tasks of our lives advanced through it. But what is worth saying here is: if Bitcoin can be understood as a manifestation of that phenomenon, of its singular and revolutionary nature, it is also where we start towards more consistent and constant improvements.
Rhizom lies at this very stage. | https://medium.com/rhizomfoundation/black-swan-68946042baa | ['Rhizom Foundation'] | 2019-12-14 12:48:09.186000+00:00 | ['Smart Contracts', 'Bitcoin', 'Blockchain', 'Nassim Taleb', 'Black Swan'] |
Ansible-Playbook for configuring Docker Webserver | Ansible + Docker + Webserver
Configure the Inventory for Managed Node IP in the host file i.e hosts with credentials (username & password).
How did ansible know where to do the task? Mention the Inventory hosts file in the ansible configuration file i.e ansible.config.
Here the Controller Node established a network with Managed Node.
- hosts: 192.168.43.109
Now we are ready to do tasks in the Managed Node.
Step 1 Download docker software
Before we go for downloading the docker software. We have to configure the yum repository through this we can easily download it otherwise it will fail to download.
tasks:
- name: Adding repository
yum_repository:
name: "docker-ce"
description: "docker download"
baseurl:
"https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/7/x86_64/stable/" gpgcheck: no
enabled: yes
Download the docker software with the command module. We can also use the ansible package module but the Ansible package module doesn’t support any option
— nobest
We can rectify the error by going to the Managed Node and manually run the command. As we already know that Ansible behind use Yum or Dnf to download the packages.
yum install docker-ce
- name: "installing docker-ce..."
command: "yum install docker-ce --nobest -y"
Step 2 Start and enable Docker services
- name: "starting the docker service..."
service:
name: "docker"
state: restarted
Step 3 Pull the httpd server image from the Docker Hub
While pulling the docker image from the Docker Hub that says to download the docker.py library before pulling the image.
After we also need pip3 that comes from python36 to download the docker.py.
Download python3 and docker.py library.
- name: "Downloading python3"
package:
name:
- python36 - name: "Pip installing docker-py dependencies"
pip:
name: "docker-py"
Now, we can download a docker image.
- name: "downloading docker image...httpd"
docker_image:
name: "httpd"
source: pull
Step 4 Copy the html code in document root i.e /usr/local/apache2/htdocs/ directory and start the web server
Before copying the content of the webserver create a folder for the permanent volume that we can mount to another docker container also.
- name: “creating directory for docker…”
file: path: /root/ansible-docker
state: directory
Now copy the content of the webserver.
— name: “copying webserver content…”
copy:
content: “It works…”
dest: /root/ansible-docker/index.html
Step 5 Run the docker container and expose it to the public
Before exposing for simple and easy setup is to disabled the SELinux because SELinux won’t allow port numbers to use.
name: Disable SELinux
selinux:
state: disabled
Launching and Exposing docker container i.e web1 in the 8012 port. Also, the volume from the base OS mounted to the web1 is permanent.
- name: "launching docker container..."
docker_container:
name: "web1"
image: "httpd"
ports: 8012:80
state: started
volumes:
- /root/ansible-docker/:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/
Note: You might get face some error while exposing docker container
While exposing weberver (httpd) you might get this error. Sol. Webserver Httpd image is work on the 80 port i.e is pre-defined.
While downloading the docker-ce software. Sol. Attach and mount your Redhat 8 dvd before going to download the docker-ce software.
Now run ansible-playbook.
ansible-playbook webserver-docker.yml
Hurry! Output comes 😍
Click to get code… Github | https://medium.com/@negisneeraj23/ansible-playbook-for-configuring-docker-webserver-da3d46539c91 | ['Neeraj Singh Negi'] | 2020-12-11 15:35:27.740000+00:00 | ['Containers', 'Web Server', 'Docker', 'Ansible Playbook', 'Ansible'] |
This Raspberry Pi-Powered Monitor Can Deliver Car Engine Information at a Glance | Image: Paul Slocum via Reddit
Maker Paul Slocum engineered a custom Raspberry Pi-powered OBD2 monitor that displays information about his 97 Honda’s engine via Bluetooth dongle.
By Brittany Vincent
When it comes to older cars, it can be difficult to keep track of specific stats. If you don’t have a Tesla with an advanced touch screen or even a newer car with a modern display, it’s easy to feel in the dark about what’s going on with your engine. That’s where Raspberry Pi comes in.
Tom’s Hardware spotted Paul Slocum’s intriguing fix for car owners needing a monitor to display engine information using a Raspberry Pi as a base. His personal unit was designed to fit his ’97 Honda, down to the car’s aesthetic. The monitor automatically connects with the car via Bluetooth dongle and shares information when the engine starts up.
“I wanted a small, customizable OBD2 monitor that automatically turns on and off with the car,and I couldn’t find quite what I wanted among existing apps and products,” Slocum wrote. The OBD2, as he explains, is a computer port in most modern cars that allows for real-time analyze of car engine data.
Written and compiled with C++, the project, which uses a run-of-the-mill Raspberry Pi, also utilizes SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) for graphics as well as a touch interface. Slocum added a 3.5-inch Waveshare IPS GPIO screen to bring it all together.
Though Slocum notes that the software “needs a little more work,” he’s planning on releasing it as open source with a customizable layout, fonts, graphics, and other data for different cars. It doesn’t need to be customized further as it will automatically connect to any Bluetooth OBD dongle.
For those interested in learning more about how the project came together, Slocum outlined the process in a lengthy Reddit post. You can also follow the creator on GitHub for future updates. | https://medium.com/pcmag-access/this-raspberry-pi-powered-monitor-can-deliver-car-engine-information-at-a-glance-31acdd50afd8 | [] | 2020-12-15 19:03:09.681000+00:00 | ['Raspberry Pi', 'Technology', 'DIY', 'Cars'] |
A Framework for Configuring Cross-Account Access in AWS | Photo by Joseph Chan on Unsplash
For the most part you probably keep most of your AWS infrastructure under the ownership of a single account. However there are situations where you may need to grant a resource or a user, in a different account, access to one or more of your resources. This might be because an external client or vendor needs direct access to your infrastructure or because your company has infrastructure deployed across different accounts. Indeed, AWS recommends using multiple accounts, as best practice for scaling your cloud environment. As it provides billing and security isolation, and allows flexibility.
Still, granting access cross account can be tricky. It certainly took me a while to grok the pattern I needed to follow, to consistently set up a trust relationship between AWS accounts.
In this article I’m going to explain a simple recipe that you can follow, to make sure you set up the correct permissions to allow cross account access to your AWS resources. The bulk of the example will be in CloudFormation, but the principle applies whether you use the AWS console directly or utilise Infrastructure as Code, using CloudFormation or Terraform. | https://medium.com/swlh/a-framework-for-configuring-cross-account-access-in-aws-3b94daea1063 | ['Camin Mccluskey'] | 2020-11-22 14:01:47.763000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'AWS', 'Programming', 'Software Development', 'Infrastructure As Code'] |
Issa Amro, my peace activist friend facing military incarceration & how you can help him… | I have introduced you to Issa the Human Rights Defender, but now I want to introduce you to Issa, my friend
I had the privilege of being ‘introduced’ to Issa in 2015 by the inspiring firebrand and ‘Code Pink’ activist that is Ariel Gold, an American Jew. Ariel had connected us in order for me, as co-founder and chair of Jersey Palestine Solidarity Campaign, to support Youth Against Settlement’s annual ‘Open Shuhada’ campaign.
Chatting with Issa in Hebron
Issa and I spoke many times, but we first met in 2016 when I visited the region due to wishing to understand more the issues on the ground. In 2018, I was posted to Hebron for 3 months to serve as a Human Rights Monitor. This was a life defining experience for me, but was also the period when Issa became to me, a dear and respected friend.
‘Liberation 75’ and my personal reflections from witnessing an occupation | by Natalie Strecker | Nine by Five Media | Medium
Issa, like all of us has many layers: he is strong, courageous, outspoken and direct, but he is also incredibly insightful, supportive, humble and so very thoughtful. On this theme I would like to share just 3 of the many precious experiences I got to share with Issa:
One day after 4 weeks of working long and arduous hours giving protective presence and recording human rights violations and trying to somehow make sense of everything I was witnessing and the inhumanity of the situation, I hit rock bottom after having seen the humiliation of a young teenage boy and then, when visiting his family, becoming aware of the abject poverty they were experiencing as a consequence of the occupation. I, after having been given a key by Issa, went to sit in the gardens of the YAS Centre in Tel Rumeida, one of the quieter places you can go in the old city and I sobbed. Issa found me and he said to me, “you need to take a break”, which I had already planned to take the next day. Issa instructed me to go and pack my stuff and he would organise my transport to where I had planned to take my days off. As always, he wouldn’t take no for an answer and I went back to my apartment where I was staying and met him a short while later at a junction of what is known locally as ‘Happy Bunny’. Issa walked me to a taxi of a friend of his and said to me: “my friend will take you to the door, now go rest and I will see you in a couple of days”. I felt 2 things at that moment, overwhelming gratitude, but also the burden of European privilege. You see, I knew I got to take a rest that he doesn’t ever get to take. A couple of days later I came back and Issa, as he always did, ‘checked in’ on me to make sure I was okay.
Issa, as I quickly discovered was the norm with Palestinians, was very protective of those who came to try to support them, the irony of course is not unacknowledged. He even insisted on things such as having someone walk me home at night.
My tattoo!
Issa was also who I went to when I wanted to check that the Arabic tattoo I was about to have stating ‘Free Palestine’ in Ramallah (my first ever tattoo and for me a rebellious act of resistance in response to all I had seen), was correct and that I didn’t end up living to regret the moment by having some dubious words forever imprinted on my skin.
Then there was my final night in Hebron, a night when my heart broke. Along with the many tears that were shed, however, there were also many, many laughs! I went to the YAS centre, where I went almost every evening to spend my free time with the local activists and of course, frequent visitors and volunteers with the centre. Unbeknown to me, Issa had organised a special pizza and kanafe party for me. There was music, the nightly campfire, conversation and then there was the long and drawn-out goodbyes.
Final night in Hebron at my pizza party
As I left my posting, I knew that I would never be the same again, the Palestinians taught me so very much about life, about courage, about steadfastness, which they refer to as ‘sumud’; but Issa gave me valuable lessons in true friendship and for this reason he will forever remain one of the greatest and impactful friends of my life. | https://medium.com/nine-by-five-media/issa-amro-my-peace-activist-friend-facing-military-incarceration-5448eef64949 | ['Natalie Strecker'] | 2021-01-15 19:12:45.832000+00:00 | ['Israel', 'Palestine', 'Human Rights', 'International Law', 'Politics'] |
I am sorry you understand my words so well! | I am sorry you understand my words so well! But, happy my words help! I get my book Toxic Person Proof to my editor next week so many more words to come in the near future! | https://medium.com/@sarah-k-ramsey/i-am-sorry-you-understand-my-words-so-well-e571a894468e | ['Sarah K Ramsey'] | 2020-12-12 01:44:37.196000+00:00 | ['Toxic Relationships', 'Healing', 'Healing From Trauma', 'Narcissism', 'Love'] |
What ails South Asian region? | What ails South Asian region?
12 September 2020 Manish Jung Pulami
Since the independence of many South Asian states, international relations in South Asia have been characterized by common suspicion, unfriendly relations, and, at times, open conflict (Razvi, 2008). The reasons for conflict in South Asia can be characterized by acute security lenses. Though most of the reasons may end up being political, the root causes of the conflict are overarching — geographical, historical, cultural and political. South Asia shares a common history of colonialism — a period which inflicted the roots for interstate conflict in the region. Home to a number of religions and diverse cultures, this region is witnessing a growing threat to its pluralist character in the form of resurgent religious nationalism. The South Asian region provides a significant location to examine the relationship between pluralism and peace (Saiya, 2019).
The geographical, historical, cultural and political impediments have equally contributed to ignite and fuel up the hostilities of South Asia.
Thus, as a whole, impediments to harmony in South Asia can be defined through the historical, cultural, geographical and political lenses.
Political Lens –
In South Asia, the political reasons for the conflict and poor cooperation stem from a blurred understanding of multilateralism, rise in nationalism triggered by historic bilateral relations, and Pakistan’s isolation (whether self-inflicted or regionally imposed)(Chan, 2017).
Importantly, the influence of the extra-regional actors has made this region quite vulnerable to conflicts. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the Bay of Bengal are those areas of South Asia that are being significantly influenced by the major powers such as China, USA, Japan, Russia, EU and others. It is a potential area of conflict for the region. Also, the geostrategic location of the South Asian states makes them vulnerable to foreign influence in the region. The Chinese BRI, the American ‘Pivot-to-Asia’ and Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Russian stakes in South Asia have led significant interference of these actors in internal politics of the region to their benefit.
Historical Lens –
Some of the historical impediments can be traced back to the colonialism. The India-Pakistan rivalry, the Bangladesh-Pakistan cold relations, Pakistan-Afghanistan difficult relations and Nepal-India fluctuating relations can be drawn back to colonialism. The regional security complex was formed based on a unique civilization, after the end of British colonial raj. The Partition of India in 1947 is itself a root cause of conflict in the region. The 1971 liberation of Bangladesh is another historical reason for conflict in the present days. The states are still not able to cooperate for a regional harmony because of the historical enmity they had during the period of colonialism or post-independence (Joshi, 2013).
The former colonial masters left behind one of the main reasons for hostility in this region — the inter-state border disputes.
Cultural Lens –
Likewise, the South Asian region has many culturally and religiously plural states, having people from many races and creed in the region. The cultural barriers have induced the intra-state conflicts in the region affecting the harmony of the states and the whole region. The religious movements and increased militancy have been major impediments to the harmony in the region. The Hindu Nationalist Groups, Taliban, Mujahideen, ISIS and others are some examples of religiously motivated groups causing terrors.
The separatist movements in Northeast India and the civil war in Sri Lanka are some of the examples of culturally motivated unrest in South Asia. The Islamization of Pakistani politics and society, seen most acutely in the state’s draconian blasphemy code, has directly fed Islamist vigilantism, which has become a major security threat to the region (Saiya, 2019).
Geographical Lens –
The geographical impediments of the region can be explained through the geographical isolation of some of the states because of their landlocked nature (Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan) and island states (Sri Lanka and the Maldives). The isolation of these countries due to natural geographical reasons block the trade and development of those states. Moreover, the whole region is prone to natural calamities such as earthquake, floods and tsunamis which take hundreds of lives and destroy property every year. The geostrategic location of the whole continent and the states in South Asia has led to a tremendous amount of interference and interest of major powers of the world.
The geostrategic location of the whole continent and the states in South Asia has led to a tremendous amount of interference and interest of major powers of the world.
Other Ailments –
The migrants and the refugee crisis a The influx of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh and India, the induction of Tamil refugees into India due to Sri Lankan Civil War, and Bhutanese refugees to Nepal are some of the major inter-state political problems in South Asia. The porous borders and cultural, lingual and religious homogeneity have led to illegal migration of criminals, terrorists and others (Ahmed, 2019). Because of the cultural, religious and political homogeneity of this region, the policies concerning minorities in one state have its ripples felt across borders.
Most of the South Asian states cooperate primarily with the outside world and only secondarily with the sates in the region. In other words, intraregional harmony is in a stage of infancy.
Pakistan’s military influence in Pakistan’s politics and economy is one of the major political reasons for the lack of harmony in the reason. South Asia is also the second most region inflicted because of terrorist activities (Giunchi, 2014). Hence, the Taliban issue in Afghanistan is a historical impediment from the time of the Soviet occupation and relevant to the conflict in contemporary times as well.
In conclusion, there is barely any noteworthy harmonization between the core and periphery in this region, most of the South Asian states cooperate predominantly with the outside world and only secondarily with states within the region. In other words, intraregional harmony is in a stage of infancy. The geographical, historical, cultural and political impediments have equally contributed to ignite and fuel up the hostilities of South Asia.
References
Ahmed, Z. S. (2019). Managing the refugee crises in South Asia: The role of SAARC. Asian and Pacific migration journal: APMJ. Chan, J. H. (2017). Regionalism in South Asia: Negotiating cooperation, institutional structures. Munich: Munich Personal RePEc Archive. Gaiha, R., & Hill, K. (2019). Natural Disasters in South Asia. In Routledge Handbook of South Asian Economics . Routledge. Giunchi, E. A. (2014). The Political and Economic Role of the Pakistani Military. ISPI. Joshi, S. (2013). Colonial notion of South Asia. South Asian Journal. Retrieved from https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dludden/Sjoshi04.htm Paukert, M. (2003). Major Powers and South Asia. Islamabad: Konferenzberichte. Razvi, S. M. (2008). Conflict and cooperation in South Asia. The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 269–279. Saiya, N. (2019). Pluralism and Peace in South Asia. The Review of Faith and International Affairs, XVII(4), 12–22. Tavares, R. (2008). Understanding Regional Peace and Security: A Framework for Analysis. Comparative Politics, 107–127.
Disclaimer: The article was originally published in The Rise. | https://medium.com/@manishjungpulami/what-ails-south-asian-region-9fdd33c1eeab | ['Manish Jung Pulami'] | 2021-07-06 07:01:00.173000+00:00 | ['Conflict', 'South Asia'] |
KEYS TO SUCCESS –OVERCOMING NARROW-MINDEDNESS | Author: Simona Nikolova
During Endeavor’s recent International selection panel, Maura O’Neill (President Obama’s first Chief Innovation Officer) was invited to talk to us about the importance of eliminating narrow-mindedness. Her talk was focused on the incredible business and personal potential of opening our minds to new ideas and opportunities and eliminating people with narrow minds from our lives and workplace. If we take a closer look, this might not be the most common business advice, but rather one whose worth is weight in gold.
Learning from history
History has demonstrated that the people, who have changed the world the most, have always been challenging the status-quo and questioning the conventional thinking:
Galileo for questioning the flatness of the Earth; Winston Churchill for always looking at situations from different perspectives and trying new ways of dealing with the enemies; Mahatma Gandhi for his fearlessness to call for Indian independence; Nelson Mandela for his lifelong commitment to fighting for equal human rights.
Entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Arianna Huffington and Reid Hoffman have experienced multiple setbacks and failures in their business before becoming successful. Open-minded people are not afraid of making mistakes, because they see them purely as an opportunity to learn and grow. They have the ability to find a positive aspect in almost every situation and the existence of troublesome elements is viewed as a minor obstacle and something normal.
The power of perspectives
Often success or failure in business is all about perspectives. The definition of a narrow-minded person is someone with a limited outlook, unwilling to consider alternative perspectives, ideas or thoughts. Driven by fear of change and risk-averse behavior, this intolerant and conservative thinking shuts down innovation and creativity in the workplace. The comfortable and familiar narrow-minded management is also not profitable. We see that the most profitable organizations today, are the ones where people are set free to do their jobs, stimulated to be creative and act on their ideas. An organization cannot progress if its leader is not willing to accept changes or incorporate new methods of management.
Growth is usually viewed as a positive sign, but at Endeavor we often see how growing a business too fast or in the wrong direction can actually lead to its death. Another example is how sometimes someone external, such as an adviser or a consumer of the product or service, can define the biggest issues of an organization. That is why open-minded people are more prone to success; because they see situations from different perspectives — they put themselves in someone else’s shoes, understand why people make certain decisions and what their drivers are.
Open-mindedness leads to innovation
Being open-minded in seeking new ideas and being creative are the keys to innovation. Without these traits, neither people nor companies can really be innovative. The irony is that some of the greatest discoveries of all time almost never occur within one field of expertise. They came from people who took well-established concepts from one field and applied them to new domains — borrowing theories and practices from different industries or using old skills to make contributions into new fields.
Nowadays we can see this concept being applied everywhere: capable people don’t spend an entire career on the same job, they prefer to change jobs regularly, gain experience in more than one industries and thus become more effective; top universities are finding interdisciplinary research as the key to innovation and best practices; most software is developed using the Agile method, which emphasizes cross-functional teams.
Entrepreneurs need to have a firm understanding of their business and the changes that are taking place around them — marketplace, regulatory, IT, production — and the new approaches and techniques available. It is the creative application of this knowledge that allows people to find new and innovative ways to improve.
Overcoming narrow-mindedness
Being trapped in our own tunnel vision affects our personal lives and work. Back to O’Neills’ lecture, narrow-mindedness can lead to bad choices based on too little information. Her advice for overcoming our own personal narrow-mindedness starts with self-reflection:
Be outrageously curious — read a book on a topic you don’t know anything about; study the most challenging course for you; go to a department you know nothing about.
Question the status-quo — often, old ideas and practices are outdated and irrelevant; new ideas and innovations come because people question the old ways of doing things.
Embrace diversity — research shows that in a diverse group, creativity flows and results improve, due to the different views and perspectives of the members.
Improve your teamwork and communication by incorporating these concepts. Understand why your co-worker is behaving in a certain way by seeing his perspective; have the willingness to be wrong — take in and appreciate others opinions and arguments. We tend to think of strong leadership as being decisive, persistent and unwavering. However, in a world that is constantly changing, leaders’ willingness to change their own minds and be flexible is the real competitive advantage.
Being open-minded is sometimes so overlooked, but can be essential to the success of any business. At Endeavor we encourage entrepreneurs to think big and believe that their businesses can accelerate and have an impact. Be open-minded, expand your knowledge, respect differentness and tackle new ideas and opportunities.
Photo by James Pond on Unsplas | https://medium.com/endeavor-bulgaria/keys-to-success-overcoming-narrow-mindedness-b8c98714a74 | ['Endeavor Bulgaria'] | 2019-02-14 14:10:49.048000+00:00 | ['Success', 'Leadership'] |
A Letter to My Body | But I was wrong. I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, and even though I don’t deserve a second more of your time, I want you to know that I am committed to changing. I need you to know that I know exactly how deeply and entirely wrong I was about you.
First of all, you are innocent — you have always been innocent. Let that sink in. You showed up in every single way you were supposed to. You just wanted to be cared for, and at the minimum, not abused. You are not responsible for my neglect. You didn’t ask for it.
Secondly, I severely misjudged you. I waited for people to tell me if and when you would be acceptable. But in a global economy of tight-bodied wellness influencers and a $72 billion diet industry, you were never going to be acceptable. I needed professional advice to shed light on my years of indoctrination.
Through therapy, I learned that your size was never indicative of your worth. I argued that fatness was a death sentence — an unforgivable crime against humanity. But even my doctors disagreed. They told me that despite popular belief, your health was not determined by your size; that the damage I inflicted on you was far worse than letting you exist as a plus-size body.
My nutritionist taught me that the best way to care for you was not through restriction or obsessive exercise but through intuitive eating and enjoyable movement. I learned that I had been doing it all wrong, unnecessarily subjecting you to abuse under the guise of “wellness.” But there is nothing “well” about militant deprivation and control.
By far, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you intuitively know what you need. You’ve always known. I just never listened. I couldn’t hear you over the public declaration of your inferiority. I drowned out your pain with the compliments of people who had no stake in your survival.
I judged you mercilessly, denied your nourishment, and still expected you to serve my every need. I was sick, and you paid the price. | https://medium.com/the-virago/a-letter-to-my-body-73b8032d5401 | ['Never Sugarcoated'] | 2020-12-09 01:38:54.375000+00:00 | ['Self', 'Women', 'Eating Disorders', 'Body Image', 'Mental Health'] |
How to Create Animations and Transitions for your Android App | Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn. — Norman McLaren
Animations and Transitions improve the user experience and provides smoothness when transitioning between various activities. In this article let us look at how to create animations/transitions in android.
First of all, we need to organize the file structure to place the files related to animation. So, create a new resource directory named anim.
Now, let us the see how can we create transition effects when switching between activities. So, now create a new Animation Resource file by right-clicking on the anim directory. Name the file as fadein.xml.
Also, we need to create another animation resource file named fadeout.xml.
Now, we can simply use these animation resource files to create fade-in and fade-out transition effects as shown below:
The overridePendingTransition() method is to be called before calling the setContentView() method.
So, now when the activity is launched, the transitions can be seen clearly.
So, done with the transition effects! Now, let us dive into some animations that can be applied to the elements of the activity.
For example, we can create swipe in animations for Buttons or TextViews, that is, they swipe in when the activity launches. Also, we can create floating animations that can be applied to Buttons or ImageViews. So, let us get started!
Animation is Imagination!
Again, right click on the anim resource directory and create a new resource file called animation.xml.
So, we can this swipe in animations and apply to any element such as a Button. Let me illustrate.
Swipe In Animation
Now, let us move on to see how can we create floating animation effects.
Create a new animation resource file called floatinganimation.xml.
Now, the above animation can be applied to elements such as Buttons and ImageViews. See the illustration shown below:
Floating Animation
Are you able to see the floating effect on the ImageView? Amazing right!
If you have any queries please post in the comment section below. Connect with me on LinkedIn . Also, if you want to look at my amazing collection of apps developed, don’t forget to check Google Play Store.
Know more about me here.
With that being said, thanks for reading my article and Happy Coding! | https://medium.com/nerd-for-tech/how-to-create-animations-and-transitions-for-your-android-app-2bdd31e533a3 | ['Vaidhyanathan S M'] | 2020-11-20 03:45:10.573000+00:00 | ['Android', 'Transitions', 'Android App Development', 'Animation', 'Java'] |
The Fortnite World Cup Experience | This article was originally published on July 31st, 2019, and can be found at Brannan27.com.
There are still some eSport skeptics out there, however it seems unlikely that there is no possible scenario where it is not the future of sports entertainment.
One of the eSport games which have become a phenomenon is the battle royale game Fortnite. The free video game from developer Epic Games has generated billions of dollars and become an obsession for gamers of all ages.
That surge in popularity has brought Fortnite tournaments for eager eSports gamers to watch and compete in. The biggest of them all is the Fortnite World Cup, which has a $30 million prize pool.
Fortnite Basics
The premise of Fortnite is simple, 100 players landing on an island with only pickaxes equipped. Players have to find new weapons, grenades, and other items in order to survive and eliminate other players, the last person standing wins. It is a simple game to learn, but a difficult one to master.
What makes Fortnite unique is the building aspect of the game. Players can scavenge materials such as wood, metal, and brick to create walls, ramps, and floors to quickly build their own forts, hence the name. These structures help protect players from bullets and can provide vantage points against opponents. The best Fortnite players are not just good with a gun, but they can also build quickly to defend themselves.
Health experts have accused the games as being as addictive as heroin. David Fizdale, head coach of the New York Knicks, would go on to state “‘Fortnite,’ that’s my competitor right now. Fortnite is tougher than the Boston Celtics. Fortnite’ is undefeated,” when he was explaining trying to battle his players’ sleep deprivation.
Moreover, it has become the most popular video game in the world, with 250 million registered players. The game is so popular because of its free-to-play model, with the developers making their cash via V-Bucks, the in-game microtransaction currency that people can use to upgrade their characters and unlock features. In 2018, Epic Games made more than $2.4 billion from these microtransactions alone.
The Tournament
Epic Games announced that they would organize the 2019 Fortnite World Cup, in June of 2018. They would select New York City’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, home to the US Open tennis tournament.
In both the duos and solo events, players and teams compete in six matches. They earn points after each match based on how they placed and how many eliminations they accumulated. The player or team with the most points after the six matches is crowned the winner. Duos split a prize of $3 million, while the winners of the solo keep the $3 million all to themselves.
The original plans were to have weekly tournaments starting in late 2018, with the finals in 2019. However, in March the developer changed its plans, announcing qualifiers for the Fortnite World Cup starting in April.
Players earned points in either single or duos weekly tournaments to qualify for the finals. Those with the highest points total were invited to the event and play for the first prize of $3 million as well as the crown of the best Fortnite player in the world.
Over 40 million players participated in the qualifying events for the Fortnite World Cup across six regions: NA East, NA West, Europe, Brazil, Asia, and Oceania (Austalia and New Zealand).
From those qualifiers, the field was narrowed down to 50 duos and 100 solo players.What happened
What Happened
The three-day World Cup finals consisted of a creative competition and pro-am on Friday and the duos competition on Saturday and the singles championship on Sunday.
The players would man their stations on a state-of-the-art two-story playing stage with screens depicting each player’s view in the game.
Wall-to-wall color commentary was broadcast on Fortnite.com, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Mixer, and Caffeine. Some of the platforms would allow viewers to focus on their preferred player.
The telecast featured all the hallmarks of a major sporting event, excitable announcers, splashy graphics, soft-focus profiles of the competitors that wouldn’t feel out of place in NBC’s Olympics coverage.
The duos tournament on Saturday and the European team of Emil “Nyhrox” Bergquist Pedersen (@nyhrox) and David “Aqua” Wang (@aquaa) took the championship, winning $3 million. The players won two of the six games giving them the most points among the 50 teams competing.
The doors for Sunday’s solos final opened at 9.30 am, but fans were lined up as early as 6 am for limited-edition special codes redeemable for rare items that could be used in the game. 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf (@bugha) would come out in first-place, walking away with the $3 million prize and the title of the best Fortnite player in the world.
Bugha’s $3m check was not the only life-changing windfall of the day. Psalm (@psalm) earned $1.8m for second, Epikwhale (@EpikWhale) won $1.2m for third and Kreo (@KreoFN) brought in $1.05m for fourth. The 25th through 100th place finishers took home the princely sum of $50,000 apiece just for showing up, roughly the same as a first-round loser at next month’s US Open.
Twitch tracking site Githyp estimated 1.3 million people watched the Sunday finals, via the video game streaming site. On YouTube, there were half a million tuning in for the event. There were also viewers on Microsoft’s streaming service Mixer, and players were able to watch the finals while playing Fortnite thanks to a new service from Epic.
Most news coverage that came out of the tournament almost entirely focused on the $3 million, the winners walked away with. However, this was the narrative that Epic Games were aiming for.
There are three things that typically make the general public aware of eSports, big money, record audience numbers, and celebrities getting in on the act. The Fortnite World Cup had all three. and a performance by Marshmello…whose market value by now is weirdly tied to the success of one battle royale videogame.
The Fortnite World Cup is likely to cause an awakening, not just for young kids and aspiring gaming pros, but also for parents, eSports organizations, advertisers, TV networks, and more. With this much money on the line and the potential for overnight stardom so great, this moment will likely be remembered as a turning point for eSports, not because of the money itself, or even the game that’s being played.
Brands Getting Involved
One of the reasons Epic Games has seen so much success is that Fortnite has more in common with Facebook than with games such as Call of Duty. The game has emerged as a new kind of social media for younger consumers.
“Unlike other platforms and services, Fortnite uniquely combines benefits from gaming, social media, and streaming platforms, offering consumers a singular experience,” according to an NRG report. “Consumers say it’s the best place to ‘be my authentic self’ and to ‘connect to what everyone is talking about, making me feel like I’m not alone’”.
This has not gone unnoticed with brands. Nike’s Jordan Brand partnered with Epic Games to launch a new range of sports shoes, that are entirely digital on the Fortnite platform. The move is the latest crossover partnership between Fortnite and other pop-culture icons.
Last year, Epic Games teamed up with the NFL to bring virtual jerseys to the game.
Epic Games would also introduce a new place on the Fortnite map modeled after the house from the ‘John Wick’ movie franchise. There have also been ‘Avengers’ crossovers.
These limited-time deals are meant to keep the game fresh while giving partners some advertising in a youth-friendly venue. | https://medium.com/@brannan27/the-fortnite-world-cup-experience-ca4a32ad29ae | [] | 2020-11-19 21:57:11.818000+00:00 | ['Esport', 'Gaming', 'Fortnite', 'Esports Market', 'Riot Games'] |
Medical Protective Clothing Market Size, Growth, Report Study, Demand, Key Players, and Forecast by 2026 | Medical Protective Clothing Market 2021–2026
Straits Research has recently added a new report to its vast depository titled Global Medical Protective Clothing Market. The report studies vital factors about the Global Medical Protective Clothing Market that are essential to be understood by existing as well as new market players. The report highlights the essential elements such as market share, profitability, production, sales, manufacturing, advertising, technological advancements, key market players, regional segmentation, and many more crucial aspects related to the Global Medical Protective Clothing Market.
Medical Protective Clothing Market
The Major Players Covered in this Report:
3M
Ansell
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Delta Plus
Alpha Pro Tech
Cardinal Health
Halyard Health
Lakeland Inc.
Derekduck Industries Corp.
Plasti Surge Industries Pvt.
Get a Sample PDF Report: Medical Protective Clothing Market
Segmentation as as follows: -
By Product
Coveralls
Gowns
Others
By End-Use
Hospitals
Home Healthcare
Others
The report specifically highlights the Medical Protective Clothing market share, company profiles, regional outlook, product portfolio, a record of the recent developments, strategic analysis, key players in the market, sales, distribution chain, manufacturing, production, new market entrants as well as existing market players, advertising, brand value, popular products, demand and supply, and other important factors related to the Medical Protective Clothing market to help the new entrants understand the market scenario better.
Important factors like strategic developments, government regulations, Medical Protective Clothing market analysis, end-users, target audience, distribution network, branding, product portfolio, market share, threats and barriers, growth drivers, latest trends in the industry are also mentioned.
Regional Analysis For Medical Protective Clothing Market:
North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico)
Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy)
Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia)
South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.)
Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa)
In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of the Medical Protective Clothing are as follows:
• History Year: 2014–2019
• Base Year: 2019
• Estimated Year: 2020
• Forecast Year 2021 to 2026
The main steps in the investigation process are:
1) The first step in market research is to obtain raw market information from industry experts and direct research analysts using primary and secondary sources.
2) Extracts raw data from these sources to extract valuable insights and analyze them for research purposes.
3) Classify the knowledge gained by qualitative and quantitative data and place it accordingly to make final conclusions.
Key Questions Answered in the Report:
• What is the current scenario of the Global Medical Protective Clothing Market? How is the market going to prosper throughout the next 6 years?
• What is the impact of COVID-19 on the market? What are the major steps undertaken by the leading players to mitigate the damage caused by COVID-19?
• What are the emerging technologies that are going to profit the market?
• What are the historical and the current sizes of the Global Medical Protective Clothing Market?
• Which segments are the fastest growing and the largest in the market? What is their market potential?
• What are the driving factors contributing to the market growth during the short, medium, and long term? What are the major challenges and shortcomings that the market is likely to face? How can the market solve the challenges?
• What are the lucrative opportunities for the key players in the Medical Protective Clothing market?
• Which are the key geographies from the investment perspective?
• What are the major strategies adopted by the leading players to expand their market shares?
• Who are the distributors, traders, and dealers of the Global Medical Protective Clothing market?
• What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by types and applications of the market?
For More Details On this Report: Medical Protective Clothing Market
About Us:
Regardless of whether you’re looking at business sectors in the next town or crosswise over continents, we understand the significance of being acquainted with what customers purchase. We overcome the issues of our customers by recognizing and deciphering just the target group, while simultaneously generating leads with the highest precision. We seek to collaborate with our customers to deliver a broad spectrum of results through a blend of market and business research approaches. This approach of using various research and analysis strategies enables us to determine greater insights by eliminating the research costs. Moreover, we’re continually developing, not only with regards to where we measure, or who we measure but in how our visions can enable you to drive cost-effective growth.
Contact Us:
Company Name: Straits Research
Email: [email protected]
Phone:
+1 646 480 7505 (U.S.)
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Medical Protective Clothing Market Growth, Medical Protective Clothing Forecast, Medical Protective Clothing Industry Trends, Medical Protective Clothing Market Share, Medical Protective Clothing Industry Size, Medical Protective Clothing Market Data Analysis, Medical Protective Clothing Market Overview” | https://medium.com/@shubhamk.straitsresearch/medical-protective-clothing-market-size-growth-report-study-demand-key-players-and-forecast-by-88155f5767b | ['Shubham K'] | 2021-12-28 05:59:18.676000+00:00 | ['Market Research Reports', 'Healthcare', 'Medicare', 'Medical Clothing Market', 'Protective Clothing'] |
When Deep Learning got BIG! | Is it possible to leverage your current Spark cluster to build Deep Learning models?
Can terabytes of data stored in HDFS, Hive, HBase be analyzed?
Muhammad Rafay Aleem, Nandita Dwivedi, Kiran
Photo by Franki Chamakion Unsplash
Diving into Intel’s BigDL
Apache Spark has rapidly gotten popular over the past couple of years. This comes from its simplicity, speed and support, also referred as 3 S’s of Spark. Many companies leveraged the Hadoop and Spark environments to build powerful data processing pipelines. These pipelines were built to pre-process huge volumes of data on distributed clusters and draw insights from it for business growth. As Deep Learning gained momentum for its high accuracy predictions and analysis potential, many companies wanted to take advantage of the models that could help improve their businesses further. Intel had such corporate customers with huge data pipelines already built and deployed in their Spark/Hadoop clusters. There were a couple of concerns from these customers on how can deep learning models be applied on these datasets.
1) Can the same pipeline be leveraged for Deep Learning? 2) Can Deep Learning be done efficiently for these large datasets, i.e. Deep Learning at scale? 3) Can the existing Spark/Hadoop cluster be used?
These questions arose because of the obvious need for a consistent environment where moving these large datasets across different clusters can be avoided. Moreover, moving proprietary datasets from an already existing infrastructure can be a security risk. The earlier experiments for answering these questions involved trying to add existing Deep Learning frameworks over Spark, but they weren’t coherent. This led to the development of BigDL platform on top of Spark, and hence naturally inheriting the 3 S’s: simplicity, speed and support with Deep Learning features.
BigDL Library
BigDL is a distributed deep learning library that has rapidly started growing in the field of big data analysis. It is natively integrated with Spark and Hadoop ecosystems because of which it supports significant features like incremental scalability, that allows the models to be trained in any number of clusters depending on the size of data. It provides support to build an end-to-end data-analytics, deep learning and AI pipeline. It performs data-parallel distributed training to achieve high scalability. Since it’s an open source release, BigDL users have constructed numerous analytics and deep learning applications such as visual similarity, parameter synchronization, scaling and convergence etc. on Spark and Big Data platforms.
Deep Learning applications can be written as a standard spark program. These libraries that are unified in the Spark framework can read high volumes of data. Moreover, it has support for Python libraries like Numpy, Scipy, NLTK, Pandas, etc. It is integrated with TensorBoard for visualizations and also supports loading of existing Torch models. One of the most important reasons for the enterprise customers wanting to use BigDL and Spark is that in addition to the fact that BigDL is faster than TensorFlow, it also enables them to retrain the models quicker because of parallel computation.
Analytics Zoo Library
Machine Learning in Spark is still in its infancy when compared to numerous standalone libraries available in Python ecosystem. Most of these libraries such as Keras, TensorFlow and PyTorch are not consistent with Spark since they do not support Spark’s underlying core framework that enables distributed computing. Analytics Zoo is a library developed by Intel that is trying to bridge this gap in Spark. It provides a rich set of high-level APIs to seamlessly integrate BigDL, Keras and TensorFlow programs into Spark pipelines. It has several built-in deep learning models for object detection, image classification, text classification, recommendations, etc. The library also provides end-to-end reference use cases such as anomaly detection, fraud detection and image augmentation to apply machine learning on real-world problems.
To put things into more perspective, the following section provides a brief tutorial on BigDLand Analytics Zoo, showing how easily they can be used to implement transfer learning using pre-trained models and train it on a Spark cluster. | https://medium.com/sfu-cspmp/when-deep-learning-got-big-a833a69be460 | ['Nandita Dwivedi'] | 2019-03-13 20:35:35.752000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Deep Learning', 'Transfer Learning', 'Bigdl', 'Intel'] |
Level Up Your Conversion Rate in Just a Few Lines of Python | Level Up Your Conversion Rate in Just a Few Lines of Python
Introduction
Is your web experience costing you sales? If you aren’t making an active effort at Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) the answer is yes. Yet another in the panoply of acronyms that abound in business, CRO is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to boost sales. A poor web experience on a lead’s journey to becoming a customer can sometimes be remedied by something as small as adding or removing a single button, reducing text, or cutting a page out of the process altogether.
But, to understand where you’re losing sales you first need to understand how users move through the collection of pages that make up your website. You need to examine the flow that they follow on the path to becoming a sale.
Google Analytics is free and almost universally adopted for web analytics. But, its path analysis options can be frustratingly linear — and linear is rarely the path customers follow to a sale.
Luckily, we can use the data from Google Analytics coupled with a few lines of Python to create an intuitive, interactive network graph that will allow us to examine how users travel through your site on their way to a conversion.
To do so we’ll:
If you’re not interested in the step-by-step you can access the full code for this undertaking in this GitHub repo.
Configure Google Analytics API
To begin you’ll need to allow yourself API access to Google Analytics. Google makes this process very easy but, if this is your first foray into the depths of Google’s Cloud Platform, it could be daunting.
Start by heading over to https://cloud.google.com/ and select either ‘Console’ or ‘Get started for free’ if you’re starting entirely from scratch.
Image by author
From here you’ll likely need to create a new project. Select the drop-down arrow to the left of the top search bar and then choose ‘New Project’ from the top-right of the pop-up.
Image by author
Now that you have your project, you’ll need to enable the Google Analytics API on your account. Since this is Google, it’s easy to search for that functionality. Head up to the top search bar and enter ‘Google Analytics API.’ Several options will come up, select ‘Google Analytics Reporting API.’ Then click ‘Enable.’ You shouldn’t be able to miss it.
Once you’ve done that you should find yourself on the ‘Overview’ portion of the Google Analytics Reporting API. From here you’ll want to select ‘Credentials’ on the left menu, then choose ‘+Create Credentials’ at the top of the new screen, and ‘Service Account’ from the options that pop up.
Image by author
This will take you to a three-step flow. Give your service account a memorable name, choose ‘Owner’ in Step 2 for project access, and then finish.
This should bring you to the ‘Service Accounts’ screen and you should see your new service account listed. Now you’ll need to download a key to your computer to use for access. Select the three dots under ‘Actions’ next to your service account and then choose ‘Manage keys.’
Image by author
On the next screen select the ‘Add Key’ dropdown menu and then choose JSON for your ‘Key type.’ This will at once create a JSON file and you’ll be prompted to download it to your computer. Download this file to the same folder that your code will reside in.
The last step before we dive into the code is to give this new service account access to the Google Analytics (GA/UA) account that you’ll be drawing the data from. As you can see in the above screenshot, the service account has its own email address. Copy this address.
Head over to your Google Analytics account. Choose the ‘Settings’ gear on the bottom-left of the screen and then ‘View Access Management’ for the view you’ll want to build your graph from. Add the service account email address that you copied from Google Cloud Platform as a viewer. While you’re here, note the ‘View ID’ of the view you’re adding your service account to. You can find this on the very top drop-down to the left of the search bar.
Image by author
Now we can get on with the actual coding!
Download Google Analytics Data with Python
In addition to the ubiquitous pandas, you’ll also need:
apiclient and oauth2client — to connect to the Goolge Analytics API.
pyvis — to create our network graph visualization.
All the necessary packages can easily be obtained via PIP.
In addition to importing your packages, you’ll need to define a few variables upfront. Most importantly, you’ll need to enter the name of the JSON file that you downloaded from Google Cloud Platform that contains your API access key. This file is named ‘KEY_FILE’ below. You’ll also need to create a variable called ‘VIEW_ID’ and give it the View ID of your Analytics property as noted earlier. Note, that while this is a number you should store it in Python as a string.
Now we’ll need to define several functions to help us access our Google Analytics data. We’ll create ‘initialize_analyticsreporting’ to build the API connection, ‘get_report’ to define the dimensions and metrics we want to download and retrieve them, and ‘response_to_df’ to grab the Analytics data, make sure it’s completely downloaded, and save it in a pandas dataframe so it’s more orderly.
Note that in the ‘get_report’ function, lines 23 and 24, we’re passing in the dimensions and metrics we want to retrieve as variables as these are likely to change often. The function needs the dimensions and metrics as dictionaries which we generate from lists that are passed to the function.
Google has a very easy-to-navigate site with the names for all of the dimensions and metrics that can be downloaded. Using this webpage we can make a list for the dimensions, and another for the metrics we wish to download. We’ll also need to define the date ranges we wish to examine. The Google Analytics API is handy in that it supports descriptive, relative, time frames like ‘14daysAgo’ and ‘yesterday.’ With that done we can call our Analytics functions.
…and inspect our resulting data.
Inspect, Clean & Format Data in Pandas Dataframe
Everything looks pretty good. …except… your page paths likely still have the query parameters attached to them. (Unless you planned ahead and have been filtering this out on your Analytics view). In order to get a true sense of the traffic between all your pages, we’ll need to remove those query parameters and aggregate the results by the true page paths. While we’re at it I’m also going to make sure to store the numbers as numbers and not strings.
Create a Network Graph to Visualize Your Traffic
With our data now cleaned and organized, we can assemble it as a network and visualize it.
The core of the visualization functionality is adding your nodes and edges with the ‘.add_node’ and ‘.add_edge’ lines and then displaying the HTML graph with ‘.show’
You can see I’ve made a few modifications to the data and display. For example, at the beginning, I’ve narrowed the paths to display to the top 10% most traveled in order to keep the graph from becoming too cluttered. I also include a ‘for’ loop at the end that adds additional information to the tooltip for each node. And, most complexly, I’ve used a color dictionary to make my nodes different colors based on the portion of the broader site that each page is a member of.
My network graph uses the traffic between two nodes to define the weight of the line. The nodes themselves are sized according to each page’s exit rate. The larger the node circle, the smaller the exit rate.
Note line 36; ‘.show_buttons(filter_=True)’. The first time you run your graph you can include this code to load an interactive menu of formatting options. This menu makes it easy to tweak the graph until you’re happy with its appearance. Then you can click ‘generate options’ to generate the options you’ve chosen as a dictionary which can be used to recreate your formatting in the future.
As you can see, I’ve set the options I chose and I invoke those on Line 7 of the code snippet above where I call the graph.
Call the visualization again with your pre-defined formatting and viola, an interactive visualization of your web traffic. You can use this to easily see the most common paths users travel through your site, which pages are driving exits, and where people are most likely to enter your page.
You can find the full code for this project saved as a notebook over on GitHub.
Enjoy! | https://towardsdatascience.com/level-up-your-conversion-rate-in-just-a-few-lines-of-python-c9e2c4af3684 | ['Benjamin Engen'] | 2021-09-08 19:08:06.622000+00:00 | ['Pyvis', 'Google Analytics', 'Conversion Optimization', 'Python'] |
Waterfall vs Agile: Which One Should You Choose | Waterfall vs Agile — Edureka
Are you confused about choosing the software development model for application development? Are you having a difficult time choosing between Waterfall and Agile? If yes then this article will clear all your confusion. Here we will discuss all the differences between Waterfall and Agile. After understanding the differences, it would make more sense to know about DevOps.
The topics that we will cover in this article are as follows -
What is the Waterfall model? Pros and Cons of Waterfall What is Agile? Pros and Cons of Agile Comparison of Waterfall and Agile
What is the Waterfall model?
The waterfall model is a model of software development that is pretty straight forward and a linear. This model follows a top-down approach. This model has various starting with Requirements gathering and analysis. This is the phase where you get the requirements from the client for developing an application. After this, you try to analyze these requirements.
Next comes the Design phase where you prepare a blueprint of the software. In this phase, you think about how the software is actually going to look like. Once the design is ready, you proceed further with the Implementation phase where you begin with the coding for the application. The team of developers works together on various components of the application.
Once the application is developed, it is tested in the verification phase. There are various tests conducted on the application such as unit testing, integration testing, performance testing, etc. After all the tests on the application are done, it is deployed onto the production servers. At last, comes the maintenance phase. In this phase, the application is monitored for performance. Any issues related to the performance of the application are resolved in this phase.
Pros and Cons of Waterfall
Pros
By having clear goals and directions, planning and designing becomes more straightforward and simple. As such, the whole team ideally remains on the same page for every phase.
You can easily measure progress and you know when to move on to the next step. There are clear milestones and the phases indicate how well the overall project is going.
This methodology saves time and money. Through clear documentation and planning, your whole team is more prepared and wastes no time in the future.
Cons
Gathering and documenting your requirements on each step of the way can be time-consuming, not to mention difficult. It’s hard to assume things about your product so early into the project. As a result, your assumptions might be flawed and different from what the customer expects.
If the above is indeed the case and your customers are dissatisfied with your delivered product, adding changes to the product can be expensive, costly and most of all, difficult to implement.
In general, the risk is higher with the Waterfall approach because the scope for mistakes is high as well. If things go wrong, fixing them can be hard as you have to go a couple of steps back.
What is Agile?
Agile is an iterative based software development approach where the software project is broken down into various iterations or sprints. Every iteration has phases like the waterfall model such as requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance. The duration of each iteration is generally 2–8 weeks.
So in Agile, you release the application with some high priority features in the first iteration. After its release, the end-users or the customers give you feedback about the performance of the application. The necessary changes are made into the application along with some new features and the application is again released which is the second iteration. This procedure is repeated until the desired software quality is achieved.
Pros and Cons of Agile
Pros
Because of the high customer involvement, you receive feedback quickly and make decisions on the fly. There’s more frequent communication, more feedback and a closer relationship with your customers.
There is a lesser risk since your work output is reviewed at every stage. You also save money and time from unnecessary expenditures, because you’ll be prioritizing providing value for your users.
You’ll be improving the quality of your output with each cycle. By breaking down your project into bite-sized pieces, you learn from each iteration. There is a lot of trial and error involved, but for the most part, you’re still focusing on high-quality development, testing, and collaboration.
Cons
For the approach to work, all members of the team must be completely dedicated to the project. Everyone must be involved equally if you want the whole team to learn and do better on the next run. Because Agile focuses on quick delivery, there might be an issue with hitting deadlines.
The approach may seem simple but be hard to execute. It requires commitment and for everyone to be on the same page, ideally, in the same physical space.
Documentation can be ignored. Because Agile methodology focuses on working software over comprehensive documentation, things might get lost through each stage and iteration. As a result, the final product can feel different from what was first planned.
Comparison — Waterfall Vs Agile
When You Should Use Waterfall and When to Use Agile
Use Waterfall if :
You know that there will be no change in the scope and your work involves fixed-price contracts
The project is very simple or you’ve done it many times before
You know very well that the requirements are fixed.
Customers know exactly what they want in advance
You’re working with orderly and predictable projects
And use Agile if:
There is no clear definition of the final product.
The clients/stakeholders are capable enough to modify the scope
You anticipate any kind of changes during the project
Rapid deployment is the goal
Which One Is Better? Agile vs Waterfall
There is no clear winner here. You cannot say that Agile is better than Waterfall or vice versa. It really depends on the project and the level of clarity that surrounds the requirement.
You can say that Waterfall is a better model if you have a clear picture of the final product. Also, if you know that the requirement will not change and the project is relatively simple then Waterfall is for you. This model is a straightforward, efficient process if you don’t expect to deal with change.
Agile is superior When you don’t have a clear picture of the final product, when you anticipate changes at any stage of the project and when the project is pretty complex. Agile can accommodate new, evolving requirements any time during the project, whereas it is not possible Waterfall to go back to a completed phase and make changes.
This is it, this brings us to the end of this article.
If you wish to check out more articles on the market’s most trending technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Python, Ethical Hacking, then you can refer to Edureka’s official site.
Do look out for other articles in this series which will explain the various other aspects of DevOps. | https://medium.com/edureka/waterfall-vs-agile-991b14509fe8 | ['Saurabh Kulshrestha'] | 2020-09-09 12:03:45.397000+00:00 | ['Waterfall Model', 'Software Engineering', 'Agile', 'Agile Methodology', 'DevOps'] |
Freelancer’s Things to Consider When Choosing a Customer | Hello my friends. In this article, I will talk about what should be considered when choosing a freelancer buyer.
One of the most worries about a freelancer is whether his money will go to bed on time; whether he can even get his money! To address this concern, you can: | https://medium.com/@muslum-unl/freelancers-things-to-consider-when-choosing-a-customer-6d9f62cb92fb | ['Muslum Unal'] | 2020-12-15 14:17:12.607000+00:00 | ['Freelancer Life', 'Freelancing', 'Freelancer', 'Freelancer Customer', 'Freelance'] |
Sum Root to Leaf | Sum root to leaf numbers
You are given the root of a binary tree containing digits from 0 to 9 only.
Each root-to-leaf path in the tree represents a number.
For example, the root-to-leaf path 1 -> 2 -> 3 represents the number 123 .
Return the total sum of all root-to-leaf numbers. Test cases are generated so that the answer will fit in a 32-bitinteger.
A leaf node is a node with no children.
class Solution {
int rootToLeaf = 0;
public void preorder(TreeNode r, int currNumber) {
if (r != null) {
currNumber = (currNumber * 10) + r.val;
// if it's a leaf, update root-to-leaf sum
if (r.left == null && r.right == null) {
rootToLeaf += currNumber;
}
preorder(r.left, currNumber);
preorder(r.right, currNumber);
}
}
public int sumNumbers(TreeNode root) {
preorder(root, 0);
return rootToLeaf;
}
}
Sum of Root To Leaf Binary Numbers
You are given the root of a binary tree where each node has a value 0 or 1 . Each root-to-leaf path represents a binary number starting with the most significant bit. For example, if the path is 0 -> 1 -> 1 -> 0 -> 1 , then this could represent 01101 in binary, which is 13 .
For all leaves in the tree, consider the numbers represented by the path from the root to that leaf.
Return the sum of these numbers. The answer is guaranteed to fit in a 32-bits integer. | https://medium.com/@abhinaygupta1998/sum-root-to-leaf-e749f913ce8a | ['Abhinay Gupta'] | 2021-07-06 18:02:31.112000+00:00 | ['Data Structures', 'Trees', 'Binary Tree', 'Coding', 'Coding Interviews'] |
Our Team | Meet the team in charge of promoting retention among our teachers
Cecile Robertson. My career as an FSL advocate began as a Core French teacher in the TDSB twenty seven years ago. Through the various roles that I have held since this time, I have always believed that all students have the potential to be successful FSL learners.
As a former TDSB consultant, researcher for the Ministry of Education and vice-principal in a French Immersion school, my belief in the relevance of equity and diversity is at the core of how FSL programs should be delivered, developed and sustained.
By engaging in professional dialogues with teachers, families and community organisations, the importance of shared leadership and capacity building are key as we move into spheres of transformation in the context of FSL practice.
My current role as Course Director at the Faculty of Education at York University, Glendon College is an exciting opportunity to continue to look for innovative ways to approach curriculum and beyond. Some of the current work that I am exploring with students focuses on decolonising FSL curriculum as the basis for challenging ways of knowing and being to amplify voices that are often excluded in decision making processes, hiring practices and curriculum design.
My involvement as a researcher in this project allows me to continue to push my way of thinking and to explore and collaborate with FSL teachers and leaders who want to transform practices. This work is extremely important as we look for ways to sustain, nurture and reimagine the possibilities for change and growth in FSL programs in Ontario. | https://medium.com/the-open-teachers-community/our-team-80f5708aa007 | ['Editor Of Towards A Fsl Hub'] | 2021-01-06 21:51:45.864000+00:00 | ['Our Team', 'Team'] |
Crunching Israel’s Corona numbers | Israel was praised for its early handling of COVID-19, then the numbers went up and the country served as a deterrent. A second lockdown is now followed by a third one.
However, Israel is one of the first countries to roll out the new vaccine en masse. As of the time of writing, some 300 thousand people, 3 percent of the population, have received the first dose. There is no question we are witnessing an impressive early number.
By today, Dec 27, 2020, around 400 thousand Israelis have tested positive for COVID-19 and around 3,200 have died of it. Although in the worldwide comparison Israel is doing “very well”, the numbers sound disturbing for a country with a total population of less than 9 million people.
Luckily, the government provides some data to look into and to analyse the situation (in Hebrew only).
Among many interesting and reasonably well designed graphics, however, I am missing one that would help me a lot. I want to know what is my risk. Of course every person is different, but so far the single biggest factor to explain the outcome seems to be age.
Where is the graph showing my “survival” chances? I am 34. Not the youngest anymore, but it could be worse. The closest I can find to answer my question is this chart:
30–39 blue (male) is my group. 7%…
It sounds crazy,… but one moment. By default the chart shows the positive tests (מאומתים), while the percentage is the fraction from all positives. This number is not at all helpful!
I look around and find a button on the top left of this very chart. I can switch now from “positives” to “deaths” (נפטרים):
30–39 is now at 0.4%. It sounds quite high, given that a regular flu is somewhere around 0.1%. But again, the chart shows the fraction from all deaths. It does not help me to understand my own risk.
That is unhappy but there is a will, so there will be a way:
I copied the numbers to a spreadsheet and did the calculation:
It turns out that while the average fatality rate is 0.81%, for my age bracket it’s just 0.04% or 1 out of 2,300! This is quite a reason for optimism, I mean from 27,637 males my age who got COVID, only 12 passed away. It might be even reasonable to assume that from these 12, a few had some significant preexisting condition that I do not have.
Great news for me so far. What is however very concerning is the shape of the fatality rate curve:
I wonder why the government would not add such a simple graphic to its dashboard. If you are above 60, and you see this chart, you will be very careful where you go and what you do…
Vaccine math
And while already here, I also calculated the very very simplified impact of the vaccine.
It turns out that if I just projected the numbers based on how many people already got COVID and how many people there are in the respective age group, if we get to an infection rate of 100% we will be expecting over 75 thousand more deaths from COVID!!
I agree that this number is probably way too high, but the calculation is straightforward and it helps to understand the point.
Assuming that the vaccine will be 95% effective in preventing people from passing away, it could save almost 72 thousand people:
Tab 3a: Projection with vaccine
That is great news. Technological progress saves lives.
However, I would like to point out that no discussion about COVID should go down without an economic argument. As you can see in the above table, vast majority of lives would be saved in the lower half of the table, meaning for people above 50 or even 60.
Once aggregated the numbers look even more impressive: in order to save over 98% of people who could be saved by the vaccine Israel needs to vaccinate less than 25% of its population, i.e. all the citizens above 50 years old:
Tab 3b: Projection with vaccine
Assuming that immunity is reached within 30 to 45 days of the vaccination, Israel could “solve” the pandemic by the end of February.
By the way, it would also mean that suddenly there is much more space in the hospitals. So that even the 5% for whom the vaccine did not work would have much better chances than implied in Tab 1!
Therefore, for the local government it might make sense not to incentivise vaccination of people below 50, unless there is a preexisting condition of course. The vaccines are expensive and so is their transportation and maintenance.
The economy would be saved by vaccinating the elderly while younger population presumably will have little side effects from getting COVID. | https://medium.com/@eliezer-schwarzberg/crunching-israels-corona-numbers-bf0f4ce370cf | ['Eliezer', 'Ilja'] | 2020-12-27 20:01:58.451000+00:00 | ['Data', 'Israel', 'Covid 19'] |
Spectacles and Symbols | “Il faut cultiver notre jardin” — Candide, by Voltaire
“A great lather of not especially persuasive offence” — Douglas Murray
I find Murray’s remark amusing, doubly so when I know how lefties react (it’s not a pretty sight) at the mention of him. It summarises much of what I say here. An inability to think, a disposition for posturing, and emotion based nonsense. Which is imposed, when it’s not inherent. Assumed, like a religious story. The effect is one of gaslighting. In a video below we see the background context of Black Lives Matters. It’s the first time I’ve seen it evidentially, although many people have said they are anarchists, Marxists, trouble makers with their own form of supremacism. I’m not a fan of “politics” and this is yet one more reason why. Carole “Cat Lady” Cadwalladr is in the process of being sued for public domain lies. She’s already admitted what she said was not true. Her point about political influencing (Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, Russia) ironically applies to her. She didn’t want Brexit, which is one thing, and started talking nonsense which is something else. Lefties spread poison and lies across the internet because they know it has an effect. You see it in the reactions, hysteria, outrage. It’s part of their campaigning. Cadwalladr didn’t want Brexit (nor did I as it happens) and developed a mythology around it with Aaron Banks as the arch demon. The term “black lives matter” is propagandist and spread on the internet. Of course the lives of black people matter. But if you say that, interrupt the hysteria impact of the statement with reason, you immediately get into a fight. Much as you do with trolling.
The movement is deconstructed quite nicely in the video itself (note the eliciting, as opposed to challenge) but I’ll say a few things about context, the left, and myself. Because I’ve realised by far the greatest politics exposure I’ve ever had has been with lefties on the internet. I don’t support any politicians, any party, endorse any ideology but lefties are unpleasantly aggressive on the internet. It’s not only this for me, because I’ve seen much the same in trade union people I’ve known and with certain organisations. But you see it on the internet in a manageable form which can be cited, organised, and critiqued. Not just the people, but what they write and publish.
I remember a fellow student saying to me once that with socialism, people matter more than money. Which obviously makes sense, she said. I rather agreed but the idea neither excited nor interested me. I would now say the dichotomy is ludicrously simplified although the sentiment is clear. Her enthusiasm at the time was EM Forster. Mine, in my degree, was Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, and psychology. The problem is leftie behaviour and in particular their name calling abuse: racist! fascist! phobe! kill the Tories! far right! There is no evidence lefties ideas could ever work. The facts are the contrary whenever lefties take full control of a country. Marxism, socialism, Stalinism, Maoism. It’s a dream: state control and heavenly equality with angels singing, Jesus smiling (although they hate Christianity) and oh Jeremy Corbyn playing a harp. On earth, not in heaven.
The internet has and still does facilitate, expose, and amplify behaviors which are otherwise offline and lesser. Some of it is criminal and unpleasant, with Islamic terrorism in particular. Which subject has been and still is one of the moral failures of the left. More than a failure, the left are complicit. Finally, heinously overdue, a leading politician has taken a stand against the violent hatred which is a huge problem within worldwide and UK Islam. After Samuel Paty was killed for showing and discussing Mohammed cartoons to students, Macron took action. Not just talk words, and they are good words, but closing for example 76 problematic mosques from a total (as I recall) of 2600. Note the numbers. Not a small problem. Less small when, always the case with this kind of thing, there will be far more. Some at the same appalling level, others on a lesser but unacceptable spectrum. Just as (the last I looked) there are about 3000 UK Muslims actively monitored by MI5 and the police, and about 23,000 on a danger list. Do lefties ever condemn this? Of course not. What they do is talk loudly and crazily (oh Je-rem-ee Cooo-oorbyn!) if we learn about any genuine far right nutters also being monitored. I think I remember reading it’s a few hundred of them. It’s a tiny problem, used politically, like we must have a diversity of evil. Which if you think about it morally is vile: concerned not with life, security, and threat. But an imaginary threat, because it’s grossly exaggerated, because it serves the interests of lefties.
In France they have the term Islamo-gauche which does two things. It identifies that alongside baguettes, croissants and wine, they recognise this pattern and refer to it with panache, because it wouldn’t work so well in Britain. Douglas Murray wrote that mosques which are teaching hatred should be shut down. What is the problem with saying that, you might think. If you’re a leftie, he’s the enemy, so Islamophobe! racist! — and so on. Exactly, depressingly, and never endingly what happens. This is one of the core problems with the left. They take sides with Muslims and Islam and hate Jewish people and Israel: the latter proven, judged, and denounced by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. The good guys. The same people who ordered against the British National Party for a racist membership policy.
We have a country where the EHRC can, and do, intervene with the power of the law against political parties and potential governments where they contravene not only their policies, but the common sentiment of the vast majority of people. In the last few weeks in Britain alone three more Muslim terrorists have been found guilty and will be sent to prison. No idea — but how many is it now in the last 5, 10, 15 years? Another man of said persuasion stabbed two people in a shop with “Allahu Akbar” reports while his shout was barely referred to. And an Islamic charity with terrorism (Muslim Brotherhood) connections had one of its board post anti semitic abuse which included reference to animals, just as you find in the Islamic reading list. I’ve seen that happen multiple times too. There was another charity a few years ago (I forget the name of it) which was sending money to Hamas. Oh Jer-em-eee Coo-ooorbyn…
There are huge problems with Black Lives Matter which fit a related analysis. Black people are part of the leftie tribal game just as Muslims are. Strategically, it means votes. Ideologically, it means victim. Morally, it means corrupt. When you interrogate leftie behaviors what you find is a set of organised symbols used as power generators for the whole system. Equality. Diversity. Black Lives Matter. Justice. Yay! These are symbols not rationales. Positing nice and in one case an obvious idea, as if everyone else is an enemy opposed to the righteous tribe: so join the righteous tribe.
Here’s the video. There are several parts of it where this deranged stuff is exposed. At no point does he question that racism is a problem. He introduces the video by acknowledging it. He does deconstruct the subject, as rationale not symbol, which is an intellectual capacity you begin to learn in early teenage years. What unfolds is:
The police should be defunded Never mind the rampant gang killings in London much of which concerns young people and background sociology Dangerous people impeded by the police are in the right because of tribal grievance affiliation We want a “higher democracy” Allow drug sellers to become legal and capitalist purveyors of drugdom Everyone else are fascists, hate the Tories, we’re wholly peaceful, and so on
The fourth point is possibly the most disturbing in terms of political analysis, if you think it’s worth your time. We don’t want your democracy, we want ours. Where is the parallel do you think at the opposite end of politics? What were Stalin’s ideas about “higher democracy”?
This is not only deranged, as if “defund the police” is a good, normal, or sensible idea. It also reveals how lefties structure their thinking performatively, resentfully, symbolically, and theatrically. Black Lives Matter — innit — so all else follows which includes Keir Starmer not only ‘taking the knee’ but being photographed, doing so, as part of his leftie campaign.
Now take a look at this. Not the story lefties like but for normal people this is interesting, likeable, sensible, down to earth, and balanced. He says not once but twice: don’t listen to politicians. The implication for which, on this particular subject, means the leftie variety. | https://medium.com/@walkfoto/spectacles-and-symbols-d0c6266b83a7 | ['James Lomax'] | 2020-12-27 21:04:49.175000+00:00 | ['Left', 'Labour', 'Terrorism', 'Black Lives Matter'] |
What Caring for Somebody Dying of AIDS Was Like | Essay | LGBT+ | AIDS | Care Giver’s Story | Loy
What Caring for Somebody Dying of AIDS Was Like
Oh, To Have Sidestepped the Bullet Train of Your Dread Sixteen Months Dying
In 1995, 50,877 American gay men died of AIDS. As of 2018, some 700,000 Americans have died from AIDS. Someone cared for each of them. I was one. Every caregiver has/had a story. This is part of mine, telling what it was like caring for somebody living with and dying from AIDS.
For me, it was an anguish-filled 16-month period from January 1994 through April 1995 when I cared for Loy, my partner of nine years. That was 26 years ago. What I have is a broken sequence of memories of discrete instances across that time span. The best description I can give you is a recounting of some.
Loy
Loy with Mad Max the Manx. Max for short. Max died withing two weeks of Loy’s death, of kidney failure, said the vet. I think it was a broken heart.
I met Loy in the fall of 1986. His full name was Loy Dean Sloan, and everyone who knew him called him Loy Dean. That’s a Deep South custom. In the Deep South, guys named James Robert are called Jim Bob. Guys named William Joseph are called Billy Joe. Loy was called Loy Dean by his family and friends, all except me. I was a damned Yankee, and I refused to abide by Southern practices. I called him Loy. He called me Alex.
I was new to Fayetteville in northwest Arkansas, then a rather sleepy southern town. It was home to some of the most conservative, right-wing, Republican religiosity I’ve ever had to endure. I am an atheist, a liberal Democrat (somewhat left of FDR), and a gay man. I had never felt so out of place. That year, the annual Democratic Parade was canceled. One Democrat got sick, and I, being new, refused to march alone.
There was little opportunity to meet other gay people. There was one gay bar listed in the Damron Guide, but when I went to find it, I discovered that some teenage yokels from a neighboring town had burned it to the ground. I asked a young real estate agent whether there was another. He said yes, there was Ron’s Place. It was a seedy Quonset hut literally on the wrong side of the tracks.
It served liquor, so, by law, it had to be a private club. One had to buy an annual membership ($5) and sign a register. I signed as Baxendale, Hadley V. That name should ring true to any lawyer. Baxendale v. Hadley is a landmark English Common Law contracts case taught in every law school in the first year. I signed that way more out of contrariness than any desire for confidentiality. I wasn’t particularly “out” in town, but I also wasn’t closeted, and I didn’t care who knew or found out that I was gay.
My brother had introduced me to a gay couple, Rob and James. Rob was a livestock veterinarian. James was my brother’s hairstylist. They invited me to dinner a couple of times. Through them, I met another older gay couple, Michael and Andrew, both hairstylists. They liked me and took me under their collective wings. Soon, they said they wanted to introduce me to a fellow — “Just the man for you.” I was not convinced. It was the last thing I could imagine — me the big-city northern boy meeting the man just for me in Arkansas, on the wrong side of the tracks.
One night at Ron’s Place, they did. They dragged me across the bar to where Loy was playing a game of pool. During a break in the game, they introduced us. I was reserved. Loy was civil but uninterested. After a moment, he turned his back to us and resumed his game.
Unexpectedly, I was struck with a desire to know him. Something just made me take to him from the first. He wasn’t classically handsome. He had a few small pockmarks on his face, remnants from a bad case of acne left untreated. He wore a beard to conceal them. He wasn’t buff. He wasn’t special in any physical way. He wasn’t my “type.”
Yet, I needed to know this man just for me. I finagled another meeting and wound up driving him back to his apartment in the early evening. We sat talking in the car until nearly eleven, when he said, “Oh, hell, you’d better come up.” We slept together that night and every night after that, unless I was away on a case, for our nine-year partnership.
HIV positive
Loy and I took an HIV test in February 1987. We were both positive. In March, the FDA approved the first antiretroviral drug for HIV (AZT), and we began taking it. But HIV is a smart little virus. Before long, it mutated into an AZT-resistant strain. Over the next eight years, new drugs appeared serially. We took them serially as the virus mutated and became resistant to each one.
AIDS
By January 1994, none of the drugs worked for Loy. He became ill. I don’t remember what the first couple of opportunistic infections were. They were controlled by the palliative treatments then available. They weren’t cured, of course. The only “cure” was to have an immune system that would destroy the pathogens. Loy’s was severely compromised. All the treatments could do was control the symptoms and (mostly) alleviate his suffering.
CMV
Then CMV (cytomegalovirus) assaulted him. He began having malaise, fevers, muscle aches, enlarged lymph nodes in his throat and underarms, and diarrhea. The palliatives worked moderately. They worked for some of the symptoms but not for others.
Helplessness and solace
I felt, and indeed was, helpless to do anything for him. It was a torment to see him so afflicted and be unable to do something, anything, about it.
All I could do was hold him at night. As he slept on his left side nearly at the edge of our king-size bed, I slept behind him, my left arm extended beneath his neck, my right wrapped tightly across his chest. We slept skin to skin with not a millimeter separating us at any point, all the rest of that big bed vacant behind me.
He was comforted. He felt safe and at peace. I got some solace from that. Sometimes, when he pressed hard against me, I felt as if his body was melding into mine, his soul finding mine and infusing it with his light. He said he felt it too, but it was my light infusing his soul.
Looming Blindness
Later, the CMV migrated to his right eye. It attacked the retina (CMV retinitis) and threatened to blind him. There was a drug that was effective at controlling CMV retinitis. It was administered daily by injection directly into the vitreous solution. I had to learn to put a needle into his eye and push the plunger. That was dreadfully frightening. I was constantly afraid that I would blind him before the CMV did.
I had to administer the drug on an exact schedule. Strict adherence was essential. Once, while he was sleeping, I was engrossed in Mozart and missed the time. Anxiety beset me. I fretted that I had caused the medicine to be ineffective and that he would lose his sight. My anguish knew no bounds. I could not tell the doctor. For a month, I monitored him. For a month, I was a beaten man. By the end of the month, I knew I had not hurt him. The CMV infection had not progressed. I was so relieved. I was determined never to let that happen again.
Hospitalizations
There were five hospitalizations over those 16 months of his dying before the final one in December 1994. Each was for a more severe condition than the prior. Each took even more out of him. At each, the doctors would stave off the then-current infection, but his physical condition would deteriorate more. Each took a heavy toll. The emotional toll sometimes exceeded the physical. He went in each time with both of us expecting him not to come out. There were a couple of times when he did come out that I thought it more a curse than a saving grace. How guilty and selfish that was!
Home care worker
There came the point when caring for him was literally a 24/7 job. I couldn’t leave him alone. The strain was too much. I finally got us a caseworker. She found funds for a home care worker to come six hours a day for five days a week.
When I first met him, I wasn’t impressed. He was an overweight, dumpy, soft-spoken, obviously gay guy who seemed a bit scatter-brained. My immediate judgment was that he wouldn’t do.
But I was so incredibly wrong. His name was Mike. He was, in fact, gay, which helped us adjust to his presence. He did not just do his job; he became emotionally involved. He and Loy hit it off right away. I was so glad. As time went on, he began coming outside his usual paid hours. He spent time with us, and we three enjoyed it.
An afternoon in the warm San Diego sun
One day in late fall, I decided to take Loy on an excursion. For several weeks, he had been housebound with only Mike and me to bring him reports from outside. I planned a trip, a late afternoon lunch at a bayside restaurant in downtown San Diego that had outdoor seating.
I carried Loy to the car. I loaded his wheelchair in the rear. Mike clambered into the back, and off we went. We sat at a table for six near the seawall facing westward looking at the bay. There were a couple of yachts and several sailboats with full, bright, colorful spinnakers in our view. The sun was warm on us. I wore a pair of jean shorts cut off above mid-thigh and a light t-shirt. Loy had on trousers, a long-sleeve shirt, and a heavy sweater. He felt chilly, so I wrapped a blanket around him. I got the waiter to light one of the tall outdoor gas heaters scattered around and bring it next to him.
We ordered a light lunch. Mike and I enjoyed ours. Loy mostly just played with his. We sat there quietly, talking for several hours, watching the sun march toward the horizon.
Loy got tired. We left for home.
It was a good day.
Respite
I came to feel confident that Loy was safe with Mike. I could leave and take care of myself without feeling guilty or afraid. Mike would come at about 10 a.m., Monday through Friday, and stay until about four. I would go to the gym, or for a bike ride, or sit at my favorite coffee house reading. Sometimes I would go to the beach. Sometimes I would meet a friend for lunch. Often it was the owner of the coffee house. Mostly, though, I would eat alone at a gay bar in the neighborhood that had an outdoor café and a passable menu.
Sometimes I would hook up with someone for an hour’s casual sex. It might be a particularly attractive and randy guy at the gym. It might be a guy, or a couple, sitting at a table next to me at lunch.
I didn’t feel guilty about these trysts. Loy didn’t want sex; his body was too ravaged, too busy trying to fight off disease to have energy left over for sex. He even apologized a couple of times for not being a better lover. I told him I would hear none of it. I had never equated fidelity with monogamy. Fidelity is a state of mind and devotion, not a net around the genitalia.
There were times I felt guilty just for being away from him in his need. But I knew I had to take care of myself to be able to care for him. I did what was necessary to keep me sane and give me the emotional strength to deal with it all.
$10,000 worth of meds
We had a little two-bedroom, one-bath house on a canyon in a quiet neighborhood. It had three decks over the lush canyon, a fireplace, and a mahogany bar that separated the sunken living room from the kitchen-dining area. The bar was perhaps four feet long and two feet wide. It was where I kept and arranged Loy’s meds.
I remember one time, I was looking at the lineup of bottles along the bar. They occupied its entire length and width. I wondered just how much money was on top of that bar. I got a calculator and began totaling them up. When I was done, the sum was over $10,000. That was just one month’s supply. In a few days, the bottles all would be empty; new, full ones would take their place, and another $10,000 would be arrayed there.
His insurance paid for most of it. We had to cover the rest. He wasn’t working of course, and I hadn’t much money. But, I did have several credit cards, each with high credit limits. I needed it all.
CMV and HIV in the brain
By October 1994, both the CMV and the HIV had crossed the blood-brain barrier. It was a rare occurrence. Loy seemed never to get a break. The diagnosis was CMV encephalitis and HIV encephalopathy. Our doctor told me, but not Loy, what would happen over the next several months. He said that the existing medications could not pass the blood-brain barrier. Both viruses would multiply unchecked in Loy’s brain, destroying neurons by the billions. Loy’s brain would be “like Swiss cheese.” As the viruses multiplied and Loy literally lost more and more of his mind, his capacity would wain, his personality would regress.
The last Christmas
By the end of November, Loy was back in the hospital. That stay was to be for nearly four weeks. His mind had regressed to the point where he was as a child. It was incredibly difficult to see him that way. I cried all the time when away from him. The tears flowed when I was with him as they do now. As I write this, I can’t see the keyboard for them.
He would ask why I was sad. One day toward the end, he took my hand in both of his. He looked into my eyes, then glanced away. He said, “Alex, I’m really sick, huh?” I barely managed to choke out, “Yes, but it’s OK. I’m here.”
The next day was December 24th. I took him home against medical advice. Our doctor had told me Loy was dying. I wasn’t going to let it happen in there.
I hadn’t felt like decorating for Christmas, but on December 23rd, I bought a little two-foot artificial tree with lights and snow on the needle tips. I put it on an end table placed next to the fireplace. I put a couple of small presents for him under the tree. Before going to get him the next day, I plugged in the tree and lit a fire so he would see them when I brought him in the door.
By March, he was bedridden. He needed a catheter and a diaper. The catheter needed changing daily. Each evening, I held him with my left hand and inserted the lubricated tube with my right. I had to feel when it went too far and back it off a bit. It was a clinical procedure, yet, at the same time, an intimate act. The diaper needed changing more often. I did that too for him.
I had a hospital bed brought in and placed to the right of our bed, as close to it as possible. I put him in it — a place I knew he would never leave alive. I slept as close to him as I could at the right edge of our bed, my right arm resting on his bed’s rail.
April 28, 1995
I won’t write much of the next month. Mike only came to be with me occasionally. I was alone with Loy. I didn’t leave him. He slipped into a coma, and my days became routine. Change the catheter; change the diaper; bathe him and make sure he is clean. Mindlessly watch television in our bedroom, not knowing what it is, not caring.
He died on the afternoon of April 28, 1995, just one of the 50,877 gay men to die that year. Woodenly, I called the funeral home, and they took his body away. The black shroud they put over him wasn’t long enough. As they trundled him out, one naked foot dangled off the end of the mortuary trolley.
That was the last I saw of him. I had the hospital bed removed that evening. I was 47. He had been 35. That night, I slept naked as I always had with him, but alone in the desolate, king-size bed.
The nine-year chapter of our life together closed.
Memorial
I didn’t go to the little memorial viewing we had in San Diego. I went to his funeral in Fayetteville, but I didn’t go up to the open casket. I had difficulty finding the burial site. It was 40 miles out of town up a winding dirt road on a mountainside. It was a small, private, mountain-top cemetery. A little rivulet of fresh, pure water, fed by an artesian spring a bit further up the mountain, ran alongside it.
They hadn’t waited for me. When I arrived, the graveside ceremony was well underway. I stood alone at the rear. Loy’s family sat up front, near the casket, already having forgotten me. Our doctor, who had cared for us the six years we had lived in Fayetteville, came to stand by my side. She put one arm tightly around my shoulders. Tears stained my cheeks and ran like the rivulet off my chin.
Generations of Loy’s mountain kin had lain for 200 years in that pocket-sized cemetery under marble- and granite-marked graves that were only a little tended. Now, this gay man still in the early years of his life was lying with them because two damned viruses had eaten up his brain and stolen his mind from me.
© 2020 Steve Alexander | https://medium.com/one-gay-mans-perspective/what-was-it-like-caring-for-somebody-living-with-aids-one-gay-mans-perspective-5735d4bc7493 | ['Alex'] | 2020-10-05 19:03:25.069000+00:00 | ['AIDS', 'Autobiographical', 'HIV', 'Gay', 'Death And Dying'] |
House price prediction using PyCaret | 💻Installation
!pip install pycaret # for data analysis
!pip install pandas_profiling
Import libraries:
import pandas as pd
import pandas_profiling as pp
Here we are using this house price prediction dataset to explore PyCaret
train_house=pd.read_csv('../input/house-prices-advanced-regression-techniques/train.csv') test_house=pd.read_csv('../input/house-prices-advanced-regression-techniques/test.csv')
📊EDA using Pandas profiling report
The pandas_profiling library in Python includes a method named ProfileReport() which generates a basic report on the input DataFrame.
The report consist of the following:
DataFrame overview,
Each attribute on which DataFrame is defined,
Correlations between attributes (Pearson Correlation and Spearman Correlation), and
A sample of DataFrame.
This single line of code will give you a detailed report of the dataset | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/house-price-prediction-using-pycaret-1c7d11d76570 | ['Harsh Bathia'] | 2020-10-11 12:54:01.754000+00:00 | ['Classification', 'Regression', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Pycaret', 'Machine Learning'] |
side-menu and modal with Javascript | This is the course content from Brad Traversy.
Not much javascript code though, but it’s really useful.
Github code
HTML
the header includes a toggle button, a title, a paragraph and a sign-up button
the container is just some random words in the demo
nav is the side menu content including a logo and an unsorted list
modal is the box of sign-up within a form and a close button
CSS
the main CSS to remind
first, hide the nav to the left side of the screen with transform
When showing the nav, transition happens moving to the right side with the length of the nav.
first, hide the modal before clicking the sign-up button.
modal with the animation opacity setting
JS
all the DOMs needed
When clicking the toggle menu button, the show-nav added(changing the position of nav)
When clicking the Sign-up button, modal show up( changing the display and opacity)
When clicking the close button in modal, modal hides(hiding the display and opacity)
When clicking the outside of the modal, closing the modal the same way. If clicking on the modal, it won’t work. | https://medium.com/@diyifang/side-menu-and-modal-with-javascript-ffa5669fef40 | [] | 2020-12-17 16:57:13.200000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'Frontend Development', 'Frontend', 'Front End Development', 'Web Development'] |
Kickstart Your Website SEO in 2018: The Official On-Site Optimization Checklist | Many website owners are confused by the large amount of information available when it comes to on-site SEO. That’s why here at Crowdbotics, we’ve decided to compile a list that covers the most important on-site SEO activities required to kickstart your SEO needs in 2018.
Some of these activities might be a bit challenging to complete yourself, but push through and you’ll be amply rewarded.
SEO is a skill like any other, and it needs to be practiced and cultivated, even if you’re a technical expert in other areas. Don’t be afraid to test out each of these activities yourself.
1. Set up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the most popular analytics platform out there, and quite conveniently, its free account includes nearly everything you need to track your website’s performance.
When it comes to SEO, Google Analytics tracks traffic coming from Google and other search engines so you can prioritize your top search keywords. More importantly, you will be able to know which pages generate the most organic traffic and lowest bounce rates.
2. Double check redirect problems (especially 302 errors)
Setting up proper redirects is vital for your on-site SEO. So-called “301 redirects” are the standard method used by search engines to represent permanent redirect, which means it passes virtually all of the SEO value from your old page to the new one. 302 is a temporary redirect usually used for site maintenance. This means if your redirects are mostly 302, search engines consider them temporary and the old SEO value won’t be passed through. Check all your redirects and make sure all 302 redirects that aren’t really temporary should be moved to 301.
There are a lot of tools that could help you out to check for redirect errors; the most common one is Browseo.
Almost all 302 redirects need to be moved to 301 which is a permanent redirect.
3. Check for broken links, crawl errors and more
Google’s Search Console is a free tool by Google that allows website owners to learn more about the search performance of their websites. The search console will be extremely helpful for finding out different technical problems such as missing titles, duplicate content or web crawling errors. There is a great beginner’s guide written by the team at Moz. By setting up the Google Search Console you will be able to complete activities such as setting up an XML sitemap, verifying your website with Google, checking for a robots.txt file, and more.
3rd party software such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider can also be extremely helpful in finding and fixing broken links, crawl problems and other technical errors. This type of software will especially be of huge help if you plan on scaling your website, as it really stands out when it comes to error checking on larger scales.
4. Use descriptive ALT tags and filenames for your pages
Google and other search engines also crawl images, and they are able to crawl images via their ALT tag and by scanning their filenames. That’s why it is extremely useful to have descriptive ALT tags and file names for images you are using on your website to boost SEO quality.
5. Make sure your website loads fast.
Fast loading sites provide a much better user experience and lower the bounce rate. Search engines measure and value the loading speed of your website, so this is something you should rarely (or never) compromise on. Use Pingdom or similar service to check the loading speed of your site.
6. Make sure your website is mobile friendly
Over 70% of visits nowadays come from mobile devices. Not having a website with responsive design that works flawlessly across different devices will have negative effect on your SEO performance, and this one is not debatable.
Mobile friendly website & responsive design are a must. Over 70% of incoming traffic nowadays comes from mobile devices.
7. Wordpress Users: Install the Wordpress Google Analytics plugin and use Yoast SEO.
If you are using Wordpress for your website, then this plugin provides a painless way to add Google Analytics tracking code to your website.
Yoast SEO is another great free plugin that will allow you to complete virtually every aspect of your on-site SEO in Wordpress. The paid version offers some advanced stuff, but every beginner should do just fine with the free version of Yoast SEO. There’s an official definitive guide for installing and setting up Yoast SEO on your website.
BONUS: Create a profile on major social media websites
This one isn’t really on-site optimization, but it is quite useful. Not only will you be able to manage your reputation across social media, but you’ll dominate the first page of Google Search for your brand name. This is especially useful if your company or brand is new. | https://medium.com/crowdbotics/kickstart-your-website-seo-in-2018-the-official-on-site-optimization-checklist-fcedfc2027ca | ['Aleksa Miladinovic'] | 2019-06-12 09:32:10.085000+00:00 | ['SEO', 'On Site Seo', 'Search Engine Optimizati', 'Website Optimization', 'Search Engine Marketing'] |
How To Write Perfect Copy (almost) In 6 Easy Steps | I don’t have all the answers about how to write perfect copy. No one does!
The best copywriters experiment, learn and adjust.
They are students of their craft. They know there isn’t a “perfect template” to write powerful copy that works in all situations.
Here’s my promise to you. If you have a question, problem, or challenge with your copy that I don’t know the answer to, I’ll find it for you.
Fair enough?
Establish Credibility
How do you establish credibility with your copy?
Tell the truth.
Use real numbers.
Tell plausible stories.
Don’t exaggerate what your product or service will do for prospects.
Consumers are more educated now than ever, and your audience will quickly sense insincerity and deceit.
Only make promises and claims that you can back up and that you can help your customers and prospects achieve.
Create An Emotional Impact
People buy emotionally using logical reasoning. Your goal should be to trigger emotions, and using questions is an effective way to do that.
Yes/No questions
Imagine you help people start freelancing. You could ask:
“Have you given up on your dream of starting a freelance business?”
This question will trigger a “no” because no one wants to admit to giving up.
Armed with that response, you ask more questions to know what’s preventing your prospect from acting to achieve her dream.
Open questions
Open questions stimulate thinking and reflection.
Here are some examples:
“How do low conversion rates make you feel?”
“How do high bounce rates on your website affect you and your business?”
“What would happen to you and your business if you didn’t need to stress about writing content for your site?”
Did you notice that these questions begin with “How” and “What?”
They stimulate broader thought and help your prospect think about her current situation and how she would like to change it for the better.
Describe The Quantifiable Value Of Your Solution
How much time will your product or service save your customers — 2 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours/week?
How quickly will it help them do that? Immediately, within a week, two weeks, a month, or more?
How much money will it save them each month, quarter, or year? By what percentage will it increase their revenue?
Make sure your numbers are accurate.
Remember the first point about being credible. Always tell the truth.
As an example, I spend 20–30 hours/week creating content for my website.
So, I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that my service can save coaches, educators, and entrepreneurs 10-or-more hours each week.
And I help them save that time fast. That’s 40 extra hours per month that they now have to do other stuff.
Not bad, eh?
Help Them Feel The Impact
Help your audience feel the impact of your solution with a few more questions.
“What would you do with an extra 10 hours/week?”
“How would you use an additional $500 each month?”
“How would increasing your conversion rates by 10% impact your bottom line?”
You could also describe in detail how your solution will impact your prospects.
For example:
“Imagine the overwhelming sense of relief and freedom you’ll feel when you don’t need to spend 10 hours/week creating content for your website, blog, and email campaigns. Not to mention the extra time it takes to come up with content ideas.
You’ll free up ten (10) or more hours each week to use however you want because you’re the boss.
Think about it. That’s 40 hours every month! If your time is worth $60/hour, you’re going to save 2400/month in real dollars.
What could you accomplish with an extra 40 hours/month?
How would your family, spouse, children feel if you freed up 10 hours/week?
The beautiful thing is, you get to decide how to use all of that time in a way that’s best for you.”
In the example above, note the words “imagine,” “you,” “free,” and “because.” Experts consider them to be 4 of the most powerful words to use in copywriting.
What I’ve written isn’t about me; it’s about them. I’ve made it personal and asked my prospect to imagine a better future.
Describe Features And Benefits
A feature is what something is, while a benefit is what your customers can do or accomplish with it.
A feature of the iPod is its storage capacity. The benefit to the owner is she can carry 1,000 songs in her pocket and listen to them at any time and place.
In the below example, Slack helps users reduce internal email and meetings by 48.6% and 25.1% respectively. The benefits of using Slack’s features are clear.
Ask your reader to take action
What do you want them to do? Reach out to you, subscribe to your newsletter, purchase your course, software, or service?
Whatever it is, it’s time to ask them to do it.
And that’s a wrap!
What do you think? Drop your comments below to let me know.
And remember to try these 6 easy steps to write your next piece of copy.
P.S. I appreciate you taking the time to read this post. If you’d like to learn more about how I can help you save a lot of time and energy by creating content for your website, please feel FREE to contact me.
Text or call me: +1 (204) 806–2977 or send me an email: [email protected] | https://medium.com/@mikeallisoncoaching/how-to-write-perfect-copy-almost-in-6-easy-steps-b740b84d2c1e | ['Mike Allison'] | 2020-12-10 11:24:23.778000+00:00 | ['Copywriter', 'Words Matter', 'Copywriting Tips', 'Copywriting', 'Copywriting Services'] |
UIP receives top DOGA award for Oslo City Bike | DOGA, the organization that facilitates and celebrates innovative design in Norway, has honored Urban Infrastructure Partner (UIP) with their Honorary Award, Norway’s top prize for excellence in design, architecture and urban development.
Photo credit: DOGA
UIP, along with collaborators Heydays, Tight, and Zeros & Ones, was recognized with the award at DOGA’s ceremony on 15 November. Oslo City Bike, UIP’s largest urban mobility platform, was honored for its forward-thinking designs and larger contributions to sustainability and improved quality of life in Oslo.
Handed out by Norway’s Minister of Trade and Industry, UIP accepted the Honorary Award as one of six nominees for the prestigious prize. The DOGA Honorary Award is the highest level of recognition among the DOGA awards. It is a recognition conferred to projects in which design and/or architecture has played a significant role in achieving the results. The jury selects projects with an especially significant social, environmental and economic effect. These projects serve as guiding stars that inspire and create value in the business community and public sector. Urban Infrastructure Partner and its diverse team of developers and creatives was recognized for its collaborative strategies, cutting-edge technology, and overall accomplishments in making cities smarter and more accessible.
“It’s so good to receive recognition for this major interdisciplinary effort that’s needed to make something like Oslo City Bike,” says Mathias Hovet, managing partner of Heydays.
Nominees for the the Honorary Award are chosen from recipients of the DOGA award for design and architecture, honoring both established players and newcomers. This year there were a total of 289 applications for the DOGA award, and 49 of them received the award. Oslo City Bike was recognized as an outstanding nominee due to its contributions in all criteria: environment, society, economy, form, function, and innovation.
Award-winning designs for Oslo City Bike by Heydays.
“Oslo City Bicycle is a good example of interdisciplinary cooperation, contributing to creating innovative solutions that provide social, environmental, and economic values,” said Thea Mehl, Project Manager for DOGA Awards.
DOGA’s jury statement about Oslo City Bike’s win reads: “Everything here is right. From the playful and friendly visual identity to the smart interaction design, to the seamless service design, which allows you to check your status and unlock your bike with your mobile phone, Oslo City Bike is a unique product that really proves what can be achieved through cross-disciplinary collaboration. It is dynamic, flexible, and fun, and, perhaps most important in this context: Oslo City Bike works.”
DOGA’s Honorary Award follows seven other awards that Urban Infrastructure Partner has received this year. The company operates and finances future-oriented platforms for shared urban infrastructure that are built with a flexibility to adapt to changes in user behavior, the urban environment, and developments in technology. The success of Oslo City Bike — which in only two seasons has seen nearly 5 million rides — is just the beginning for the young, fast-growing company. Bringing with it the same innovative strategies that made Oslo City Bike a success, UIP’s bike share platform will hit the streets of new cities next year.
“Oslo City Bike is just the first leg of a long journey,” says Johan Høgåsen-Hallesby, Urban Infrastructure Partner’s CTO. “Our goal is to see that all cities of a certain size have a good city bike system. Both because it is good for the city itself that people ride more, but also because it is a flexible and future-oriented way to build new infrastructure.” | https://medium.com/urbansharing/uip-receives-top-doga-award-for-oslo-city-bike-47b895d155c7 | ['Ariana Hendrix'] | 2017-12-12 13:39:13.526000+00:00 | ['Mobility', 'Bikes', 'Smart Cities', 'Design', 'Architecture'] |
How Supporting Breastfeeding Employees Benefits You As An Employer | When Mrs Taiwo became pregnant, it began a series of events that broke a happy relationship with her employer.
Even though she was pregnant, she continued her late nights closure. Then, she had to navigate the popular 3 months of inadequate and unpaid maternity leave.
When she resumed work, she had to be separated from her baby because her workplace like most organisations had no provision for breastfeeding in office spaces. This denied the baby the recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, and she — suffered the excruciating pain of engorged breast.
“I think 3-month maternity leave is not enough! I wasn’t able to breastfeed my baby for 6 months. The first month I resumed I always had engorged breast which was painful. I usually go to the office with my breast pump but there was no place to extract breast milk for my baby.”
This string of incidents broke her trust with the company.
It is the breastfeeding week and the aim of this article is to spark a discussion and proffer a lasting solution to breastfeeding in offices.
Challenges faced by breastfeeding women
Breastfeeding is a challenging phase. Women who breastfeed experience varying levels of bodily and emotional changes that affect their overall health and productivity. A breastfeeding woman spends her day alternating between different emotional charges like weariness, discomfort, anxiety and happiness.
Breastfeeding requires a huge commitment, working while breastfeeding is like juggling two full-time jobs at the same time. The reality of doing both is a very challenging one that easily gets women drained.
Supporting breastfeeding women in the workplace
Workplaces that support the process are usually rewarded with a more committed, productive and loyal employee. Because lending support is a statement of intent that shows ‘we care about you and your infant.’
Here are ways organisations can support breastfeeding mothers.
Provide a lactation room
Otherwise known as the pumping room, there is probably no greater gift an organisation can gift a returnee nursing mother than giving her keys to an exclusive pumping room.
A pumping room is a private place for nursing mothers to comfortably breastfeed their infants or pump milk to store. It should have comfortable chairs, tables, a refrigerator (to store milk), a door and electricity. Some organisations turn the pumping room to the workspaces of the nursing mother. With this arrangement, she can spend ample time with her child, pump milk easily and still get the job done.
And, having a pumping room saves the embarrassment of going to the kitchen or unhealthy bathroom to pump.
2. Flexible breaks and work options
Breastfeeding moms with babies less than 6 months are urged to express milk every 3 hours. This is a big task for those that work in organisations with an unfriendly schedule.
Hence, organisations should kindly provide a flexible schedule plus frequent breaks for breastfeeding moms.
3. Promote a breastfeeding culture
Though subtle, some organisations actually leave traces that breastfeeding in the workplace is not a welcome idea. The attitude towards breastfeeding is negative, they don’t provide any sort of support to breastfeeding women. This damages the confidence of women to breastfeed when they are at work.
4. Education
Going extra to organize lactation classes and providing resources on breastfeeding is another great way to show support.
Providing care for lactating mums has become more important than ever. Today, women form an active proportion of the workplace; and it is even common for women to be the majority in some workspaces.
Hence, showing support for breastfeeding women is adding value to women (employees), the family unit, the society and the organisation as a whole.
Benefits
You get to keep your best staff You spend less on health care You build a pool of loyal and more productive employees There will be reduced absenteeism because the baby and mother are more healthy
Employer’s Pledge To Supporting Breastfeeding Moms
“Family-friendly policies — such as paid parental leave — enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and bond with their children in early life, when it matters most.” #Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding.
“Family-friendly policies are particularly important for working parents. Mothers need time off from work to recover from birth and get breastfeeding off to a successful start.” #Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding.” — World Health Organisation (WHO, 2019) | https://medium.com/@truppr/how-supporting-breastfeeding-employees-benefits-you-as-an-employer-f22f03b1072a | [] | 2019-10-14 15:34:54.746000+00:00 | ['Employees', 'Employee Experience', 'Mothers', 'Motherhood', 'Breastfeeding'] |
15 VSCode extensions every Web Developer must have in 2021 | Here is a list of uncommon VSCode extensions that developers should use to boost their productivity.
Why VSCode is so popular
Visual Studio Code has rapidly gained popularity among developers, ranking as the most popular development environment overall in Stack Overflow’s 2019 Developer Survey. Customizability is one of the reasons for its popularity.
So if you are using VSCode here is a list of extensions you must have to improve your productivity. | https://medium.com/@dev-gabriel-alonso/15-vscode-extensions-every-web-developer-must-have-in-2021-1ef2b4b06115 | ['Gabriel Alonso'] | 2020-12-26 11:33:54.889000+00:00 | ['2021', 'Vscode', 'Web', 'Vs Code Extensions'] |
Welcome to Amazon Sidewalk! Now here’s how to turn it off | Amazon Echo users received an email just before Thanksgiving about a new feature coming to their smart speakers: Amazon Sidewalk, a shared neighborhood networking protocol that allows devices such as motion detectors and pet trackers to connect to the internet even when they’re out of Wi-Fi range.
Mentioned in this article Amazon Echo (4th Gen) Read TechHive's reviewSee it It’s a nifty idea, and with enough Echo speakers and Ring devices (some of Amazon’s Ring cameras work with Sidewalk, too) working together as Sidewalk bridges, you could have a low-power, long-range Sidewalk network that spans an entire neighborhood.
But Amazon’s vaguely worded email soft-pedals a key issue when it comes to Sidewalk functionality on your Echo and Ring devices: rather than being an opt-in feature, it’s opt-out, meaning that unless you actively turn off Sidewalk support, it’ll be enabled by default. (An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to TechHive that Sidewalk will, indeed, be an opt-out feature.)
[ Further reading: The best smart speakers and digital assistants ]“Sidewalk is coming to your Echo device later this year” the email reads, “but you can disable this feature at any time from the Amazon Alexa app.”
Sidewalk is opt-out, not opt-inNow, this sentence didn’t set off alarm bells in my head when I first read it; after all, “later this year” sounds comfortably far off in the future, right?
Of course, if you stop and think for a second, you realize that there’s barely a month left in 2020 (thank goodness), and “it’s coming” means that it—Sidewalk—is, in fact, coming to your Echo device, unless you do something about it.
What exactly are the consequences of having Sidewalk running on your Echo and Ring devices? Will doing so allow strangers with Sidewalk-enabled gadgets a free ride on your home internet connection? And what are the benefits of keeping Sidewalk turned on?
Sidewalk, privacy, and youFor its part, Amazon promises a raft of security measures designed to protect both the owners of Sidewalk bridges as well as passersby with devices that can connect to Sidewalk.
Mentioned in this article Ring Mailbox Sensor + Bridge (Starter Kit) See it Data that travels on Sidewalk networks is secured by three levels of encryption, Amazon says, while one-way hashing keys, cryptographic algorithms, and rotating device IDs help to “minimize” the data of Sidewalk users. In other words, those who connect to your Sidewalk bridge won’t be able to see you or your data, and you won’t see them. (Amazon has an entire whitepaper devoted to Sidewalk security.)
Amazon also promises that nearby Sidewalk users won’t unduly sap your internet connection, with Sidewalk only using a maximum of 80Kbps of bandwidth at any given time and no more than 500MB of total monthly data. Now, 500MB isn’t nothing, particularly for those with home data caps, but as Amazon points out, it’s only equivalent to about 10 minutes of HD video streaming.
There are good things about Sidewalk, tooLet’s not forget that a Sidewalk network in your neighborhood could also offer plenty of enticing benefits. Thanks to Sidewalk, you could (for example) get alerts from a motion sensor on the edge of your property—including the Ring Mailbox Sensor we recently reviewed—even if it’s out of Wi-Fi range. It would also make it much easier to track down missing items that you’ve tagged with a Tile tracker, which will be among the first third-party devices that can connect to Sidewalk networks.
Still, should Amazon have adopted an opt-in policy for Sidewalk rather than an opt-out one? Well, yeah, particularly given the privacy controversies that have dogged Echo and Ring devices over the past couple of years. And while I can see why Amazon thought going the opt-out way would give Sidewalk a running start, it also makes for an unfortunate—and avoidable—privacy stumble right out of the gate.
How to disable Sidewalk on Echo, Ring devicesShould you decide to opt out of Sidewalk participation, it’s a piece of cake with just a few steps that will impact all your connected Echo and Ring devices.
Open the Alexa app, tap More > Settings > Account Settings > Amazon Sidewalk. If you want to turn off Sidewalk support completely, toggle off the Amazon Sidewalk setting, and you’re done. Another option is to allow Sidewalk but disable Community Finding, a feature that lets the owners of Sidewalk-enabled trackers to pinpoint their lost devices or pets. Amazon promises that the Community Finding feature will only let users see an “approximate” location, and that location data won’t reveal any personal information. Still, if you wish, you can go ahead and turn Community Finding off. 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/@ibn87698974/welcome-to-amazon-sidewalk-now-heres-how-to-turn-it-off-519bd3b5e12c | [] | 2020-12-23 21:30:36.033000+00:00 | ['Deals', 'Services'] |
Gratitude Diary Day 11/100 — Give Thanks | Gratitude Diary Day 11/100 — Give Thanks
The practice of giving thanks for my body didn’t start until a few years back. Prior to this, I tend to lament “why is this so or why is this not so” with my body. I guess it is particularly tough for me because my relationship with my body has been, and still is, fraught with much difficulties and dissatisfaction.
When I had a chance to consciously reflect 7 years ago , I realized how angry, demanding, unappreciative and unkind I had been to my body. I had forgotten about the many miracles that this body performed on a daily basis. I had forgotten that this body had been staying and keeping up with my life’s tempo and challenges. I had been upset when it was down and I didn’t give thanks when it was up and well. In short, I have taken this body for granted.
That moment of realization put me to shame and regrets. Honestly if I am not kind and loving to self, how can I be a happy and peaceful human being for a start? And without joy and contentment how can I live a life that is positively skillful and peaceful with loved ones and friends?
Since then, I have been having this simple exercise,whether I’m ill or healthy, of thanking the body and acknowledging the constant support I receive from each and every part of it including hair, eyes , limbs and even organs.
I also try to thoughtfully listen to my body ( without being overly paranoid ) to understand what it needs or doesn’t need to be well with nourishing food, exercises and sometimes medical care.
Over time, the body slowly responds to be fueled with optimism and good energy.
Yes, I believe I’m now more understanding, kinder and happier. Thanks to this practice of gratitude. 🙏 | https://medium.com/@apple.cheong/gratitude-diary-day-11-100-give-thanks-48a42c1e149a | ['Adeline Anoma Ho'] | 2019-06-17 01:04:41.827000+00:00 | ['Gratitude', 'Mindfulness', 'Give Thanks', 'Body Positive'] |
The importance of Imaginary boyfriends for the end of the world: | His name was Onyx,
He needed to have a name that was transcendental. I had been learning about the spirit world and how each demon had an archangel to fight it off. I had learned about the Archangel Michael of course, but there was also Felix, Tola and Tor, Ebed-melec, Altos, Anaya and the list went on. All exotic names of powerful figures from the spirit world sent to guide us through the end of the world.
But Onyx was my boyfriend.
I named him after a trip to the Indian store on the 3rd floor near the Sannoyima train station in Kobe, Japan. The store, sandwiched between a dollar store and a comic book store, was a place I usually went after a few hours of passing out posters and begging for money. The commune would send us kids into town every weekend and after begging for about 3 hours I would feel justified taking 100 yen ( a dollar) from the money that was meant to support the cult. Sometimes I would save the money but this time I decided to head to the store and buy a small trinket. There were a lot of them, beaded purses, incense, jewelry… my eyes settled on a shiny black rock that I had never seen before. The label read “Onyx” and it only cost me 30 yen which meant I had 60 leftover to buy a drink from the vending machine.
I felt guilty stealing the lords money, but I was sure the lord would understand. I would justify myself when I got to heaven which was supposed to be very soon since Y2K was coming up and that would begin the war.
I was 14 and in desperate need of a boyfriend. After all, what kind of girl grows up in a sex cult and doesn’t even have a boyfriend?! I had boyfriends growing up. One of my first memories is being encouraged to make out with a boy while the adults stood around watching us, but that was Gypsy night so it was normal, there was always a lot of sex on Gypsy night. I was 5.
But here I was almost 10 years later and no boyfriend, so when I got home I asked the Lord to send me a boyfriend and who should show up but Onyx! He was a warrior in the spirit world and he loved the fact that I was a tomboy. I would hear from him and write his messages in my prophecy book. He told me he liked the fact that I wore boxer shorts to bed. I felt beautiful for the first time and seen in a way no one had seen me. I lived with 36 people in a commune in Kobe, but no one paid attention to me the way Onyx did. Soon I found myself sneaking away to write and “hear from him” just like I was taught to “hear from the lord”.
The cult had mandated prayer time every day and I would spend that time hearing from Onyx about all the way’s he loved and appreciated me for who I really was.
He did cheat on me once, but I forgave him because I wasn’t in the spirit world so I couldn’t be jealous that he had sex with the Holy ghost. The Holy ghost was Gods mistress / Jesus’s mom and he wouldn’t have been able to say no to her anyway, you couldn’t turn down sex if the leaders above you demanded it. I understood his predicament.
Obviously, Onyx had long shiny black hair. He looked a little American Indian and a little hispanic … but that would change based on my tastes. When he described himself he was vague, but he promised he had big lips.
I would talk to him and share things that bothered me, like that one night when a woman in the commune demanded I share a book I was reading with her son (who I hated). I’d refused, and when she asked me if I wasn’t giving it to her because I thought she was a bitch, I had yelled “well if the broom fits, ride it!”
The room paused. She couldn’t believe it, I could barely believe it and braced for the fallout. Talking back to an adult in the commune was forbidden in the first place, but the fact that I had talked back AND implied that she was a witch? I knew the punishment wouldn’t be good, it would probably be more than the beatings I was used to. I ran to my room and started to hear from Onyx, I asked him to help me because I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into. He showed up immediately and soothed me, told me it would be okay, that it wasn’t my fault I’d had an outburst. He knew I shouldn’t have done it but he assured me things are never as bad as they seem.
My dad knocked on the door, he was usually the one to pass down punishment. He came in and sat too close to my Prophecy book. He glanced at it but didn’t pick it up, I hoped he was impressed to see that I was praying about it. He sighed “I heard what you said to her” the tone of his voice wasn’t angry, in fact… was that… was that amusement ? I heard Oynx encourage me in my head so I doubled down “yeah I said it, because sometimes she’s a witch”
I’d done it, I’d gone all in.
My dad started to laugh. This was unexpected. “you know sometimes she is isn’t she? (this is when I found out he disliked her too) I mean I have to say I punished you so how about you say sorry, then do kitchen stuff for the next week? “
I was fine with that, I’d been cooking meals for the commune since I was 12.
“ fine I’ll do kitchen stuff but I won’t say sorry.” Even as I said it I knew I had no choice, even Onyx knew it and let out a groan.
Ten minutes later I walked out to apologize to the woman, who stood smugly with one hand on her son and the other holding the book. I didn’t know how she got it, likely someone in the commune had seen my outburst and snuck into my room to give it to her. Through gritted teeth I apologized for my behavior. “don’t worry I have the book now so it doesn’t matter” was her response. My blood boiled but at least I had Onyx to go back to. He would soothe me. He would remind me that things weren’t as bad as I thought they were. He would get me through feeling un-loved and neglected until I naturally stopped hearing from him. Maybe he got busy, maybe I made friends, who knows what it was for sure.
I haven’t heard from him in a while. Even as the “end of the world” rears it’s ugly head time and time again, I haven’t felt the need to reach out. Perhaps it’s because 20 years later I have learned to love and pay attention to myself, to soothe the terrors and find beauty in the story.
Recently I was chatting with a friend who joked that she’d been alone so much this year due to the pandemic that she had to create imaginary friends. I told her about Oynx and she laughed.
But I will never underestimate the importance of an imaginary boyfriend for the end of the world. | https://medium.com/@angeldesantis/the-importance-of-imaginary-boyfriends-for-the-end-of-the-world-291ad326ee5b | ['Angel Desantis'] | 2020-12-18 07:01:50.133000+00:00 | ['Biography', 'Inspiration', 'Imaginary Boyfriends', 'Cults', 'Religious Trauma'] |
The Beginner’s Guide to Buying a House | Photo via Pexels
Something most people want to accomplish in their lifetime is buying a home. However, the process may seem intimidating to many. While it can indeed be complicated and require many steps, you can ease most of your fears by learning more about the process. With that in mind, below is an overview of some of the basics.
1. Budgeting
The first step to finding a house should always be determining your budget. This budget should have a maximum cap that cannot be exceeded. Since buying a home is such a big financial investment, going over budget can have serious consequences for your financial livelihood. You could even end up losing the house and be forced to rent again, putting you back at square one.
However, how do you budget? You need to consider your annual income. Do you have a steady income with a career with good job security? If that is the case, you should look at houses with a price of about two to three times your yearly income. That way, you’ll eventually be able to pay off the mortgage. Also, in regards to the monthly mortgage payments, try to obtain a mortgage in which the monthly payment does not exceed 28 percent of your monthly income. A bit less than that may be preferable.
You will also of course, need to make a down payment. This can range between 5 and 20 percent of the price of the house. Without enough money to make the down payment, you will be denied the mortgage. Other costs you should budget for include costs related to maintenance and home improvement. This is especially the case if you aren’t buying new.
2. Finding Your Home
Once you have a budget in mind, as well as other criteria regarding your preferences for rooms, space, etc., you should begin actively looking for a home in the right location. Before you speak to a real estate agent, do plenty of your own research. Check out listings online as well as in print. In many restaurants, you can find little free booklets printed on cheap paper that list homes in that area for sale including the price.
You should also take advantage of real estate investor software. While you may think this software is only for people that use real estate as a form investment instead of as a home, this is not the case. The average home shopper can reap plenty of benefits from the tools included in such a software program. For example, BirdDogBot can allow you to investigate real estate for sale in a specific area, track those properties over time and perform complex calculations to analyze the value of the real estate in question.
3. Choosing the Right Mortgage
Once you have a better grip on your budget and the kind of home you want, you should get serious about obtaining a mortgage. Begin shopping around for mortgage lenders. Choose one that has good ratings for both customer service as well as quick closings. Make sure you choose a lender who is open to answering all the questions you may have about the process and getting approved.
You will also need to choose the kind of mortgage you will buy. There are several different varieties. The most common are fixed rate mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages also referred to as ARMs for short. Fixed rate mortgages maintain the same interest rates throughout the life of the loan. The interest rates for adjustable rate mortgages, however, can and will fluctuate in reaction to market forces.
Choosing the correct kind of mortgage is important. Certainly factor into your decision the likelihood of the performance of the economy changing interest rates in the future. It could result in you loosing or saving money on interest as a result. In general, however, fixed rate mortgages may be preferable for individuals that plan to live in the same house for the rest of their lives. Due to the possible fluctuations of an ARM’s interest rate, you may eventually end up paying much more for your mortgage than you planned.
Mortgages can also differ by the term of the loan. 15-year and 30-year mortgages are the most common. However, 30-year mortgages may be preferable for the average homeowner. 15-year mortgages may be a better choice for the wealthy that do have the ability to pay off a home loan much quicker.
4. Pre-Approval
Last, you’ll need to try to get pre-approval for your mortgage. During this process, the lending institution will do a close examination of your financial situation including your credit history, W2 forms from your employer, bank statements and more. After you are pre-approved, you will have a stronger bargaining position to negotiate with the lender on a fair price based on the home’s value as opposed to your financial situation. | https://medium.com/@finneganpierson/the-beginner-s-guide-to-buying-a-house-bc57c041c705 | ['Finn Pierson'] | 2015-12-22 18:24:13.504000+00:00 | ['Mortgage', 'Real Estate', 'Real Estate Investments'] |
Demystifying Microstrategy and the Recent Bitcoin Bubble | Disclaimer
All the info you are about to read is for entertainment purposes only and should not be seen as financial advice.
You know the drill.
Introduction
Let’s face it. None of us heard of Micheal Saylor and Microstrategy before they purchased bitcoin in August 2020.
Most of us didn’t even care. Then, we suddenly hear about them purchasing bitcoin in August 2020.
BTC rallying over 400%
The sudden surge of institutional investors and big corporations after bitcoin rallying over 400% from its march crash came as a pleasant surprise for the small crypto market.
Big money finally flowing into bitcoin might be however the most misleading narrative pushed so far.
MSTR crashes more than 90% after the dotcom bubble
A Bit of History
$MSTR stocks plummeted more than 90% since its inception and after failing to deliver on their promises for investors, and honestly failing to innovate in the market.
Unlike what most think, they’re not a hedge fund. They’re a software and BI company. A not-so-good one too.
In July 2017, the company reported a 41% year-over-year drop in both net income and earnings per share (EPS), resulting in its stock crash by 30%.
Figures don’t lie.
Enter Bitcoin
In August 2020, Saylor announced the purchase of $250 million in bitcoin $250 million followed by an additional $175 million worth of BTC one month later.
Hello, bubble!
That’s the same guy that bashed bitcoin in 2013.
My my. How the tables have turned.
Enter the stock market.
Hype pushes the stock price up. Think of it as your standard pump and dump scheme, albeit more sophisticated.
$MSTR stock rose by more than 30% and still pushing.
Shares of MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ: MSTR) tumbled 29.8% in July, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence , after the enterprise software platform provider reported dismal performance in its second quarter. Investors apparently aren’t optimistic about MicroStrategy’s new three-year growth plan, which mostly depends on spending excess cash flow on new marketing and technology plans. CEO Michael Saylor indicated that operating margins would likely fall as the company focused more on growth, noting that it’s “unrealistic” to expect it to keep its operating margins north of 20% while it’s trying to grow the business. MicroStrategy investors will have to wait for the next several quarters’ results to see how well these plans get implemented, and if management’s ideas are enough to spur new revenue growth.
Moreover, Microstrategy has seen falling revenues for more than a decade.
Its PE ratio skyrocketed in December to more than a whopping 96 (Microsoft is at 38):
A quick google search yields the following: the average P/E for the S&P 500 has historically ranged from 13 to 15.
A company with a current P/E of 25, above the S&P average, trades at 25 times earnings. The high multiple indicates that investors expect higher growth from the company compared to the overall market.
Fine. So what does this all mean?
Well for starters that Microstrategy suddenly became over-valued, especially when it comes to its revenue. Its investors are temporarily happy.
In other words, it’s a bubble waiting to pop. Don’t believe me?
Trillions huh? The entire Gold market is around 9T.
BONUS: The average price purchased is 19.4K. Smart? Not so fast. Even big guys with a lot of money make mistakes. Not to mention that Saylor and his pals were accused of fraud in 2000. Talk about history.
Conclusion
It was indeed interesting how Microstrategy and their recent bitcoin stunt increased the purchasing power of BTC. But like all bubbles, one ought to be more careful when the market is euphoric. | https://medium.com/nebular/demystifying-microstrategy-and-the-recent-bitcoin-bubble-9d5104d87584 | [] | 2020-12-08 10:41:13.102000+00:00 | ['Investing', 'Bitcoin', 'Stocks', 'Analysis', 'Finance'] |
COFFEWRITING | COFFEEWRITING
I thought about what I could do this first summer of pandemic for one of the communities of which I am a member, which is to say the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, and this is what I came up with.
Alas, it’s not an invitation to all of you who are reading it. It matters for this community that it should have its own group. But I have a little idea that it could seed itself elsewhere…..
The invitation (sent to graduate student and faculty lists in the department):
I’m proposing something funny for the summer that I hope some of you might want to join me for. I currently have the concentration of a gnat (I keep thinking of the Havel title The Increased Difficulty of Concentration) and am eager to make sure that I don’t lose the summer months to fruitless 24–7 #coronanews and #coronachat: aside from all the other considerations, it is bad for my mood.
Many of you know that my partner lives in Grand Cayman and that I usually spend the summer months there, with a clockwork schedule that involves showing up at Café del Sol on Lawrence Boulevard sometime between 8 and 8:15am and working for a couple hours before going to 10:30 hot yoga! But Cayman’s borders are closed till September at the earliest, and I’m not going to be working in a New York coffeeshop any time soon either. I thought I would combine my own personal desire for structure with any need along those lines that others may have too: others in this case meaning anybody who’s trying to write this summer, faculty and students alike.
So — COFFEEWRITING.
What it is: a recurring Zoom meeting M-F 10–11:30am, broken down into three thirty-minute chunks (twenty-five minutes silent writing time and five minutes chat break).
You can join for 30, 60 or 90 minutes each weekday.
You do NOT have to be writing something academic.
In fact if you really aren’t doing well but you’d like some structure and company, it is perfectly reasonable to think of using your 30-minute accountability chunk to do the dishes and take a shower….
We will NOT read each other’s drafts or report on what we’ve accomplished, unless in casual chat on a Friday. It’s not a writing group in that sense — we are totally content-neutral. It’s just a simple daily check-in, a way of setting aside time for making things out of words.
We’ll start the Tuesday after Memorial Day, May 26, and run a six-week initial session. We can reprise that for another six weeks starting on July 13 if there’s interest. I’m circulating the invitation only to folks within the Department of English and Comparative Literature, but if you have a friend in another department who you think would like to join us, you’re welcome to share with that person and they can write me to register.
It will be pleasing to me if I can create the feeling of working in a coffeeshop community at home, and I hope that the idea will appeal to some of you as well. To register, just send me an email at [redacted] with subject COFFEEWRITING. The Friday before Memorial Day, I’ll send round an email with the meeting link. The list will be private, though obviously once we’re meeting regularly, you’ll see people there on Zoom; once you sign up, you can attend or not as it suits you.
Hope to see some of you this summer! | https://medium.com/@jennydavidson/coffewriting-8077e5375af1 | ['Jenny Davidson'] | 2020-05-21 00:10:44.821000+00:00 | ['Coronavirus', 'Distraction', 'Writing', 'Procrastination', 'Community'] |
Talk about mental health. I am going to take a break from my… | I am going to take a break from my usual conversation about relationships to talk about something I experienced at work.
Part of the reason for this article is because the experience has left me wondering about the state of our country as it relates to people with mental illnesses and how little we seem to care.
I work for a local jurisdiction as a code enforcement officer. My responsibilities are to ensure that property and business owners are following the laws that have been established by that city.
Two weeks ago code enforcement was called to a fire damaged duplex. One unit burned and the other one lost power because the electrical meter for both units was located inside the unit that burned.
I know this is a long intro but I have to set the story up in order to make my point. The tenant in the unit that burned refused to leave after the fire. The tenant is literally sleeping in a partially destroyed structure.
The destruction was caused by a combination of actual fire, smoke damage, aeration damage (the fire department had to open up several spots including the roof in order to help put the fire out) and water damage.
After such destruction, property owners file claims with their insurance company to get funds for repairs. In order to pay the claim an insurance rep has to inspect the property to assess the damage and determine the payout amount.
The tenant would not allow anyone to enter the unit. The tenant went so far as to wave a bat around in a threatening manner.
Property management contacted the sheriff’s department who of course responded. The sheriff’s went a step further. Since it was mentioned that this person might have some mental illness they also brought the MET team.
The MET team or the Medical Evaluation Team are the professionals trained to evaluate medical conditions as it relates to state of mind and mental health and whether or not you require intensive treatment at that time.
The 18–24 year old would not open the door. Still to date this person is sleeping inside a burned apartment with no heat, electricity and no running water.
The burned unit that the person is sleeping in every night
The mental health industry is failing the people who need it most. According to a publication called mental health first aid, in the United States mental health is worsening among all age groups. The article also indicated that people aren’t receiving the care they deserve.
But why is that? There has always been a stigma associated with metal illness and I would image that the stigma, coupled with lack of care available would drive people even further away from trying to seek mental health assistance.
If we don’t make it easily available and continue to stigmatize mental health issues then people will continue to suffer unnecessarily.
What disturbs me about this individual is that although I have done my job, meaning I have fulfilled the responsibility that I am tasked with in situations like these, I still can’t help feeling as if maybe I or we (my organization) should have done more to help solve the problem.
I have no mental health expertise or training so realistically there is nothing I can do. And interfering in a situation that I have no training or knowledge could actually make things worse.
My role in the situation is specific, I am responsible to make sure the owner of the property obtains permits for the reconstruction. Beyond that I can make phone calls and see if people will help but my hands are tied.
The system is broken and without some reform it will stay broken and these instances will continue to happen to people who just need help. It’s difficult to witness this and walk away.
We are in a free society and forced care for a consenting adult is not something the system can for lack of a better word force. We do need to have facilities and treatment options available but they have to be available for those who are seeking help. | https://medium.com/@jcwrite21/mental-health-aint-getting-attention-28d6c3886f39 | ['Jacque Cochran'] | 2021-04-25 22:42:21.323000+00:00 | ['Mental Health Services', 'Mental Health Treatment', 'Fire'] |
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